~Marshall's P.O.V.~
The ceremony was brief, I know that's what Rose wanted. We're about an hour into the reception now, which is just a party in the backyard. Rachel got talked into helping with something by her aunt while I'm sitting at a table with Thatcher, Cash, some of Paul's friends, and perfect Jeff.
"So Marshall how long have you and Rachel been married?"
I turn my head towards everyone and it takes me a second to realize that Jeff is the one asking.
"About a month." I say shortly, leaning back in my chair. This should be interesting.
"Oh wow." His eyes widen and he laughs. "How long have you been together?"
"Three years." I say, fighting with everything I have to keep my eyes from rolling.
"I know I already said it but congratulations." He tells me, smiling. "On the baby too, that's really great."
"Thanks." I say dryly, taking another sip of my drink.
"So what do you do?" He asks and I almost cringe. He is so fucking annoying and persistent but I take this as an opportunity to scare him off.
"I'm a fighter." I tell him, straightening back up.
"Whoa like MMA?" He asks, a childish glow in his eye.
"Boxing." I correct. "But lately more cage type stuff."
I can't just outright tell him I've been fighting in the street. This kid is trying my patience, I need Rachel to come back and make him stop.
"I never pictured her with someone like you." He says, and I turn to face him. What the fuck? "I mean yeah in high school she had our whole football team asking her out but she never went for the jock type."
"What type did she go for, Jeff?" I ask, failing to keep the sarcasm out of my voice. "You?"
"Well, yeah." He laughs and I want to beat it out of him. "But we were each other's only really close friends, we were bound to catch feelings."
"You know," I shrug, not even caring about being a dick anymore. "Funny how you keep saying the two of you were so close and she's never mentioned you once."
"Really?" He asks in confusion before he can stop himself.
"Yep." I nod as though it's the proudest moment of my life. "Never."
"Oh, well we haven't seen each other in a long time." He says, like he needs an excuse for her not talking about him. "Where is she anyway?"
I roll my eyes and turn towards the crowd of people in the backyard. I spot Rachel immediately, she's facing away from us in a group of other women that seem to be admiring her ring.
"She's right there." I say, and flick my chin in her direction.
"How can you tell from this far away?" He asks, laughing.
"I'd know those hips anywhere." I say, and it catches him off guard and I take another sip of my drink.
I can't tell if it's jealousy on his face or shock, I'm okay with either. But he better get his beady brown eyes off of her before I do it for him. I glare at him for quite some time before he finally stops looking at her. I open my mouth to speak only to be cut off by Thatcher.
"Do you know where Rach is?" He asks me. "There's somebody I want y'all to meet."
"I'll get her." I say, grateful for the excuse to get away from Jeff and his fucking perfection. I roll my eyes and stand up.
I make my way across the lawn, passing and dodging various relatives with my eye on the prize. I come up behind her, placing my hand in the small of her back. She jumps but then instantly relaxes when she realizes it's me.
"Can I steal you for a minute?" I whisper to her and she smiles. "Thatcher wants us to meet somebody."
"Okay." She nods, saying her excuses and separating from the group.
We start back toward the table and I see Jeff looking at her again. I feel a surge of jealousy and then I stop her, taking her hand and pulling her towards me.
"What are you doing?" She asks, giggling.
"Nothing." I shrug and smile, pulling her face against mine and kissing her. "I just remembered how much I want you."
"Stop it." She says, giggling and putting her hands on my chest. "Not here."
"I know." I say, glancing at Jeff who seems to still be watching. "I thought I'd tell you though."
I press another long kiss to her lips and then lace our fingers together, walking towards the table. I can't help the smirk on my face as Jeff's expression comes into view. He moves when she walks over and I take the seat, acting as a barrier between her and him.
"I thought you said Thatcher needed us?" She asks me, and it's just now that I look around and don't see him.
"He's over there." Jeff intercepts, pointing across the lawn in the opposite direction of where we just came from.
We both turn our heads and see Thatcher slowly making his way back to our table with an older African American woman on his arm. The two of them erupt in a spur of laughter and continue their conversation all the way back to the table. I pull my chair closer to Rachel and place my hand on her knee, waiting for them to sit down.
"This is Rose's girl?" The woman asks, taking Rachel's hand.
"Yes uh, Rach this is Verna." Thatcher tells her and the two of them shake hands.
"Oh your babysitter?" Rachel asks him.
"Yes I was." She answers for him, patting Thatcher on the shoulder. "Grew up to be a fine young man thanks to me."
"Hey now don't take all the credit." Thatch teases, laughing. "You only watched me for three months!"
"Yet here I am." She jokes too. "At your father's wedding."
"Well I think it's great." Rachel says, putting her hand over mine. "This is my husband Marshall."
"Nice to meet you." I say, shaking her hand gently and smiling also leaning forward enough to completely cut Jeff out of the conversation.
