The tension filled the air and even Caleb was smart enough not to aggravate Joe. The minute Ella told him she had arranged to have dinner with her parents on Friday, he was a bundle of nerves.
Ella was anxious too. She had trouble sitting still and she cried when she dropped a glass in the sink.
"Did you cut yourself?" Joe asked concerned.
"No!" She sobbed.
Thankfully Caleb was hiding in his room, because he might not have been able to hold his tongue.
"I want to be nearby. if you're upset, I don't want you driving."
"You can wait at my apartment."
He nodded but was still concerned. "You'll still need to drive."
"We could ask Nick if you could wait at his house."
"Would he let me?" Joe wanted to be close to Ella in case she needed him.
Ella sighed. "I can ask. Sara messaged me. She's glad I'm happy and doesn't want any of your body parts."
"You know I don't have many left, I'm guessing that my heart is reserved for your father and as a doctor, he probably knows how to cut it out of my chest."
"My father's specialty is Family Medicine, not heart surgery."
"We're not doing a good job at reassuring ourselves are we?"
Ella shook her head and Joe pulled her in his arms.
It had been agreed Joe would wait for her at Nick's. When she asked Nick, he said, "It will cost him though. Sara and I want those famous lobster rolls and a cheese pizza for the kids."
When she told Joe, he laughed but as they left school on Friday, he turned towards the beach. Much to their surprise, Caleb insisted on joining them.
"I want to see this drama." He found enjoyment in Joe's misery.
"Thanks a lot," Joe said, without any emotion.
By the time, they got the rolls and the pizzas, Ella's nerves were making her stomach sick. She was glad Joe was driving her car. Thankfully, Caleb knew enough to keep quiet in the back seat.
As they got closer, Joe yelled, "Hey Cay, watch your language around the kids."
"I'm not stupid."
"Attitude too," Joe added.
Joe pulled into Nick's driveway and asked, "Are you coming in?"
Ella shook her head and switched to the driver's seat and backed out of one driveway and into the next, as Joe and Caleb went to the door with dinner in their hands. When she entered her house, her father's car was not there. Perhaps she should tell her mother and granny first. Quietly, she had an anguished debate in her head.
"Darling, what's wrong? You look sick."
She shook her head. "Not sick."
"Come in then. Tell me what has you looking this way."
"Where's Granny?"
"Right here," Elizabeth said.
"When will Dad be home?"
"Not for at least a half hour, probably longer."
She greeted her grandmother with a hug and a kiss and eyeing a bottle of wine on the counter, she helped herself to a glass. She could feel her mother's eyes on her back. "Anyone else want some?"
"Do I need a glass?" Julie asked.
"Probably." Julie nodded and Ella poured her a glass with shaking hands. She didn't sit. She couldn't. The nervous energy flowing through her body wouldn't allow it. It was worse than any stage fright she had ever had.
Taking a deep breath, she said, "Mom a while ago Granny and I had a very nice conversation about forgiveness. Her advice was invaluable, thank you, Gran." She smiled at her grandmother. "What I didn't tell Granny was why I needed to learn to forgive. You see... this is the thing... um..." Taking a sip of her wine, she finally blurted it out. "Joe's back."
"What! You've seen him?" Julie asked, shocked.
"Yes, I have. I've even forgiven him. He knows how much he hurt me."
"Hurt you! He broke you!" Julie exploded.
"I only thought he did."
"Why is he back?" Granny asked.
Ella found herself explaining the whole sordid tale.
"He still slept with the woman!" Julie reminded her.
"I know, but he was drunk and this is a bit embarrassing, but he was dreaming of me. I believe him. His mother and the witch did a number on him. Meanwhile, he had to deal with Caleb who was struggling and getting in trouble."
"Who's Caleb?"
"His seventeen-year-old brother. Gran, you met him and liked him." Her grandmother shook her head. "He was on the beach with Owen. He didn't think you were eccentric. He knew you were my grandmother."
"What does it mean you have forgiven this man?" Julie asked.
"It's no secret I never stopped loving him. I never will."
"So you have been seeing him?"
Ella nodded. "We're back to the way we were before, except for the addition of a cynical teenager in the mix."
"Your father will never accept this."
Ella begged, "Please help! Mom, Granny, I need you both!"
"I need to think about it. Are you certain you're prepared to get hurt again?"
"It will never happen again. It nearly killed Joe, as much as it did me. We love each other. We're a team. True partners." She looking at her grandmother.
Granny finally spoke. "The girl is very certain. She leaves you with not much of a choice, because if she's forced to choose, she'll choose her man. Julie, you should understand how she feels."
"Mum, this is different," Julie said, aggravated.
