I glanced at him and wrapped my arms around his neck. “I don’t want to sound a little skeptical or negative, because I am all for it, but isn’t that moving a little fast? I don’t want to rush things, fall head over heels in love just to get hurt again.”
“Firstly, I am mildly offended that you would think I would hurt you again because I won’t.”
“I’m just saying. I didn’t mean to offend you,” I promised.
The corners of his mouth curled up slightly and he licked his lips. “Secondly, don’t you think that enough time has passed between us, whether we were together or not. I know I do. I feel like I’ve already missed out on so many years with you. Why wait?”
I glanced at him lovingly and smiled. “You’re right. We would love to go away with you this weekend.”
“I am so glad to hear that,” Chris murmured before he leaned in and kissed my lips, blowing away any shreds of doubts I had in my mind.
17
Chris
Friday
The excitement was real inside the car on our short drive to Hollie’s house, and Amelia practically bounced in her seat, her brown eyes filled with bubbling enthusiasm. She was buckled up in her car seat behind me, and I smiled as I watched her in the rearview mirror. It warmed my heart to see her in such a great mood, and I had to admit, I was in a great mood myself.
We had spent the last two nights, searching the internet for places that would be both fun and relaxing for us all, and we finally settled on Mount Olympus Water and Theme Park in Wisconsin Dells. Wisconsin Dells was a tourist town just a few hours North of Chicago that had plenty of fun family activities, and as soon as Amelia saw the pictures of what the park had to offer, she was in love. I made reservations for us, and last night we packed for the trip. I left work a little earlier, as did Hollie, as we told George we needed a break from working so hard. He didn’t even ask any questions. He simply allowed us to leave. Which I was grateful for.
Look, I wasn’t going to lie to George about me and Hollie being together since he clearly had an interest in her, but I just didn’t want to make things awkward at work for either one of us. Plus, my personal business - our personal business – had nothing to do with George.
I still couldn’t believe that I was going away for the weekend with Amelia, and Hollie and Hunter. I couldn’t wait to wake up beside her, even if it was only for two nights, but hopefully, we could move our relationship to the next level soon.
I parked my car in front of Hollie’s house, turning off the engine. I heard Amelia unlock the safety harness on her car seat and she climbed out at the same time as I did.
“Careful,” I warned her, as her excitement caused her to clearly forget road safety.
She simply giggled at me and bolted straight towards the front door. About halfway there, the front door opened, and Hollie stood in the doorway. An excited Hunter pushed passed her and ran down the steps, straight towards Amelia.
They hugged one another happily and I slowly approached them. I glanced at Hollie, who looked gorgeous in a pair of dark blue jean shorts, and a light pink loose-fitting vest with a dreamcatcher printed on the front. Her hair was tied loosely on her head, with loose pieces hanging down the sides of her face. Her skin glowed in the sunlight and her blue eyes lit up when she saw me.
“Hey,” she smiled.
“You look beautiful,” I told her.
“Thank you,” she answered shyly and I gave her a quick hug.
“Daddy, can we get their bags so we can get going?” Amelia asked, tugging impatiently on my shirt
“Sure, I’ll get them.”
“We’ll help!” the two kids exclaimed as they rushed inside.
I glanced at Hollie, who bit her bottom lip and chuckled. “He’s been so excited ever since I told him about the weekend.”
“I’m glad. We all deserve a weekend where we don’t have to worry about anything,” I told her.
Hollie put her arms around me and smiled. “Thank you, for doing all this.”
“No, thank you for agreeing to come,” I said and leaned in to kiss her.
“Ugh, are you two going to help us at all?” Amelia scoffed behind us.
I kissed Hollie lightly on the lips and turned away. “Of course.”
I grabbed the largest suitcase, which was Hollie’s and wheeled it down the footpath. I opened the trunk with my car remote, and it popped open. I slid in her suitcase beside mine and took Hunter’s backpack from Amelia, who stood beside me.