"So you're the one responsible for this." She says, putting her hand on Rachel's stomach, clearly just joking.
"Guilty." I say, offering a laugh.
"Boy or girl?" Verna asks, beaming at us both and removing her hand from Rachel's stomach.
"Girl." Rachel and I both say at once.
Rach laughs and plants a kiss on my cheek. She laces her hand with mine and holds my bicep with her other. I'm pleased with the sudden burst of affection, it reminds me of what's awaiting us when we get home.
"Oh a girl." She sighs, a look of admiration in her eyes. "Is this your first?"
The question stings in my chest and the words echo around in my head for a second. My head screams no, it's not but I have to say otherwise because I know Rachel won't be able to.
"Yes." I say, giving Rachel a reassuring squeeze. "We're very excited."
"You're lucky is what you are." She tells us. "Little boys cause a lot of mischief." She glares at Thatcher.
"It was one window, one time." He defends, the two of them laughing at the memory.
"Of course my own son wasn't any better." She says, almost rolling her eyes. "He didn't break any windows but he woke up the whole block blasting music out of them."
"How is Andre anyway?" Thatcher asks, laughing.
"Oh you know, busy as usual." She sighs. "He will be here tomorrow night to have dinner with me before I go back to LA."
For some reason when she says that, everything kind of falls into place for me. LA, Verna, Andre, blasting music. If she is who I think she is, this night just got a hell of a lot more interesting.
"Hold on a minute." I say, feeling the excitement build up in my core. "Are you Verna Young?"
"Yes." She answers, clearly knowing where I'm going with this.
"And your son is Andre Young, Dr. Dre?"
"Thatcher, baby, you didn't tell them?" She laughs.
"V, I love Andre but you know I'm a country boy." Thatcher says and I can't believe my ears.
"I've been trying to get Thatch here to go to Andre's Detroit shows while he's been here, but I understand you've been busy." She pats Thatcher's shoulder again.
"You know, Marshall used to rap." Thatcher points out and I can't tell if he's trying to embarrass me or not.
"Oh babe I forgot about that." Rachel says to me, kind of snuggling into my shoulder. "I saw Marshall at a club once." She tells Verna. "He was amazing."
"I wouldn't say amazing." I take a nervous sip of my drink, I really wish Rachel wouldn't hype me up in front of Dr. Dre's mother when I haven't even done it in years.
"You were great." She rubs my bicep and looks back at Thatcher and Verna. "He really has a passion for it. He's always buying me CDs for my birthday."
"Well I would love for the three of you to join us for dinner tomorrow." Verna offers, looking longingly at Thatcher and then us.
Rachel looks at me with that 'is this really happening' look in her eye.
"We wouldn't want to impose on you, V." Thatcher says. "You haven't seen Andre in a long time-"
"Nonsense." She cuts him off. "Maybe with some new talent there he'll actually pay attention to the conversation in front of him rather than spending half the time on the phone with production."
"New talent." Rachel says to me, and excited smile on her face.
"It would make me so happy if you would come." Verna says.
"Sounds good to me." Thatcher says. "Rach?"
"Oh yeah we're in." Rachel answers for us. "It would be lovely."
"I'd like to make a toast!" Jeff stands up beside me, tearing the attention away from everyone's individual conversations and onto him.
He begins talking and I reluctantly turn to 'listen'. Rachel ducks under my arm and pulls it around her. I look at her and she leans in close to me, kissing my cheek once. I smile to myself, so many things have gone right today.
***
~Rachel's P.O.V.~
Marshall and I walk in the door to his apartment and he shuts it behind us. We take a second of silence and then I walk over to him, the pure excitement of tomorrow night taking over.
"I can't believe we're going to dinner with Dr. Dre tomorrow." I say, my smile from ear to ear. "Verna called you new talent."
"Yeah she did." He says, putting his hand on my cheek. "But that was an old hobby baby. I haven't done it in so long."
"Look, I'm not saying anything is going to happen." I tell him. "But if it did, I would be all for it. It's safer than fighting, you've been trying to get out for a while now." I toss my arms over his shoulders. "If the opportunity presents itself I think you should take it."
"Rach, it's just dinner." He says, kissing me once. "I could never be on the same level as him."
"That song you wrote for me was amazing, there's no way he would turn that down." I reassure him. "Baby, I want you to do it if it happens. You need a better job, one that won't kill you."
"Let's just see how it goes tomorrow, alright?" He asks me, rubbing his thumb on my cheek. "I'll think about it."
I nod a few times and smile at him. He looks so good in a suit, he always has. I step out of my shoes, immediately shrinking four inches. I lean into him but my stomach gets in the way per usual. It's not long before I feel his hand on me, kind of guarding her.
"How's the little one?" He asks.
"She's good." I answer.
"Good." He nods, taking my hand and pulling me towards his bedroom. He's been waiting all day, it's time to give him what he wants.