MELONY
“Have you seen these closets? Heeelloooooo,” Hollis shouts into the empty space. “Pretty sure you could murder someone in these closets and get away with it.”
“Do you plan on murdering anyone?” I ask, my eyes fixated on the vaulted ceilings.
“No, but if I wanted to, I could in these closets.” He pops his head out and then says, “Baby, we could totally stick a nursery in here.”
“Nursery is going in a room, not in a closet.”
“But if we wanted it in a closet, we could put a child in here.”
“You know there is more to this house than the walk-in closet, right? Like the view from the deck off the master bedroom.”
Hollis comes up behind me and puts his hand on my growing belly. A few weeks after Hollis proposed to me in Reese’s pool, I found out I was pregnant. Looks like my birth control wasn’t so effective after all. Looking back, it all makes sense to me: why I was so sick to my stomach all the time, why I was so emotional. I now tell Hollis my indecision when it came to us was all due to the baby. He doesn’t believe one word of it. He likes to think that we were bound to have our ups and downs because according to him, what is love without an epic story to go with it?
Sigh, he really is a romantic. And he really is mine.
Once I came to my senses, lowered the shield around my heart and let Hollis in, life has been wonderful. Sure, we’ve had our fights, stupid ones of course. We’ve gone to bed angry, only for Hollis to wake up in the middle of the night and demand make-up sex. I swear, sometimes he picks fights just for the make-up sex. He doesn’t think I know, but I do.
And now we’re expecting a baby girl; he’s done nothing but cater to me, making sure my every need is fulfilled. How could I have thought this man would do anything less than love me so thoughtfully and constantly? How could I have possibly thought he would leave me? That he wouldn’t stick around. I’m an idiot, I see that now. I’ve been so guarded my entire life, and understandably too afraid to let anything get by the walls I put up around my heart.
I’m so grateful Hollis spent months trying to knock them down. In some respects, I needed that. I needed him to keep pursuing me, to insist I was worth the effort. He’s taught me a lot about love. It’s worth chasing. It’s worth pursuing. And when we’ve fought, he’s become angry. But in his anger, he hasn’t left me. We’ve wrestled through some tough moments, and as a result, he’s also taught me something about myself.
I’m lovable. I’m someone worth staying for. Worth fighting for. I’m not worthless.
“What do you think, baby?” Hollis kisses the side of my neck. “Does Mrs. Knightly want to live here with me?
Yes, Mrs. Knightly. The moment Hollis found out I was pregnant, he demanded we get married at once. I think he was just using the baby as an excuse, because up until then, he’d asked me to marry him every day before we went to bed, and my answer was always maybe. When he asked me after we found out about our baby, my answer was yes. The next day he had his family, my mom, her fiancé, Mehi—who I adore—Reese, Paisley, Bodi, and Ruby down at the courthouse ready to witness our union. Afterward, we had a small reception at Reese’s house. How Hollis got everything done in such a short amount of time, I will never know. All he said was, he Noah Calhouned my ass.
Of course he did.
After finishing up with Bellini—such a shame . . . not—I started working on my lip-stain line. I had the contacts and had found people ready to work with me, but I’ve put some of that to the side to spend more time with my mom, and with Mehi. When I moved in with Hollis, since I had six months left on my lease, I offered my apartment to my mom, and having her closer has been wonderful. She’s stopped working full-time, is taking better care of her health, and is blossoming under Mehi’s love . . . just as Hollis said was possible. I think his exact words were, “See, Hot Sex? Love conquers all.” Sappy, but in our case, true.
I scan the master bedroom with its magnificent view of the ocean, and the regular sound and rhythm of the waves crashing into the sand, and I sigh. “Yes, this place is perfect. Are you sure we can afford it?”
He kisses my cheek. “Baby, didn’t you know? I’m a three-time Olympic gold medalist. I can afford it. Anything for my Hot Sex. You want the beach? I’m giving you the beach. Big Daddy listens.”
I roll my eyes to myself from the nicknames he still insists upon using.
“But do you like it?” I ask, not wanting him to pick a place just because I like it.
“Babe, did you see the closets?”
“I did, but can you picture yourself living here?” I look over at the realtor, Anthony, who is waiting in the foyer as Hollis and I make our way around the house again. It really is the most magnificent house, not in grandeur, but in the feel of the place. It’s warm, open, homey, and ready to be filled with love.
Taking my hand, he guides me back into the main living area where pocket doors open onto the backyard deck. The wooden deck is incredible with its large space for a table and chairs, a fire pit, and about a twenty-foot walk to the shoreline. It’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of.
Wrapping his arms around me completely, he lowers his head over my shoulder so we are both looking toward the ocean.
“This feels like home, Melony. That kitchen is where we’ll cook family dinners together. This living room is where we’ll play board games with our children. That deck is where we’ll have birthday parties and graduation parties. I see this as not just a home, but a place to make memories, memories with you.”
See, how can I not fall for this man on a daily basis?
Smiling, I kiss his forearm that’s wrapped around me. “Did you just Hollis Knightly me?”
“I think I did, Hot Sex. Did it work?”
“More than you will ever know . . . Big Daddy.”
“Hallelujah!” he praises and then shouts, “Anthony, we’ll take it. Big Daddy has spoken.”
The End