by Kaylee Ryan
Milo sighs heavily as the bottle falls from his mouth. He’s getting so big so fast. It won’t be long, and I won’t be able to hold him like this. It’s sad, but at the same time thrilling. I can’t wait until he’s walking and talking more. I’m excited to watch him grow up and see the man that he will become. Moving him to rest on my shoulder, I close my eyes and rock for a while. Life is sometimes fast, and especially these past few weeks, with the holidays and finding out the truth about what Hollis witnessed. It’s good to slow down and enjoy life. That’s exactly what I am planning to do today.
“Shh, let’s not wake Daddy.” I hear Hollis whisper.
“Mmmom,” Milo says in his soft baby voice.
“Oh, my sweet boy. I love you. You know that?” she whispers to him as I feel his weight lifted from my arms. “You and your daddy, you mean the world to me,” she murmurs.
Slowly, I open my eyes to see her standing with Milo held close to her chest. Her eyes are closed, and my son is clutching her like he never wants her to let go.
This is it.
This is my moment.
“Marry me.” My voice is gruff from sleep, but her eyes pop open and lock on mine, telling me she heard me just fine.
“Colt,” she whispers.
“We love you, Hollis,” I say, standing. I wrap my arms around both of them, and Milo just lays his head against her shoulder. He’s watching me closely as if he knows that this is a profound moment for us, and he doesn’t want to miss it.
She blinks hard, trying to keep her tears at bay. “This is just a formality,” I tell her. “You’re already a part of our lives. There is nothing that is going to change that. But we want you to be a Callahan. I want you to know that when you lay your head down at night, you’re home. I want you to know that when you walk through that door, this is your home, and we are your family.”
“I-I can’t believe this is happening.” She manages to pull the hand that’s not holding Milo free and wipe at her cheeks.
Stepping away from them, I guide her to sit in the rocking chair. Milo lifts his head and smiles at her before resting back against her shoulder. “I told you, buddy. We’re going to make her ours.”
“Oh my God,” she breathes.
I drop to one knee, pulling the ring out of my pocket. Milo takes notices of the sparkle and sits up to reach for it. “This is for Mommy,” I tell him, gently moving the ring out of his reach.
“Mama,” he says and tries again.
“That’s right. This ring is the one that’s going to keep Mommy with us forever and ever,” I tell my son. I move my gaze to Hollis, and the tears are now a heavy flow running unchecked across her cheeks. “Hollis Taylor, will you do us the incredible honor of becoming a Callahan? Will you be my wife and Milo’s mommy? Will you help me fill this house with the pitter-patter of more tiny feet, fill it with love, and with laughter? Will you marry us?” I ask her.
She nods as more tears flood her cheeks. “Y-Yes,” she says, her words breaking on a sob.
Milo sits up and tilts his head to look at her. He glances at me, giving me a “what the hell, Dad” look before looking back at Hollis. “Mama,” he says, his bottom lip jutting out.
“Oh, no.” She smiles through her tears. “I’m happy.” A laugh bubbles up. “I’m so happy.” She hugs him tight, wiggling around, making him laugh as well.
“Mommy agreed to be ours, Milo. We get to keep her,” I say, sliding the ring onto her finger.
“Colt, it’s gorgeous.”
“You’re gorgeous.” I climb to my feet and press my lips to hers. Milo reaches for me, and I take him, pulling out of the kiss. “I’m going to change his diaper, and then I’ll start dinner. I should have planned better for this, like a turkey or ham or something.” I make a mental note to do better next Christmas.
“Lucky for you, I did. We have a spiral ham out in the fridge in the garage. I bought everything we need to have a nice family dinner. Another tradition.” She smiles widely.
I lean in for another kiss because I can. “I love that. Let me get our little man changed, and we’ll be out to help.”
“We’re doing this? We’re really getting married?”
“You already said yes, and you’re wearing my ring. No backing out now.”
“Never. When?”
“I’ll leave that up to you. As long as you’re my wife, at the end of the day, I don’t really care.”
