I drew away, smiling mischievously.
“Okay, well. You’re right about one thing: bitch would have been putting it lightly,” I teased.
She scowled, slapping me lightly on the shoulder.
“Don’t speak to your mother like that in front of your boyfriend,” she scolded, smirking at the deep flush that spread across my cheeks. “Granted, said mother has been a bit neglectful. I can’t believe it took nearly losing you for good to realize how skewed my priorities have been all these years.” She chuckled.
I remained silent, still unable to fathom that my mother had seen the light, so to speak.
“So…does this mean I don’t have to take your place as head of EBgen?” I inquired with some trepidation, worried that I would ruin the moment in one fell swoop.
My mother laughed, brushing her hand through my hair.
“I plan to sell EBgen as soon as we can tie up all these loose ends. I have no intention of forcing you to take over. From here on out, I plan to focus on being the mother I never was. And while it hurts me to think that your place won’t be at my side…you and this young man have my blessing,” she murmured.
She turned to consider Paul, who looked rather surprised at being brought into the conversation.
“Just know, if you ever hurt my daughter, I have connections of the like you could not begin to fathom,” she said coolly.
Paul looked taken aback, but after a moment, he rumbled a laugh.
“Aw, Martha. Don’t you worry your pretty little head. If your daughter will have me, I plan to spend the rest of my life treating her like the princess she is,” he soothed.
My mother rolled her eyes, but before she could get another word out, the paramedics arrived on the scene. I hid my hand within my sleeve, not wanting to reveal my injury just yet. I was more concerned about my mother being seen to, and truthfully, I wanted a moment alone with this man I loved but scarcely knew.
Showing an uncharacteristic level of cooperation, my mother allowed herself to be carted off by the medics, and I watched her until she disappeared into the ambulance.
“Aren’t you going to have your hand seen to? It looks pretty painful,” Paul murmured, reaching out to touch my shoulder.
I shook my head, bracing myself for the conversation that would soon ensue. There was a chance that I would learn things I never wanted to hear, that I would hear things I never wanted to know about the man who sat at my side. As much as I wanted to avoid it, it was a chance I had to take. If this was going to work out, and God did I want it to, we were going to have to be upfront with each other.
“Is your name really Paul?” I asked suddenly.
He hesitated, wringing his hands. I knew that it would be a hell of a risk for him to share his real name with me, but I had to know that he was willing to trust me.
“No. My real name…my real name is Joey Greene, but listen to me, Ella: I know this might be hard to believe, but my name is really the only thing I hid from you. From the moment I met you, I knew you were special. The conversations we had about fate? Those came from my heart.”
I hesitated, turning to face him with a tense expression.
“I could use your real name to put you behind bars for all you’ve done. I could press charges for your attempted theft, I could have you put through the ringer,” I said coolly.
He flinched, wringing his hands nervously again.
“That…that is true. And honestly, I probably deserve to be put behind bars for all I’ve done. I’m willing to take that risk, though. If it means there’s even the slightest chance you’ll forgive me, I’m willing to put it all on the line. I love you, Ella. I understand if you can never feel the same after all this, but…”
He trailed off, cupping my cheek in his hand.
“You’re my final destination. You’re the person I’m meant to be with, and nothing will ever change my mind about that. If I can’t be with you, then I may as well be in prison. There’s no other person for me,” he said gently.
I felt tears pool in my eyes, and damn him for being so romantic. I should have hated him; I should have had him put behind bars.
“Joey, huh? Joey Greene?” I said quietly, and he nodded his head.
I smiled gently, leaning in until there was but a breath’s distance between our lips.
“I suppose I can live with someday being Ella Greene. Has a certain ring to it.” I paused, taking a deep breath. “What I’m saying is I’m willing to give you a chance, Joey. After all this, as stupid and naive as it probably makes me, I still love you. I want to be with you. I just have one question…” I trailed off.
His eyes shone with unshed tears, and I could have slapped him silly for making my heart ache so wonderfully. He looked as if he wanted nothing more than to drop down on one knee in that very moment, or kiss me until I had no sense left in me. He patiently waited for my question, his breath hot against my lips.
“Anything, little bird. I’ll tell you all I can,” he murmured, his tone earnest.
I smiled, looping my arms around his neck and drawing him closer.
“Is your mother half as bad as mine?” I asked.
He laughed, his eyes twinkling with mirth.
“Aw hell, Ella. Your ma ain’t all bad. But to answer your question, my mother’s a saint,” he replied.
I giggled before pressing our lips together in a passionate kiss.
I knew, in that moment, that I had finally taken hold of my fate. For better or worse, my life was my own to live from there on out. Be it backpacking through Europe, or eventually giving birth to a troupe of little circus babies, I knew that my future was in my hands.
For the rest of my days, I could be beside the man who was meant to be my own. I finally had my fairy tale ending, my Prince Charming, my escape. Though it had been a hell of a ride to get there, I knew I couldn’t have asked for a better person at my side.
