Roger nervously stood when Holly appeared damp from the shower. She was dressed in a t-shirt material top and capri bottomed pajamas. Her feet were bare, her skin naked of any makeup. He lay a hand on his chest and breathed in the fresh scent of her.
"You are a vision." He crooned.
"You need to go." She said neutrally.
"Holly?" He was confused.
"You need to leave, Roger. You have a wife at home and I have Ed joining me here tomorrow. You need to leave."
He was crestfallen. "Do you regret what happened out there?" He swallowed a forming lump in his throat.
"Regret is the wrong word, Roger, but that doesn't mean it should have happened." She hung her head.
"Holly, Ed's not coming until late afternoon at best. I could leave in the morning. It's already dark, and I really don't want to drive these mountain roads at night."
"I suppose you should have thought about that before you came here then." Her voice was cold.
He went to her. He laid his hands on her elbows. "Holly, you made love to me not two hours ago. Why can't you just enjoy that for a bit longer?"
She didn't pull away, but didn't encourage him either. She tipped her head and looked in his eyes. Blinking, she cleared hers. Yes, they had made progress, she proved she didn't hate him, but it wasn't enough. She needed everything he couldn't give her. Slowly she lay her head on his chest. She heard his heart beating. "It doesn't sound like I broke it" She whispered.
He held her by the shoulders and pushed her away. "Holly, let me stay." He begged.
She felt a tear fall. "Roger, we can't. We can't allow history to repeat itself. We have tried and failed so many times. We were doomed from the start. We share a beautiful, head strong daughter" Holly smiled as the image of Blake flashed across her mind. "She loves you, she tolerates me, but we are making progress. We don't have to be together to be a family for her." Holly rationalized.
Roger knew she was right. "Give me tonight. Let me have this one night with you, and I promise when you wake up tomorrow, I will be gone." He took her chin in his finger tips and tilted it ever so slightly. He brushed her lips with his. "Please. Just one night" He spoke against her.
"One night" she whispered back.
Roger picked her up in his arms and carried her to the bedroom. Ever so slowly he unbuttoned her shirt and began exploring her slowly. They were awake until the early hours of the morning making love to each other. Both wondering if it would be the last time. When it finally was, Holly fell into an easy sleep wrapped in Roger's arms. He kissed her shoulder gently, pulling himself from under her. He pulled on the same clothes he had worn the day before, and watched her sleep in the dim light. When he was fully dressed, he covered her with a light blanket from the end of the bed. He bent over and kissed her gently, knowing that this would be the last time he'd have the privileged of doing so.
In the morning, the sun filtered through the blinds. For a moment Holly forgot where she was, and who may still be sharing a bed with her. Slowly she pushed herself upward and listened. The only sounds she heard was the whirring of the air conditioning. She was naked, her pajamas in a heap on the floor. She reached down and replaced them. Tiptoeing to the door of the bedroom she stopped and listened again.
"Hello" She called out, her voice trembling.
There was no response. Ever so cautiously she moved into the living room. She was alone. She swallowed bile that had crept into her throat. Her knees gave out, she collapsed onto the sofa. "What have I done?" She cried out into the emptiness. Allowing herself a bit of time to wallow she did what she always did. She took a deep breath and hardened her exterior armor.
"What happened, happened" she told herself. It was time to move on.
By the time Ed and Michelle arrive Holly had stripped the sheets on the bed, taken a shower, and destroyed any evidence that a second person had shared her space. She was sitting on the deck reading a book, a vapid best seller instead of her beloved poets. She simply couldn't bring herself to open it. It was Michelle's footsteps followed by her voice that she heard first. She was arguing with her father.
"I'm fine Dad. I'm not going to fall!" Holly heard her say.
Holly stood and plastered a smile on her face. She brought a hand up to wave when she saw Michelle carrying a box almost as big as her. Holly rushed over and wrestled it from the girls grasp.
"I said I had it, why do you both treat me like I'm a child?" She pouted.
Holly looked over her head at an exasperated Ed.
"I'm sorry, I'd have done the same for Blake. It's called being courteous. Why don't you try it? The correct response when someone helps you is thank you"
Michelle put her hands on her hips, her eyes got wide and her lips contorted. "My mother taught me manners a long time ago. You are not my mother, so you don't need to try."
With that Michelle stomped to the sliding glass door. "Where is my room?" She demanded.
