Chapter 20
Malibu, California
In the years to come, Ella would think back on the days leading up to her wedding as the days she loved the most. For the two weeks between her graduation and their wedding, Ben and Ella played tourist all around southern California.
They went to museums, studios, and all the cheesy stuff tourists do. Ella loved every minute of it.
Everyone was excited for the wedding. Ella’s parents were on their best behavior and welcomed Bennett and Poppy with open arms. Her father was still a little cool to Ben, but things were slowly getting better.
Because it was going to be a very small wedding, they did not do a rehearsal.
Her parents closed the diner, and they had dinner for everyone there.
Ben and his family had rented a house near the church.
Ella elected to spend her last night as a single woman in her childhood bedroom.
Ella’s mom, dressed in her nightgown and robe, came over and sat on the bed next to Ella. “It is so good to have you back here. I can’t believe after tomorrow, you will be a married woman with a home of your own. You are still so young.”
Ella read her mother’s face. “If you are here to try and talk me out of marrying Ben, let me stop you right there. I love him, and he loves me. I am marrying him. End of discussion.”
Laughing, her mom replied, “You really are just like your father. No, I am not here to try and talk you out of getting married. I know you well enough to know that once your mind is made up, there is no stopping you. I just hope that Ben knows that as well. If not, he is in for a bumpy ride.”
“Well, he does, and he still loves me.”
“I can see that. It is the only reason your father and I have been able to make peace with this. We can see how much Ben loves you and how much you love Ben, but I want you to know that even after tomorrow, you are not stuck. No matter what happens, your father and I will always be here for you.”
“What do you mean, whatever happens?” Ella gave her mom a blank look.
“I mean that I have been a young girl in love. You know I gave up a scholarship to a culinary school in France to become a pastry chef before I married your father. It would have meant leaving him and moving to Paris. I was young and in love and too afraid to strike out on my own. Instead, I took the safe route. We married, and I spent the last twenty-two years having babies and helping your father with the diner. I am not saying we have not had a good life. We have, but I gave up my dream to follow his. I can’t say there haven’t been moments of regret.
I have often wondered how different my life would have been had I believed in myself and gotten on that plane.
That does not mean I don’t love your father and all of you.
I do—with my whole heart. But I still have days I wonder what might have been.
I wouldn’t go back and change anything, but you are so smart and talented.
I wanted so much more for you than just to be some rich man’s trophy wife.
Promise me that you won’t let that happen to you.
You have too much potential to move to Arkansas and become a lady who lunches. ”
“Mom, I am not going to become some trophy wife. What is that anyway? I am not sure how, but I am still planning on going to Michigan. I haven’t given up on my dreams. They have just taken a slight detour at the moment.
” Seeing the look of disbelief in her mother’s eyes, Ella said even more emphatically, “I will. Right now, I am taking it one day at a time. You know we have to go back to Arkansas for Ben to finish his master’s degree by doing his internship with his father’s campaign. After that, who knows what we will do.”
Reaching over to give her daughter a light kiss on the forehead, her mother said, “I hope you are right. Just know that Sophie and I have been talking. Evidently, you are not my only daughter determined to marry and move off and leave me. Paulo is being deployed to Germany for two years. They want to marry before he leaves. She considered going with him, but the first year, he will be doing a lot of off-site training. She is not sure she wants to live in a foreign country by herself. She is considering waiting and moving the second year. If you decide to go to Michigan, she has offered to go with you and help with the baby. Your program is only a year. She will meet Paulo once you finish.”
“What? Sophie and Paulo are engaged? Why has she not told me?”
“Because she did not want to steal your thunder. She will announce it to the family on New Year’s. This is your time. But she and I have talked about this. She is willing to help you if you need her to.”
Ella was grateful her sister was willing to help her, but it was not necessary. “Mother, I am not going to leave Ben and move off to Michigan by myself.”
“If Sophie goes, you won’t be by yourself.
I am just saying that you have options if you need them.
I know men like Ben. Men with dreams. He is a lot like your father.
He is going to expect you to bend your dream and your life to his.
I just hope you are stronger than I was when it comes time to fight for your own identity. ”
Letting out a long sigh, Ella said, “Once again, Mother, I love Ben. He is nothing like Poppa. He would never ask me to give up my dreams for his.”
