Blue Colla Make Ya Holla (56 page)

Smiling, she grips my hands. “I love you too. I try to convince myself that it’s an exciting phase, but I can’t imagine losing you. In fact, I tried to imagine that the other day at work and I cried like a baby. I haven’t cried in years. I didn’t cry when Sandy dumped me, but I sobbed like a baby when I thought of losing you. That’s not lust.”

“No, it’s not.”

“It’s love.”

“It’s fate. I look at you and see my future. I see kids and vacations and stuff I never saw for me. Not in a real way. With you, it’s so damn real I can reach out and touch it.”

I caress her face and Meredith leans into my embrace. “I never believed in fate until I met you.”

Meredith

Death Stare

‡

T
oday at brunch,
Winston plans to break the news to his family about moving into my place. He wakes up nervous in a way only a lot of fucking can calm. Even after spending hours inside me, he remains edgy when we drive to his mom’s house.

“You think they won’t like me.”

Winston grips the steering wheel. “No. I think they’ll ask too many questions and get pushy. I’m not in the mood.”

“You’re afraid they’ll disagree with you moving in.”

“I’m not afraid of anything,” he grumbles.

I shouldn’t laugh, but I do. He’s behaving like a little boy waiting for his parents to get home and punish him.

“We’ll drop the big stuff on them as we’re about to leave. Give them no chance to frighten you with their questions.”

Winston glares at me until I laugh again. He finally shakes his head and grins.

“I was so sure your family would be the end of us. Figured they’d make you stop seeing me and I’d lose you.”

“Make me? I’m nearly thirty. No one makes me do anything besides the government and the voices in my head.”

Winston smiles wider, yet he remains tense as we pull into the driveway of his mom’s bi-level. Before we walk inside, I tug him against me and inhale his clean scent.

“You need to settle down. I don’t want your family to think I’m a bad influence on you.”

Holding my face in his rough hands, Winston looks like he’s ready to smash something.

“I had a moment yesterday at the country club where I saw our future. I don’t want anything ruining that.”

“The only people with the power to ruin what we have are standing right here. I know I’m not giving you up. That only leaves you.”

His blue eyes still anxious, Winston nods. “I’ve had women come and go. It never bothered me when things were over. With you, I get so fucking freaked when I even think of losing you.”

“Then don’t lose me.”

“That simple?”

“Well it certainly isn’t complicated.”

Winston kisses me gently then smiles and kisses me until I can’t breathe. His body relaxes in my embrace and I relish having such power. Knowing how to soothe the man I love feels magical. I’m still floating when we walk into his mom’s house where chaos awaits.

Judith gives me the evil eye, sizing me up coldly. I simply smile at her because I don’t care if she hates me. I’m marrying her son and she’ll have to deal with this fact. Winston hasn’t asked me yet, but I know he will. This meeting with his family is the last step before he pops the question.

“I like her,” Judith announces suddenly. “I gave her my death stare and she didn’t back down. She didn’t freak out either. She’s a keeper.”

With this proclamation, I’m part of the family in everyone’s eyes. Kemp and Boyle welcome me. Mira and Heather promise to show me the ropes. I meet all the nieces and nephews who have absolutely no interest in me. Through all the introductions, Winston relaxes a little more until he’s the guy I know and love.

Winston

Saying the Words

‡

O
n a balmy
evening, Meredith and I ride my Harley on the roads past the farms until we reach the spot where I knew she was the one. This time she isn’t wearing a pink gumball helmet, but a better fitting orange one.

After I park the bike on the side of the empty road, Meredith climbs off and removes her helmet. The wind blows her blonde hair across her beautiful face and I’m again struck by the luck of our meeting after so many years. How different my life would be right this moment if I hadn’t gone to Pete’s Stinky Dive.

Standing on this road, I don’t know what to say. Can’t think of the words to express how I feel. The ones I grab for sound sappy and wrong in my head. When I stare at her for too long, Meredith smiles and I finally understand how words aren’t necessary.

Kneeling down, I remove the ring box from my pocket and open it. Meredith looks so calm as if she always knew. Her smile feels rather anticlimactic after how nervous I’ve been. Suddenly, she giggles then covers her mouth.

