Park Avenue Player by Vi Keeland
Chapter 38
Elodie
“You sure you’re okay with me meeting up with Addison?”
I didn’t want to upset Hollis when things were going so well.
He came up behind me as I scrambled some eggs and kissed the back of my neck. “Of course. It’s good for you to get to know her.”
It was the weekend after Hollis and I had declared our love for each other. I’d spent every night this past week with him, except one. I’d insisted on going home to check on Bree and spent Thursday night in Connecticut—not to mention, I was all out of clothes.
Addison and I had decided a Saturday lunch worked best, given her schedule, so I’d be meeting her later today. Even though my initial interest in lunch with her had been to mess with Hollis, I did want to get to know the person who was such a big part of his day-to-day life.
I poured the eggs out onto two plates. “I’m sure there’s a part of her that wants to make sure my intentions are in the right place with her best friend.”
“Nah. Believe me, Addison has been a huge supporter of you from the very beginning. She’s not going to grill you. She just wants to talk to you, maybe rank on me a little for fun. Trust me. You’re good.”
***
Addison and I met at a cute little restaurant in Midtown. Even though it was the weekend, she was dressed to the nines in a crisp, collared shirt and pencil skirt. I didn’t know her exact age, but Addison looked about Hollis’s age.
“You’re so dressed up. I’m relieved I wore a nice outfit.”
“It’s just a habit. I always think I’m going to run into a client. You look lovely, by the way, Elodie.”
“Thank you.”
After we sat down, I opened my menu and said, “It’s so nice to get out like this. I don’t do it nearly enough.”
She played with her string of pearls. “Why don’t you?”
“Much of my time is spent with Hailey. By the time I get home, I’m exhausted. Well, when I used to go home.”
“Home lately is with Hollis, I take it?” She grinned.
“Yeah, at least as of the past week.”
“And now it’s Hollis exhausting you after hours?”
I chuckled. “Only in a good way.”
The waitress came by and took our order. I opted for salmon over salad, while Addison ordered a burger with Swiss.
After, Addison leaned in and said, “I hope this doesn’t come off as strange, but can I just tell you I prayed for you?”
I didn’t quite understand. “Prayed for me?”
“Yes. I asked the good man or woman above to bring someone like you into Hollis’s life—someone he would find attractive and appealing enough to hang everything up for. It had to be the whole package. Someone who would be worth taking the risk of getting hurt. It had to be someone special, who wouldn’t give up on him. I knew he wanted someone like you before he did. It was actually at my wedding that I wished for you.”
“Really?”
“Well, my third wedding. Let me back up a bit.” She laughed. “Third time was the charm for me. I’d been through two short-lived, failed marriages before I decided my happiness was going to come first. Both of my exes were critical people who never really supported my career, or supported me in general. With my first two husbands—both of whom I met on Wall Street—it was always a competition, never a true partnership. They never had my back.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Oh, don’t be. Everything worked out the way it should.” She smiled. “I met my husband, Peter, when we shared a cab. Sounds like a typical New York love story, right? Except Peter was the driver. He saw me so upset one night after a fight with my now ex-husband number one. He turned off the meter and kept driving us all the way to the Jersey Shore. We stayed up talking all night. We remained friends but didn’t get together until my second marriage was over. So, I basically made the same mistake twice before I saw the light. One day I just woke up and realized it had been Peter for so long. I was ignoring the fact that he was perfect for me. As soon as the papers were signed after my second divorce, I was all-in and never looked back.”
“Wow. That’s a great story.”
“And I know that this is it for me. Peter’s the one. When you know, you know.”
I couldn’t agree more. “Oh, I know what you mean.”
“I hadn’t told Hollis about my friendship with Peter while I was married. I kept that whole thing secret and sacred. But once Peter and I started dating and they actually met, Hollis could see how happy I was. He never approved of my first two marriages. He knew both of those men through the industry prior to my relationships and could always see through them, even when I didn’t.”
“I love your effortless friendship with Hollis. He speaks so highly of you. And I’d love to meet Peter.”
“We’ll have to go out for drinks, just the four of us one night.”
“That would be so much fun.”
At that moment, my phone rang.
I looked down at the screen. “It’s Hollis.”
She waved her hand. “Take it.”
I answered, “Hey.”
His deep voice vibrated in my ear. “Is she being good?”
I glanced at Addison, who was beaming. “Yes. We’re having a very nice time. She just told me the story of how she met Peter.”
“We all met in vehicles. They met in a cab. And we met when you crashed into me.”
“Very funny. I think we both know what really happened there.”
He laughed. “Okay, I’ll stop crashing your party. Just wanted to hear your voice and annoy Addison at the same time. Make sure she knows I’m watching her.”
