Ellie thought she'd never find love again, especially after having her son, Noah, and the love of her life leaving her to raise their child alone. Ellie found contentment in being a single mother until she meets Daniel on a night out.
He's charming...
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I feel like the new person at school with Daniel's entire family watching us walk over to their picnic. Noah decided to have a tantrum right before leaving the house, so we're a tiny bit late and everyone is already set up with their chairs and picnic rugs.
Emma's perched on a fold-out chair with her arms crossed, half engaged in a conversation with Calvin. Daniel places his hand on my lower back and rubs it.
"We're going to have a great time," he whispers.
My smile tightens along with my grip on Noah's hand.
"Today will be great," I repeat to convince myself.
I haven't stopped stressing about today's picnic since Daniel pitched the idea last week to help smooth over the events of the housewarming party. His poor siblings are playing buffer, but that's a true testimony to how badly Daniel wants to make this work.
Daniel maneuvers me towards the side and we place our things beside Clara's.
"Noah's here," Faith cheers.
Faith and Eloise tackle Noah into hugs and lead him over to the game they're playing on the grass.
"Oh, that's sweet," Mum comments.
"Faith and Eloise adore Noah." I smile.
"Adore? They are obsessed with Noah. They're always asking when we're going to see him again." Clara chuckles. "It's very cute seeing them play together."
"It is." I grin.
"Let's do introductions before we set up," Daniel comments.
"Oh, we don't need introductions for some people." Mum glances at Emma and she glares back.
My stomach ties itself up into knots. Oh boy, this is going to be a long picnic.
"Harvey is my oldest brother and his wife Aubrey and their daughter Sadie. Then there's the middle child, Henry, and his wonderful wife Clara, and their two daughters, Faith and Eloise. Finally, my father Calvin, and my mother, Emma."
"It's wonderful to officially meet everyone!" Mum comments.
"Let's set up the picnic blanket," I comment.
I hand Mum the blanket while I unpack the chairs and food. Once the blanket is settled on the grass, Clara moves from her seat and sits on the blanket with us.
"Hi, Ellie." She grins. "How are you?"
I roll my eyes and sigh.
Mum sits beside Clara and Daniel lounges beside me. I hand him a container of fruit and he digs into the grapes and tosses them into his mouth.
"It's wonderful to meet you, Stevie. We love Ellie joining the family, she's been such an amazing influence on Daniel."
"If only your mother thought the same," I whisper.
