Park Avenue Player(106)
“I promised you a ride in one of these a long time ago, before I botched that date night. I’m making up for it now. I’m making up for a lot of things.”
Hollis took my hand and helped me in.
I leaned my head against him, and we enjoyed the ride while the sun began to set. The smell of the horses was quite…robust. But that didn’t stop my bliss. Things were quiet aside from the sounds of traffic and hooves clicking against the concrete.
Hollis turned to me at one point and asked, “Elodie, can I have your attention?”
“Of course.”
He swallowed, seeming nervous. “I don’t want you to believe for a second that my being distant had anything to do with doubts about you. The love I had for Anna is different than the love I have for you. And the knowledge that she still loved me when she ended things all those years ago doesn’t take away from how very much I love you.”
“Thank you for clarifying that. Although I never felt like it was a competition.”
He placed his hand on my chin and directed my eyes toward his. “My feelings for you are unprecedented, Elodie. I do love Anna, and I always will, but most of all, I love her for bringing me you. I don’t want to waste a single day more contemplating the meaning of anything. I just want to be the man you deserve and show you every day how much you mean to me.”
Those words would have been enough to last a lifetime, but then he stunned me by reaching into his pocket and taking out a ring box.
“What is that?” I covered my mouth. My heartbeat accelerated. “What are you doing?”
He opened it, displaying a massive diamond set between two smaller stones.
“I know this seems crazy—to go from being so withdrawn to this—but hear me out,” he said.
Truly shocked, I placed my hand on my chest. “Oh my God, Hollis.”
Is this really happening?
“Today when I was leaving the hospital, on my way home to you, I saw a rainbow. I believe it was Anna, her presence. I kept walking toward it until it finally disappeared. And the moment I couldn’t see it anymore, I realized I was in front of a jewelry store. Was it a sign? I don’t know. But here’s the thing: I didn’t care if it was a sign. I was looking for any excuse at that point to do what I’ve wanted to do from the moment we first got together. I don’t want to waste any more time. I want to start a life with you, Elodie. I want to rub your feet while you watch Turkish soap operas I don’t understand. I want to sleep next to you every night. I want to go all-in. This ring isn’t about rushing out and getting married tomorrow. This is about my commitment to you, a reminder when you look down at it that my heart belongs to you, fully and wholly, and not to anyone else. I don’t want you to ever question that again.”
His hand trembled a bit. “So…will you marry me...someday…when you’re ready?”
Tears sprang to my eyes as I nodded with great enthusiasm. “Yes! I will marry you…someday…tomorrow…or today. Whenever you want me.”
Our lips smashed together, but the moment was interrupted when the carriage stopped short. The horses had nearly crashed into the back of a cab.
The driver shouted back at us, “Everything is okay! Near miss, but we’re fine!”
“We’re used to accidents,” Hollis cracked. “In fact, that’s how we met. She crashed into me.”
“Actually…” I corrected. “He backed into me.”
Epilogue
* * *
Hollis – 2 years later
There was a knock at the door. As Elodie went to answer it, I admired the jiggle of her ass.
“Are we expecting someone?” I asked.
“Not that I know of.”
When she opened the door, a man stood there with a huge bouquet of flowers.
“Delivery for you, ma’am.”
“Oh wow. Thank you.”
After the door closed, she placed the flowers on the kitchen counter and read the note to herself. She laughed before handing me the card.
Elodie, you’ve come a long way. You went from trapping bad men to creating future good ones. Belated congratulations on your son.
–Soren P.S. If you ever want to come back to work for me, I’d make a great babysitter.
“Fat chance of that ever happening, you dick.” I laughed and tossed the note.
I could never imagine letting my wife go back to that line of work. I’d end up in jail.
“Well, that was very nice of him, anyway,” she said.
Our three-month-old baby son lay on his stomach atop my chest. He stretched his little neck to see all around him. Ben—short for Benson, Anna’s last name—had my brown hair and nose but Elodie’s eyes. He was a true mix of us. I’d taken two weeks off to be with them, and today was the last day of my vacation. I wouldn’t have minded spending every day with these two and not ever going back to work again. Gone were my workaholic days. Now I ran out of the office when the clock struck five most nights to get home to my family.
We still lived in the same apartment but had converted the guest room into a nursery. Not only were we adjusting to life with a newborn, we were now dealing with a teenager. Hailey still lived with us, and hopefully that would be the case forever. After my brother was released from prison, he disappeared. He’d written us a letter, though, shortly before his release, asking if we’d be willing to take Hailey indefinitely. I was totally relieved. I didn’t want to have to fight him. And although she worried about her dad, Hailey was thrilled to live with us permanently.