I nodded. “Cool. I like all those names. But I agree about Larissa… I don’t really care for it.”
“Ah, I think it’s pretty.”
“It makes me think of…licorice and…lasso.”
She laughed. “Wyatt might like that better. He suggested ‘Colt’ for a boy.”
“Hey, that’s really cute. Colt Brennan. I like it.”
“Yeah, I guess I do too. But we’re dealing with a girl here, so first things first.”
“Well I definitely see a Colt in your future, so maybe you really should plan for a Courtney. Court and Colt,” I chuckled.
“Court and Colt. Jeez, say that a few times fast.”
We actually tried in and started laughing about it.
“Courtney and Colt. Just stick with that.”
Harlan called me around four, deeply sorry that he was going to be held up at work because of a pretty bad accident on the freeway. I told him not to worry about me—I was still with Dawn and we could spend more time together—and he said he’d call me when he could. I guess I was pretty disappointed, but I understood that sometimes things happen that way. The flowers alone had made my day, and I was happy that I could spend some more time with my sister.
We were at Gino’s with a small group of my friends when Harlan met us there around eight. I could tell he was exhausted, but he did a pretty good job mustering up some energy to converse with the rest of us. He asked if he could drive me home that night, even though my sister pushed me onto him pretty easily. But I convinced him to let me drive instead, and just by the way he easily agreed, I knew he was pretty tired. I was expecting the Lexus since that’s what he seemed to drive more often lately, so I was surprised to see the Porsche again.
That kind of intimidated me, but I was excited at the same time.
“Uh, Felix needed a bigger car for the night for a double date,” Harlan explained when he saw me look over the car. “He says happy birthday, by the way.”
“Oh. Tell him thank you. So you’ll really let me drive your car?”
With a smile he replied, “Why not?”
“Are you sure you want me to?”
“I can drive if you’d rather,” he said, holding his hand out for the keys.
“I want to drive your car,” I grinned.
He chuckled. “If you’re that eager about it, I’m a little scared.”
“Oh, don’t believe the rumors people say about my driving.”
“I haven’t really heard any, so I’ll keep my ears closed.” He stepped close to me and pressed his lips against my temple to kiss it. “Just remember that there are other people on the road,” he murmured.
“Of course. But all I need to remember is the sexy doctor that’s my passenger. Then I’ll be safe.”
He tilted his head in thought and replied, “Okay, that’ll do.”
The drive home was fun, and yes, I was safe and obeyed the speed limits. I wasn’t usually a crazy driver in the first place, but I did tend to lose track of my speed on occasion. But I behaved for Harlan, and I even told him that I was being good so he’d let me drive his car again. He thought that was pretty funny, and then he said, “It’s sad, but I would still let you drive my car even if you had the worst driving record in the world. That’s how big of a sucker I am for you.”
“Well that’s not very reasonable,” I replied with a smile. We’d just entered my house and I tossed my coat on a chair.
“I know. All of my common sense has left me.”
I saw him notice the monstrous vase of flowers on the table and I had to smile.
“They’re beautiful, Harlan. I can smell them when I walk in the door, and I love that. Have I said thank you yet?”
“Well, yes, about five times. But you’re very welcome.”
“A dozen would have been plenty you know.”
“Plenty for whom? Not for you. And not even for me. I have to come over here and see them. That’s more stunning than a dozen.”
“Yes, I do agree. And I do love them, so thank you again.”
He only smiled and sat down in the crook of the L-shaped couch. I turned the TV on and sat close to him as he put his arm around me. It was a familiar place for me to be, but this time I felt a bit more affectionate and I laid my face against his chest. To keep it casual I made a comment about what we could watch, and Harlan was fine with what was on. I suspected he might fall asleep soon anyways, so I didn’t think it mattered to him what was on the television.
“So what did you shop for today?” he asked, softly running his fingers along my arm.
“Oh, not much. Mostly baby stuff.”
“What are you going to do with baby items for your birthday?” he teased.
“It’s just fun shopping for things like that.”
“Did you get anything for yourself?”
“Mm, yeah a few things. Ha, I guess it’s still in Dawn’s car. She’ll probably steal my clothes.”
“Uh, would she fit in your clothes?” he kind of chuckled.
“Nah, not anymore. But she might take the skirt I bought for my mom. That would fit under her pregnant belly.”
“And what kind of baby items did you get? Clothes?”
“Yeah, a few little outfits, some tiny little tights and shoes I couldn’t pass up, and two pairs of pajamas.”
“Wow, you’ll spoil the rotten little thing before she’s even born.”
I laughed and sat up slightly to face him. “She’s my first niece. I finally get a baby to make a fuss over.”
He barely raised an eyebrow. “That’s not better than having your own, right?”
“My own baby?”
He nodded. “Is that in your plans?”
“Well…yeah. Someday.”
“Someday meaning…a year or two? Or someday meaning…ten years from now?”
