Hole in the Wall

His older girlfriend thought about trying to make a joke like, "Oh, good. You'll be a great grocery shopper, I'm sure," but didn't want to spoil the moment.

She only smiled then told him, "I'd like that."

He kissed her softly then waited for her to get settled and closed the door.

He insisted on helping her put things away, and because the kitchen area was so small, they found themselves bumping into one another every time they turned around. After the third incident Jon told her she needed a bigger place.

"I need a bigger bank account first," she replied with a laugh.

He sat down the box he was holding then put his hands on her shoulders and smiled.

"Or you need to find someone who loves you who already has a bigger place."

Alicia's heartbeat sped up as she looked into his eyes and saw nothing but sincerity.

"I should be so lucky," she replied. Her words were spoken barely above a whisper because her mouth was suddenly dry while her palms felt warm and wet.

"I'd love to find someone to love me," Jon told her as he brushed her hair back. "Someone to share that larger space with."

Feeling happy again and able to speak, Alicia smiled back.

"Well, who knows. Maybe you'll meet a girl like that one day."

He ran the back of his fingers along her cheek then nearly whispered, "Yeah. Or...maybe I already have."

Knowing what he meant, Alicia put her arms around him and felt his wrap around hers as strong arms and gentle hands lovingly embraced her. This was all so new to her and yet it felt so right. She knew it was too early to know anything with certainty, and yet she knew at least one thing for sure. She felt safe and secure in his arms and didn't want that feeling to ever end.

"So...where did you say this goes?" he asked after letting go of her and picking up the box he'd set down.

"Oh. In the pantry. Top shelf."

Alicia was closer, so she took it and turned around to set it in place. As she reached up, Jon was right behind her and took it from her and set it up where it needed to go.

But he not only didn't move back, he put his arms around her again, and when he did, she pulled them even closer to her while leaning back so he could kiss her. A soft, gentle kiss lit a fire between them, and as Alicia turned around, Jon forcefully pulled her to him.

The power of his pull not only didn't frighten her it had the opposite effect as he kissed her harder than she'd been kissed in years. Her body on fire, Alicia did the same and moaned softly as his tongue danced with hers.

As the flames of passion intensified, Jon managed to ask if this was too fast.

Alicia told him 'no' then said, "It's not fast enough."

As they continued kissing Jon asked, "Meaning?"

"My bedroom is just down the hall."

He picked her up even more forcefully than he'd spun her around, and as he carried her down the narrow hallway, the French kissing continued until he set down and clothes began falling off and flying around the room.

An hour later Alicia lay in her lovers arms as satisfied as she'd ever been. The afterglow was every bit as delicious as the lovemaking had been, and twenty minutes later they were at it again.

She was still catching her breath when Jon rolled her over on top of him, smiled, and said, "You see. Having a younger boyfriend has its perks."

"Perks," she replied with a laugh. "Is that what you call that?"

He flipped her back over and now looked down at her.

"My god. You are so beautiful."

The way he said those words and the way he was looking at her moved Alicia in a way that she couldn't stop. Tears filled her eyes as she stared at his handsome face causing him to ask what he'd done wrong.

"Wrong? You haven't done anything wrong," she told him as she reached for a tissue to dab her eyes.

"Then why are you crying?"

She knew the answer but was too afraid to say it. She was afraid because no one told anyone they loved them after only knowing them for a week or even a month. But Alicia Wells knew she loved Jon Dyer and wasn't about to ruin the moment by saying it.

"I...I just feel so close to you," she told him instead.

Her words made him smile, and feeling good, he said, "So...I'm growing on you."

Even though they'd just finished Round Two, she felt 'him' growing and laughed.

"You have a way with words...honey," she told him, causing him to laugh, too, as he realized what was happening.

"You uh, you have that...effect...on me."

"I like that effect."

"Yeah?"

"Uh-huh. Very much."

As he entered her yet again, she moaned loudly and begged him to take her...hard...and her wish was answered immediately, causing her to cum less than a minute later. For the fourth time.

