Chapter 34
Vera
2014
E llie had been excited all summer to play the lead in the community theater’s production of Annie. She’d been practicing for weeks, learning all her lines and routines. Vera was beyond proud of her and had teared up at every rehearsal she’d been to watching their little girl thrive. It was like watching a mini-Isla on stage.
There was no doubt Ellie received her talent from Isla. Even at eight, she could hold her own with the older actors. Everyone had been so impressed by her that they were already talking about what a bright future she had in theater. Vera would encourage Ellie to pursue whatever dream she wanted.
Opening night of the play was in a few hours, so Isla and Vera had taken Ellie out for a special dinner to celebrate. She’d chosen a local steakhouse and was currently sitting across from them in the booth as she munched away on a mozzarella stick. They were rarely at dinner with just the three of them, so Vera savored their time alone with their daughter. Mason had taken Brayden and Everleigh out for pizza before meeting them at the show later, which was a treat for everyone.
“So, Ellie,” Vera pointed at the menu Ellie hadn’t bothered to look at since the mozzarella sticks arrived. “What did you decide for dinner? You can have anything you want.”
“I want a filet,” she stated flatly, firmly nodding her.
“A filet?”
“Yeah.” Another firm nod. “Mason said to ask for whatever I wanted tonight because you’d give it to me.”
Isla and Vera exchanged a bemused look as they tried not to laugh. Of course Mason would have told Ellie that. The two were both mischievous, but when they were together, it was even worse. They constantly kept them on their toes.
“She did, hmm?” Isla chuckled. “We’ll just send Mason the bill then, won’t we?”
“No worries.”
Ellie fished into her small pink purse and pulled out a credit card. She placed it on the table, sliding it over to Isla. Picking it up, Isla busted out laughing before showing it to Vera. It was Mason’s credit card.
“She told me if you said no to just put it on her tab,” Ellie shrugged. “Whatever that means.”
Oh, Mason.
Mason took the best care of the entire family. She constantly went out of her way to make them feel loved and appreciated. Especially the kids. There was barely a game or recital or play date she missed. Mason also made it a point to spend time with each of them individually. One weekend, she’d take Brayden to a hockey game; the next, she’d take Ellie to New York for a Broadway play. And there were rarely a few days that went by that Mason wasn’t at their house playing with Everleigh.
All her siblings adored her, and Vera was beyond thankful. Vera said it all the time, but they truly had the best kids.
“How about I give this back to Mason, and you just order whatever you want, okay?” Isla took the card and slid it into Vera’s purse, which was sitting between them on the bench seat.
“Even mac and cheese?”
“Even Mac and cheese,” Vera matched her enthusiasm.
Ellie seemed to savor her alone time with them as they ate dinner and talked about the play. She wasn’t nervous; she assured them of that every few minutes. But Vera could tell Ellie was nervous—not that she’d ever show it. There was no doubt in Vera’s mind that Ellie knew every line and was more than ready to own the stage.
After dinner, the three headed for the theater. It was an older building near the college campus. The sign out front flashed with pictures of the cast, and Vera excitedly gasped when Ellie’s picture came up.
“Oh! Honey, we need your picture by the sign!”
Vera nearly jumped out of the Jeep before Isla parked it as she grabbed her purse and phone. Taking Ellie’s hand, they walked over to the sign with Isla trailing closely behind them. She waited until Ellie’s picture reappeared before snapping way too many pictures of Ellie posing and acting goofy in front of it.
“I can’t believe my little baby is the star ,” Vera gushed as she pulled Ellie into a tight hug. “I’m so proud of you, Ellie.”
“Thanks, Mama,” Ellie mumbled against her.
Similar to Mason, Ellie often let Vera hold her as long as she needed to. They both seemed to know that their mama sometimes needed to hold them close. Vera would always be eternally grateful for that.
“We should go inside.” Isla smiled, putting her hand on Vera’s shoulder. It was her gentle way of saying hold it together. Not that there was any chance of that happening.
Vera loved seeing her kids thrive doing what they loved more than anything. She loved watching Mason run her own business and watching Brayden play hockey. And now she was ready to watch Ellie make her lead debut at the community theater.
Walking into the theater, Isla took Ellie backstage as Vera found their seats. Mason and the kids were already there, along with Eden, Nora, River, Walker, Maddie, and Chase. Vera sat beside Mason, leaving a seat for Isla at the end. Everleigh was on Mason’s lap but held her arms out to Vera.
“Mama hold you.”
“Always, baby.”
Taking Everleigh from Mason, Vera snuggled her close. At two, Vera knew she had to savor every single snuggle she could get out of Everleigh. Everleigh snuggled against Vera as she wrapped her arms around her neck and began twirling her hair. It was something she’d done often when she was sleepy, just like Ellie and Mason had when they were younger.
Although Vera would have happily held her all night, she was thankful they’d arranged for Cameron to watch her for the night. After a round of kisses and good nights, Mason took Everleigh outside to meet Cameron just before show time.
When the lights dimmed in the theater, Vera couldn’t contain her excitement. Ellie was absolutely amazing on the stage, and it wasn’t just because Vera birthed her and was insanely biased. The crowd's reactions made it clear that they loved her performance, too. Vera laughed and cried throughout the whole performance until the final curtain.
