Chapter 62

Leila's POV

The sound of movers shuffling boxes, clanking dishes, and instructions echoed through the house as we unpacked the life we were starting to build.

Monica and Laura stood off to the side, trying to help where they could, but I could feel the weight of their eyes on me, they were concerned, disbelieving, and full of questions neither had the guts to ask directly, not today anyway.

Laura sat on the arm of the couch, her arms crossed and a look of amused exasperation on her face.

She had been my best friend for years, and if anyone could read my mind, it was her.

Monica, Marshall's assistant and now someone I called a close friend, was giving orders to the movers, a slight furrow in her brow every time she glanced at me.

"You're really doing this, huh?" Laura's voice cut through the noise, her eyebrow arching as she took a sip from the wine glass in her hand.

"Yeah, I am" I replied, refusing to meet her gaze, I kept my focus on the stack of boxes near the kitchen, each one marked with sharpie, each one labeled with its contents, a chaotic attempt at organization, much like my life "We're doing this, well it's already done"

"You two couldn't make it a little less of a circus act?" Laura asked, her voice dripping with both humor and worry.

I snorted, finally meeting her eyes with a smirk "You act like we don't thrive in chaos"

"You definitely do" Monica added, walking over from across the room, her footsteps soft but deliberate, she crossed her arms and fixed me with a look "But seriously, Leila, Vegas? I thought you would want something more... controlled"

"Controlled? In my life?" I laughed dryly, shaking my head "We're already in it, We're moving forward"

Moving forward.

That phrase felt foreign, and I wasn't entirely sure if I was convincing myself or them. Truthfully, it still felt like I was riding a high from our Vegas wedding, a haze of adrenaline and passion that made everything seem more intense than it actually was.

I wasn't stupid, I knew we were volatile, but being wrapped in Marshall's love-bombing made me feel invincible, like we could handle anything.

"I don't know whether to congratulate you or stage an intervention" Laura said, leaning forward as she eyed me over the rim of her glass.

"Definitely congrats" Monica added quickly, her voice warm but betraying the worry that was clear in her eyes.

She'd been with Marshall long enough to see him at his best and his worst, she knew the risks better than anyone, and that loyalty now extended to me.

It put her in an awkward spot, trying to be the neutral party between two live wires.

Before I could respond, the front door swung open, and there he was, Alec, with his towering frame and that ever-present scowl, storming in like a force of nature.

His eyes locked on me immediately, dark and intense, but they quickly shifted to Marshall as he also walked in the room.

I could feel the heat of his anger before he even said a word.

"What the fuck, Lala?" Alec's voice was sharp, filled with frustration as he moved into the room, his eyes blazed, but his fury was not aimed at me, it was all directed at Marshall.

Marshall straightened, his posture tensing but calm, already anticipating the blowback, he didn't flinch under Alec's gaze, but I could feel the tension rolling off him in waves.

This wasn't going to be easy.

Alec's fists clenched at his sides as he took a step closer to Marshall, his voice low, gritty, and hard as the streets they came from "You really thought it was a good idea to take her to Vegas? Get married like a couple of reckless kids? What the hell you on, man?"

Marshall's jaw tightened, his voice low and measured, with that same Detroit edge "Watch your tone, Alec"

"Nah, you watch yours!" Alec shot back, his voice loud and raw, cutting through the tension in the room like a switchblade, he took another step forward, his shoulders squared and tense "You don't just do whatever the hell you feel like and drag her into your mess, this is cousin, the only family we got Marshall, she ain't one of your side chicks, you know better than that"

I stepped between them, trying to cut through the heat before it boiled over "Alec, stop—"

But Alec's eyes never left Marshall, his voice like gravel as he growled "You know what you done, right? You pulled her into some reckless-ass bullshit, you don't think it through, you just act, you didn't care what the fallout would be"

Marshall's hands clenched at his sides, his voice staying controlled, but the hard edge in it could slice through steel "Don't act like you know how this went down, she made the choice just like I did"

"Don't try to fuckin' play me" Alec spat, his tone cold, deadly "I know her, she don't do reckless shit like this unless someone's got their hands all over her emotions, and thats you, man, you know that, you spin her up, get her head twisted, and now you got her tied to you? That's how you move?"

Marshall's eyes darkened, his body shifting slightly forward, his voice dropping even lower "You don't know shit about how we move"

I could feel my pulse pounding in my ears as I looked between them.

The room felt like it was closing in, the tension thick enough to choke on.

Marshall wasn't backing down, but neither was Alec.

Two men raised by the same streets, same struggles, hard edges with no room for bullshit.

"Alec, I made this decision, I out it on the table, not Marshall" I said, forcing my voice to stay steady "I chose this, Marshall didn't force me into anything"

Alec's gaze flicked to me, softening just a little, but he didn't let it go "Lala, I know you, this ain't yo, you don't just dive headfirst into shit without thinkin' it through, and him? He's the kinda dude that don't think about tomorrow, you gonna tell me that's not what this is?"

Marshall's voice got harder, sharper "You think I don't know we're volatile? You think I don't know how we are? Don't stand here actin' like I don't know who the fuck I'm dealin' with, like I want in the room everytime Lala and I burn this shit to the ground"

Alec turned back to him, stepping even closer, their faces inches apart "You don't know shit, Marshall, you two wanna fight, you two throw down and get back up, that's your business, but this marriage shit? This ain't just some game, you think I'm just gonna let you play her like that?"

Marshall's fists clenched "Ain't nobody playin' her, you better back the fuck up"

"I'll back up when you stop actin' like she's one of your fuckin' crew" Alec warned, his voice low and menacing. "She's family, man. She ain't built for that shit, you're volatile as hell, and I ain't gonna sit here and watch you break her down"

Marshall's eyes flashed, his voice cold and steady "She's my wife now, she can handle whatever the hell comes her way, she don't need you to babysit her and you best believe I ain't the one who's gonna break her down"

Alec's voice dropped, dangerous now "If you do, Marshall, if you fuck this up? I'll make sure you never walk away from it, I fuckin' promise you"

The room was dead silent.

The tension wasn't just thick, it was suffocating.

Monica stood to the side, her eyes wide, knowing there was nothing she could say.

Laura just watched, her drink forgotten in her hand.

I stepped in, grabbing Alec's arm "Alec, stop, enough"

He looked down at me, the anger still hard in his eyes, but he softened, just for a second "Lala, I ain't tryin' to fight you, but I'm lookin' out for you, I ain't gonna let him drag you through the mud"

I squeezed his arm, my voice steady but full of exhaustion "I can take care of myself, this is what I wanted, I promise"

Alec glanced at Marshall one more time, his fists still clenched "I ain't done with you, man, not by a long shot"

Marshall didn't flinch, didn't move, his voice was low, calm "You don't get a say in this, Alec, it's done"

Without another word, Alec turned and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

The echo of it lingered in the air, vibrating through me.

Marshall's hand was still on my back, his breath heavy next to mine.

"We're good" I whispered, more to myself than to anyone else.

Monica gave me a tight, worried smile, clearly unsure if she should believe me.

Laura raised her glass, a silent toast to the chaos she had expected all along.

Marshall leaned down, his voice soft in my ear, a murmur only meant for me "Come on, let's get out of here"