“You’re crazy.”
“I know.”
After I hung up, our food arrived, and we dug in.
Addison’s mouth was full when she pointed her fork at me and said, “Anyway, getting back to my original point. Peter and I had a destination wedding in Greece. He’s Greek, actually, but born here. We only invited close family and friends. During our dance on the beach in Mykonos, I spotted Hollis watching us. And I could have sworn I saw a look of longing on his face. I came to the conclusion that he knew he was missing his life by building so many walls. He just didn’t know how to change. And that made my heart ache. So, I prayed for you that night. And it took a little while, but you came along.”
Wow.“Addison, that’s really poignant. I hope I can live up to your expectations.”
“Are you kidding? Hollis is already ten times less wound up. You’ve already done your job, as far as I’m concerned. And I got to keep my Bentley on top of it all.”
“Your Bentley?”
She winked. “Just a little bet we had going.”
It took us over two hours to eat lunch, because neither of us seemed to be able to shut up long enough to get more than a few bites in every now and then. While I’d started out a little nervous, things were ending better than I could have expected. Addison was warm and accepting, and it was evident she loved Hollis very much. We fought over who paid for lunch and walked out of the restaurant arm in arm.
“So are you heading back to Connecticut or staying here in the city?”
“I told Hollis I’d come back to his place for the night.”
She smiled. “He can be a little on the possessive side, can’t he?”
“It’s okay. I’m a little on the possessive side, too. We’ve both been burned before, so we might hold on a little tighter this time.”
Addison shook her head. “His ex is lucky I never got my hands on her after what she did to him.”
I smiled. “I’m sorry he’s been hurt. But if I ever ran into her, I’d have to thank her. Her loss is totally my gain.”
Addison hugged me. “For the record, Hollis was wrong after all. He told me I was going to think you were great. But you’re freaking awesome.”
***
“Honey, I’m home,” I teased as I let myself into Hollis’s apartment. He was on the couch with his bare feet propped up on the coffee table and a book in his hands. He set it down on his lap and waited for me to come to him. Of course, Huey greeted me with his usual Baaa! “Anna’s home”.
“Hi, Huey. Elodie’s home.” I walked over to Hollis and leaned down to kiss his lips. “Did you miss me?”
When I went to stand up, he grabbed the back of my knees and pulled me onto his lap.
“I did. Let me show you how much.” He nuzzled my neck and palmed one of my breasts through my shirt.
I giggled. “Where’s Hailey?”
“She went downstairs to Kelsie’s so they could pack a bag for Kelsie to sleep over. So give me that mouth and let me cop a cheap feel. We don’t have very long.”
Hollis slipped a hand behind my neck and pulled my lips to meet his again. Our kiss heated up as fast as always. I wound my hands into his hair, and his tongue swept away thoughts of anything but my desire for him.
We hadn’t done very well at keeping things private. Hailey had caught him grabbing my ass in the kitchen the other day, and also caught us making out in the elevator one night when the doors slid open on their floor. It was just so easy to get lost in each other. Which, of course, was why neither of us heard the front door open this time either.
“Ugh. Get a room, you perverts,” Hailey groaned on her way to her room with Kelsie.
I could tell from her voice that she was more teasing than upset. But regardless, she’d caught me off guard, and my reaction was to jump out of Hollis’s lap. Unfortunately, my attempt at standing failed, and I wound up flat on my ass on the living room floor.
Hollis chuckled and extended his hand. “Smooth.”
“Shut up.” I rubbed my ass as I got up. “That was your fault. I tried to give you a nice peck on the lips. But noooo…that wasn’t enough. You had to be greedy.”
“I can’t help it when I’m around you. I am greedy. I want your body in my hands at all times.” He stood and kissed my forehead. “Sit. I got you that wine you like. I’ll get you a glass, and you can tell me all the horrible things my business partner told you about me, so I can deny them.”
Hollis came back with two wine glasses and sat down next to me on the couch. He set his glass on the coffee table, scooped up my feet, and started to take off my sandals.
“So how did it go?”
“It went great. I really love her.”
“Good. I’m glad. Because while she’s a giant pain in my ass, she’s a good person and my best friend. But don’t tell her I said that.”
I sipped my wine. “I won’t. But I’m pretty sure she adores you as much as you adore her. Though both of you seem to like to pretend you get on each other’s nerves. On the train here, I realized I never asked either of you how you two met.”
“We’ve known each other since college. She was Anna’s macroeconomics TA. They became friends.”
“Oh, wow. It didn’t sound like they were friends anymore.”