The entire crowd stood to their feet, clapping as the curtain rose again, and the cast gave their bows. Vera had tears streaming down her face, but she didn’t care. Her baby girl had just lived her dream, and Vera couldn’t be happier. As Ellie came out last to do her bow, their entire row erupted into the loudest cheers and claps of the night.
“Way to go, Ellie!” Vera called out as she held her hands above her head in a heart. Ellie did the same back, making Vera cry even more. On either side of her, Mason and Isla were doing the very same thing.
As the curtain closed and the lights came back on, Vera wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled at Isla.
“She did it.”
“She was amazing.”
“She gets it all from you,” Vera grinned as she leaned in to kiss Isla. “I’m so proud of her.”
“Me, too.” Isla kissed her again before looking over Vera’s shoulder to Mason. “Do you have the flowers?”
“Chase just went to the car to get them.”
“Perfect.”
They had set a meeting spot with Ellie for after the show, so they all made their way there. Several other theatergoers stopped to tell Isla and Vera how well Ellie did, and they both beamed with pride. But Vera wanted to see her little girl. She needed to squeeze her and hug her and tell her how proud she was of her. As Isla held the flowers, Vera smiled.
“I’m just so proud of her.”
“Really?” Isla smirked. “I couldn’t tell.”
Vera playfully shoved her shoulder. “Hey, we made that kid. I have a right to be proud of her.”
“Totally, baby.” Isla kissed her again.
A few moments later, the stage door to the theater opened as Ellie came out. She’d changed into the basketball shorts and a T-shirt Vera had packed her for after the show. Their little group applauded and cheered as Ellie hugged each of them. But when she saw Vera, she ran to her. Vera scooped her up into her arms and twirled her around as she giggled.
“I’m so proud of you, Ellie.” Vera covered her in kisses. “I love you so much, Care Bear.”
“I love you, too, Mama.” Ellie kissed Vera’s cheek as she sat her back down. Isla handed her the flowers. She hugged Isla as she smelled the flowers. “Thanks, Mommy!”
“You’re welcome, Ellie. We’re all so proud of you.”
While they all doated on Ellie, Vera couldn’t help but take in the scene around her. Their family meant the world to her. Never in her wildest dreams could she have seen where life would have taken her and Isla when they met all those years ago. Vera didn’t know what she did in life to deserve such an amazing family.
Mason must have sensed Vera’s thoughts because she wrapped her arm around her waist and hugged her. “I love you so much, Mama.”
“I love you, too, Mace.” Vera kissed her head. “So much.”
Looking up at her, Mason swallowed as Vera noticed she looked as emotional as Vera felt. Vera tenderly tucked Mason’s hair behind her ear as she cradled her cheek in her hand.
“What’s on your mind, baby?”
Tears brimmed Mason’s eyes as she said, “I’m just so thankful you’re my mama.”
Vera wasted no time pulling Mason into a hug. The two had a special bond since they first met, and Vera thanked God every day that bond was still as strong as ever. Kissing Mason’s cheek, Vera kept her grip tight around Mason.
“I’m so thankful to be your mama.”
After a few more minutes of everyone celebrating Ellie, they made plans to head to Any Given Sundae to celebrate. By the time they got home, Brayden and Ellie were so tired they didn’t put up a fight to go to bed. They had picked up Everleigh from Cameron’s on the way home and checked her blood sugar before putting her in bed as well. Isla had hopped into the shower as Vera made her way down the stairs for a glass of water.
The house being so quiet was odd. Vera much preferred the sounds of her kids’ laughing and playing than the stillness of the night. Taking her glass of water into the living room, Vera sat down on the recliner. It had been her favorite place to sit ever since she was pregnant with Brayden and Ellie. Getting comfortable with twins was easier said than done, so the recliner had been her best friend.
Vera mindlessly placed her hand on her stomach as she remembered those days. She’d been so excited to be pregnant, trying to enjoy everything. Closing her eyes, Vera could still feel the way it felt when Ellie or Brayden moved inside her as she tried to sleep in the recliner. More nights than not, Mason had slept on the couch beside her, not wanting Vera to have to sleep alone. It didn’t matter how many times Vera told her to go back to her own bed, Mason was perfectly satisfied on the couch.
Those memories melted into the ones of nursing Ellie and Brayden in the recliner. While Brayden was content to switch between breastfeeding and the bottle, Ellie only wanted Vera. It had been the same with Everleigh and Isla. And Vera savored those memories of her babies. Even if she couldn’t believe that her little girl had just performed in her first-ever musical.
“I thought I’d find you down here.” Isla’s voice startled Vera from her memories. She watched as her wife walked over to the ottoman and pulled it closer to the recliner. “What’s on your mind, baby?”
“Ellie,” she sadly sighed. “And Brayden and Mason and Everleigh. I can’t believe they’re all growing up so quickly. It feels like just last week I was stressing over if Ellie and Brayden were getting enough to eat while nursing.”
Isla chuckled softly. “I think the fact they popped out at almost eight pounds each set them up for success there.”
“Oof,” Vera dramatically groaned, “don’t remind my vagina of that. It’s still mad I didn’t do a C-section.”
“You did an amazing job birthing our babies.”
“You did, too.” Leaning in, Vera kissed Isla. “I love you so much, Isla.”
“I love you more, Vera.”
“There’s absolutely no way.”
“Oh yeah?” Isla cocked her head and raised an eyebrow at her. “Come back upstairs, and let me show you how much I love you.”