“I want my mom and Tina there, but other than that, I’ve never really had big, elaborate wedding dreams.”
“Take some time to think about it. I want it to be a day you will never forget.”
“We’re getting married!” she shouts. Milo squeals because she does, and his baby giggles fill the air.
“What?” I hear Tina cry out and footsteps race down the hall. She stops in the doorway of Milo’s room. “Did I hear that right?” she inquires.
Hollis juts her arm out, wiggling her fingers. “Yes! We’re getting married.”
“Eep!” Tina cheers and rushes into the room, pulling Hollis into a hug.
Milo wiggles to get down, wanting in on the excitement. “It’s best we let them do their thing, bud. Trust me on this,” I tell him.
“Congratulations.” Tina smiles at me once she releases Hollis.
“We’re going to go get started on dinner.” Hollis rises to her tiptoes and kisses my cheek, then Milo’s. I watch her as she links arms with her best friend, both of them wearing smiles a mile wide as they head to the kitchen to make Christmas dinner.
“She’s all ours, Milo. Daddy didn’t plan to ask her like that, but when an opportunity presents itself in life, you have to take it. Don’t let the fear of the unknown or, in this case, rejection keep you from reaching for your dreams. Hollis is my dream, aside from you, of course,” I say, tickling his belly, making him laugh. “Let’s get that diaper changed.”
“Wow, I’m stuffed,” I say, pushing my empty plate that I filled and emptied twice from the table. “You two outdid yourselves.”
“We know,” Tina says, pretending to brush off her shoulder. The two of them break out into laughter.
“You cooked, so I’ll clean up.”
“There’s not a lot to clean up. We did dishes as we went.”
“Regardless, I’ll clean up.” I stand from the table and start gathering plates. I take Milo’s from the high chair, and he grins lazily at me. “Bud, I think those mashed potatoes did you in,” I tell him. He just looks at me kind of dazed.
“I think someone could take another nap,” Hollis says, removing the tray and lifting him from the chair. “We got up really early this morning, huh? Got you out of your routine.” Milo just lays his head on her shoulder, snuggling close. His eyes are heavy, and I know it won’t be long. “What time do we have to be at your parents’ tonight?” Hollis asks, looking at the clock.
“Seven, but we can be late,” I tell her, seeing that it’s six now.
“I’m going to try and get him down for a quick nap. I’d hate for him to be cranky when he sees Grandma and Grandpa.” She disappears down the hall. I’m sure going to his room.
“Don’t hurt her,” Tina says, appearing beside me at the sink.
“Never.”
She nods. “Thank you for bringing her back to life. Even before that incident in the alley that night, she was just coasting. Her mom had moved away, and all she did was work. It’s been a really long time since I’ve seen her this happy. In fact, I’m not sure I have ever seen her smile this much.”
“We love her. Me, Milo, my family. She’s one of us now.”
She nods. “You better make sure I’m at that wedding.” She winks.
“That’s all up to your girl. I give her free reign to plan and invite how she sees fit.”
“Do you have a brother?” She laughs.
“I do, but he’s happily married.”
“Figures,” she mumbles under her breath. “Are we washing or putting in the dishwasher?” she asks.
<
br /> “Both. I’ll wash the pans, as we transfer everything over to containers and put everything that’s left in the dishwasher.”
“Point me toward the containers.”
“Go relax. I’ve got this. You helped cook, remember?”
“Yeah, I know, but you flew me out here, you’re letting me stay with you and eat your food. This is the least I could do. Besides, you need to get to your parents’.”
“You’re coming with us.”
“Actually, I’m exhausted from the early morning flight. I was thinking about just staying here and calling it a day.”
“She’s not going to let you get away with that,” I tell her.
“You’re probably right.”
“Go, catch a quick nap. I’ll finish up here. Milo will sleep for at least an hour. We’ll wake you up when it’s time to go.”
“You’re a good man, Colton. She’s lucky to have found you.”