“Can we please go now?” Amelia asked and Hunter nodded as well.
I slammed the trunk shut and nodded. “Yes. Let’s go.”
“Don’t forget my seat, sir.”
I grinned broadly at Hunter as I placed his car seat on the backseat, beside Amelia’s. It was similar to Amelia’s, so it took just a few seconds to install it, and I helped Hunter onto it. I fastened his harness, along with checking that Amelia’s harness was secure as well, and said, “You’re all secure.”
I made my way to the passenger side and opened the door for Hollie.
“Thank you,” she winked at me and climbed into the car.
I walked around the car to the driver’s door and heard Amelia mutter, “Boy, my dad sure is pulling out all the charm today.”
I slid in behind the wheel and stuck my tongue out at her. Her jaw dropped but she and Hunter started to giggle.
“Oh my gosh! I can’t wait until you see where we’re going. Daddy and I picked it! It’s so cool!” Amelia beamed, and she started to list all the things we were going to do, and by the sound of it, it did sound pretty fun
“So where exactly are we going, Chris?” Hollie asked me and glanced over as I drove away.
“Mount Olympus Water and Theme Park!” Amelia cheered.
“A water park!” Hunter exclaimed and his blue eyes sparkled.
The two kids cheered, and I glanced at Hollie. “There’s this place in Wisconsin Dells, a bunch of crazy and fun water parks and theme parks, all in one little town. It’s a major tourist attraction, especially now. It’s just a couple of hours away.”
“And you think these two will be able to contain themselves for that long?” she asked.
I glanced in the rearview mirror at the two kids on the back seat, in the car seats, singing and cheering along to a song only they knew.
“I think they’ll be fine. Give them an hour and they’ll be passed out,” I assured her.
She stared at me, not convinced and settled into her seat.
An hour passed, and Amelia and Hunter were more energetic than ever. They played I-Spy, looking at the strangest things, laughing and giggling. Amelia spoke of all the fun they would have at the waterpark, and it was heartwarming to listen to their conversation. Innocent and carefree.
Although there were many times that I thought Amelia would never allow anyone into our lives, she was more than happy to include both Hunter and Hollie into our lives. I knew I had to tell her that Hollie was here to stay, but I had never truly gotten around to it.
It was not that I was scared that Amelia would be too opinionated on the matter, as I welcomed and valued her opinion more than most people’s. She was the most important person in my life, and I didn’t want her to feel like she was less important now that Hollie and Hunter had joined the family.
Family.
That was a nice term, and it caused me to smile. It clearly showed blatantly on my face, and Hollie glanced at me from behind her silver-rimmed aviators. “And that smile?”
“It’s just nice having you both here. My car wasn’t designed for just two people,” I answered and cocked my head.
“Daddy, can you put on my music, please?” Amelia asked.
“Of course,” I told her and glanced at Hollie. “This kid has better taste in music than I do.”
“That’s saying a lot,” Hollie scoffed.
“I know,” I chuckled. “You loved my music in college.”
“I never heard the music, you kno
w,” I winked at him.
“Right, you were pretty loud,” I shrugged.
Hollie slapped me playfully against the arm and shook her head. “Not so loud.”
“What are you two talking about?” Hunter asked.
“Nothing,” both Hollie and I said at the same time.
Hunter and Amelia’s eyes narrowed and there was suddenly silence in the car.
I cleared my throat and suggested, “Let’s listen to that music, shall we?”
“Wait a second.”
I pursed my lips and placed my finger against the radio button but waited for a moment.
“We were just talking about how you have better taste in music than your dad,” Hollie answered.
Amelia pouted her lips and said, “She’s not wrong, Daddy.”
Hollie chuckled and lightly placed her hand on mine. “This is going to be just a great weekend.”