While Joey Greene wasn’t quite as much of a fantasy as Paul Drake had been, I could certainly imagine reading about my lover in some cheesy romance novel. A carnie who went and swept your average rich girl off of her feet... It seemed like the sort of thing you could only read about.
Ah, well, I wasn’t much of a writer, but it would certainly make a hell of a story to tell our kids.
I took Joey by the hand, allowing him to help me to my feet. First stop, the ambulance to see if they had some kind of cream for this burn—God, was it starting to sting. After that, we had the rest of our lives to figure things out.
All I knew was that our final destination was within each other, in our hearts, in our souls. You couldn’t ask for a better love story than that.
Epilogue
Two weeks later found us at the airport, with my little bird’s mom clutching her arm and sobbing. As strong as my girl was being, I knew the thought of being away from her ma for the first time in her life was a scary one. I wrapped my arm around Ella’s shoulders, smiling tenderly as she wiped away a few tears of her own.
“Mom, come on. We’ll see you in London in a few weeks. It’ll be like I was never even gone,” Ella said, and I chuckled as her mother snorted in an attempt to stop herself crying—I hadn’t quite adjusted to this new improved, sensitive side of her.
“I’m just going to miss you, honey. You’re my baby, and you’ll always be my baby,” Martha blubbered, and Ella sniffled before pulling her mother in for an embrace.
I rolled my eyes, grabbing the both of them in a near bone-crushing hug of my own.
“Aw, Ma, don’t worry about it. I’ll bring your little girl back to you in one piece. She’s my baby now, too, after all.”
I expected Martha to retort with some snide remark, but she simply smiled. The old broad leaned in to press a kiss to my cheek, and Jesus Christ, I was blushing like a schoolgirl.
“I know, Joey. I know you’ll take good care of her. I wouldn’t trust her with anyone else,” Martha murmured, and I quirked a smile.
Though she was a bit rough around t
he edges, it was obvious that Martha loved her daughter very dearly. To have her blessing was something I was still wrapping my head around.
“Oh, shoot. We’re going to miss our flight if we don’t make a move,” Ella muttered, kissing her mother on the cheek before drawing away and dragging me with her. “Do we have everything we need?” she asked nervously, and I grinned.
“We got the clothes on our back, don’t we? That’s all we’re gonna need till we hit Paris,” I told her.
The Beck women exchanged a look, rolling their eyes and laughing.
“I’ll transfer some funds into your account in case you need anything, honey. If you need me, don’t hesitate to call,” Martha said warmly.
Ella smiled, bidding her mother farewell before dragging me along to board the plane. We’d managed to get her a window seat, and she clutched the armrest of her seat as she stared out the small pane of glass.
“This is it. This is really it,” she breathed.
I chuckled to myself, grabbing her by the hand. Her poor little paw was still wrapped up in bandages, though she assured me that the pain was nothing but an afterthought.
While I knew that this was certainly not the first time Elizabeth Beck had been on a plane, I was well aware that this was the first time she had got to actually enjoy the trip. As the plane began to rumble, her grip tightened on my hand and she laughed delightedly. I was certain I’d never seen a more beautiful girl in my life, though that much had been clear from the start.
While she knew we were going to Paris, then backpacking across Europe, she had no idea what was in store for her at the end of that trip. I knew it was a bit soon, but I planned to ask her to marry me once I got Martha’s permission. I had a feeling the old lady would be hard to convince, especially at the thought of giving up her girl in such a big way, but I was also sure that I’d be able to win her over.
If there had ever been a story of true love, the time Ella and I had spent together would certainly qualify. Hell, it’d been love at first sight, and while I knew she would be surprised as hell when I popped the question, I knew she’d say yes. It would be the perfect punctuation mark to the end of our trip.
We’d plan our wedding with her ma, I’d take her to meet my parents, and it would be like one of those fairy tale endings. I wasn’t usually one to be such a sap, but since I’d met my little bird, I’d been a changed man. Though I could never take back the cons I’d already worked, I knew the road ahead of me was on the straight and narrow.
Ella jolted beside me in her seat, clutching her stomach with a vaguely nauseous expression.
“Just a bit of turbulence, baby,” I murmured.
She smiled, lifting up the armrest between us and resting against my side.
“I could just do with eating something. I hope they bring a snack cart or something around,” she said, eyes widening as she spotted a flight attendant making her way towards us.
“Excuse me! Miss! Do you have pickles? I would kill for some pickles,” she asked urgently, leaning across me.
The flight attendant considered her request with a quirked brow, and while I thought it rather odd myself, I was going to see to it that my baby had all she wanted.
“You heard the lady, bring us all the pickles you got!” I commanded.
The flight attendant rolled her eyes, and Ella buried her face against my shoulder, laughing melodically. I brushed a hand through her hair, noticing that my girl seemed particularly radiant that afternoon. I attributed it to the excitement brewing in her gut. I mean, it wasn’t to say that Ella wasn’t always radiant, but she seemed to almost be glowing.