“Sorry,” she says, looking like she’ll jump up and down soon.

“No, that’s a sexy look on you.”

“Are you going to ask or can I just say yes now?”

“Will you marry me?”

Giving into her urge, Meredith bounces around laughing before dropping to her knees and hugging me.

“Yes,” she says, kissing me. “The sooner, the better.”

Meredith isn’t kidding. She pulls strings at the country club, makes a million calls, and designs a quickie wedding that looks like something out of a damn magazine. I don’t feel out of place since she uses the colors of my club as inspiration. She makes sure to include my family and friends in the ceremony, making it a perfect blend between her world and mine.

Meredith is never more beautiful than when walking down the aisle wearing a big grin. Her smile promises we’ll have one helluva life together.

After our quickie relationship leading to the altar, I still have a lot to learn about Meredith. My brother even warns me that those little surprises might be deal breakers. Instead, they prove we’re perfect together.

I’m not the kind of guy who worries about bills and financial crap. Meredith loves keeping track of those things. She has spreadsheets and electronic reminders to ensure everything remains paid.

When our three kids come along, Meredith is just as organized. The babies are born early in our marriage with only sixteen months between each of them. Most days, Meredith has no trouble juggling our new family and her career. As they get older though, she gets overwhelmed at times with the chaos.
Daddy to the rescue.
I love the wild times, barely hearing most of the noise after so many years with my nieces and nephews. My three aren’t nearly as loud when I take them to playgrounds or Grammy’s house to allow Mom a break. Those nights when I return with the kids, we find a recharged Meredith. She laughs more at the kids’ shenanigans. She also thanks me in very energetic ways once the kids are asleep.

Unlike my ex-girlfriends, Meredith never makes me feel like a hero by saving her from the simple things in life. I’m a hero just by making her laugh with one of my throwaway comments, by caring for our children, or by making her toes curl. She doesn’t need saving. No, Meredith just needs me.

Meredith

How It All Ends

‡

W
inston’s nerves remain
unsettled until our honeymoon in New Orleans. I’ll never understand why he thought I might run, but he finally accepts I’m right where I want to be. Our week in the Big Easy is the epitome of decadence. We do nothing except eat, drink, and fuck. The one time we attempt a walking tour, we end up stopping for catfish and ending up back in bed at the hotel.

Returning home, we quickly put the house for sale and look for a new place. I want a house with all the fancy fixtures. Winston craves an older house with space and character. We compromise when he convinces me to buy a fixer upper and promises he’ll remodel it to my liking. By the time our first son is born, the house has all the character he likes and all the shiny newness I crave. The house has a workshop with space for his Harleys and a mancave. I’m more interested in the fancy kitchen where I keep my stash of Skittles.

We also find a compromise when naming our children. No Captain America or G.I. Joe, but we do choose solidly male names. Mitchell and Gregory seem less likely than their father to run into girls with the same names. Our final child is a girl and Winston figures Princess Barbie should work. We spend nine months bouncing around names. The boys are big fans of Jessie like from
Toy Story
. Winston fears his little princess will end up in a class with a boy Jesse. He’s obsessed with this fear, so we name her Grace. I figure she’s unlikely to meet a penis-sporting Grace.

Three kids is a lot, but Winston and I make a great team. I’m the organized mom while he’s at the roughhousing dad. I teach the kids to cook. He teaches them to fix cars. The kids grow up knowing both of our clubs, respecting both big balls and bigger bank accounts.

Bethany finally uses the Dentist’s name after he eats a brownie she baked then doesn’t brush for an entire hour. They’re married a year later and I’m soon blessed with a niece and nephew sporting excellent teeth and an affinity for snide comments. Zulma is thrilled to have mommy play dates and real girls’ nights out. We even enjoy family vacations together to Disneyworld.

Everything fell into place once I got drunk and went looking for my rebound guy. Rather than finding a one-night stand, I met someone I thought I’d lost forever. The boy who made my toes curl as a teenager grew up to be the man of my dreams.

The End

Living in Indiana with my three sweet sons, three wacky cats, one super mom (and her ugly dog), I love writing, cats, Denny’s, 1970’s rock, Beanie Boos, and sitcoms cancelled before their time.

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Stella Hunter

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