Chapter Seven.
Give us a try.
Colby's POV.
"Hey Colbs, I'm sure you're at wrestling practice, but I was just calling to see if you could meet me at the park in the morning. Say nine o'clock? Uh, just call me back when you can. I miss you. Uh, yeah."
I listened to her voicemail more times than I care to admit. I had missed hearing her voice so much. I couldn't be more happy that she'd called.
I dialed her number and listened to it ring. After two rings, she picked up, instantly making me smile widely.
"Hey Colby." She said, her voice like music to my ears.
"Hey beautiful. I'm sorry I missed your call. I was, in fact, at wrestling practice." I said smiling, even though she couldn't see it.
"Oh, it's no problem. Is meeting up tomorrow good with you? If not, then we can reschedule." She asked, a hint of insecurity laced in her words.
Most guys probably would've run away, and that was probably what she was expecting. I'd never run from her, not in a million years. I shook my head gently, though she couldn't see.
"No, tomorrow is perfect with me. By the way, I really missed you too." I said, smiling when I heard her let out a deep breath.
"Thank you for being patient with me. You've proven so much to me. I can't wait to see you." She said, a sound of relief in her tone.
"Anything for you, sweetheart, anything." I replied, smiling when I heard Madi's whine on the other end of the line.
"Well, I'm gonna feed Miss Priss over here, and I'll see you in the morning." She said, making me frown a bit.
I didn't want to hang up with her. I loved hearing her voice. By the way she was talking and acting, I may be hearing it more soon.
"Alright, give Madi a squeeze for me. I'll see you in the morning, Mace." I smiled, standing up from the couch.
"Will do, see you tomorrow, Colbs." She replied, then the line went dead.
I immediately felt the emptiness without her voice. I smiled to myself as I walked toward the bedroom. She called back, I didn't lose her. I was so scared she'd decided it wasn't right and she'd run away, taking her and Madi back out of my life. Thank god, she didn't, and it seems like she's here to stay.
I jumped in the shower, washing off the day and resisting the urge to jump up and down. I dried off and blow dried my hair before changing into some sweats and climbing in bed.
The clock read eleven o'clock. Only ten more hours, ten more hours until I got to see the face I was slowly falling for.
.....
Macy's POV.
I leaned against my Suburban, listening to the breeze blow through the leaf covered trees, and attempting to calm my nerves. I had nothing to be worried about. He was willing to wait for me, and that alone gave me so much happiness. If I were him, I would've ran away and never looked back, but Colby had proven he wasn't like the rest. He'd proven that he respected and understood me even if I couldn't see the worth in myself.
My heart rate increased when I saw his car pull up. I glanced over my outfit. Gray v-neck, shorts, and sandals. I went comfy today, besides, he'd seen me look worse.
He climbed out of his car and started walking toward me. A smile spread across his face as he got closer to me. I couldn't help but smile back at him, blushing lightly.
"Hey there." He said, finally next to me.
I said nothing, but wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him down to my level and hugging him tight. As if instinct, his arms wrapped around my waist, holding me close. I hardly ever got to experience this with Mike, as we were always fighting. It felt nice to be held again.
We pulled away slowly, as I looked up into his eyes, smiling up at him.
"Let's go sit down so we can talk?" I asked, unwrapping my arms from his neck and resting my hands on his biceps.
"Sure." He replied, releasing my waist but instantly taking my hand and interlocking our fingers.
We walked to a picnic table as my heart continued to beat out of my chest. I tried to take as many deep breaths as I could before we sat down.
"So, I hope you've had enough time to realize what you need. If you need more time, I'm willing to wait." He said, breaking the brief silence.
"Oh no. I've got it figured out. Honestly, I don't understand what it is, but I feel like I can trust you. I just about went crazy not talking to you. If you're willing to go slow with me, I'm willing to give us a try." I finished, taking a deep breath in.
He smiled at me, staying silent. A part of me got nervous, but then I realized he was probably just trying to figure out what to say. Calm your tits, Macy, he showed up didn't he?
"It's such a relief to hear that. I'll go as slow as you need. I know you have to worry about yourself and Madi. I know you're gonna have trust issues because of how you were treated, but I promise we'll get through it together. I was so edgy and ill these past few days. I missed hearing your voice, but now I plan to hear it a lot more." He said, squeezing my hand tighter.
I rested my head on his shoulder, soaking in the moment. The calmness was beautiful. I could've never done this with Mike, well at least not since Mitch. He was always drunk, and always angry.
"Mace, whatcha thinking about?" Colby asked, breaking the silence. I looked up at him, smiling at him.
"Just how nice this is. Thank you for staying." I replied, resting my head on him again.
I felt his lips press gently against my forehead. "Thank you for telling me how to get to the interstate." He chuckled, making me chuckle too.
After sitting in the breeze for a while, I raised my head up and stretched my arms out.
"Since we're gonna give this a try, it's time I take you to the past. Are you ready?" I asked, standing up and looking at him.
I felt the wall start to build its way back up, but I forced it back down. I had to let it go. I had to let Colby in and give him a try.