I was drawn from my thoughts when the flight attendant brought a tray full of dill pickle spears. Ella was obviously delighted, grabbing the tray and pulling it into her lap. She balanced it there precariously, gobbling down the sour spears as quick as you please.
If I’d expected her to eat like a little bird, I’d been dead wrong. She was eating like she hadn’t seen food in a good year or so. I smirked to myself, and though the way she was going at the goods was something short of ladylike, I certainly wasn’t about to point it out.
We had the rest of our lives to be prim and proper, if we so chose. I sure wasn’t about to choose that lifestyle, and at this rate, it looked like my princess would feel the same. I made a mental note of just how much she seemed to like those damn pickles, wondering if they made all-you-can-eat pickle buffets. Sure, it wouldn’t be your typical wedding catering, but we were anything but your typical couple.
As soon as she finished the last pickle, Ella burped loudly, patting herself on the stomach. In that moment, all I could think was just how much I loved that crazy woman. I couldn’t wait to spend the rest of my life with her, and I certainly couldn’t wait to see her surprised expression when I popped the question.
This was gonna be the trip of a lifetime.
ELLA
I hoped I wasn’t being horribly obvious, but from the looks of things, Joey didn’t have a clue. I only hoped I could keep it that way until the end of the trip. Of course, he didn’t know the little things that my mom would have picked up on immediately. For example, how I hadn’t touched a pickle since third grade, or how under normal circumstances, I would be begging for a drink by now.
I couldn’t help the subtle touches to my stomach, a sense of wonder washing over me every time I pressed my fingertips to the flat plane of my abdomen. It wouldn’t be flat much longer; that much was for sure.
Before you come to any conclusions, no, I hadn’t been sleeping around with anyone besides the man at my side. I had no doubt that the life growing inside of me was his. While I knew it was soon, and I would have to tell him before long, I wanted to at least make the trip to London before I made my confession.
We’d not been as careful as we should have been, and I’d forgotten to bring my birth control on the cruise. You couldn’t really blame me; I never would have expected to fall in love while on a company trip to Rio.
I also never expected to get pregnant at such a young age, but…well, here we were.
I knew if I told Joey now, he’d be waiting on me hand and food for the duration of the trip. He already did that well enough, but I didn’t want him to think I needed to be completely bedridden before we even got to Paris. After all, I wasn’t very far along.
I was unsure if my mom would be thrilled or furious when she found out, or perhaps a mix of both. I planned to tell both her and Joey about the pregnancy once we had made it to London, if I hadn’t cracked and told Joey before then. I knew my mom would be upset that I’d kept it from her, but as it stood, I liked having this secret bit of knowledge, something that was truly mine, to share only when I was ready.
The plane gave another little quake, and I felt a rush of queasiness wash over me. I bolted out of my seat, lunging past Joey and the other passengers to rush to the bathroom. Fortunately, there wasn’t a line, though I could have done without the smell inside the confined area. It only served to heighten my nausea until suddenly I was spilling my guts out. I heard a knock on the door and tried to quiet myself down.
“Birdie, are you okay? Those pickles go down the wrong way? I can see how, the way you were scarfing them down,” Joey asked through the door.
“Yeah, baby. I’m fine. I’ll be out in a minute,” I called out, another wave of nausea washing over me.
It seemed like an eternity before I escaped the hell that was the airplane bathroom, but Joey was waiting for me with a concerned expression as I emerged. There was something different about him, as of recently. He seemed more concerned than ever, protecting me even more than he had when we had first met on the cruise. If I had ever questioned his adoration for me, that sensation fell away with just how much he worried himself over me.
“My sweet little birdie,” he murmured, drawing me into his arms and kissing me on the forehead.
He guided me back to our seats, and I shifted back into my place beside the window. He watched me carefully, o
bvious concern in his gaze. It only further cemented my decision to wait to tell him the news; if he doted on me this much in normal circumstances, I knew he’d drive himself crazy if he knew that his future son or daughter was growing inside of me.
It was nice to have the attention, but this trip wasn’t just about me. It was about our future together. I didn’t want to go from zero to fifty by telling him he’d knocked me up, though it seemed I would have little choice before long. I knew he would be thrilled, as family meant so much to him, and I was certain that we would be the best parents any baby could ask for. I’d be the kind of cool mom who let them invite their friends over on a school night, or paid their tuition to art school.
Okay, maybe I was projecting a bit. All the same, I knew the little life inside of me would be showered with love from all directions. While I knew my mother would be more difficult to win over, she was the last thing on my mind in that moment.
All I knew was that Joey would be the best father a kid could ask for, and the best husband a woman could want, if he someday decided to pop the question. Until then, we had our whole lives ahead of us, as well as a new life to complete our family.
This was going to be the trip of a lifetime.
The End
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Copyright 2017 by Layla Valentine
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part by any means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the explicit written permission of the author. All characters depicted in this fictional work are consenting adults, of at least eighteen years of age. Any resemblance to persons living or deceased, particular businesses, events, or exact locations are entirely coincidental.
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