“We’re the lucky ones.”
We’ve been at my parents’ for about twenty minutes, and no one has noticed her ring yet. On the way over, we decided to see how long it took them. She’s not doing anything to hide it, but she’s not flaunting it either. I can’t believe no one has said anything. Then again, all the focus has been on Milo. Gabby and Chase have a special bond with my son, and they spoiled him rotten. Mom and Dad went overboard as well.
“We’re going to need a bigger house,” I whisper to Hollis.
She just smiles. “Yeah, one day,” she agrees.
“Hollis, will you hand me that pillow?” Gabby asks. She’s sitting on the floor playing with Milo and his new toys, but she’s pregnant, very pregnant, and I’m certain uncomfortable. Hollis grabs the pillow with her left hand and passes it to Gabby. “Thank you— Wait, what is that?” She pulls on Hollis’s hand, almost pulling her off the couch.
“Easy there, tiger,” Chase tells his wife.
Gabby ignores him and looks up at us. Her eyes are darting between Hollis and me. “You guys are engaged?”
“What?” my mom exclaims, standing from her spot on the loveseat to come and take a closer look at my girl’s hand.
“We are.” Hollis beams with excitement. I can’t see her face because she’s looking at them, but I can hear it in her voice.
“Oh, my goodness! Welcome to the family.” Mom pulls Hollis into a hug, as do Dad and Chase.
“You’re going to have to come to me, sister of mine,” Gabby says, rubbing her very pregnant belly. “I’m not as mobile as I used to be.” Hollis settles on the floor next to her, and they hug as best as they can. “Tell me everything,” Gabby demands.
“Hey, now,” I say, chiming in. “Some things are sacred between a man and his wife.”
“Future wife,” Gabby corrects. “And we’re all family here.”
“She’s right,” Hollis agrees, and goes on to tell them how it all went down.
As if he understands what they’re talking about, Milo, who is sitting on Chase’s lap, cries out “Mama,” and points his little chubby finger at Hollis.
I can see her swallow past the emotions he evokes in her. Chase must see it too. He stands and takes Milo to her. “Here’s Mommy,” he tells my son, who reaches for Hollis and snuggles up to her chest.
I swear every woman in the room sighs, as the men just smile. There really is nothing else you can do in this situation. You’re a cold-hearted bastard if the moment that just passed between mother and son doesn’t hit you in the feels. Hollis may not have given birth to him, but she loves him as if she did. Milo doesn’t know the difference, and it makes my heart happy to know that he never will. Sure, we’ll tell him, but he’ll never be able to tell that she’s not his birth mother. She loves him that much. You can see it just looking at the two of them together.
The rest of the night is lots of laughter and gifts. In perfect Milo fashion, he soaks up all the love and attention. My mom even had a gift for Tina. I had given her a heads-up earlier this week that she was coming, and she wanted her to feel welcome.
This has been one of the best Christmases I’ve had since joining the Army. Many of them I was on deployment and not able to come home. I missed my family, but I was serving my country. It was something I was damn proud of and still am to this day. I miss my brothers, and I need to reach out to them more. Make more of an effort, but I can’t say that I miss the Army. How could I? That would mean I would be missing all of this. My son, my fiancée, and my family. I’ve missed out on enough. It’s time to start living. For me, and for them.
Chase is flying Milo around the room like an airplane, and he swoops him in toward me. “Dddd!” he cheers, and my heart stops in my chest.
“Milo!” Hollis stands from her seat next to Tina and Gabby on the couch. “Colt, did you hear that?” she asks. I nod because the words won’t come. “Are you trying to say Dada?” she asks him.
“Look at that, buddy. You made Daddy speechless.” Chase grins, setting him on my lap.
“Dddd!” Milo cheers.
I wrap my arms around my boy and hug his little body tight. “Daddy loves you,” I tell him.
“Ddd!” he says again, kickstarting my heart as the room erupts in laughter.
Best Christmas ever.
