Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
Reed
I know my friendship with George is irrevocably changed; no matter the outcome of this morning’s ‘meeting’, our relationship will never be the same. But the woman perched next to me on the sofa in their formal parlor is worth it all.
She’s my future, the woman I’m going to spend the rest of my life with. She’s the woman of my dreams.
George still looks like he wants to kill me, and to be fair, if Bella was my daughter and someone my age came along and did the things I’ve done to her — yeah, I’d want to kill me too.
Bella’s mom, Valerie, on the other hand looks like the best option right now. Her face is pinched, her expression definitely not friendly, but it’s not exactly screaming murder either.
“Mom, Dad,” Bella starts, “you wanted to talk.” She looks at George, her chin lifting, her body conveying a confidence I know she’s not feeling right now. “If you promise not to throw any more punches, then we’ll discuss this.”
“There’s nothing to discuss,” George interrupts. “This is not happening.” He waves his hand towards us, his eyes taking in our clasped hands for the first time. “Let go of her,” he seethes.
“George, enough,” Valerie barks. “You losing your temper throughout this is going to achieve nothing.”
“How can you just sit there and be okay with this? How can you let this happen?” He turns to her, his face a mask of anger.
“Because I will not lose my daughter. She will choose him, George. It’s always been him for her.”
Ah shit. She knew?
“Mom, you knew?” Bella asks. “You knew I had a crush on him?”
“Of course I knew you had a crush on him. For God’s sake, Bella, most women do. I knew yours was a little more than a crush, though — you always had stars in your eyes whenever Reed was near.”
“Excuse me now?” George splutters.
“Oh shush, George, this isn’t about you and your ego,” Valerie interrupts.
His eyes turn to me, and if looks could kill? Well, Bella would be single and they’d no longer have anything to worry about. I can’t deny how much that hurts, how all the years of friendship mean nothing to him in this moment.
“I just never saw anything coming of it, I didn’t think you would act on it.” She directs that statement at me. “Christ, Reed. She’s twenty-one; you’re old enough to be her father.” Her hands come up to massage her temples. “Make this make sense to me. Explain how this happened.”
“Mom-” she starts but I interrupt her. It’s not Bella that they need to hear from right now, it’s me. It’s how I could let this happen.
“You’ve both raised an incredible woman.
A woman who’s kind, caring, sweet, smart and so fucking loyal to those she loves.
I didn’t plan on this happening. I promise you both, when I agreed to Bella working with me this was the last thing I imagined.
I had never thought about her like that, not until she walked into my office that first day.
” I pause, trying to find the words to explain what seeing her then did to me.
“I hadn’t seen her in a few years, maybe longer, and then there she was, this — Christ, this woman who looked nothing like the girl I remembered.
She wasn’t a girl anymore, but I hadn’t seen that change gradually, I hadn’t seen her go from a teenager to a woman.
It was suddenly thrust on me. And then she smiled at me and…
fuck, I think I fell right there and then.
” George scoffs at me, but Valerie is just looking at me, not quite softening, but silently encouraging me to continue.
“He fought it,” Bella inputs. “He fought it with everything he had — point blank told me it was never going to happen.” She turns and gives me that smile, the one that made me fall hard and fast. “But I didn’t make it easy for him.
” She turns to look at her Mom. “The minute I knew my feelings weren’t just one sided — well, you know me Mom — I wasn’t letting him go. ”
For the first time this morning, Valerie cracks a smile.
“That I can imagine. You set your mind to something and there’s no changing it.
There never has been.” She takes a deep breath.
“I can’t say I’m happy about this, and it’s going to take an awful lot of getting used to.
This isn’t easy for your father and I, Bella, but I’m also aware that you’ve chosen him and nothing we say is going to change that. ”
“You can’t be serious? You’re okay with this?” George demands beside her.
“Of course I’m not ‘okay’ with it, but I’m also aware that she could have chosen a lot worse and that if we don’t try to accept this, at least to some degree, we are going to lose her.”
She turns to Bella. “You’re our baby girl and I’ve only ever wanted the best for you. I can’t say I necessarily think this is it. But if he makes you happy, if you love him the way I think you do, then nothing I say is going to change that. That’s something I’m going to have to accept.”
“NO! I will not accept this, I will not accept him!” George shouts, pointing at me.
I can’t say I saw this going any differently. My friend, if I can still call him that, is a stubborn fucker. Add to that he knows far too much about my past, about my sex life, and it was never going to go any differently.
“I’m sorry you feel that way, Dad.” Bella rises from her seat next to me and releases my hand. “Mom, thank you. Thank you for at least giving us a chance.” She turns to me. “Give me ten minutes and I’ll be back down.”
“Where are you going?” George calls after her.
“To pack a bag,” she throws over her shoulder and exits the room.
A big fucking bag. I’m not doing too many of these trips.
“She’s not going with you,” he splutters.
“Yes, she is. I’m not spending another minute without her.
I love her, George. I’m sorry you can’t believe that, but it doesn’t change how I feel, how we both feel about each other.
I never saw this for myself — love, a family, someone I wanted to come home to — but, fuck, now I’ve got it?
Nothing in this world will take it from me, will take her from me.
” I rake my fingers through my hair and let them have it all.
“I’m going to marry her. I’d like it if you were both on board with that, but you need to know she’ll be my wife with or without your blessing.”
Bella’s mum speaks softly. “She wants children, Reed. Is that something you’re willing to give her?
You’ve never wanted kids, you’ve always said that.
” It’s a fair question, and one I can’t blame her for asking.
She’s been far more understanding than I thought she would be, she’s made this a lot easier for Bella.
“I’ll give her everything, Valerie. Fucking everything.”