*****

One month later Alicia gave notice at her apartment and moved in with the handsome, younger man she so dearly loved. His place was indeed bigger, and he was grateful to to have someone to give it a woman's touch as she slowly turned a bachelor pad into a home.

It was only two months later when Jon finally said the 'L' word for the first time. They were back at the same place where'd they'd gone for fish and chips when he told her.

"I love you, too, honey," she told him back immediately as she fought back tears of joy.

The two of them had never stopped using that special word as it had always felt right since that first time it was spoken in jest. But they hadn't used it in front of Nancy until later that evening when they joined her for dinner.

"Sounds like things are getting serious," she said to her son when Alicia excused herself to use the bathroom.

"I'm in love with her Mom. I know how long it's been since we've known each other, but I also know I love her."

"Your father proposed to me just four months after we met," she reminded him with a twinkle in her as thoughts of that first grandchild danced across her mind.

"I remember that," her son replied with a smile. "And it worked out pretty well for you guys."

His mother sighed and told him it had.

Neither of them saw Alicia as she walked back in and asked what had worked out so well.

"Oh. I...we...were just talking about Jon's father and how well things went for us."

Jon casually mentioned the proposal after just four months then watched to gauge his girlfriend's response.

"I guess when you know, you just know, right?" she said, a warm, beautiful smile on her pretty face as she looked directly into his eyes, answering his unasked question.

It was just shy of six months when Jon proposed, and as far as Alicia was concerned, the timing felt perfect. She'd have said 'yes' after that dinner with Nancy, but she was content just being with him and would have waited longer. But when he slid the beautiful ring on her finger she felt like she'd just won the lottery.

A little over three months later they got married in a quaint little church in old part of town. Alicia was six weeks pregnant with their first child and her family had flown in for the wedding. She was so overwhelmed with happiness she wondered if she might actually burst but made it through the "I do's" and the reception in tact.

******

Seven months later

From the time they arrived at the hospital until their daughter was born, Jon couldn't remember anything that happened until the doctor said, "Congratulations! You have a healthy, beautiful, baby girl!"

The rest of the family came in a few minutes later and gathered around the bed where Alicia Dyer, who was finally a mother, was holding that sweet, little girl. There were 'oohs' and 'ahhs' galore as Alicia asked if her husband if wanted to hold his daughter for the first time.

"Are you kidding?" the proud father said as he gentled cradled the little 7-pound bundle of joy in his arms.

They'd settled on the name Hollie Marie, and Jon called his daughter by name for the first time.

"Hello, Hollie. I'm your daddy. Welcome to the world and our lives. We love you very, very much."

It was only wishful thinking, but the little baby noise she made sounded like, "I love you, too, Daddy," to the proud, happy new parent who thought he might be tearing up for the first time since his father's passing.

After stealing a few moments alone with her, he turned around and saw his mother whose eyes just happened to be filled with tears.

"Mom? I know how much you've wanted a grandchild," he said as he held the precious baby out to her.

Nancy took her granddaughter, and the moment she did, those tears began falling.

"Alicia. She's so beautiful! Just like her mother."

Jon squeezed his wife's hand and told her how much he loved her, and she said it back to him as Nancy passed their sweet baby girl around to Alicia's family who had waited patiently to hold her, too.

As everyone cooed at their daughter, Jon said, "I can't believe how lucky I am your sink had a leak in it."

"Right!" his wife replied. "But even so, I might not have ever seen you again were it not for the hole in the wall and your offer to fix it."

"Ah, yes. The hole."

He looked down at her, smiled, then said, "That hole was a kind of metaphor for my life at the time. Something very important was missing from it."

Alicia didn't need to ask what he meant. She'd had a hole in hers, too, and the handsome, younger man to whom she was now married, had filled it and then some.

"I don't mean to be cliche, honey, but you really do complete me."

Jon leaned down and kissed her then said, "That's not cliche, honey. That's just the truth for both of us."

Alicia squeezed his hand as they smiled at each other just before Nancy asked if she was ready to take her daughter back.

She held out her arms, and while looking at her husband said, "Nothing could make me happier."