by Lisa Bilbrey
“Oh, honey, no,” Callum said, once more trying to move from under Derek, who tightened his arm and kept him under his weight. “You are so far from being unlovable. You’re the most lovable person I’ve ever met, Elle.”
“He’s right,” Sadie added, reaching over and stroking her cheek. “You and I, we’ve been through so much. We left home together. We faced our parents together. We fell in love together. You and me, but now we includes Derek and Callum. And that will never change, not even because of a bitch like Trixie Maxwell.”
“I know,” Elle said, softly. “I don’t blame anyone other than Trixie for what’s happened to me. For whatever reason, she’s become obsessed with me, with wanting to be me. But she will never have what’s mine, and that means you, Callum, and Derek.”
“Damn right,” Callum chuckled. “Even if he did get a little carried away with the wine tonight.”
“Today was a good day,” Elle said, gripping her cane as she stood up to change into her pajamas. “We’re one step closer.”
“To what?” Callum asked.
“To forever.”
Twelve
“Will someone please explain to me why we are the only ones stupid enough to actually work, when everyone else in the office has taken the day off?” Derek grumbled, and when Elle looked at him, she saw him staring at his new driver’s license.
After the judge approved his name change, he immediately filed the paperwork needed to get a new social security card, and once it came four days ago, he went straight to the department of motor vehicles and asked for a new driver’s license. Now, in every way possible, he was Derek Flores Davis.
“Because …” Callum paused and looked from him to Elle and then to Sadie, who looked very uncomfortable. “I have no fucking idea.”
Elle laughed. “Well, I’m here because I have a ton of paperwork to get through.”
“Paperwork is stupid,” Derek grumbled, tucking his license back into his wallet and tossing it on his desk.
“Nobody is forcing you to stay,” Elle exclaimed with a laugh. “Hell, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t need to be.”
“Yes, you would,” the three of them said together.
“What? No, I wouldn’t!” she scoffed.
“Honey, I love you, but you’re a workaholic. And that’s okay, because you ensure that we’re going to get a nice, thick, juicy paycheck,” Callum snickered.
Elle rolled her eyes. “Someone has to work. If you had it your way, it would be nothing but blowjobs and pussy around here.”
“And that’s a problem why exactly?” Derek asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Never said it was.” Elle smirked before turning her attention back to her computer. “I rather enjoy watching you suck Callum’s cock. It’s almost as enjoyable as watching you fuck his ass.”
“Almost, but not quite,” Sadie said, dreamily. She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, sighing. “Almost.”
“You two —”
A knock on their office door had all four of them quieting. Nobody was supposed to be in the office today. Samuel had announced during the staff meeting on Monday morning that he was closing the company on Friday, giving everyone an extended weekend, as a reward for their hard work. The only reason Elle, Callum, Sadie, and Derek were working was because they’d gotten behind on paperwork that needed to be filed by the beginning of the following week.
“Get back against the wall,” Derek told them before standing up.
Elle and Sadie didn’t need to be told twice. They quickly moved so that they were standing on the far side of the office with Callum standing in front of them protectively. If it wasn’t for the fact that Trixie Maxwell was still evading police, they wouldn’t be so paranoid, but the woman had broken into their house just two weeks beforehand.
Slowly, Derek crept across the room and placed both hands on the door, sliding one down until it wrapped around the doorknob. Elle’s heart was racing and she found herself struggling to breath.
Just as Derek began turning the knob, she cried out, “No, don’t!”
But it was too late. He’d already started pulling the door open.
“Surprise!” came the sing-song voices of their parent. Helina, James, Claudia, Bruce, Carlos, Felicia, Samuel, and Lydia were gathered around the door to their office, smiles on their faces.
And while Elle was thrilled to see them, she found herself crumbling to the floor as tears seeped down her face.
“Oh, honey,” Callum gasped, wrapping his arms around her. “Shh, it’s okay. She’s not here.”
“I’m sorry,” Elle wept, sliding her arms around his neck. “I’m being silly.’
