Love Grows (Love series: book 3)

Chapter 1.

Ella

It's been six weeks since I married the love of my life and I couldn't be happier. Even though we didn't get married on the date of the 14th November as we planned, we still had a fall wedding just two weeks later on the 28th November, which was more perfect than I could have ever dreamed of.

Since then, some things have changed, and others have stayed the same. Scott and I are the same, we're just living in this newlywed bubble of love, and it's great.

Remi is a little diva in the making, I mean you wouldn't believe she is almost six in the next month, it's crazy to think that almost a year has already passed for us as family.

It's also Scott's birthday soon on the 11th January which is a few days away.

Scott has never really liked celebrating his birthday and last year, I didn't even acknowledge it because things were still so up in the air with us, and what we were becoming again as a couple, but this year it's a fresh start for us and I want to show him that, I want to celebrate that with him.

The things that have changed are our mothers, Valerie is doing good I mean honestly it shocks me how nice she is being, how she is doing the work to rebuild her family, to fix what she broke.

She comes to dinner once or twice a week, she's being a normal human being. We actually have conversations with one another, even laugh once or twice.

When Scott and I told them we got married, I asked her if it would be okay to take the last name Vaughan, I know that it's something that I didn't need to do, or it wasn't something she deserved from me, but it felt like the right thing for me to do, to show her that I respect what she's doing for herself and her family.

When I asked her, I remember her just staring at me for a moment shocked. Then she shocked me right back when she gently gripped my hand, and smiled at me, before telling me that,

"she couldn't think of anyone more worthy of the name" and that's a moment I would never forget ever in my life.

She has even met Remi, they get on, she even takes her to the park along with George, that said we're still at baby steps, so she doesn't care for Remi on her own. But I think the days she spends with Remi and George are good for them all because I know that George still holds a torch for Valerie, I think he's just afraid to admit it to himself because of the past, I think he's scared to feel that way for her again, only for her to go back to her old ways and being hurt again.

I also know that Scott is more grateful for his mom finally seeing the effects that she has caused for him and that she is now trying to fix them.

As for my own mother, I haven't seen or spoken to her since the hospital. And I'm not doing it to punish her or to be a bitch, I miss her so much because we've always spoken every day, but no matter how much I want to move past what happened I just can't yet.

I mean she lied right to my face for months, she dangled Riggs in front of me like a carrot and still didn't say anything, and when I did find out she tried to justify it by using my own experience and situation with the father of my own child against me.

I know that it hurts her that I'm speaking to Riggs and not her, but Riggs didn't lie to me for twenty-five years or didn't ask other people to keep secrets from me. I want to forgive her I really do because she is my mom and she has done so much for me, my whole life but I just don't know how to forgive her for this and move forward.

As for Riggs, I've learned his whole story about his time in the service, how he met Max's and Willow's mom called Joy, also how he couldn't make it work with her years ago. They divorced a few years after Willow was born, it's sad that he went through all of that, but he said that he fought to be a part of his kids' lives, after the divorce with their mother and to be there for Max and Willow. Riggs always reassured me that if he knew about me, that he would have fought just as hard to be in my life like he did for theirs.

I like to think that everything happens for a reason, that every moment has a reason. Maybe this was supposed to happen, I mean if my mom never would have left Riggs, then he might have never had two other children with someone else. 

I don't know what I'm going on about, maybe I just trying to make sense of a screwed-up situation and twenty-five years of lies.

"Good morning wifey" Shaking out of my own thoughts as I heard the voice of my husband. Feeling a smile spread onto my lips as I pull myself up from bed and turned around to see Scott, walking towards the bed with a tray of breakfast food on it.

"Good morning husband" I echoed back; I love calling him my husband. I actually can't believe we've been married for over a month now. It's crazy how fast time flies when you're happy.

Scott comes over to the bed, places the food tray down before bringing his lips to mine gently. Returning the kiss and felt a smile on my face, kissing Scott is like coming home every time and it took me a long time to understand that.

"I will never get tired of calling you my wife" He whispers against my lips.

"I swear you are getting so much softer, in your old age" I joked, Scott's chuckles.

"It's what happens when you're in love baby" He replies back to me, before dropping another quick kiss on my lips.

"I hate that Remi and I can't be at your away game tonight," I say, Scott has a game down in Seattle, and as much as I would love to take Remi and go and cheer him on, we just can't. Remi's school has only just gone back from Christmas break and we're really busy at work right now.

"I know I hate it too, but I'll be back tomorrow afternoon-;" He hesitated for a second before meeting my eyes.

"When I get back tomorrow, I need to talk to you about something" He adds, frowning at him in confusion, I don't like the sound of that.

"Anything serious?" I asked him, Scott takes a minute to think but shakes his head slightly.

"A little but it's nothing bad, I just can't get into now not before a game"

"Okay babe, we'll talk about when you get back....be safe," I said,

"I will...I love you" He says as he places one more kiss on me, before pulling away and standing up to grab his overnight bag.

"I love you too" I echoed back with my own smile and I really do love him.      

"I'll see you girls tomorrow" Scott smiles and then blows me one last kiss before heading out of our bedroom, leaving me alone once again.

I won't lie and say that it isn't bugging me what he wants to talk about, because it kind of is but I trust him and he will tell me what's on his mind when he's ready too.

This is what a marriage is right, trusting one another, leaning on one another being there for each other, and believing in that, which is what I'm doing with Scott.