by Eydie Maggio
Paul stepped out of Trey’s office. “Is everything alright?” Maggie shook her head and pointed to the television screen that kept showing the video of Elise getting struck over and over again. “Holy shit! Is she ok?”
“I don’t know.” Trey was shaking his head. He didn’t know what to do.
“I’ll cancel all your meetings.” Paul retrieved his phone out of his pocket and started typing out emails. “Maggie, get Ronald on the phone and have him take Trey to Mount Sinai.”
“Yes, sir.”
“She’ll be fine, Trey. Just get your ass over there.” Paul had his hand on Trey’s shoulder as he walked him to the door of his office where Ronald was waiting.
Trey felt like he was in a daze and couldn’t get the image of blood running down Elise’s face out of his head, “Thanks, Paul.”
He followed Ronald out of his office and into his SUV. “Sir, we will be there in no time.”
Trey couldn’t speak. He just nodded his head.
Chapter 27
It was nearly half passed three o’clock when Ronald dropped Trey off in front of Mount Sinai. A group of photographers were still camped by the entrance. When they lifted their cameras to take a picture of Trey, he stared them down and pointed in their direction. “Don’t you even…” All the photographers lowered their cameras as Trey entered the hospital.
He went to the reception area and asked for Ashley Graham’s room. The admitting clerk let him know that she was on the 3rd floor which was labor and delivery. Trey rode the elevator up to the third floor. When he rounded the corner he saw Martie standing outside the window of the newborns.
“Martie! Are you ok?” Trey ran over to her and hugged her.
“I’m ok, Mr. Trey.” Martie took his chin in her hand. “Elise is ok, too. You look worried sick.”
“Where is she?”
Martie pointed through the glass where Elise was sitting down holding a little baby girl. “Her name is Emma Claire, and Elise is her godmother.”
Elise looked up through the window and smiled. She stood up and brought the baby closer to the window so Trey could get a better look. As Elise came closer, he saw a butterfly Band-Aid on her forehead which infuriated him. She had a small bruise around the cut and it was slightly swollen. Elise didn’t look phased at all. She was too absorbed with the little baby girl she was holding. The baby was holding onto Elise’s thumb and was fast asleep against her chest.
“She’s been holding her ever since they brought her in. Ashley had to have an emergency C-Section. Her husband is with her in Recovery and her parents are getting items for her suite since she will be staying here for a few days. Jeremy went to Tiffany’s to pick up Ashley’s push present that Elise custom made for her. Elise didn’t want Emma to be alone so she’s been sitting in there holding her this whole time.”
“She’s amazing.”
“Yes, she is. I need you to promise me that you will keep her safe.” Martie knew Trey was talking about Elise.
“I promise, Martie.” Trey looked over at her. Her face was serious, and she looked like she was on the verge of tears.
“She’s the only thing I have in this world. What happened today scared the hell out of me. She was trying to get me in the building. She was trying to protect me. So promise that she will have someone to protect her if this is what her life will be like.”
“I won’t let anyone hurt her.” Trey wrapped his arm around Martie’s shoulder. She leaned into him and put her arm around his waist.
“You know you’ll need to give her one of those soon.” Martie was looking through the glass at Elise holding the baby.
Trey’s eyes went wide. He knew exactly what she meant by “those” – a baby. Elise looked out of the window again and her face changed from one of joy to one of suspicion. She asked the nurse to take the baby, and she marched out of the nursery and into the hallway. Elise came around the corner, “Momma, what did you just tell him?”
“Nothing darling, why?” Trey was trying not to laugh as Martie played dumb.
“He looks like he’s seen a ghost!”
Trey immediately wrapped his arms around Elise and held her tightly to him. “Are you ok? Your accident was all over the news. I came as soon as I could.”
“Are you serious? I’m ok. They just got too close with the camera and hit my head really hard. It’s just a minor cut.”
Trey examined her head closely as he held her face in his hands. “I tried to call but your phone was going straight to voicemail. They must have cell phone jammers in here. My parents, Will, Jessie, and Sophia have been calling me left and right to check on you.” Rebecca was the first one to call. She was in a panic state where Trey had to calm her down.