Hollis tossed my shoes on the floor and began to massage my feet. “They definitely aren’t. Anna met her first, and the three of us became friends. Addison was a year ahead of us, but she and I had the same major, so the three of us would often study together. After we graduated, we went to work at competing firms. When I decided I wanted to go out on my own, I suggested we do it together.” He shrugged. “When shit went down with Anna, she might’ve been as pissed off as I was. The two of them may have been friends first, but if things hadn’t gone wrong with Anna, there’s no doubt whose side of the church Addy would’ve been sitting on.”
“I like that your best friend is a woman.”
Hollis dug his thumb into the arch of my foot, and I felt my entire body relax. “Oh yeah? I like that your best friend isn’t a man. Pretty sure I’d hate you hanging around another man all the time.”
I laughed. “Are you saying you’d feel threatened?”
“Nope. I just prefer the only dick swinging around you to be mine.”
“I feel bad for Hailey when she starts dating. You’re a little on the protective side.”
Hollis’s fingers stopped moving. “Dating? We have a long time until that happens.”
“Not really. I was into boys by the time I was thirteen. Went to the movies alone with Frankie Hess at fifteen.”
“I don’t like Frankie Hess.”
I chuckled. “Well, Hailey’s Frankie Hess better hope someone besides her uncle answers the door when he comes to pick her up.”
“Someone else? I assume that means you, right?”
Things between Hollis and me were pretty much perfect, but I still liked to screw with him to keep it real. I shrugged. “Or whoever you’re dating by then. We are talking a few years down the road.”
I pretended not to notice the scowl on his face. “And where are you planning on being then?”
If I looked at him, I’d crack up. So instead I sipped my wine and reached to set the glass down on the coffee table next to his. “I don’t know. Maybe I’ll look up Frankie and see what he’s doing these days.”
I was flat on my back with Hollis hovering over me faster than I could finish yelping. “I’m joking.” I laughed.
“Joking, huh? You’re in some mood. First you tell me Hailey’s going to be dating in the next two years and then you taunt me by talking about another man.”
I giggled. “Frankie was fifteen.”
He snuggled into my neck. “Don’t care. What’s mine is mine, and I don’t like to think of it belonging to anyone else, before or after me.”
“Neanderthal,” I teased. But the truth of the matter was, I loved hearing Hollis refer to me as his.
He pulled his head back and looked down at me. “If it makes me a caveman that I want to lock you up and fill your belly with my babies, then so be it. Where’s my club? I might use it to beat Frankie’s ass.”
My face softened, and I reached up and cupped Hollis’s cheek. “You want to have babies with me?”
He seemed confused by my question. His brows drew together. “Of course, I do. Don’t you?”
Having kids wasn’t something I’d ever felt was necessary before. Tobias and I had never talked about it. But when I looked into Hollis’s eyes, I could see our future including little gorgeous Hollis babies.
I stared at him for a long time before answering. “I think we’d make a nice little family.”
Hollis ran his thumb along my lip. “Sweetheart, I hate to tell you, but we already are a nice little family.”
***
That night we ordered a pizza with Hailey and her friend. Then Hollis and I watched a movie in his room so the girls could take over the living room. It was such a simple day, but my heart was full as I rested my head on his chest. Watching some old Die Hard movie he’d picked out, I felt content for the first time in—well, really forever.
I propped my head on my fist. “I do want to have a baby someday…have a baby with you.”
Hollis pointed the remote at the TV and muted the sound. “That’s good, babe. I’m glad we’re on the same page, even if you’re just figuring it out and I’ve known for a while.”
I smiled. “I didn’t have the best home life. So having a family someday wasn’t a given for me, I guess.”
Hollis pushed a lock of hair behind my ear, and his thumb lingered, stroking my neck. “Ours will be different. I promise.”
“I know.”
“By the way, as long as we’re on the subject, you keep saying someday. And the way you say it makes it sound like someday is a long way off. Just giving you fair warning, we don’t have to have kids next week—I’m open to whenever it feels right for you—but you and me living under one roof, you not having to sneak across the hall, me locking down the formality of you being here and being mine? Those aren’t so far off.”
Warmth spread through my chest. I could not love this man any more. It should’ve scared me how fast things were moving. I’d been practically living here the last few weeks already, and now he was talking about making it permanent…making us permanent. But I wasn’t scared. Love was risky, but I was certain Hollis LaCroix was worth taking a chance.
I took a deep breath and smiled. “Okay.”
He looked into my eyes for reassurance. “Okay?”
“Yeah. I’m good with that.”
I didn’t so much fall asleep that night as I floated. I’d never been happier. My life with Hollis seemed like a fairy tale, almost too good to be true.
But when I woke up abruptly at nearly two in the morning, realization struck me fast.
Fairy tales are just stories made up by other people. And they are too good to be true.
