Chapter Six: I'll Always Catch You
By the time our plane landed, I was exhausted and Holly was dozing on my shoulder. I stumbled into the busy airport and waited for Aaron to disembark. When he joined me, he looked as tired as I felt. "Come on," he groaned. "Let's get our bags and get out of here."
We made our way through crowds to the baggage claim, which hadn't begun distributing our luggage yet. "So," Aaron said, looking mournfully at the motionless conveyer belt. "How were your seatmates?"
"Awful," I said. "They were the rudest people I have ever met." He laughed, evidently agreeing with me. "By the way," I continued. "Thanks so much for leaving me there by myself."
"You had Holly," he defended himself. "I wasn't going to make you move when you were holding the baby. And besides, you're a big girl now; you can take care of yourself." The baggage claim started to move and a bright green bag emerged from the dark tunnel.
"But you could have insisted that those other people get new seats instead of making us split up," I argued, watching more suitcases wind past us. I was still mad that I hadn't gotten to sit next to Aaron during the three hour flight, even though I knew it wasn't his fault.
"Sorry," Aaron said. He evidently had figured out that I really wasn't mad at him. "It that your suitcase?" Sure enough, my dark blue duffel had just made its appearance.
Half an hour later, we collected all our luggage and retrieved the keys for our rental car. Aaron's car, along with all of our furniture and belongings, wouldn't arrive until the next day. I buckled Holly into her car seat. We specially ordered a tiny car seat for her from a website that sold items for premature babies. We were thankful that we could find her such a well-fitting safety device, but it was definitely a hassle to take the car seat to the airport and put it beneath the plane with our other checked luggage.
"Here," Aaron said, thrusting a bundle of paper at me. "Find the map to our hotel and tell me how to get there." I sorted through the pile until I found the map. We were staying at a hotel just outside Newburyport until our furniture arrived and everything was more or less unpacked.
I studied it or a moment. "You go down the highway for a while," I informed him. "Then you take exit 26."
"Gotcha," he acknowledged. When he took the exit some time later, I continued to give him instructions. Unfortunately, Aaron was under the impression that I was going to tell him when and where to turn, so he completely ignored the street signs.
"Stop!" I cried for the third time. "You drove right past it!"
"I thought you were going to tell me where it was!" he fumed, making an illegal u-turn in the middle of the deserted street.
"I told you to turn left on 5th Street!" I said. "Open your eyes! It's right… there. Turn!"
Grumbling, Aaron swerved onto 5th Street. A moment later, our hotel came into view. "Home sweet home," he muttered. "Welcome to Holiday Inn Express."
"It's only for a few days," I soothed. "Come on, I want a shower."
x.x.x
The next day, we drove around the town, trying to familiarize ourselves with our surroundings. It was a pretty little place, I decided. There were plenty of trees, and all the buildings looked fairly well-kept.
"Let's go see the house," I suggested.
Aaron smiled at me. "You're in for a treat," he said. "You're going to love it!" He drove slowly through the neighborhood and I pressed my face against the widow, scrutinizing each house. It was apparent that they were built to match, because each one was painted in a neutral color, all the doors were the same style, and they all had wood shingles. Despite the similarities, none were exactly alike.
"Here we are," Aaron announced, pulling into a driveway. I bounced out of the car, leaving my dear boyfriend to release Holly from her car seat. The two-story house had dark brown shingles and grayish-blue siding. The door was painted to match the roof, but the thing that really won me over was the nearest wall. It was stone, floor to roof. The house would have looked like a little cottage in the woods if the trees had been a little taller. But at the same time, it was a classic New England home.
"I love it!" I told Aaron excitedly. "It's so cute! I love the stone!"
"I thought you might," he laughed. "But you haven't even seen the inside yet!"
"Let's go!' I said. We mounted the steps to our little front porch. "We can put some rocking chairs out here," I said, visualizing it already. Iron would work well with the rest of the outdoor décor. "Maybe a little table…"
Aaron rolled his eyes and unlocked the door. I stepped over the threshold and onto the rich wood floor. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but I certainly hadn't expected the entryway to be so large. "It's so big," I breathed, looking up at the high vaulted ceiling. A wrought iron chandelier hung from the highest point of the ceiling, the dark chain contrasting nicely with the cream-colored walls.
To my left was a cozy living area with bay windows that looked out into the front yard. "This is your room with the stone wall outside," Aaron told me.
"We should put a couch in here," I said. "Or a loveseat and a coffee table. Or some nice leather armchairs."
"Lexie," Aaron said gently, tolerating my excitement. "We don't even have leather armchairs."
"We can get some," I said. The little room would look so nice with leather and dark coffee table and a rug on the floor. I could picture it already. "And maybe… in a few years we can get a piano! Wouldn't it fit perfectly into this corner?" Aaron only laughed at me.
