How I Became Mrs. Watts ✓

How I Became Mrs. Watts (40)

CHAPTER 40

'When he looks at me, I feel him stare deep into my soul. When he kisses me everything wrong is suddenly right. And when he says he loves me, I know he means it from the bottom of his heart.' I'm not going to be sappy and say that's true. The bottom of that picture I found while surfing the web said 'Teen love.' That is not what it is with Andrew and I. Yes, I'm still a teenager at nineteen, but I've never acted like a teenager. I could go on and explain further but I fear that I would bore you to death. I wouldn't want to kill you, my dear reader.

“Ella?” Andrew asked, removing all doubt from my head.

“Yeah?” I asked, looking across the table at him.

“You don't mean anything to me,” he began. I thought there was more to it, but I was so hurt by what he'd just told me.

“What?!” I was trying to take deep breaths to stay calm. I didn't want to yell at him, but the words flowed from my mouth in a slightly bitter tone.

“Like I was saying-”

“No, I-I don't want to hear it.” Tears were threatening to flow from my eyes at any second.

He sighed and looked as upset as I felt. I don't know how that was possible. He bit his lip. I looked down at the table.“I shouldn't have started with that. I'm sorry. What I'd meant to say was that you don't mean anything to me. You mean everything to me.” I looked up and met his eyes, realizing what he'd said. My eyes widened.

I didn't know what to say to that, because no one had ever told me anything like that before. Thankfully, Andrew saved me so I wouldn't have to say anything. “Come here,” he reached out to me. I went and sat down on his lap. He pulled me close to him and I felt like a child with a scraped knee being comforted by a parent. I didn't mind because it made me feel so secure and safe. “I'm sorry. I should have said the latter part first,” he apologized.

“It's-it's okay,” I told him, and it was now. I met his eyes to show him I meant it. He looked relieved.

“Ella, you're beautiful,” he whispered. I laughed, perhaps a bit harsher than I intended. I knew that it probably wasn't true at the moment.

“Thanks,” I whispered, regardless of how I felt.

“No, you listen to me. You. Are. Beautiful. And not just on the outside.” How he could see through me so easily was beyond me. I was glad he could though. It made life easier.

'Do what makes you happy. Be with who makes you smile. Laugh as much as you breathe. Love as long as you live.' My mind thought over those words carefully. Andrew made me happy and he made me smile all the time.

My mind flashed back to a thought I'd had in high school, 'I'm the type of person that will try to make everyone else smile, but when I need a smile, no one is there for me.' That was no longer true. I had Andrew now, and Oliver too. I didn't feel so alone, and that was a very good thing. Maybe I was just exaggerating, and being melodramatic but I really didn't feel so alone.

I smiled at Andrew and he smiled back. He was about to kiss me, but Oliver had to interrupt, like always. I smiled at him too. My mood was lifted tremendously and nothing was going to make me upset. The only one close enough to break my heart and make me upset was Andrew and I was certain that he wouldn't hurt me like that. 'The only one worth your tears is the one who won't cause them,' right?

I looked at the time and then back at Oliver. “Time for bed, you,” I said. I picked him up and carried him to his room. I tucked him in and watched as he went to sleep. I was suddenly reminded of what my mother used to tell me when I was younger. It didn't make any sense at the time, but it made perfect sense now, 'As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to let us down probably will. You'll have your heart broken, probably more than once, and it's harder every time. You'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when someone broke yours. You'll fight with your best friend and maybe even fall in love with them. You'll blame a new love for things an old one did. You'll cry because time is passing too fast and you'll eventually lose someone close to you. So take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've never been hurt because every 60 seconds you spend angry or upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.'

I remember how I just about broke Ethan's heart and I felt really guilty. I remembered all the fights I had with Taylor and became glad that we'd made up every single time. I was just about to cry for the past until I remembered the last part of what my mother repeated over and over to me. Instead, I smiled, sang a lullaby to Oliver to help him get to sleep the rest of the way and went out to join my wonderful boyfriend.

When I went down the hall to the main part of the house, I saw that Andrew was no longer in the kitchen. I joined him on the couch. “I think you stay around for Oliver more than you do for me,” he smiled.

“Maybe I do, maybe I don't,” I smiled back, “Maybe I stay around just for Oliver.” I was teasing him.

“And maybe I keep you around to cook and take care of Oliver,” he caught on to my teasing tone and gave me one himself.

“You forgot cleaning,” I smirked, “This house was a disaster before I started living here.”

“Hey! That's not fair! I was busy!” A smile was starting on the corner of his mouth.

I leaned in and kissed him. The smile broke through and I could feel it on his lips. We pulled back for a breath and leaned back on the couch to enjoy the rest of the evening, the wonderful, perfect, evening.