The rest of the drive was incredibly fun, even if I do say so myself. When Amelia’s music started to play, Amelia – who knew every single word of every song – started to sing, and I was quite surprised that even Hollie knew some of the songs. It quickly turned into a triage of singing, with my tapping on my steering wheel like a drummer. The four of us played I-Spy together, the kids proving to be much smarter than we were. We laughed and told silly jokes, and it was exactly the way I had always envisioned family to be. With Hollie by my side and our two beautiful kids, even though they weren’t related, they still seemed like ours.
When we arrived in Wisconsin Dells, even I filled up with excitement, just like the kids, and when the large sign of Mount Olympus Water and Theme Park appeared, the kids went crazy, cheering in excitement.
I drove to the hotel where I had booked our rooms and parked in the parking lot. The giant waterslides towered out over the resort and I glanced at Hollie. “I hope you brought your bikini.”
“Any excuse, right?” she said with a wink.
Once we were all outside, with our luggage, we entered the hotel, and we were taken to our suite, which had two separate bedrooms, as well as a living area, and a balcony, which overlooked the water park. We carried the kids’ luggage to their rooms, and they immediately clambered all over the bunk bed, staring out the window at the giant waterslides in the distance.
I wheeled Hollie’s and my suitcases to our room and as I opened the door, the main bedroom lay before us. A larger than usual bed in mahogany wood, a large window which allowed an abundance of light in the room, and the walls were painted to give the illusion that we were in Santorini, Greece.
“This is nice,” she said with a smile as she walked over to the window and drew back the curtain. “Look at this view. It’s gorgeous.”
“I’m glad you like it,” I said as I approached her.
She turned to me and cocked her head. “I’ve been thinking…”
“Uh-oh,” I joked and chuckled.
“This is actually a little serious.”
“Oh, okay,” I said apprehensively. “What is it? Are you mad that I was being presumptuous by getting us our own private bedroom, and the kids in a separate room, because if you think it’s a little too fast-”
“No, that’s not what it is, Chris.”
“Then what is it?” I asked with a frown.
“Have you told Amelia about us?” she asked, and I let out a breath of relief, as she had been worried over the same thing I was.
I chuckled slightly and ran my fingers through my hair. “I haven’t and it’s been stressing me out.”
“Right?” she sighed. “I’ve been trying to muster up the courage to tell Hunter about us, but every time I sit him down, I have no idea what to say to him, or how to say it.”
“I have that same problem. Not that I think Amelia would ever have a problem with it, but just to get the words out,” I agreed.
“So what do we do? Do we tell them together?”
I reached for her and pulled her close to me. “Why don’t we worry about that later and just enjoy the weekend?”
“That sounds like a great idea. And lucky for you, I did remember to pack my bikini,” she murmured. “I should probably warn you that I don’t look like the other women in bikinis.”
“They couldn’t look as good even if they tried. I’ve seen you naked, remember,” I smirked at her and she threw her head back in laughter. As she glanced at me again, I leaned in, our noses touching and I whispered, “I can’t wait to go to sleep beside you tonight, and wake up beside you tomorrow morning.”
A smile formed on Hollie’s lips and as we were about to kiss, we heard the kids calling, rushing into our room.
“Sorry for interrupting,” Amelia said with a pout, but she clearly wasn’t sorry in the least.
Hollie and I stepped away from one another and I said, “What do you think of your room?”
“It’s awesome!” Hunter beamed. “There’s a bunk bed, Mommy!”
“Oh, wow,” Hollie beamed.
“Come look,” Hunter said and grabbed her hand, as did Amelia.
“Are you coming, Daddy?” Amelia asked.
“Yeah, I’m coming,” I said to my daughter.
She definitely was growing up fast!
18
Hollie
Friday
I felt as though I was going to throw up, like honestly.
Here I was, holding onto the metal bar that was supposed to keep me from falling out of this metal cart, as it sped along a metal track with loops and dips. Perhaps I was exaggerating, but I wasn’t someone who liked rollercoasters, even if they were meant for kids.
