Pulled (11 page)

I pulled up in front of the little white house, the
one I knew Melanie would love.

“Welcome home.” I pecked her on the mouth
before hopping out and running around to the passenger
door. I helped her out, trying to gauge her reaction as she
took everything in. We’d have to be here in Boulder for at
least the next four or five years, and I wanted to be sure we
had a home to raise our daughter.

“Daniel.” She breathed out. Her eyes scanned
the front yard, coming to rest on the front porch. Walking
forward, she ran her hand along the railing as she
ascended the steps, going directly to the swing
suspended from the roof. She had tears in her eyes and a
smile on her face, and I knew it was right.

“Home,” she said the word and reached for my
hand. “Thank you.” She’d always said I felt like home to
her, and I couldn’t be happier than to give her one.

“Do you want to see inside?” I reached for her
hand and unlocked the front door.

She stepped inside, and I heard a little gasp as
both of her hands went to her face while she shook her
head.

“Daniel, it’s perfect. How?” She looked around
our house, absorbing everything around her.

“Mom,” we both said it at the same time. It was so
clear Mom had a hand in this. Melanie loved old things,
and I knew the house for her would be warm and
comfortable, a place where we could be at ease while we
watched our little girl play on the floor.

She walked around the family room, her fingers
trailing over the photos mom had so carefully picked out.

Melanie picked up the picture of us right after my
graduation. “I love this one.” She turned it toward me so I
could see it.

“It’s my favorite, too.”

“I can’t believe your mom knows me this well,
Daniel.” She ran her hand over the fabric of the large
suede couch, still shaking her head.

I led her to the kitchen, the room I was most
excited for her to see. She was an amazing cook, and I
wanted her to have her dream kitchen.

“Oh, my gosh,” she gushed as she danced into
the kitchen, running her fingertips along the butcher-block
island that sat directly in the middle. It had new stainless
steel appliances but decorated a little country so it would
still have a warm feel. “I want to make us dinner tonight!”
Her eyes were wide with excitement, opening drawers and
slamming cabinets as she took time to check everything.

“Of course, if that’s what you want to do, but I don’t
want you to get too tired.” I worried she put too much stress
on herself, but the thought of Melanie cooking dinner in
our kitchen made my mouth water.

She shook her head. “No, I really want to.” She
walked up to me and slid her arms around my sides,
pulling me close to rest her head on my chest. “You are
the most perfect man ever created. Do you understand
how much this house means to me, Daniel? It’s wonderful,
but it would never be home without you. Do you
understand? You’re everything.” She squeezed me tighter
as she said the last words.

Her words left me awestruck. I knew with every
part of my being, she’d been made specifically for me and
I for her. My arms tightened around her, and I buried my
nose in her hair.

Reluctantly I stepped back, took her hand, and
led her down the hallway. I could feel my heart racing as I
approached the next room. I prayed Melanie would like it.

I pushed the door open, and Melanie peeked in and froze.

I was so afraid she’d be disappointed, but Erin had
assured me Mel would love it. I took a step closer and
placed my hands on her shoulders.

There was pink everywhere. Pink walls, pink
curtains, pink bedding; all the way down to the pink teddy
bear nestled in the rocking chair that sat beside the crib.

There were little fairies painted in a mural scene against
one wall and matching ones embroidered on pieces of the
bedding. I thought I was going to hate it when Erin had
started working on it, but once it was finished, I couldn’t
imagine a better room for any little girl.

Melanie was silent as she went to the crib. She
reached inside and picked up one of the soft blankets,
holding it to her nose as she continued her tour around
the room. The closet was overflowing with enough baby
clothes for the next three years. A changing table sat in
the far corner stocked with baby supplies, and there were
even books on shelves and toys in baskets. Erin had
thought of everything.

I leaned against the doorjamb and watched as
Melanie picked up little one-piece outfits and held them to
her belly. She opened the bottles on the changing table
and smelled each one. She looked through the titles of
the books and the toys, acquainting herself with
everything.

She finally looked at me and said, “She’s going
to love it.”

“Yeah, I think she will, too.”

Melanie took one last look before we shut the
door.

“Are you ready to see our room?”

She nodded, and followed me in after I opened
the door.

Mom had made it comfortable, not overdone, but
a place where we could come to be alone at the end of the
day. It was a place of peace and love and commitment.

“Do you like it?”

“How could I not? It’s ours.” Her face radiated joy.