Ella had tears in her eyes. "I don't want to choose. I love you too much, but Joe is my everything. My life stopped while I waited for him to come back and when he did, I finally felt whole again."
"How did you know he was coming back?"
"I didn't, but I think my heart did."
Ella jumped at the sound of the garage door. Julie looked at her. "Go freshen up. He can't bear to see you cry."
Ella went upstairs to the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. Then she rummaged for some of Ava's makeup to hide the blotches under her eyes. While she was in private, she texted Joe.
🗨E: I told my mom and gran. Dad, just came home.
🗨J: You okay.
🗨E: So far
🗨J: Love you
🗨E: Ditto
She wanted to hide in the bathroom, but her idea evaporated, as she heard her father hollering.
"Ella, get down here now!"
She didn't know her mother would tell him, but clearly, she had. Timidly she descended the stairs with her father waiting at the bottom.
"Is it true?"
"That I love Joe? Yes."
"I'm sorry, but I won't allow it." She wasn't ten asking for a cookie before dinner.
"Tim, be careful what you say." Her mother warned.
"Dad, I'm an adult. I can see who I want and I want Joe. He is really sorry and his mother."
Tim yelled, "No mother would do that."
Julie pleaded, "Tim, now you're being ridiculous. It's been almost thirty years, but you asked me tell you when you were acting ridiculous. You know as well as I do mothers do things like that."
Ella added, "If you want to be angry, be angry with Joe's mother. I know I am."
Elizabeth spoke up. "Timothy, parenting isn't easy, but we have to let our children make their own decisions. Do you think it was easy to watch your brother marry a woman who wasn't right for him? He loved her and I couldn't say it was a mistake, because we have Bridget and Jack. Your father and I could have put our foot down, but we would have ended up losing our son. He would have left you too and gone to work for a different practice..."
"He hurt my daughter."
"Yes, but you'll be doing the same," Granny said. "You should know better. Julie does."
"I need to think without my stepmother telling me what to do!" Tim exclaimed and walked upstairs, as Ella gasped.
She had never in her life heard her father refer to Granny as his stepmother. She turned to Elizabeth with tears in her eyes. "Granny, I'm so sorry."
"Oh darling, he's just upset. He's an intelligent man. He'll come around. Keep in mind he is still a man and a bit stubborn at that. So it might take some time. I just want you happy."
"Thanks, Granny." She hugged the tiny woman. Then she turned to her mother. "Mom?"
Julie sighed. "I love you too much to push you away. You know why I would never. I'm worried you'll get hurt again. I think my husband needs me." She sighed. "I know you came for dinner, but I'm not sure when we'll feel ready to eat."
"It's fine. I'll just leave."
The tears were back, as Ella climbed into her car to drive one house over. She could have left her car in her parents' driveway, but she didn't think it was a good idea for Joe to walk across her father's property.
She felt very odd as she approached her uncle's house, she was crying but felt an equal sense of relief at the same time. Somehow she knew no matter what, it could never get worse than the scene with her father.
The first thing she saw was Joe holding Fiona and the concerned look on his face. Fiona oblivious to her tears called, "Lala."
As Fiona and Joe hugged her, she had wet all over cheek, which she was certain wasn't her tears but from Fiona's mouth.
"Are you alright?" Joe whispered.
She didn't answer, because she really didn't know. Somehow Fiona had transferred from Joe's arms to hers in their embrace.
"Lala... Yo."
Ella looked at Sara. "She took to Joe immediately."
Joe smiled. "Kids like me!"
Ella smiled at her drooling cousin.
Caleb, who was busy playing Sorry with Bridget, said, "Not all kids." Even while he was being smart with his brother, he looked at Ella with concerned.
Ella walked over and put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm alright." Then forcing a smile, she said, "Hi Bridge."
Bridget smiled. "Joe's back. You told me he went away."
"I know sweetie. He is back."
She wished the grown-ups would be as accepting as the children.
Nick, who was busy eating his lobster roll asked, "So how bad was it?"
"Let's see my father referred to your mother as his stepmother."
"Ouch! Poor Mum, what was she saying?"
"How she had to support your choice of a wife when she didn't agree. Not you Sara."
"She's right. No one was thrilled, but they accepted my decision. I have no regrets." Nick looked at two of his children.
"So Mum is supportive what about Julie?" Sara asked.
"She wasn't jumping for joy, but I think she'll accept in time."
Nick said, "She has to or she'd be letting history repeat itself."
Joe was behind Ella with his arms around her giving her comfort and support. "Did any more body parts get threatened?"
"No, you're safe for now."
"So what now?" Nick asked.
Ella shrugged. "We wait for my dad to come around."
A/N There are some indication of things that happened almost thirty years before. Intrigued? The answers are in Out Of The Blue.