Chapter 22
Ellie
The next day, I pick Bri up from her house, and we are on the way to the airport. “So, are you going to tell me anything about you and Jordan?” I ask her after a few minutes of driving.
“There’s nothing to tell. We are just friends. We hang out here and there. That’s all.”
“If you say so, but I can see there is something there.”
“There’s nothing. Just a couple of friends.”
The conversation ends as we pull up to the arrival area and find my parents waiting on us.
They both have always looked younger than they are.
They are both very active; I think that’s what keeps them looking younger.
My mom still looks the same as she did the last time I saw them.
Really, she hasn’t changed much in the last twenty years, other than maybe gaining a few extra wrinkles and gray hairs.
Her hair was always the same color as mine, chocolate brown, but as she gets older, the sprinkling of gray increases.
Dad’s hair is almost the same color as ours, and like Mom’s, the number of grays increases each time I see them.
He’s looking a little older than he did last time I saw them.
If it weren’t for their gray hairs, you would never guess that they are nearing sixty years old.
I stop the car in front of them. “Hi!” I say to them when I get out of the car. I help them load their bags, and then we get back in.
“Hi, Dianne. Hi, Greg!” Bri says once we are all in.
“Oh, Bri. It’s so good to see you!” Mom says to her.
“So, what are we doing today?” Dad asks.
“I thought we would grab some lunch, then spend the night relaxing at my apartment.”
“When are we going to get to meet your new boyfriend, honey?” Mom asks.
“Well, uh. I was thinking maybe tomorrow. I didn’t want to pack too much into your day today,” I say hesitantly.
“Oh no, we want to meet him today!” Mom says.
“I guess I could see if he wants to come over.”
“You said you are staying at his place while we are here?” Dad asks.
“Yeah,” I say hesitantly, not knowing where he is going with this.
“Then let’s go there. We can drive ourselves back to your apartment when we are ready to leave,” Dad offers.
“Uh. Let me see what he is up to. We can drop your stuff off at the apartment, and I’ll ask him.”
We get to the apartment, and I text Cole.
Ellie: Hey. What are you up to?
Cole: Hey, Ellie Girl. I am watching the game with Jordan. Did your parents make it OK?
Ellie: Yeah, we just got to my apartment. But that is why I’m texting. They are asking to come there tonight. To meet you. I thought they would want to relax tonight, but they’d rather meet you.
Cole: That’s perfect. I am excited to meet them. Do you want to invite Bri too? I can ask Jordan to stick around too.
Ellie: Yeah I will ask her. We will be there around 4. Would you be able to cook something for dinner? You know I love your cooking.
Cole: Anything for you, Ellie Girl. See you soon.
“Cole said he’s free. He’s going to cook dinner for us. Bri, do you want to come too? He said Jordan is there now and is going to stick around if you want to come.”
“Uh. Sure. I’ll come,” Bri says.
“Who is Jordan?” Mom asks.
“Jordan is Cole’s best friend, and now apparently Bri’s new friend,” I say.
“Ellie. I’m telling you, we are just friends. That’s all he wants it to be. So that’s all it will be.”
“Bri, I have seen how he looks at you. You are not just a friend.”
“That’s all he wants. Anyways, we have more important things to talk about now,” she says, changing the subject.
Mom and Dad look between the two of us.
“Well, I am going to go change into something a little nicer and get rid of these airport-germ-infested clothes,” Mom says.
“OK, we can leave whenever you are ready,” I say.
Cole
Jordan and I were hanging out watching the game when Ellie texted that her parents wanted to come over tonight. So here I am staring at my freezer, trying to figure out what I am going to cook for all of us.
“Dude, you’ve never cooked anything that isn’t good. Just pick something. No reason to stress about it,” Jordan says, coming into the kitchen.
“I just want to make it a good night for Ellie. I know she is nervous about me meeting her parents, so I want to do what I can to make it easier on her.”
“What are the options?”
“Pork chops, chicken, or spaghetti.”
“Go with the chicken. Simple.”
“All right. I can do that.”