“No, you’re not,” he told her, nestling her against him. “I was scared, too.”
“You were?” she sniffled, peeking through the hair that had fallen around her face at where their parents now stood, looking as scared as she felt.
“Mmhmm,” he hummed. He pressed his lips against the top of her head before saying, “I never want to lose you, baby.”
“You won’t,” she whispered. “You’re always going to be mine.”
“I know.” Callum kissed the top of his head again before helping her back to her feet. He kept his arm around her waist while Derek retrieved her cane, giving Sadie a look that clearly said ‘don’t even consider bending your pregnant body over to pick it up.’ Once Elle was steady on her feet again, the four of them looked at their parents.
“Not that we aren’t happy to see you, but what in the hell are you doing here?” Derek asked, his tone short and tight.
“Oh, um,” Samuel stammered, and it was the first time Elle had ever seen him at a loss for words.
Helina cleared her throat, shifting nervously where she stood. “We wanted to surprise you, but clearly, that wasn’t a good idea.” Helina paused and looked up at James, who subtly nodded. “We need you to come with us.”
“Why?” Elle asked, frowning.
“Because your grooms shouldn’t be seeing their brides on your wedding day,” she said, softly.
“What?” the four of them asked together.
“Your … your wedding day,” Claudia spluttered. “Today’s your wedding day.”
“Um, have you been drinking?” Sadie scoffed. “I think we would know if we’d planned a wedding for today, and we sure as hell haven’t.”
Claudia smiled. “But we did.”
“Huh?” Derek asked, looking just as confused as Elle felt. “What are you talking about?”
Helina blew out a deep breath as she stepped away from the group and walked over to Elle, slowly reaching for her hand, which she gave. “You’ve been strong for so long. And not just the last few months, either, but you’re entire life. When you told me and Daddy about your plans to have Derek’s name changed, we thought, maybe, we could help take some of the stress off your shoulders by planning your wedding.”
Elle stared at her. “You did this for me?”
“Yes. Well, for all of you,” she said, looking back at the rest of the parents for support.
Lydia smiled and stepped up next to Helina, which in itself was comical to Elle. She’d been so resistant to forgive her mother for the horrible and degrading what Helina had treated her, but in the end they had become friends.
“We love all of you so much. You’ve fought so hard for the right to love each other, and we, together as your parents, wanted to make sure your wedding was perfect.”
Tears flooded Elle’s eyes as she looked from Lydia and back to her Helina, who looked terrified, like she’d said or done the wrong thing. Giving her hand a tug, Elle pulled her mother toward her and hugged her.
“Thank you,” she whimpered. “This means so much to us.”
“I’d do anything for you, sweetheart,” Helina cried. “And for them.”
“You mean that?” she asked, leaning back. “You accept them, accept our relationship?”
Helina smiled. “How could I not? Derek, Callum, and Sadie stayed
by your side when you needed them the most. They’ve loved you when I couldn’t. They reached out to us when they knew we wouldn’t be kind. It’s clear to me, to all of us, that the four of you are very much in love.”
“We do, you know? Love her, I mean,” Callum said. “She’s everything to us.”
“I know,” Helina said, smiling before looking back at Elle. “Do you trust me, sweetheart?”
“I want to,” she murmured.
“Let us do this for you,” Helina pleaded. “Please!”
“Of course we will,” Sadie exclaimed, sliding her arm around Elle’s waist. “Won’t we, honey?”
Elle nodded.
Sadie smiled. “So, what’s the plan?”
“Well, you and Elle are coming with us,” Claudia laughed, reaching for her daughter, who wobbled over to her.
“And Derek, Callum, you’re with us.” Samuel smirked, beckoning his son to him with a curve of his index finger. “You’re mine now, boy.”
“Ew, Dad, that sounds creepy,” Callum groused, turning his back on his father as he looked down at Elle. “Guess we’ll see you at chapel, or wherever this wedding will be taking place.”
“Guess so,” Elle murmured, placing her hands on his chest before she leaned up and kissed him. “I love you.”