The combination of those words and the look on
her face sent my heart racing, savoring the thought of our
lives joined. No more weekend trips, no more sneaking in
backdoors, no more hiding.

“Ours.”

Finally.

The sun was shining, and we spent the afternoon
out in the back yard, talking as we sat on the grass.

Melanie looked at where her garden would be. It was
barren now, but I knew it would be incredible as soon as
Melanie was here and tending to it. We picked out the
perfect spot for a swing set, imagining a time a few years
from now when we would catch our little girl as she came
down the slide or push her on the swing as she giggled
and begged us to push her higher.

Evening approached, and Melanie still wanted to
make dinner, so we picked up a few things from the store.

Dinner was amazing. Melanie reveled in her new
kitchen. I think she used every dish we owned. I’d never
seen her freer. Only three more months, and we’d be able
to do this every day. We ate at our little dining table. We
chatted and enjoyed our food, the mood was light between
us.

My phone rang in my pocket, and I pulled it out,
glancing at the number before shutting it off and turning
my attention back to Melanie.

“Who was that?” She smiled as she popped a
piece of baked chicken into her mouth.

“Oh, just Stephanie. She’s probably calling to
remind me of our study group on Monday.” She always
called a couple of days ahead because one of the four of
us in our group always forgot if she didn’t.

A frown crossed Melanie’s face, and she looked
back down at her plate.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.” She tried to wave it off.

“No it’s not if something’s bothering you.” We had
promised each other a long time ago that whenever
anything upset us we’d get it out in the open.

“Honestly, it really is nothing. She just makes
me uncomfortable.” She shrugged her shoulders and took
another bite.

Melanie had only met Stephanie once in
passing. We were leaving a restaurant over Christmas
break when Steph was coming in with her boyfriend, so I
didn’t understand where this was coming from. Melanie
had never been the jealous type because she had no
reason to be.

“You understand that I am only for you? I
promise.” I squeezed her knee under the table, begging
her to understand. “She’s just my study partner.”

“I know. She just gave me a weird feeling, but I
trust you.” She smiled, effectively closing the subject,
because we both knew we didn’t have to worry about that
kind of thing. Nobody would ever come between us.

Later that night we watched a movie on the
couch, but Melanie never made it to the end. Her soft
breaths were lulling me to sleep as well, so I picked her up
and carried her to our room. I pulled the covers down and
tucked her in, her brown ringlets falling all over her pillow.

“So beautiful,” I whispered into her cheek as I
kissed her good night. So unbelievably beautiful.

I don’t think I’d ever even seen another woman’s
face since the moment I’d met her. It was as if my mind

couldn’t register anyone else.

Crawling into bed next to her, I tugged her back
close to my chest so I could hold her as she slept. I rested
my hand on her belly, content in this moment.

I felt a little thump against my hand, my other girl
demanding my attention. I smiled into the back of
Melanie’s head as I continued to feel the little movements
under my hand, wondering how it was even possible to
feel this way.

We woke early Saturday morning, refreshed. We
lounged around the house, and after she made us
breakfast, we relaxed on the couch. It seemed we were
always around somebody else, and we never had time to
ourselves. It was great to be in our home just with each
other.

Around noon, we decided to go into town to shop
a little. We just browsed around, taking our time as we
looked in store windows, holding hands as we strolled
together.

Melanie held up a baby name book with a
questioning look, and I grinned and nodded. It was
definitely time to start thinking about naming our little girl.

I would’ve loved to just name her after her mom, but
Melanie had shot that idea down a long time ago.

The afternoon came and went, and sadness
began to creep in as I thought of having to take Melanie
back to her dad’s tomorrow. I had thought about asking
her to come up here to finish school, but I knew that would
be selfish of me.

When Melanie’s feet started hurting, we went
home to relax, but I felt anxious. We needed to talk about
her parents. We couldn’t put it off any longer.

Melanie had her back propped against the
headboard with her feet up on a pillow as she flipped
through the name book. I crawled beside her, pulling her
against me.

“Melanie, baby, I think we need to talk.”
She frowned, set the book down, and

straightened up a bit.

“We have to tell your dad.”

She sighed. “I know. I’m just so scared. Every
day I leave my room, promising myself that I’m going to
tell him, but as soon as I see him, I lose my nerve. It was
like I wanted to spare him the worry, but I let it go on too
long. How am I going to tell him now? ‘Hey Dad, you’re
going to be a grandpa in three months.’ He’s going to flip
out!” She clenched her fists in frustration.