Holly, still holding the box turned to her. "Go through the living room, and up the stairs. You have the loft."
A bewildered Ed stood at the bottom of the steps. "Don't even ask." He said.
Holly put the box on the outdoor table and peaked in. From behind Ed crept up and put his arms around her, lying his chin on her shoulder. For a brief moment Holly tensed.
"I'm sorry" Ed said pulling back, but she grabbed his arms and replaced them where they were.
"Don't be, you just startled me. My mind was on Michelle. What's going on there?" Holly asked examining what the pair brought.
"Two things actually. First, she is angry that there isn't going to be a Bauer bar-b-que this year."
Holly furrowed her brow. "I thought she was looking forward to coming here?" Holly asked skeptically.
Ed let go of Holly and went to the railing. He leaned on it; hands folded. "She was" His voice became distant.
Holly joined him on the rail, her back against it for balance. "Well, what happened?"
Ed swallowed, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "You haven't heard from Blake, have you?"
"Has something happened? Was she in an accident, is she sick? Damn it, I knew not having telephone access was a horrific idea. We need to leave immediately!" Her composure gone, Holly pushed herself off the railing and headed for the door to retrieve her purse. Ed caught her hands just enough to stop her forward momentum.
"Honey, I'm sorry, I forgot we wouldn't have phone service. No, that's not it at all though Blake is as mad at me as Michelle is I'm afraid."
Holly calmed quickly. "Ed, what happened?" She looked to make sure the door was still closed. "You didn't tell them about Lilian, did you?"
"No, I didn't. I called Blake to ask permission for something very special. Then on the drive up here I told Michelle and she lost it. At least Blake is old enough to tell me how she really feels. I think Michelle just doesn't know how she feels, but once she does will love the idea"
Holly was now thoroughly confused. "You need to walk this back for me Ed. What exactly is going on?"
"I was going to wait until tomorrow when we shot off the fireworks in the box over there" He motioned with his head while reaching in his pocket. "I thought given our history and our current situation that asking this question while gun power was exploding overhead was appropriate."
Holly's hands flew to her mouth. "Ed" she said between her fingers. "You can't."
He got on one knee and presented her with a ring box. "Holly, I know I've been all over the place with this, but I love you. You are magnificent with Michelle, and even better with me. You're honest, your giving, and you are incredibly sexy. Would you please do the honor of becoming my wife, again?"
She felt physically ill. She couldn't speak. She turned on her heal and ran inside the house directly to the bathroom where she proceeded to throw up. She wiped her mouth and stood, both hands on the edge of the sink. She looked in the mirror silently debating with the image it presented.
"How can you say yes when you spent the night with Roger?" She asked herself with her eyes. The guilt in them was tremendous. She closed them and shook the notion away.
She looked again and saw confusion. "How can you say no when you just spent the night with Roger? He is going to want more and more of you. If you're engaged, he can't have you, and when you get married, it will prove to him that you are over him."
Holly pushed herself off the sink and turned around. Ed was standing on the opposite side of the door ready to know. She startled.
"Are you feeling, ok?" He asked.
She laughed lightly. "For a doctor you sure are slow on the uptake. Yes, I'm fine. I must have had a bit too much wine last night. I didn't want to drink in front of you, and well, I must have over done it. That, coupled with the sun was just bad timing." She lied far to easily.
Ed wrapped an arm around her and led her to the living room. He sat next to her on the couch. "Well?"
"Well, what?" She asked.
"You're seriously going to make me get back down on one knee again? Alright, if you insist" He went to stand, but she stopped him.
"No, you don't have to do that. What you do have to tell me is what Blake said. You mentioned her when we were outside."
Ed squared his jaw. "Apparently, Blake thinks the notion of you and I being more than friends as repugnant an idea Roger being married to Jenna. This was even after I pointed out that I'm only slightly older than you, and that neither one of us has been arrested for felony jewel theft."
Holly tried not to smirk but was unsuccessful. "Permission was denied then?"
"Unless hell has frozen over then you would be correct."
"You want to go two for two? You could always call my mother."
Ed feigned horror. "No thanks. I think I'll take my chances with the only woman whose answer does matter."
"Ask me again."
Ed raised an eye brow. "I don't have to get down on one knee again?"
Holly grinned. "No, just ask me."
"Holly Lindsey, will you please marry me, again"
Her smile was wide. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Yes. I will marry you."