Chapter 18
Hollis
“You excited?” Colton asks from the driver’s seat of his truck as he pulls down a long, narrow path.
We haven’t been on the road long, maybe fifteen minutes or so, but just long enough to really build the suspense. He’s done that since he came home from work yesterday and told me to be ready at five with an overnight bag packed—clothing optional. His lips have been sealed ever since, even though I’ve begged and pleaded with him to spill the beans. Hell, I even tried to utilize my female wiles last night in a sexy nightgown. Two orgasms later, he still wouldn’t tell me what he had planned.
“Anywhere I’m going with you makes me happy,” I finally answer, glancing around at the trees and tall grasses. Even though night has fallen, I can see a small building just off to the right. The distant shimmer of water reflects off the headlights as we follow the lane and stop in front of a cabin. “What’s this?” I ask, glancing around.
Colton smiles, pulls the keys from the ignition, and exits the truck cab. Before I have a chance to open my door, he’s there, helping me out. The New Year’s Eve night air is brisk, but not too cold, especially when he throws his arm over my shoulder and pulls me into his side. Colton grabs our bags from the back seat and guides me to the porch.
“Where are we?” I ask again, realizing he didn’t answer my previous question.
The moment we step up on the small porch, he turns and smiles. “This is my family’s cabin.” Colton slips a key into the knob and releases the lock. “Come inside, and I’ll show you.”
The moment we step inside, I’m hit with the warmth of a fireplace burning in the center of the room. “Uhh, Colton?” I ask, taking in the rustic décor and worn, brown leather furniture.
“Chase was just here and got the fire started,” he answers my unspoken question. Setting the bags on the floor, he glances around the cabin before turning back to me. “This was my grandpa’s place. Chase and I grew up here, fishing and skipping rocks in the lake out back. When Grandpa passed, he left the cabin to Mom and Dad. I haven’t been here much lately, but Chase still uses it. In fact, this is where he and Gabby got married a few months ago.”
I’m already grinning, picturing a young Colton and Chase running through the tall grass I saw and jumping into the lake. “That must have been nice,” I tell him.
“But I don’t want to talk about that now,” he says, taking me in his arms and placing his lips against my forehead.
“No? What would you like to talk about?”
His eyes darken as a grin spreads across his face. “We have twenty-one hours together, all by ourselves, so I’m thinking there shouldn’t be much talking. At all.” He punctuates his statement with a little waggle of his eyebrows.
/> “I still can’t believe you talked your brother into watching Milo. On New Year’s Eve, no less.”
Colton blows out a huge puff of air. “Are you kidding? There was no talking him into anything. He actually called me and offered.”
“Really?”
He nods. “Yep. He was planning a pizza and Rocky movie party tonight.”
My eyebrows shoot skyward. “Really?”
He shrugs. “Well, that’s until Gabs gets a hold of the remote. Come on, let’s take a tour.”
Together, he shows me the open concept great room and kitchen combo. There are plenty of windows, and even though it’s dark out, I can picture the spectacular view of the lake. Down a short hallway to the right are three doors. The first one is a small laundry room with a stacked washer and dryer and a large utility sink. The second door is a bathroom with a four-foot shower unit and small vanity. It’s decorated with grizzly bears, and I can picture Colton’s mom searching for the perfect décor. The third door is a bedroom. It has a queen-sized bed in the middle of the room with light green bedding. There’s an older dresser and a pair of nightstands, and even a rocking chair by the window.
“Even though this is the smaller of the two rooms, Mom and Dad always used this bedroom because it had a door that locked.”
“It’s nice,” I tell him as he takes my hand and leads me back out to the great room.
With the bags in hand, we make our way up the simple wooden staircase with a rustic log handrailing. At the top, we step into the open loft with a slanted ceiling. The room is perfect. There’s another queen-sized bed, more aged furniture, and even a small closet. But what has my attention is the small sitting area. The benches look homemade, and the television is the smallest and probably the oldest I’ve ever seen, with rabbit-ear antennas sticking out of the top.
