This post will probably be a waste of time, but that's never shut me up before.
I have a Bionic and with it comes MotoBlur. MotoBlur has a widget that puts four speed dials directly on your home screen and with the flip of your thumb (or finger) you have access to about 12 more. When there are more than four numbers, it gives you a list to choose from. I find this widget quite handy and have ditched other launcher replacements because I couldn't use the app with them. Some brilliant dev somewhere has probably ripped this from MotoBlur, but I haven't looked for it. In fact, while typing this I have to ask myself, "Since you prefer Nova Launcher to MotoBlur, why haven't you looked for that widget so you can use it?" If anybody know where I can find an apk for it, please let me know.
BigRedGonzo