I laughed. “No, ten years from now I’d like to be done having kids.”
“Do you know how many you want?”
“Mmm, not really. I’ll have to get through the first one and then maybe I’ll decide if I’m done or not.”
“Most women claim they’ll never have another one again.”
“Yeah, so I’ve heard,” I said with a laugh. “I’ll probably watch Dawn go through labor and change my mind.”
He smiled but replied, “That would be a shame though. You’ll make an incredible mother.”
That was sweet to hear. Very Harlan.
“Thanks. I tend to think I’ll be somewhat decent.”
“Somewhat decent,” he chuckled. He studied my features for just a second, and then softly combed my hair with his fingers. “You, my dear, will be a fantastic mum.”
“And how many lads and lasses do you want?” I smiled.
“Hmm, well I guess the final result will depend on my wife, but I think I could survive having two or three.”
I nodded. “That’s a reasonable number. And you’ll make an excellent father, by the way.”
“You think so?”
“Absolutely. You’re very patient.”
“Hmm. My children will probably be hellions, then.”
“What?” I chuckled.
“My mother used to say, ‘You just wait, Harlan. You’re going to have children just like you someday.’ ”
I laughed out laugh. “Little Harlan was a hellion?” I pretended to be shocked.
“Little Harlan, big Harlan… Yes, I was quite a handful. My mother would make my father take me to work with him as a punishment for when I was really naughty.”
“Where did your dad work?”
“He was a dishwasher. We were very poor. My mother mended clothing for a little bit of extra money, but when Felix was old enough to be in school she got a job cleaning the floors at the theatre. I guess I didn’t really understand how much stress I added to their lives until I heard her sobbing one night to my father. She had suffered a horrible injury to her leg and could hardly perform her job anymore. Really that extra income was the only thing barely getting us by, so she
was very upset when my father made her quit.
“I was fourteen, but I just remember hearing her say, ‘But he’s too young, James. Please don’t send Harlan to work.’ Well we tried to get by that way and it was tough. We basically ate only one meal a day, and Felix ended up getting pretty sick. I really did want to quit school so I could work and help out the family, but my mother refused to let me. I later found out that my parents—my biological parents—had quite the sum of money put away in my name, and it was entirely for my education. My parents—my adoptive parents—could have used some of it during those hard times, but they chose not to. I guess… Well, I guess it was a very big lesson I learned. I was very bright—as my mum always told me—so I chose to start applying myself to my studies.”
He shrugged as if to say, “And that was that.”
“So? You decided to become a doctor?”
“Yes. I wanted to be something they could be proud of, I suppose. I began university when I was sixteen and decided that I actually liked it quite a lot. I guess you could say I became an overachiever,” he chuckled.
“You were motivated by your family’s needs. That’s very admirable.”
He shrugged again. “They’re still pretty stubborn about being taken care of. I try to tell them it’s their return from caring for me all those years. Gradually they’re learning to accept help.”
“So are they doing pretty well now? Did your mom’s leg ever heal?”
“She had surgery a few years ago to reset the bone that hadn’t healed correctly. She’s doing much better, and she’s even working for the theatre again. But,” he smiled, “she’s a seamstress for the performers, not cleaning floors.”
“Oh, really? She makes the costumes?”
“Yes, she does. She’s very talented.”
“Wow, I guess so. That’s great. I’m glad you get to see them a couple of times a year. Have they ever come to the States?”
“No, not yet. I’m still working on it. They’re considering next Christmas for a visit. I hope it works out that way.”
“Good, me too. I’d love to meet your parents.”
He paused for a few seconds before he replied, “Oh?”
I nodded. “Well yeah, I want to hear some really great stories about what a naughty kid you were.”
He laughed. “Well you’d hear a lot of stories about getting into fights, stealing from the market, and skipping school a lot.”
I feigned my disbelief. “Sheesh, Harlan.”
He chuckled. “I know, I tell you, I was pretty bad.”
“Well, it’s only shaped you into the person you are today, so I guess I’m grateful you were such a rotten kid. Obviously your parents are over it if they put up with you for that long.”
“Yes,” he smiled. “I suppose they are. And I would like for you to meet them.”
“Good, because I would like that too.”
He looked into my eyes for several seconds. I wasn’t quite sure what he was searching for, but I guess I figured it out when his hand softly touched my face. My heart began to pound in my chest, thinking that he was going to kiss me again. But he didn’t, and he only smiled and took my hand in his.
Yes, that did it for me. He was so considerate of my feelings and it made me appreciate him even more. I felt a very strong desire to kiss him, so I resumed the spot I had been in earlier to be closer to him, and placed my hands against his neck. I even tried to change my mind, thinking that I would have the will to do that, but I didn’t, and I kissed him anyway. It was much like the first time he kissed me, except I was the initiator this time, and I kissed him a lot longer. It was also a little more passionate, and because I could tell how much he cared about me, it made my heart grow for him even more. It was Harlan, the man that had been so patient with me, giving me all the time and space that I needed, and I was very thankful that he was in my life.