Her mother gave her a knowing look, then said, “Okay, just know that love is not always enough. That cheesy saying that love is all you need is a wonderful sentiment, but real life takes so much more. Marriage takes a lot of hard work, and it is full of difficult choices. I hope you are right. I hope Ben values your dreams as much as he does his. But just in case things don’t work out exactly as you think they will, remember this conversation.
You are never stuck. If you need us, your family is always here for you.
You can come home. You can go to grad school, or you can do a hundred other things.
Just make sure you are following your heart’s dreams and not just taking up Ben’s because it is the easy way out.
Because if you do, I promise you, someday, you will regret it. ”
Ella could not help herself as she let out a bark of laughter. “Did my very Catholic mother just tell me that she hopes I end up divorced? That sounds even worse than being knocked up and not married.”
Shaking her head and unable to stop her own small laugh, her mother replied, “Ha. Ha. You think you are so funny. That is not what I am saying. I just want you to know you have options, and no matter what happens, I am here for you. And never, ever let me hear you refer to yourself as knocked up again. So crass.”
Ella leaned over to engulf her mother in a hug.
“I love you, Mom. It will all work out. You’ll see.
Ben is amazing, and I can’t wait to be his wife.
” Then shooing her mother off her bed with a large yawn, she added, “Now go to bed. This baby is demanding his mom get some rest. I love you and will see you in the morning.”
The next day was a blur. The wedding was at 11:00 in the morning at John Paul II Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel.
Because only family was invited, the small space worked well.
All of Ella’s life, she had assumed that she would have a full mass when she married.
But given the circumstances and how quickly the wedding came together, it made more sense to do a simple wedding ceremony.
After the wedding, everyone went to the diner for a wedding feast. All of Ella’s aunts, uncles, and cousins served so her immediate family could enjoy the celebration.
Due to the contentious feelings her father still seemed to harbor toward Ben, it was decided that no one would make any toast or speeches.
That plan went down the drain once the wine got flowing.
In the end, it all worked out. Her father had thawed enough where Ben was concerned that after a few glasses of wine, he was able to relax and enjoy the reception.
A little after 4:00, Ben and Ella left to spend their wedding night at the Auberge du Soleil wedding suite.
Ella had been by the hotel many times, but she had never been inside.
She had to keep pinching herself that she was not only there, but she was now Mrs. Benjamin Carrington. It all felt surreal.
After Ben and Ella left, Ella’s parents invited Ben’s parents to attend Christmas Eve Mass with them.
The next morning, they all met at Ella’s parent’s home for a Christmas brunch.
It was crazy given that she was already pregnant, but it felt strange walking back into her childhood home with everyone knowing exactly what she and Ben had been doing for the bulk of the past twelve hours.
Silly, she knew but some things just were what they were.
The two families spent all day opening presents, eating way too much food, and playing games.
Around 6:00, Ben and Ella left to go back to their hotel.
The next morning, they flew to New York for a short honeymoon.
Ben took Ella to all his childhood haunts and showed her the sights.
It was way too cold for Ella, a California girl inside and out, but otherwise she loved it.
The best parts were being with Ben and learning about his childhood growing up in the city.
The highlight of the week was their trip to the Emerson Children’s Art Gallery where forty paintings that Ben’s mom had done of him as a child were on display, entitled Growing Up New York.
Ella could not hold back the tears as she watched Ben transform from a newborn to a young man of twelve where the series ended.
Knowing the backstory of why his mom recorded his childhood on canvas was heartbreaking.
Considering all that had happened to Ben, it was truly amazing that he had turned out so normal.
They spent New Year’s Eve ringing in the new year at the swankiest restaurant Ella had ever been to, and given the places Ben had taken her to the past few months, that was saying something.
They spent New Year’s Day watching football bowl games at a large, very crowded sports bar.
Ella could have skipped the games, but she wanted to be a good sport so she did her best to feign interest. Given the Southeastern Conference dominance, it felt like every game was even more important than the one before it.
Ella was happy when Ben announced they should return to their hotel room because they had an early flight back to California the next day.
Late the next night, they arrived back in Malibu, and Ella was so tired she thought she was going to drop.
They had three days to pack up the apartment and get themselves to Little Rock.
They worked like dogs getting everything loaded into the moving truck.
Once the final piece was on the truck bound for Little Rock, they boarded a plane, ready to start their married life in Arkansas.