(Complete) Joe Walch was in love with the girl of his dreams. Everything was perfect until it all changed...
Ella Burke had a wonderful family, a job she loved and a man she was completely in love with until her dreams were shattered.
Can Ella lear...
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When Ella woke on Tuesday morning, the first thing she thought of was Joe. That alone wasn't new, but instead of sadness, she felt a wave of excitement. Granny was right about forgiveness. Ella discovered Joe was punishing himself, and it was a relief to let him take the heat for what he did. She could still see his face when he feared losing her, because of her family. As much as she loved her family those months while she had been suffering, they hadn't brought her the joy she felt with Joe.
Granny talked about having more than passion. She and Joe had always had so much more than sex. She made a point of it from the very beginning after her stupid fling before him.
In just a few days, she already felt responsible for Caleb, as she remembered hugging him. He had come in at exactly ten-fifty-nine. They had been trying to keep a straight face, because they had seen he arrived home ten minutes before. They didn't want to know if he had been waiting outside alone or if he was fogging up the windows in the car. Caleb had given them a long stare when he saw them sitting together.
"So you forgave the idiot."
Ella jumped up. "I did!" She hugged Caleb so fast he couldn't stop the unexpected assault. "I'm so happy we'll be seeing each other more!"
She hadn't smelled any alcohol, but she was pretty sure he had eaten some kind of chocolate ice cream.
When Joe asked about the beach, he had replied in more than one sentence.
"It was actually kind of cool. A lot of kids hang out down there. Some kids even live there in the winter. They said there's a teacher too, but I don't know who."
"Join the club, I probably wouldn't know either," Ella added.
"So does this mean we can go to the lake?" Caleb asked.
Joe laughed. "Sorry, but I have a long way to go to win over her father."
Caleb scoffed and mumbled. "Fucking idiot for falling for the bitch's trap."
Ella laughed. "He and I think alike."
"Yeah, it's nothing I hadn't thought about myself."
She wanted to rush to work, but she didn't expect Joe to be early, since he had Caleb. She had seen him again just the day before for a few hours, but it wasn't enough, they had lost time to make up. Sunday meant her family, and Saturday afternoon before her gig, she hung out with Ava. She didn't tell her sister Joe was back. What would Ava think after months of holding Ella's head above water? Would she be angry Ella ran right back to him? Ella thought it was best to keep it to herself for a little while, especially since it was still so new.
She arrived early to get some work done. Her free block would be spent with Joe. She sent a text to her sister to wish her luck on her job interview. The prospect of Ava coming back to Maine was exciting. When Ella asked her where she would live, she had said with their parents temporarily. Ella was glad she didn't want to stay with her, because she needed her privacy to see Joe.