I grab the chicken and stuff for side dishes, and then I get started on cooking. I am nearly done when the elevator pings with its arrival to my floor. I go over to greet them.
“Hi,” Ellie says, clearly extremely nervous.
Bri strolls into the place like she owns it and goes over to Jordan, and they start talking. I look over to Ellie’s parents.
“Hi, I’m Cole. It’s so nice to finally meet you,” I say, reaching out to shake her Dad’s hand.
“Hello, I’m Greg.”
“Hi, I’m Dianne,” her mom says, taking my hand but using it to pull me into a hug.
“Come on in and make yourself comfortable. The food is almost ready,” I say to everyone.
They all go into the living room, and I go into the kitchen to check on the food. I hear Ellie introducing Jordan to her parents. The food is done, so I set the table. Once everything is ready, I invite them into the dining room to eat.
Everyone has dug in to their food and has been talking when Greg looks at me.
“So, Cole, tell us about yourself.”
I hesitate, trying to think of what to say about myself. I want to make a good impression with them. “Well, I grew up not too far from here. I work where Ellie does, I am her boss.”
“Are we sure this is a good idea?” her mom cuts in and points at both of us.
“It’s totally fine,” Ellie says. “The company has guidelines for things like this, and we’ve informed HR of our relationship. There are no issues.”
“It just seems a little sudden, Ellie.”
“Mom, it’s fine,” Ellie insists.
Dianne looks between the two of us. “All right. As long as you two are sure.”
“Mom, Dad, if this wasn’t allowed and I wasn’t sure about it, I wouldn’t be doing it. You know me.”
“We do, honey. We just want to make sure you are being careful. We just don’t want to see you get hurt.
You were with Jason for so long, and you still got hurt.
This seems sudden, especially after how drawn out your relationship with Jason had been.
” The more Dianne goes on, the more flustered Ellie seems.
“Everything is fine. Cole has even asked me to move in with him, how is that for sudden?” Ellie blurts out.
Everyone freezes for a moment.
“Oh, wow, I didn’t realize that you two were that far into your relationship. That’s great, honey.” Although, her voice doesn’t match her words.
“There’s more,” Ellie blurts again. I’ve never seen her so nervous.
“Hey, Jordan, let’s go watch some TV. I am so full,” Bri says awkwardly, and they both go into the living room.
“Ellie. This can wait,” I say to her.
“No, I need to do this now.”
“What is going on?” Greg says.
“Cole and I have more news than me possibly moving in with him.”
I reach over and set my hand on her thigh, trying to calm her down. She rests her hand on mine.
“OK …” Dianne says.
“I’m pregnant,” Ellie says, and her mother’s fork tumbles onto her plate with a loud clank.
“You’re pregnant?” Dianne says, her voice a pitch higher than it just was.
“Yes.”
“Ellie,” Greg says in a harsh tone, anger written all over his face.
“Greg,” Dianne says, scolding him.
“I wanted to tell you in a better way. That’s why I wasn’t planning on you two coming over here tonight, but I couldn’t keep this from you any longer.
” She takes a breath, and I can see tears forming in her eyes, so I grab her hand.
“We obviously weren’t expecting—” she starts, fully crying now, unable to finish her sentence.
“This was obviously unexpected. Everything about your daughter has been unexpected for me. She came into my life and turned it upside down and made me the happiest man alive. Yes, we’ve only known each other for a few months, but all I needed was one day to know that she is my future.
” I squeeze her hand again and bring her attention to me.
I wipe some of her tears from her face. “We know this is all fast, but I think she can agree that this is where we are meant to be,” I say, and she smiles at me.
“How far along are you?” Dianne asks her.
“I’m not fully sure yet, but somewhere around eight weeks, I think. I have my first appointment this week,” Ellie answers, her voice still shaky.
“So you are going to move in here with Cole, and then what?” Greg asks.
“I haven’t decided if I am going to move in with Cole yet.”
They both huff out a laugh. “Why not?” Dianne says.
I glance at Ellie. I hate to throw her under the bus, but I have left this decision up to her. She knows how much I want her to be here.