"Ride with me?" He asked, nodding his head towards his car, and smiling softly.
His smile. It could change my day in a heartbeat. I loved seeing his smile almost as much as I loved seeing Madi's.
"Sounds good." I smiled, walking toward his car.
He opened my door as I climbed in the car. He shut my door and ran over to his side, jumping in the car and starting it. We pulled out of the parking lot and headed to my old home, which was now just a bad memory. Colby seemed ready, but I wasn't sure if I was.
.........
Colby's POV.
"Welcome to Hell." She muttered, stepping out the car and walking in front of it, staring up at the house.
I joined her and laced my fingers through hers, giving her a reassuring squeeze to remind her she wasn't alone. I'm so grateful I could come with her. I wouldn't be okay with her coming by herself.
"Let's get what we need and leave. I don't want to stay long today, but I'll have to come back in the next week and start packing to move." She said, smiling lightly up at me.
"Wait, you're moving into my complex?" I asked, completely blown away. I couldn't believe it.
"Yep. I realized how much I wanted to be around you when I had my time to myself, and realized that I wanted to be close to you." She smiled brightly, looking up at the house.
I wrapped my arms around her and swung her around, her laughter filling the air as I kissed the side of her face. I couldn't believe she was going to be my neighbor. I'd get to see her and Madi all the time. I thought my day couldn't get any better, but I guess I was wrong.
"C'mon. Let's get this over with." She sighed, grabbing my hand and pulling me along with her to the front door.
As she typed in the code, I gave her a hug from behind. She pushed the door open and we both walked inside. There was still glass on the floor. Pictures thrown off the walls. It was quite the mess. I walked as she carefully stepped over the glass, heading towards the stairs.
"Ready?" She asked, taking a step up.
I nodded at her and followed closely behind. She grabbed a few duffle bags out of the hall closet and we walked into Madi's room.
"Let's see. Diapers, wipes, onesies. Pacifiers, bottles, bottle cleaner, bottle liners." She mumbled, stuffing the duffle bag full of baby items.
She walked around the room a few times, opening drawers and grabbing a few more things before zipping up the bag and leading us out into the hallway. She shut the door, leaving the bag right in front of it, and walking down the hallway. She opened a door and we walked into the master bedroom.
"Tank tops, tee shirts, shorts, underwear, socks." She said, putting things into another duffle bag.
She walked into the bathroom with a smaller bag and threw a few things into it.
"Okay. That's everything I need up here. Let me go downstairs and grab the hard drive and then we can leave." She said, smiling up at me, but that smile was fake.
I could see right through her. I could tell she was hurting being here. I hated to see her like this, but soon we'll have everything out of here she needs so she doesn't have to come back. She paused at the bottom of the stairs and looked into the kitchen. I saw the tears welling up in her eyes. I sat the bags down and wrapped my arms around her. That's when she fell apart. Her body violently shaking as the sobs racked her body. Her cries filling the room. I held her for a while, until she calmed down enough to grab the hard drive and we carried the bags out to my car.
"I can't wait to come pack this house up and leave it in my past. I'm so sick of the memories that haunt this place." She said, looking up at the house with disgust.
"I'll be here for every single step of the way, princess." I replied, wrapping my arm around her shoulder and kissed her head.
I held her door open as she climbed in. I shut it and ran quickly to the other side, jumping in and starting the car. As we drove back to the park, I extended my hand, and she rested hers in mine. I interlocked our fingers as we continued on our way.
......
We pulled into her house, and a car I had never seen was there. Macy took a deep breath and turned towards me.
"Are you ready to meet my parents?" She asked, a look of fear in her eyes.
I hated seeing that look, and because of her past I saw it way too much. I took her hand in mine and gently kissed it.
"I'm ready if you are." I replied, smiling at her, trying to reassure her as much as I could.
She nodded and opened her door, stepping out. I met her at the front of the car. She took my hand and led me to the door, and together we walked through.
"Moma, we're here." She called out, and a few seconds later a dark haired lady walked out of the kitchen carrying Madi.
"Hey sweetie. I'm assuming this is Colby?" She asked, gesturing towards me.
"Yes ma'am. Colby, this is my mom. Moma, this is Colby." Macy said, smiling and taking Madi from her.
"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Buchanan." I smiled, shaking her hand.
"Please, call me Shelley." She said, smiling at me and winking at Macy. I chuckled lightly, tickling Madi's feet.
"Harold, come here and meet Colby!" Shelley called out, and a few seconds later, a broad and tall man walked into the room.
"Nice to meet you, son, call me Harold." He smiled lightly, shaking my hand firmly.
"Pleasure is mine, sir." I smiled at him.
Alright, her parents seem to like me pretty good. That's a good thing, because I know how close she is to her parents.
"Mace, let's go work on some lunch and let your dad and Colby get to know one another." Shelley said, looking towards Macy with a smile on her face.
"Sounds good. Colby, would you like to take Madi with you?" She asked me, raising her eyebrows at me.
"I would absolutely love to." I smiled, gently taking Madi into my arms and following her dad downstairs to his man cave. Here goes nothing.