Callum smiled and cupped her cheek. “I love you, too.”
While he moved over to Sadie, Elle found herself in Derek’s arms, his face pressed against the side of her neck. “Don’t know if I can let you go,” he whispered.
“You can.”
“But I don’t want to,” he whined, playfully. Leaning his head off her shoulder, he smiled. “You’re going to be my wife.”
“I am.” Elle placed her hands on either side of his face. “I love you, Derek.”
“I love you more,” he growled, kissing her before she could offer a rebuttal. “And I’m going to love you for the rest of my life, Elle soon-to-be Davis.”
“Can’t wait.”
—FA—
“What time is it?” Helina asked, turning from the chair where Elle was sitting and looking at Ivy.
“Almost seven,” she replied.
Helina nodded and turned back to Elle, smiling at her through the mirror as she tucked a loose strain of hair behind her ear. “Not much longer.”
Elle and Sadie had been pampered all afternoon by their mothers, Lydia, and Felicia. A trip to the spa for deep tissue massages and facials. They’d had manicures and pedicures, their hair and make-up had perfected.
From there, they were taken to the Hotel Monaco, one of the poshest hotels in the city, one that cost a pretty penny to even look at.
Claudia had taken Sadie to another room, stating that they were getting married, too, and would see each other again when it was time for the wedding to start. Now Elle, Helina, and Ivy were sitting inside a luxurious suite that most likely cost more than Elle made in a month, and were waiting to put on the white dress that hung in the bathroom for them.
Helina was different, Elle thought. She smiled more, laughed, socialized with Lydia and Felicia in a way that she never did. Even with Claudia, who had been the closest friend she had for a long time. She just seemed freer, and it was a change that Elle liked.
“Why are you doing this?” Elle asked, causing the suite to become eerily quiet, but she needed to know, to understand. “I know you don’t approve of our lifestyle, and —”
“But I do,” she interrupted. “Approve, I mean. I do.”
Elle smiled. “You do?”
Helina nodded and sat next to her. “I won’t make excuses for my behavior, for the mean and hateful things that I’ve said in the past, but I’ve done a lot of soul searching over the last year. And I’ve come to realize that I’ve let fear and doubt keep me from seeing things clearly.”
“What are you afraid of?” Elle asked.
“Of being lost,” her mother said. “Grams and Pap passed before you were born, but they were God-fearing people, who expected their only daughter to be a devote Christian, as well. Every Sunday, I was in the pew next to Momma, and every night before bed, Daddy and I prayed together for our family, for our country, and for those who hadn’t found God’s forgiveness yet. And everything was a sin. The preacher would stand behind his pulpit every week and preach about how God hates sin, how wrong it is to stray from God’s good work.
“Every time I lied or coveted something a friend had, I’d feel so guilty, Elle, because I had sinned once again. How was God ever going to love me if I kept sinning? I tried to be a good Christian. I prayed and shared his word, tried to walk the walk, as they say. I went to college and met your father, fell in love. I wanted him, Elle. I wanted him to touch me, to make love to me.”
“Ew,” Elle and Ivy grimaced.
Helina laughed. “I’m sorry, girls. I know even thinking about me and Daddy having sex disgusts you.”
“A little,” Elle admitted.
“A lot,” Ivy groused.
“It did me, too.” Helina sighed. “Sex wasn’t supposed to be enjoyable. Momma told me sex was just for making babies. You were conceived not long after Daddy and I were married, Ivy, and I was terrified. I didn’t know how to be a mother!”
Helina frowned. “Ivy was four months old when Momma and Daddy died. I struggled a lot with my grief. I missed them, but I had a daughter to raise. And before long, I had two daughters to raise. I wanted to bring you up right. Or what I thought was right, so we went to church every Sunday. You and Ivy went to Sunday school, vacation bible school, and then church camp when you were old enough. I did everything I could to immerse you in God’s love. Somewhere along the way I became someone I hated. I became this mean, bitter, judgmental … Well, bitch,” she admitted.