“I texted you a dozen times. I didn’t realize they weren’t going through. I just thought you were caught up in meetings. But, none of that matters. I’m ok.” Elise turned her attention back to the nursery, “Isn’t she beautiful? Her name is Emma Claire.”
“She is adorable. I hear congratulations are in order. You were chosen as her godmother.”
“I was. I am going to spoil the hell out of her.” Elise had a devious smile on her face.
“My parents were Sophia’s godmother and godfather. When her parents passed away, they knew they had to assume the role of her mom and dad. That’s when they adopted her. Being chosen as a godmother is pretty serious.” Trey couldn’t think of a better person to be that sweet little girl’s godmother. Elise was obviously in love already, and it looked like it came natural to her by the way she was caring for her earlier.
“I’m so honored Ashley trust me with such responsibility. I won’t let her down.” Elise laid her head on Trey’s chest not taking her eyes off of the baby girl beyond the window.
Trey gently kissed her forehead and held her close. Standing there at the window looking into the nursery, Trey was never more sure that he wanted all this with Elise.
Chapter 28
Trey and Elise were leaving her attorney’s office while being escorted by Ronald. Elise looked stunning on the outside but Trey could tell she was mentally drained and emotionally exhausted on the inside. She just finished signing all the paperwork that solidified the deal transferring ownership of EDP Cosmetics out of Elise’s name and into the multi-million dollar conglomerate. She held a receipt for a wire transfer in the amount of four million dollars that was deposited into Elise’s personal account this morning.
“I can’t believe it’s over.” Elise was looking down at her hands.
Trey lifted her chin so he could look into her eyes, “What if we said it was just beginning?”
Elise’s full lips curled up into her beautiful smile, “I like that better.” Trey kissed her lips softly. God how he loved this woman. “So where are we headed?”
“Let’s just say I have a small surprise for you waiting at The Four Seasons.” Trey actually had a huge surprise for her waiting there at The Garden.
Elise’s eyes lit up, “The Four Seasons, huh?”
“Yep!” Trey was keeping this one tight lipped.
As the SUV pulled up to the restaurant, Elise looked out the window with confusion. “Why are there so many police cars here?”
Elise turned her head hoping Trey had an answer. He did, but he wasn’t sharing it just yet. He put on his best poker face and just shrugged his shoulders. Ronald parked stopped the SUV in front of the hotel where a few police officers and armed guards waived Trey and Elise through the doors of the hotel. They were met in the lobby by the hotel publicist and escorted to The Garden where Trey’s surprise awaited.
Elise was holding onto Trey’s arm not really paying attention to the surroundings until they stepped into the restaurant. When she finally looked up, she saw that her mother and Jeremy were there. They ran over to Elise and gave her a huge hug.
“Congratulations, honey! All that hard work you did paid off.” Martie held Elise’s face then kissed her cheek.
“Thanks, Momma.” Elise loo
ked up at Trey as her eyes filled with tears. Trey gave her a wink and placed his hand on her shoulder which Elise immediately squeezed.
“So where’s my check?” Jeremy teased Elise as he gave her a loving embrace. “It will always be EDP cosmetics. You’ll just be able to enjoy it from a distance like, a beach, or a boat, or…,” Jeremy whispered into her ear, “…a bedroom.”
Elise snorted out a laugh, “You’re insatiable, Jeremy.”
“Of course Ash wanted to be here, but that drama queen is milking this pregnancy thing for all it’s worth. So she sent you a picture instead and already wanted to book you for a babysitting gig since your schedule is totally vacant.” Jeremy pulled out his phone and showed the picture to Elise.
Ashley was holding Emma Claire with a sign that said “Congrats Aunt Leesie!” Ashley had on her 3 pink and white diamond bangle bracelets from Tiffany that Elise custom made for her push present.
Trey was watching Elise celebrate with her family and was glad that he set this up for her.
“Uncle Trey!” Both Trey and Elise turned their heads in the direction of the angelic voice as Amelie ran to hug Trey.