I explored the house even more, with Aaron and Holly trailing after me. Directly across from the front door was a majestic staircase. It wasn't really that big, but our last house didn't even have stairs, and this staircase had elegantly curved railings, and it spiraled upward and out of sight. "I love the staircase," I called over my shoulder to Aaron before I skipped beneath a huge arched cut-out in the wall. I hopped down two shallow steps and stepped on to the glorious blue tile that I had been waiting for.
The new area was divided into two parts: to the right the blue-tiled kitchen and dining area, and a larger living room with thick cream carpet was on my left. I went to the kitchen first. It was much larger than our old one. The oven, stove, and refrigerator were conveniently next to each other along one wall. Tucked into the corner was a door. I opened it and found a pantry, similar to the one in the old house. The gleaming countertops along the walls were a warm brown tile, very similar to the wood floors in the entryway. I ran my hand along the length of it as I admired the drawers and cupboards surrounding the microwave and other appliances. I turned around and immediately crossed the short distance to the island which housed the extra-large sink. There was enough space on the other side to serve as a breakfast bar or a buffet table. I would have to get stools to fill out the empty space along the island.
I exited the kitchen and skipped over to the large windows on the other side of the big room. "We can put our table here," I said, more to myself than Aaron. "It's a good thing it's such a dark color, it'll look good with the tile…" Oh how I loved the tile! It was such a pretty color. It was definitely blue, but not a gaudy shade. It was more sophisticated, a smoky grayish-blue color than was calming and cozy at the same time. I spent a few idle minutes gazing at it.
I turned my attention to the living room, shedding my shoes and socks so I could walk across the thick carpet in my bare feet. It was the softest, squishiest carpet I had ever felt. It was like walking on a little cloud. I would put our couch in here; and the coffee table, too. We were going to have to shop for new furniture for the living area by the front door, though. In the corner of the living room was a fireplace with a wide stone hearth and mantel. The wall that connected to the kitchen was nearly all windows, looking out into the backyard. The other wall was covered by shelves and cupboards. It was perfect for the TV, Holly's toys, and all the books Aaron and I had collected over the years. I fingered the dark wood. "I'm going to find every antique store in the area," I announced to Aaron. "I'm going to get all sorts of vases and things to fill these shelves!" He rolled his eyes at me, but I could tell he was just happy that I liked the house.
I put my shoes back on and walked down a short hallway that ran along the side of the living room and the archway that led to the stirs and front door. I opened the doors in the hallway. The first was a bathroom, with gleaming white tile and a little linen closet in the corner. That was the only door on this side of the house, but I spotted another one on the other side of the house. It opened up into a spacious study, complete with a closet and shelves. "We can put our desk in here, and our laptops, and all our stuff for work… and maybe even a couple of chairs over on this end!"
"I knew you'd like it," Aaron said, not for the first time, steering me back the way we'd come, but not before I glimpsed the mud room off to the side of the office. "Wait 'til you see the upstairs. You're going to love that too." Together, we climbed the beautiful spiral staircase and stepped onto the landing that overlooked the entry.
"It's so…open," I said. "I like it." The upstairs was much smaller than the downstairs because the vaulted ceiling didn't leave as much room for living space. We faced French doors and a long hallway. I ignored the doors, and started down the hall instead. The walls were bare, and I shuddered, thinking of ways to liven it up. Paint, maybe. Aaron and I didn't have much in terms of art. The first door I opened was a bathroom. It as larger than the one downstairs, and had a bathtub with a showerhead above. The tile on the floor and counter was white, scattered with flecks of bright blue, and there was a bubble pattern painted near the ceiling. "This is Holly's bathroom!" I proclaimed. I instantly knew she would love it.
The hallway ended a few feet after the bathroom, opening into a large playroom. I was amazed with all the space in the house. Here was another place I could put a couch and a coffee table. Holly could play safely in here. There was plenty of space for her playpen.
The next door revealed a small bedroom with three different colors of yellow sponge paint. It was sunny in here, and I thought that this might possibly be a good room for Holly, but there was still one more door to be opened, and I wanted to see that one before I made any decisions.
I moved on and opened the door on the other side of the hall. It was a bedroom, also painted pale yellow with a walk-in closet. "Holly's room," I breathed. It was larger than the last room, and for a reason I couldn't put my finger on, this room just fit Holly better. The last room could be a guest room.
I could put her crib in here, and a rocking chair, and a dresser for her clothes. It would all fit perfectly. I turned to Aaron, who had been silently following me as I explored the house. He was holding Holly, and she looked slightly overwhelmed with all the new sights. "Come here," I said to her, holding out my arms. Aaron gave her to me wordlessly, and I carried her around the room.
