Four
Colt
Leaving Erica at her door last night was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. All I wanted to do was take her home to meet Jolie, my French bulldog, and the only girl who holds a piece of my heart besides my momma and my sister.
We watched maybe five episodes of The Office laughing and talking the entire time. It was refreshing to just be with a woman and not need to fill the silence with forced conversation or awkward touching. I knew from the moment I met her that she would be the one to fill my empty pieces. By the time the sixth episode began, Erica had fallen asleep in my arms. God, I want to spend every night just like that. Okay, we’d be ending it in our bed with me buried inside her, but we’d start them just like that.
I was up early this morning getting everything ready for tonight. More than anything, I want Erica to feel like this is her home, or could be soon. Very soon, because being without her last night was torture. Hopefully, I’ll be able to convince her to move in with me before the new year rolls around.
I bought this place when I retired from the Army four years ago. The intent was to rehab it and then flip it. The house took longer than I expected it would and after meeting Erica my goal morphed into getting it ready for our life together. I finally finished it in May, but I’ve held off painting and decorating. My momma and sister offered to do it, but I declined. I think in the back of my mind I knew I couldn’t do that part without Erica.
It’s seven o’clock, and I’ve got the food prepared and ready to cook. When I hear the gravel crunch in the driveway Jolie is already barking at the door, pacing to be let out. I open the door, and Jolie zips out, rushing to meet our new guest. Erica gets out of her car wearing a flowy red shirt that could almost be considered a dress with leggings and knee-high boots. Her coat is open, and with the snow falling around her she looks so damn beautiful. Why does this girl make me think of all the depraved things I want to do to her even when she is fully dressed? That has never happened to me before. I pull myself from my thoughts when she starts talking.
“Oh, my goodness. Is this Jolie?” Erica drops to her knees and immediately starts giving Jolie all her love. If I didn’t love Jolie as much as I do, I might be a little jealous.
Erica looks up at me with a smile the size of Texas on her beautiful face. “She’s beautiful Colt.”
“Thank you.”
Reaching out my hand, I pull Erica up to stand, then hug her tight and place a kiss on the top of her head.
“I missed you last night,” I whisper while nuzzling her neck and placing light nips down her nape.
“Mmm, I missed you too. I wish you hadn’t left.” She manages while falling for my charm. I hold her for a minute longer, but when she shivers, I know it's time to get her in the house in front of the fire.
Walking into the house, I take her coat and put her things on the coat rack.
“Come, baby, let’s warm you up.”
I take her hand in mine, needing her touch to settle me. I walk her through the house and point out the office and bathroom, before making it to the living room and in front of the fireplace.
“Would you like a glass of wine? I’ve got a sauvignon blanc or a pinot noir.”
She looks up at me with wide eyes. “Umm… Do you have white wine? I don’t really know what they’re called.”
Her innocence is addicting, and I can’t help myself from getting a taste of Erica. Standing at over a foot taller than her, I have to bend down to place a kiss on her lips, but my woman meets me halfway. With one hand on her hip and the other behind her neck, I pull her to me and explore her lips with mine. I pull back and wipe her bottom lip with my thumb.
“That. What was that for?” She stutters out.
“Because you’re more beautiful than I’ve ever seen you babe and not kissing you wasn’t an option.”
“Oh.”
“I’ll get you a glass of white.” I kiss her forehead and leave her in front of the fireplace.
While in the kitchen I put the pasta in the boiling water and stir the alfredo sauce. While I’m pouring the glass of wine for Erica, she comes into the kitchen.
“Can I help? I feel useless out there by myself.”
I guide her to a barstool seated at the counter I’m working at and set down her glass of wine in front of her.
“Thank you, babe, but I’m making you dinner. Let me treat you the way you deserve to be treated. It won’t always be like this, sometimes you’ll cook while I’m still at the precinct and other times we’ll do it together, but let me do it right this first time.”
“You talk like this is going to be a regular thing.”
“No. I talk like this is an everyday thing, because that’s exactly what it’s going to be.”
I watch as Erica takes a sip of her wine and sets it down. Staring at her glass, she twirls the stem slowly between her fingers.
“That’s very presumptuous of you Colt. You can’t know that this will work out. This is our second date, by the end of tonight you could realize I’m nothing like you thought I was.”
“Not happening,” I growl.
She takes another drink of her wine and sets it down. Looking out the back window she says “I know things happen you don’t plan for. Things happen that are out of our control. Why bother trying for anything that could be taken away without notice? I’m not betting on something that could hurt twice as bad.”
She gets up and walks away in the direction of the door. Wait, what did she just say? Where is she going? By the time I make it to the door, she already has her coat on, and her purse slung over her shoulder. I can’t let her leave. How did this go wrong so fast?
“Stop,” I say before she reaches for the door. My baby freezes on the spot.
Walking up behind her, I take her purse and drop it to the floor. I place kisses on the back of her neck and slowly unbutton her jacket and slip it from her shoulders, dropping it onto her purse.
I hold her from behind and say low, “Baby, please. I don’t know how that went so wrong, I’m sorry. Please give me a chance to show you how good we can be.”
“What’s the point of any of this? Everyone always leaves me, by no fault of their own. An accident, old age, war. They are all gone.” She gasps and begins to cry.
I can’t stand it anymore. I turn Erica around and pick her up in my arms and carry her bridal style to the living room. I sit on the couch with her in my lap.
“Look at me, baby.” Once she looks at me, I dry her tears with the back of my fingers. I push her dark locks behind her ears, so I can see her pretty face.
“I know a lot has happened to you. You’ve had too much taken from you at such a young age, and I can’t begin to understand what that’s like.”
She shrugs her shoulders, and I hurt for her. Her acceptance of her pain and loss is unacceptable.
“I can’t change your past. I can’t tell you what’s going to happen in the future. But baby I can promise you to do my very best to come home to you every night. I promise to hold onto us until death takes me. Our life won’t be perfect, it will be hard sometimes. I’m not scared of hard. I’d rather do hard with you than easy with anyone else. Do you hear me, Erica? I’m in this until it’s physically impossible for me not to be. I’m always going to fight for us, even if you don’t think you can. I’ll be what holds us together if there’s ever a point you doubt this. I’m giving you everything. All I’m asking is for you to have enough faith in me, in you, to open yourself up to our forever.”