Elise looked down at Amelie then looked up with wide eyes at the rest of the Watts family who were waiting patiently to meet her. Amelie wasn’t so patient.
Trey kneeled down and gave his little princess a hug. “Elise, this is my favorite niece Amelie. Amelie, this is Ms. Elise.”
Amelie stretched her little hand out, “Ms. Elise, I’m wearing your lipstick.”
Elise bent down and brought Amelie in for a hug, “I see that. Let me guess the color…..” Elise tapped her index finger on her chin and examined Amelie’s lips, “hum,….is it Fab-oo?”
“Yes! That’s mommy’s favorite. You’re really pretty. Uncle Will said you were pretty.” Amelie looked over at Will who was totally busted by his niece.
“Elise, isn’t she the most adorable thing.” Martie was gushing.
Elise looked up at Jeremy, “So you’ve met everyone?”
Jeremy nodded as he gave Elise a look, “Mmm, hmmm.”
“Even..”
“Mmm, hmmm….faaaabuuulous” Jeremy was singing his words. Obviously, he and Elise had some secret language going on because they were speaking in syllables but could understand each other perfectly.
“Elise, would you like to meet the rest of the family?”
His beautiful Elise was smiling ear to ear. She was excited to meet his family.
“Absolutely.” She wrapped her hand around Trey’s arm as he walked her across the room to where his family was standing. Amelie grabbed her other hand and walked with them.
“Elise, this is my father, Roger Watts.”
“President Watts, it’s lovely to meet you. Trey has spoken so much of you all, I feel like I know you already.” Elise extended her hand out.
Trey’s dad pulled her in for a hug, “It’s Roger. No titles with family.”
Elise nodded her head and smiled, “Roger, it is.”
Trey motioned to his mom next, “THE Rebecca Watts meet THE Elise DePaul.”
Rebecca came in for a huge hug, “I am so glad to finally meet you. I’m sorry I wasn’t at the award ceremony.”
Elise looked like she was star struck, “You are… like…. one of my biggest idols. I can’t believe you wear my stuff.”
“Darling, from the beginning. It’s fabulous.” Rebecca kissed her on the cheek, “I can’t tell you how happy I am that you and Trey found each other. It’s truly is wonderful to finally meet you.”
Elise’s eyes filled with tears again, “Thank you, Rebecca. You have both raised a wonderful man. I’m very lucky.”
“Ok, so I was going to threaten you with sharp objects if you hurt Trey, but after that…” Trey’s sister Sophia hugged Elise tightly. “And, mom and I are total fans. Amelie’s right, Fab-oo is my favorite.”
“And that is my sister, Sophia. Just be glad she didn’t drop the F-bomb on you.” Trey winked at Sophia who was now sticking the tongue at Trey. “And the big dude next to her is her husband, Jake.”
Trey could tell Elise was taken aback by Jake’s size. Most people were. Jake extended his hand out to her, “Nice to meet you, Elise. We saw what happened yesterday with the paparazzi. Are you ok? I’ve talked to Trey about getting security for you.”
“I’m fine, really.” Elise lifted her hair to show off her butterfly Band-Aid.
Sophia leaned in close to Elise and whispered, “They’re douchebags. Hit one with your car, they’ll back off. Assholes!”
Elise’s face cracked into a huge smile, “I’ll keep that in mind. And, totally off subject, we are totally going to get along!” She brought in Sophia for another hug.
Trey just shook his head. Sophia’s mouth strikes again. “And you’ve met Will and Jessie before.”
“Will and I can’t thank you enough for introducing us to the 1800 Colección. We’re huge fans.” Jessie winked at Elise before she went in for a hug.
Elise turned beet red causing Trey to do the same. DAMN YOU Bottle of Trouble!
“It’s nice to see you guys again.” Elise was now getting passed from Jessie to Will.
“Yes! Thank you Elise!” Will started getting touchy feely with Jessie just at the mention of the tequila.
“And last, but not least, my little buddy and favorite nephew, Jacob Michael Breaux, Jr., but we call him J.J.”
“Hi! I’m a big boy.” J.J. was flashing his emerald green eyes at Elise.
