Chapter 47
Chapter Forty-Seven
Seth
I was completely smitten with Ella. What I had kept at bay during her grieving process, I couldn’t hold back any longer.
If at any time she didn’t want what I had to offer, then fine, but I was going to shoot my shot because this woman was too amazing not to go after her.
I feared, if I didn’t, someone else would grab her.
The twins’ birthday party was tomorrow, and after a small nap to fend off the jet lag, I put on a collared shirt, slacks, and my nice leather cowboy hat.
Ella’s mom’s house was an incredible place with four bedrooms and a sprawling garden, and it was in close proximity to the city.
Ella had agreed to go on a date with me, and I was beyond nervous.
When little June had walked up and hugged me, I nearly fell into sobs right then and there.
I felt a special connection to her after our time together in the NICU.
I wanted things with Ella to be romantic so badly, but I wasn’t sure where her head was. She’d held my hand in the cab, but it could have been a friendly thing. I had specified this was a date, and she’d answered yes pretty quickly, but still. I was second-guessing everything with that woman.
My phone rang, and I realized I hadn’t checked in with Maggie.
“Hey, sorry. Got here safely and took a nap. Now, I’m heading out with Ella for dinner,” I told her when I picked up.
“Ohh, like a date?” she teased.
I cleared my throat. My grandmother knew how I felt about Ella. “Yes, actually. Praying it goes the way I hope.”
“Remember that dream I had where the Lord told me He would restore everything you lost?” Maggie asked.
I had. I had clung to that prophecy for years, and God had confirmed it for me many times. It got me through dark times.
“Well, honey, I have faith that the Author of the universe is doing that now.”
“With Ella?”
Please, God, let it be Ella.
“Yes,” she said, and I relaxed a little. I feared losing someone I didn’t even have yet. But like I always said. God’s will be done.
“Love you, Mags,” I told her.
“I love you too, dear. Have a fun time and just be yourself,” she said.
I felt like I was back in high school, going on a first date. The only difference was I’d waited for this date for over a year.
When I stepped out of the room and into the living room, Ella’s mother was there with the twins. “It’s good to see you again,” I greeted her with a hug and cheek kiss.
She beamed at me. “You too, Seth. We’re so thrilled you could come out here and that you’re escorting Ella and the twins back home.” She peered at her grandbabies, who were playing on a mat with some blocks.
“Sad to see them go?” I asked.
She nodded, looking a little misty-eyed. “But Ella knows what she wants, and she wants to go back to Idaho. She misses those animals, the farm life, your grandmother, you…”
My heart seized at hearing that Ella had been missing me and Idaho. “We miss her, too,” I said. “Are you excited for your book tour?”
She smiled, nodding. “I wrote the thing a year ago. The publishing process takes so long.”
Before I could answer, Ella stepped into the kitchen and stole all the oxygen from the room.
She wore a snug black dress, black sheer tights, and red ankle boots. Her style had definitely changed since she’d moved to Paris, and I wasn’t complaining. Her hair was pinned at the nape of her neck, with a few pieces pulled out to frame her face. I felt like I was staring at a supermodel.
“You okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Ella peered at me with genuine concern.
“I’m just not used to seeing you out of your chicken pajamas,” I told her, causing her mom to cackle with laughter.
Ella was quick, and she picked up an apple and chucked it at me playfully.
I caught it midair and took a bite from it.
She gave me a flirty smile. “I love those pajamas.”
“So do I,” I lied.
“Have fun, kids.” Ella’s mom gave me a knowing smile as I escorted Ella outside to where a cab was waiting for us.
When we got inside the car, she rattled off some directions in French, and I just sat back and soaked in this beautiful, intelligent, compassionate woman before me.
As weird as it was, I thought of Scarlett at that moment and how much she would have loved Ella.
If she could have hand-picked a woman for me, it would be her.
Scarlett and I had a lot of tough conversations in the end, but she was clear.
She wanted me to move on, to love. The woman just couldn’t be a better cook than she was.
I smiled at the memory. Of my loving, selfless late wife, knowing I would live decades beyond her and caring about my happiness in the midst of her darkest hour.
“What are you thinking about right now?” Ella caught me off guard.
I swallowed hard, offering the truth. “About how much Scarlett would have liked you and approved of you.” I prayed that wouldn’t weird her out.
She smiled hugely. “James would have liked you, too.”
It must have been the right thing to say, because she slipped her hand into mine like it was no big deal, and my heart pounded in my chest.
When the cab pulled up to a bustling street, Ella slipped her hand out of mine and moved to pay him. I pushed her credit card down and gave him my own.
“Over my dead body will you ever pay for anything in my presence,” I told her. I was old-fashioned like that.
“Well, in that case, let’s go to the Luis Vuitton store,” she joked with a laugh.
If she wanted fancy purses, I’d buy her one, but I knew Ella better than that.
We stepped out onto the curb, and I watched in amazement over the next half hour as Ella spoke French to our waiter and translated the menu for me.
She had really soaked up this experience in Paris and learned a whole new language!
I was so impressed, but not as impressed as I was when I saw what she did next when the food arrived.
She reached her hands out to me. “Shall I say grace?” she asked.
I smiled, barely recognizing the woman who’d once ripped my Bible verse up and slammed it onto my chest.
“Please.” I loved that she was willing to pray out loud in the middle of a busy restaurant.
We bowed our heads.
“Lord, thank You for this wonderful meal and this even more wonderful company.” She squeezed my hands. “I pray that You would guide Seth and me in all things and that we would do Your will always and glorify You. Lord, protect us, and we love You. Amen.”
“Amen,” I agreed, looking up at her with a smile.
“What?” she asked, digging into her mashed potatoes.
I’m in love with you, I wanted to blurt out. “You’re amazing,” I said instead.
“You like Parisian Ella?” she asked while batting her eyelashes playfully.
“I like ‘Idaho chicken pajamas’ Ella, too, I just… You seem happy. Healed. I like that,” I told her, and she nodded.
“I am.”
We enjoyed our meal, laughing and talking like no time at all had passed between us, and afterward, Ella took me on a walk around the city.
She pointed out different spots like her favorite café and the library she took the twins to for story hour, and then eventually, we made our way to the park.
The sun was setting as we strolled through the park, and Ella spoke animatedly about how much she loved it.
I couldn’t stop staring at her. She was like a completely different person.
Well, that wasn’t fair. She was the same, just so much more vibrant and embracing life.
It made me realize how much she’d been through, and I was proud of her.
We crested a hill, and she rushed underneath a giant willow tree, touching the bark.
“This is my favorite tree in all of Paris,” she told me, staring at the tree with a reverence that made me think she’d had some serious times under its branches.
“Hello, tree. I’m Seth,” I told it and reached out to touch its bark.
She burst into laughter and then looked at me, shaking her head.
“What?” I asked her as she leaned closer to me, holding my gaze.
“I want our first kiss to be under this tree, Seth.” She spoke with confidence, and my breath hitched in my throat.
I hadn’t been expecting that response, but I was ready to do her bidding.
Reaching up, I cupped her face in my hands, and she smiled up at me. A nervous look crossed her face, and I paused, wanting to make certain she was ready.
“Thinking about this being your first kiss since James?” I asked her.
Of course she was. I thought the same about Scarlett.
She nodded. “I might have forgotten how to kiss. It might be really bad or weird,” she admitted as she leaned closer to me and licked her lips.
I shrugged. “Might be. I mean, not on my end, of course.”
She grinned. “Kiss me, Seth Jacob Knight.”
I didn’t need to be told twice.