Because Hunter was only six, and short, I had to sit with him. Chris, Amelia, and Hunter practically begged me to, and how could I refuse the terrible trio?
“Are you ready, Mommy?” he asked, his bright blue eyes sparkling in the sunlight.
“Sure,” I said apprehensively, but truthfully, I was scared.
I heard Chris and Amelia cheer behind us as Hunter lifted his hands.
“Hands on the railing, please,” I ordered.
“Relax, Mommy,” he assured me.
The large clang sounded in the tunnel, and my heart pounded in my chest as the metal carts started to move forward. The line of carts slowly made its way to the end of the tunnel, and as the sunlight shone on our face, blinding me for a second, the cart dipped as it flowed along the track.
A scream escaped my throat, but when I opened my eyes, I was astounded by the view. The entire water park was around me and the brightness of the colors, the sparkling water, and the people moving around was purely magical.
I glanced over at Hunter, whose hands were in the air again, and he cheered loudly.
“Try it, Mommy! It’s fun!”
“I’m fine like this, buddy,” I called out to him.
Instead of asking me again, he nodded, and lowered his hand closest to me, and placed it over mine.
“I’m right here,” he said.
In that moment, which nearly made me cry, to be honest, I realized that I wasn’t just his protector, he was mine.
When the ride finally came to a stop and the metal bar released automatically, I put my arms around Hunter and hugged him tight for a few seconds.
“I can’t breathe,” he struggled against my grip, and I finally let him go.
We climbed out of the cart and walked to Chris and Amelia, who were practically buzzing with excitement.
“Are you okay,” Chris asked, suppressing a chuckle.
“I’m fine,” I insisted and placed my hand on Hunter’s shoulder. “I had a big, strong man protecting me.”
“Yeah,” Hunter growled.
“I’m jealous,” Chris pointed out.
I shrugged with a smile and we cleared off the ramp and down the metal staircase.
“Daddy, can we go on the shell ride? Just me and Hunter?”
Chris and I exchanged glanced and he answered, “Sure, if you’re tall enough.”
“I’m tall enough,” Amelia declared.
“Me too!” Hunter exclaimed as the approached the wooden board painted with a giant clam, showing how tall a child should be if they wanted to go on the ride.
“Have fun,” Chris said.
“We’ll be right over here by this railing, okay?” I said to him, but he and Amelia were already running towards the entrance gate.
I bit my bottom lip as Chris and I walked to the metal railing and I rested my hands on it.
“He’s a tough kid, Hollie.”
“I know. Why would you say that?” I asked and glanced at him with a frown. “You think I’m coddling him, don’t you?”
“I didn’t say that,” he defended.
“You didn’t need to. It’s written all over your face,” I muttered and motioned to his face.
“You mean this insanely handsome face with this irresistible smile?” he asked with a smoldering look.
“Yes,” I answered simply and glanced at the two kids sitting in their seashell, holding onto the metal railing. “He’s all I had for a long time, and I just want to protect him, especially after everything he, and I had been through.”
“You’re forgetting that I’m here too. I would never let anything happen to him, or you, Hollie. I promise you that,” Chris said and took my hand in his. He brought it up to his lips and lightly kissed my knuckles.
A small smile formed on my lips and I nodded slowly. The sound of my child screaming made me abruptly look in his direction, but he was fine. The shell he and Amelia were in, spun around the track and they screamed with excitement.
“See, he’s fine,” Chris assured me. “Sometimes you’ve just got to let them experience things for themselves. You won’t be there for every little bump in the road.”
“But I can try.”
“I know your intentions are pure and maternal, Hollie, and I’m not saying it’s wrong, but look at him. He’s never had so much fun in his life,” Chris pointed out.
It felt silly that Chris pointed out that I was over-protective of Hunter, but I had every right to be. He was my son, and I would give up my own life for him. But I also understood Chris’s point that I had to let go a little.
Forbidden First Times: A Contemporary Romance Collection Page 12