“I just want us to be sure. Everything has moved quickly with us like you said. I’m worried that maybe we are rushing things,” she says quietly. I try providing some type of comfort by squeezing her hand. She looks up at me and gives me a light smile, and I return it.
Greg and Dianne both laugh. “Oh, honey. You are pregnant, I think it’s a little late to be worried about rushing,” Dianne says, then she glances between us again. “Let’s go have a chat,” she says to Ellie. They get up and go walking into the spare bedroom down the hall.
Greg watches me for a minute. I am just about to speak up when he starts talking. “You know, she never looked at Jason the way she looks at you.”
I look up at him, unsure of what to say.
“I can see how much you care for my daughter, and I think my wife can too. I know that asshole Jason messed with her head more than she will admit. Give her some time to figure it out, but I see what she doesn’t yet.
It has only been a couple of months, and I see how excited she is about you.
We never saw her this excited about him, even when they had first started dating.
We never should have let that go on as long as it did.
I wasn’t too happy to find out how quickly your relationship seems to be moving, but my girl actually looks happy for once.
Just give her some time to wrap her head around all this. ”
“I learned quickly that I shouldn’t push too hard.
That only forces her in the opposite direction even faster.
I’ve asked her to move in with me. I am just waiting for her to agree, but I won’t push her.
I already know that one day, I’m going to ask her to marry me.
I knew from that first night I met her, she was something special. ”
“She is. This was all definitely a shock for Dianne and me, but I see how much you care for her,” he says, and then we hear Ellie and Dianne coming back from their talk. “I’m glad she has you. Give Dianne and I a few days and you’ll get an agreement out of her.” He winks.
I just stare at him because what does that even mean? This is Ellie’s decision to make, and I know she won’t let anyone else force her into a decision like this.
Ellie
We’ve just told my parents about the baby.
It was pretty tense at first. Mom now wants to talk to me alone, so I take her to the spare bedroom.
We sit on the bed, and we are both quiet for a moment before Mom finally speaks up.
“Honey, I know you are worried about rushing into something. At first, I thought it was too soon, but have you not seen the way Cole looks at you?”
“Mom,” I say, and she stops me.
“Just let me say what I need to say.” She turns to face me on the bed. “Your dad and I never liked Jason.”
My eyes go wide, and then my eyebrows pinch together. “I thought you liked Jason.”
“I think we both just thought you were happy so we wanted to be happy for you, but the longer time went on the more, the more we realized that wasn’t the case.
When you told us you two had split up, I was heartbroken for you, but at the same time I knew you could and would do better.
I’ve never seen you look at someone the way you look at Cole, and I can tell you right now that man loves you more than anything and would do anything for you.
The pregnancy was obviously a shock to Dad and me.
But after what we just witnessed between the two of you, I think he would agree with me that we have no worries whatsoever.
I think you should really think about moving in here.
” She glances around the room and waves her arm around.
“I mean, look at this place,” she laughs out.
I laugh with her. “Mom, I’m just scared. I know Cole loves me. I love him too.”
“I know, honey. I promise you, it will all work out in the end.” We hug. “Let’s go help clean up.”
We go back to the dining room, telling Bri and Jordan to join us again along the way. We all start cleaning up from dinner.
Once we get everything cleaned up, Mom and Dad leave. Hugs are given all around, even to Jordan, who seems a little uncomfortable with it. He will get used to it, though, with these two around.
Once everyone has gone, Cole and I are just awkwardly standing there. Finally, he speaks up. “Well, that went better than I expected,” he laughs.
“Yeah, it was a bit intense, but it went better than I thought it would.”
“When is your doctor appointment?”
“Tuesday morning.”
“Can I come with you?”
“Of course. I just assumed you were coming, sorry I didn’t actually ask you.”
He pulls me in for a hug. “It’s fine, Ellie Girl.” He’s quiet for a moment before he pulls me to him and hugs me. “I’m so glad you are here.” It comes out as a whisper.
I hug him a little tighter. “Let’s go to bed.”