A Melwood Story

/chapter fifteen/

A Melwood Story
Chapter 15

Chris

After I finish the dishes, I head up the stairs to Nya's room to tuck her in, say goodnight and ask her a question.

"Hi, daddy," she says when I enter the room.
"Goodnight, Nya. Sleep well," I say as I pull the blankets over her.
"Goodnight, dadda," she whispers.

I sit down at the end of her bed. "You like, Melissa, right?"
She nods her head. "Melissa nice."
"Okay, good. Would you be okay if Melissa and the twins lived with us?"
She turns her head. "They already do."
I nod. "I know, sweetheart."

She moves around a little then says goodnight again.
"I love you, Nya," I say, then leave the room.

It's late. Melissa and I are sitting on the couch upstairs that's outside of the twins room. I ended up buying the couch just for upstairs because when the twins were only a few months old, we would sit outside their door until they fell asleep by themselves, so I decided to get a couch so we wouldn't have to sit on the ground anymore.

"Melissa," I say. I've been wanting to talk to her about the other day. "About the other day, when I kissed you..."
She looks over at me. "What about it?"
"I just wanted you to know that if you didn't think about me or us, that way, I completely understand."

She seems to think for a second. "I had thought there was something between us, but then everything with the babies, I just got distracted and assumed you didn't see me that way."
"I liked you from the very first day we met," I admit.

She smiles, looking out the big window over the front door that you can see clearly from where the couch is. "I don't know how we went so long. I mean, you're helping me raise my kids, I live in your house, I don't know how we managed to not realize the signs."
"I was thinking, you know, you don't have to keep looking for places to go."
"What do you mean?" she asks.
"I mean, I want you to, move in? Permanently?"

Surprise passes her face quickly as she looks back over at me. "Really? Are you sure?"
I nod. "I'm sure."
"Okay, well...are you positive?"
"Melissa," I say, putting her hands in mine. "I'm absolutely positive. I don't think I could function in this house anymore if you and the twins weren't here. I'm being honest."
"Okay. I will move in with you."
I smile. "Thank you."

She keeps looking at me.
I keep looking at her. "Is it okay if I kiss you?"
She nods.

I don't wait a second. I kiss her with all the emotion that has building up from the past over a year that I've known her.

Melissa

Chris asked me to move in with him, into this gorgeous house that he has. I mean with after these past long months, I expected him to kick us out because we overstayed our stay. Nad instead he asked me (and the twins for that matter) to move in with him. Officially.

I'm in the twins room, holding or more like rocking Eloise. Like usual. It's always my girl. I wish she understood what is happening. I wish I could tell her. Someone.

I decide around lunch time to call my mom. Not around Chris though.

I dress Maxwell in some warm clothes for the weather, put him in the single stroller with a blanket, say bye to Chris, then head out for a walk to my coffee shop while I call my mom. That's who I want to talk to right now.

"Mom?" I say once the phone connects.
"Melissa? Hi!" she says. "How are you, darling? How are Eloise and Maxwell?"
"I'm good, mom. They're doing good. How are you and dad?"
"We're good," she says. "What's happening in beautiful Los Angeles?"
"Well, that's what I was calling to tell you..." I start.
"You're not pregnant again are you?" she asks.
"No, no, no," I reassure her. "I'm not."
"Then what is it?"

"Chris asked me to move in with him," I tell her.
"Honey!" she exclaims. "That's exciting!"
"Yeah," I say, a smile on my face.
"So, what did you say?" she asks.
"I said yes."
I hear happy gasp a little bit. "I'm so happy for you, Melissa."
"Thank you, mom."

"What are you doing now?" she asks.
"I'm out getting coffee with Max," I tell her.
"Okay, well, I leave you to it, honey. I love you. Say hello to Chris for me."
"Okay, I will. I love you too, mom."
"Bye," she says, then hangs up.

We make it to the coffee shop when my phone rings again. It's Chris calling.

"Is everything okay?' I ask.
He seems to hesitate. "Uh, yeah. Everything is fine. Question," he says. "Which twin did you take out for a walk?"
"Why? What happened?"
"Just answer the question, Melissa. I've got it under control. Trust me."
"I took Maxwell. Now, what's wrong?"
"Thanks. Got to go," he says, then hangs up.

I shake my head. "What did your sister do, Max?" I ask the sleeping child in the stroller.

Chris

I go into the twins room to feed the one that Melissa didn't take, but there was no children in the room. I check the other rooms, the bathroom included without finding either Lulu or Max.

Once I call Melissa and ask which twin she took, then I know that I'm looking for Eloise.

"Eloise!" I call. "Where are you?"

I slowly and quietly wander the whole house. No Eloise anywhere.

What room didn't I check? Nya's room.

I dash up the stairs and open Nya's bedroom door. There's Eloise, sitting calmly as Nya tries to keep a blonde wig on the one year olds head.

"Nya Anne Wood. What are you doing?" I ask, trying to keep a laugh in.
"I'm dressing up baby sister. To make her beautiful," she tells me.
"Did you take Lulu out of her bed?" I ask.
"No," she says, looking up at me. "She was crawling around her room."

She might've fallen out and it's my fault.

Just then, I hear Melissa's voice from downstairs. "Chris! Chris?"
I pick up Eloise, leaving the wig on, then head down the stairs. "Hey."
She looks up frantically. "Chris? What happened?"
"Nothing. Everything is fine, like I told you."
"Why'd you call asking which twin I had, then?"
"Nya took Lulu to play dress-up and I couldn't find her, okay?" I say, then look over at Eloise in my arms. "But I found her. It's okay."

Melissa sighs. "You scared me, Chris. Don't do that again."
I walk down the last few steps of stairs. "I promise I won't."
"Thank you," she says just as I kiss her gently.

—
a/n
sorry i didn't update on monday, i forgot somehow:)
-El