Elise bent down and extended her hand, “You are a big boy. My name’s Elise.”
“Are you Uncle Trey’s girlfriend?”
Elise looked up at Trey with a smile, “Yes, I am.”
J. J. pointed at her with a serious face, “You’re my girlfriend, too. Ok?”
Elise laughed and nodded her head, “Ok.”
J.J. walked over to Jake, “Daddy, she’s my girlfriend, too. Just like Mommy and Aunt Jess.”
“At least you’re branching out from the family tree, son.” Jake just shook his head.
“If everyone would like to take a seat, lunch should be served soon.” Trey pointed to the tables and chairs lined against the window giving them a beautiful view of Manhattan.
Elise grabbed Trey’s arm and whispered in his ear, “Thank you.”
~
Lunch at the Four Seasons was wonderful and Elise was so happy that Trey did all this for her. The lunch conversation surrounded her future plans, Trey’s road to Congress, and certain highlights from their time in Paris since most of them were too graphic to share with anyone at the table, except for maybe Jeremy.
Elise adored his family, and they were so welcoming to her, Martie, and Jeremy. They even inquired about Ashley and Emma Claire. Elise, being the proud godmother she was, had many photos on her phone which were passed along and shared with the crowd. Trey shared with Sophia that Elise was chosen as the godmother, which brought tears to both her and Rebecca’s eyes.
Elise was pointing out to Rebecca the Tiffany bangles that she bought Ashley when Trey started tapping on his crystal champagne flute with his knife. Elise turned her attention to him as he stood up at the table.
“I wanted to thank everyone for coming today to meet Elise and to share in her congratulatory lunch for the wonderful opportunity that she ceased from all her hard work. And, I think it’s about time to include Elise on the little secret that everyone at the table has done a wonderful job hiding today.”
Elise looked over at Jeremy and Martie who both had huge grins on their faces. She looked at the rest of the table and saw Rebecca start to tear up. When she turned her attention back to Trey, he was kneeling right beside her at the table.
“Elise, aujourd'hui comme un chapitre de votre vie se termine, j'espère que nous pourrons commencer un autre ensemble. Je t'aime et je t'adore. Veux-tu m'épouser?”
Elise gasped. What Trey just recited beautifully in French was, “Elise, today as one chapter in your life closes, I hope that we ca
n begin another together. I love you and adore you. Will you marry me?”
Trey pulled out a one-of-a-kind Lorraine Schwartz 6 carat Asscher cut diamond halo ring out of his suit jacket and placed it on Elise’s finger.
Elise’s eyes filled with tears. She slid her hands on both side of Trey’s face and whispered to him, “Oui, mon amour! Oui!”
Chapter 29
Election night …
Elise was near the dance floor watching Trey dance with his niece and nephew. They had been out there most of the night celebrating with his family and supporters. The results weren’t in yet, but Trey was ahead of his opponents in the polls by an over 10% margin. Elise was not only looking at her husband, but at the next Congressman to be inaugurated by the state of Virginia. She was so proud of him and all his hard work to get to where they were today.
Their wedding was only three weeks ago in the Rose Garden at the White House. The press made a huge deal about the fact that they were the first of the Watts’ children to actually get married there. Trey would have whisked Elise anywhere in the world that she would have wanted to go to get married, but understood Martie’s fear of flying. He pushed for it to be in D.C. so she felt comfortable traveling to see her daughter get married. He was an amazing man, and Elise reminded him of that every day.
Soon after they were engaged, Elise put both townhomes in McLean on the market, and both she and Martie moved into Trey’s home. Her mother absolutely loved the carriage house, and the fact that it had its own personal elevator. Trey had even remodeled the kitchen to get all new appliances and cookware for Martie’s hobby. It was a morning ritual for Elise and Trey to head over to the carriage house for breakfast before they parted ways with each of their busy schedules.
Elise dove herself into charity work with the Fairfax County School District. Her schedule was always filled with events and fundraisers to help the teachers and schools get what they needed to support the children. Martie tagged along with Elise to most events, showing her support for what her daughter was doing which was time that she cherished.