“Mom!” Elle gasped, half-laughing.
“Well, I was!” Helina giggled. “I was miserable, Elle. My girls had left, and I didn’t have anything to do anymore. I’d raised you and you’d spread your wings. I got angry. I put the blame on you because you weren’t like me. You weren’t afraid to be who you are.”
“Are you kidding me?” Elle whimpered, struggling to keep from crying and ruining her make-up. “Leaving Texas with Sadie was the hardest thing I’d ever had to do.”
“But you did it. You were stronger, braver than me, and instead of accepting you for the beautiful, amazing woman you’d become despite me, I pushed you away. I’ll never forgive myself for not being the mother you deserve.”
“You can be her now,” Elle murmured, reaching over and placing her hand on top of Helina’s. “I’ve missed you, Mom.”
“You have?” she cried.
Elle nodded. “I don’t know how many times I picked up the phone to call you, to beg you to come to me.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Because I was afraid that you’d push me away again,” she admitted. “I … I thought maybe you’d think I deserved what happened to me because I was a sinner.”
Helina and Ivy gasped, their hands reaching for Elle, who was quick to grab her cane and move before they could touch her.
“I felt so guilty for pushing you way when you came for Christmas,” Elle murmured, struggling to keep from sobbing. “I wanted to beg you to love me, beg you to call me your daughter again, but I was so hurt that I let my anger control me. And then Trixie came after me, and I became even more angry and scared. Even a little ashamed.”
“Why were you ashamed?” Ivy asked. “You did nothing wrong, Elle. That bitch is bat-shit crazy.”
“No, I know,” Elle said, putting her hand up in front of her. “But first Leo, and then Trixie — it was just too much.”
“What did Leo do to you?” Helina asked. “You said he hurt you, but you never told me what he did exactly.”
“He …” Elle paused. “He tried to change me into the woman he thought I should be, instead of loving me for who I was.”
“He hit you?” she asked, quietly.
“Not until the end,” Elle murmured. “It was litt
le things at first. He wouldn’t like a shirt I wore, so he’d ask me to change. Then it was telling me to change. Or, he liked my hair worn up, he never let me pick where we had dinner, what movie we watched. He hated that I painted, said I was messy, like a child. He hated Sadie, said she was using me. And then one night, he accused me of cheating on him, said I was a whore and the only reason I did so well in school was because I slept with my professors.”
Elle shifted her attention to Helina. “Which was a lie.”
“I know,” she said, smiling. “You’re brilliant, Elle. You always have been.”
“Yeah, well, Leo didn’t think so. I think he was jealous of my success, and he lashed out. He hit me, and I told him to fuck off because no man hits me and gets to stay in my life.”
“That’s my girl!” Helina cheered.
“But he wasn’t done with me,” Elle said, causing her mother to sober up. “A few weeks later, I was interviewing for a job and when I walking back to my car, I saw him. There was a look on his face, one that scared me. I tried to run, but I was in heels. He, um, he threw me on the ground and started hitting me. He said he’d treat me like the whore I was, and … Well, you can guess what he intended to do.”
“Intended?” Helina whispered. “So he didn’t …”
“No,” Elle was quick to insist. “No. I was lucky, because someone heard me screaming for help and rushed to my aide. His name is Aaron and it turns out that he’s friends with Nick.”
“Wow, really?” Helina asked, her face scrunching up. “What are the odds?” Helina sighed and looked at Elle. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because you would have said I’d deserved it,” Elle said. “I was a whore in your eyes. All the men I’ve slept with, all the sins I’d committed. And you loved Leo.”
“But I love you more.” Helina stood up and walked over to Elle, placing her hands on either side of her face. “And no matter how many sexual partners you’ve had, or do have, I will never stop loving you, Elle.”
“Promise?” she whispered.
“I promise.” Helina smiled. “Now, it’s time to put your dress on. Don’t want to keep your fiancés waiting, do you?”
“No,” she breathed, softly.