"Here's your window," I said to her. "Look, you can see the big tree in the backyard! And here's your closet, see how big it is?" Holly squirmed and babbled some of her baby-talk, evidently not sharing my enthusiasm. I gave her back to Aaron and raced back down the hallway to the French doors at the top of the stairs. Barely able to contain myself, I slowly opened the doors and stepped into the master bedroom. The carpet, unlike the rest of the upstairs which had the same carpet as the living room, was dark green. There was a window seat on the other wall, covered in cream colored cloth. I knew our bed would barely fill this room. We would have to get some chairs, and a cream bedspread to match the window seat, and some forest green pillows for the bed, and some bedside tables that were made of dark wood… I let my imagination run away with me for a moment.
My musings were suddenly cut off when Aaron nudged me toward the cut-out doorway on the other side of the room. I walked through the threshold and into the largest master bathroom I had ever seen. Even without furniture, it was beautifully decorated. The walls were white, with black stripes near the ceiling. The two counters ('his' and 'hers' sinks) was black marble, shot through with white veins. It looked like lightning in a night sky. The two sinks were shiny white porcelain, and the drawers were also white, with black knobs. The mirror behind the sinks reached the ceiling, and the countertop was illuminated by a long row of round lights. I stepped carefully across the black-and-white-tiled floor and checked out the shower. It had sliding frosted glass doors, and inside, a built-in bench. At the end of the room was a full-length soaking tub. There were three steps leading up to it, and it was deep enough to be a swimming pool. There were two windows in the wall above it, looking into the trees and letting in natural light.
To the right of the farthest counter, there was a small door, discreetly set between two towel racks. It was a walk-in closet. There were shelves and drawers and hanger rods lining all the walls. I smiled mischievously. I knew I would have to go shopping for furniture to fill the space in the house, and I could probably talk Aaron into taking me clothes shopping to fill our huge closet. I closed the closet door and immediately spied another one to my right. I opened it and was delighted to find a tiny room holding the toilet. Very private. Very nice.
I whirled around and flung my arms around Aaron and Holly. "I love it!" I whispered in Aaron's ear. "It's perfect! I can't believe it's ours!"
I tilted my head upward and kissed him softly. Then, bringing my arms from around his back to his shirt collar, I pulled him closer to me, deepening the kiss. Aaron pulled away from me and my eyes snapped open. What was wrong?
"Lexie! I have Holly!" He lifted his arms slightly, Holly's sleeping form curled into them. I pouted at Aaron and crossed my arms. "And there's not even any furniture in the house!" he whispered. I rolled my eyes.
"It was just a kiss," I remarked. I briefly thought about staying mad at him, but then decided against it. "Come on, I want to go explore the backyard!" Aaron and I ran back down the spiral staircase and out the back door that was conveniently situated in the kitchen. I bit back the words that were on my tongue. Oh, how I wished to race him… but Aaron could hardly sprint with Holly in his arms.
The backyard was fenced in, but you couldn't really tell, because all sorts of bushes, trees, and flowers grew haphazardly on the wooden slats, making the space their own little haven. A large oak tree was off to the side, and I walked up to it, pressing my fingers into the bark.
Aaron peeked his head around from the other side of the tree. "Come see! We've got a tire swing!" he said. I scuttled over to him and ran my fingers over the smooth rubber.
"Can you push me?" I asked excitedly.
"What about Holly?" Aaron responded, reminding me that he was holding the baby again.
"Here," I said, offering my arms. "She can swing with me." Aaron looked at my open arms furtively. "We can go slow!" I pleaded.
"Okay, okay!" Aaron laughed, transferring the small bundle to me. Holly sat up a little in my arms; she had fallen asleep during my inspection of the master bedroom and was just waking up.
I plopped onto the circular tire, Holly held securely in one arm, while I clutched one of the three metal chains holding the swing to a strong branch in the other hand.
Aaron eyed my one-arm grasp on Holly. "How about you use both arms?" he asked. I sighed and removed my hand from the chain, wrapping it around Holly.
"Better?" Aaron just smiled at me, gently pushing the swing forward. We were silent for a while, Aaron rocking Holly and me back and forth. After a few minutes, I tilted my head back to see him.
"Can we go faster? Just a little?" I begged.
Aaron laughed at me, answering, "Sure." He then began to pull the metal chains back and letting them go. Holly let out an excited giggle.
"See? She likes it!" I yelled. "Do you want to go even faster, Holly? Can you say 'faster'?" Aaron complied to my wordless request, pushing us farther and farther into the sky.
Suddenly, the tree's trunk came into my view. Somehow, the swing's range had switched from parallel with the tree to near perpendicular. My breath caught in my throat and I instinctively ducked my head and tried to shield Holly. We were going to hit the tree!
"AAR—," I started to scream, but there was no reason to. After jerking forward, the swing came to a stop.
"You know I'd always catch you," Aaron said, smiling.
x.x.x
Thank you for reading! Though we would like to know what you thought of this; especially since the last few chapters have been focusing on Lexie and Aaron, not Holly. Do you like it? Hate it? Please tell us!