I couldn’t even pull away very easily, because when I tried to the first time, I just wanted to kiss him again. So we kissed for several minutes, just sitting there on the couch, letting our affection for each other take over. I normally did let my mind think about things too much, but that time I chose to just let go of all my worries. I would leave the decisions for another day.
When I did finally distance myself, we were both quiet for a while. I knew that I kind of smiled sheepishly, sure that I had probably stunned him a little bit by my forwardness. He looked a little dazed.
“You should probably get some sleep,” I told him. “Will you be okay driving?”
“Uh, yes I believe so. Now I’m wide-awake and might not sleep for days.”
I smiled. “Well… Sorry for that.”
“Hmm, are you really?” He shifted on the couch and softly ran a hand through my hair before he stood. “I should go, though. But first I’d like you to have your birthday gift.”
“What? It’s on the table,” I replied, pointing to the flowers.
“No, that’s not really it.”
“Harlan, I don’t need any gifts. And holy crap, you already paid the entire tab for dinner.”
He had picked up his coat and pulled out a thin package from the inside pocket. I stood up when he handed it to me and said, “Just let me know what you think when you’re ready.”
“Okay, just let me open it—”
He put his hand over mine to halt my progress. “I’d rather you wait until I leave.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want you to have an answer right now. And I don’t want you to feel obligated to have an answer right now.”
I was more curious than ever and I opened it anyway. Harlan was about to leave just as I looked at what was in my hand, so I took a few steps to catch up with him at the door, and grabbed his arm to stop him.
“A flight to England?” I asked with disbelief.
He leaned forward and kissed me on the lips. “You have a couple of months to think it over, and if you choose not to go with me, it’s not a problem, all right? Goodnight, Ellie.”
He gave me one last smile as he shut the door behind him.
England. It was so exciting to me and I wanted to run after him and say yes. Why wouldn’t I want to go to England with him?
Then I looked at the date on the ticket and my heart sank. April 1st to April 8th. It was my vacation time in the spring.
And it was the same time that I was still planning to see Tyse in California…
Chapter Thirty-One
A few days later I got a small package in the mail. It was postmarked from San Francisco more than a week ago. The return address seemed to be from a shipping port or something, but the one thing that stood out to me were the initials above it: TCM.
Tyse Christopher Morgan.
I almost lost my breath. I couldn’t open it fast enough, and even though the package was no larger than a shoebox, I had a hard time getting into it. It was taped up pretty good, and when I got it open, amidst a bunch of packaging peanuts, there was another taped up box inside. I finally ran to the kitchen and grabbed a knife to carefully slice the tape open. Fortunately there wasn’t another box, but there was a pile of tissue I had to unwrap to reveal…another box. Only it wasn’t more packaging, it was a beautiful wooden box, and a name was even burned into the wood: Ambrielle.
I very carefully opened the box, and to my complete and utter shock, Billy Joel’s “All About Soul” began to play. It brought instant tears to my eyes, especially when I saw—instead of a traditional ballerina spinning around—a little snowboarding girl instead. It made me laugh—and cry at the same time.
I noticed another little piece of tissue inside the box, and I opened it up to find a silver bracelet. It was really quaint—not like a perfectly crafted jeweler’s bracelet—and it had handmade beads interspersed throughout the chains. I knew it definitely told a story, but I wasn’t sure what that was until I read the little note that came with it. It described each of the tiny little pictures or tribal symbols on the beads, and all six of them h
ad to do with qualities that Tyse felt I strongly possessed.
I was completely blown away—just the thought that went into it amazed me—and I felt like I had something that was a part of Tyse, or at least how I had directly influenced his life.
I also found another note on the bottom of the box and it was written in Tyse’s handwriting as well:
Dear Ellie,
These past few weeks have been really hard for me physically, but it’s been even harder emotionally because I miss being able to talk to you. I’m so sorry about Christmas—I just couldn’t pass up this opportunity because it’s the only way I could pay for my next semester of school. For now Nate is footing the bill and I’ll miss the first week of classes until I’m done here, but I’ll have the money to pay him back, and I’ll be able to pay for the next semester too. I guess besides me needing the money, it was also good timing for you and the new changes in your life.
I’m sorry for not calling you before I left. Some things happened and I just decided to put it all aside for now and deal with it later. I guess for now I’m just saying that I’ll be pretty busy for the next few months, and you probably won’t hear from me much. I hope everything is going good for you and I wish you the best, so don’t feel like you have to keep in touch anymore. I’m happy for you Ellie, and I just want to say thank you for being such a great friend to me.
Take Care,
Tyse
P.S.- The bracelet was actually your Christmas present. I failed to mail it to you after I canceled the trip and I’m sorry. The box is for your birthday; I think I mailed it soon enough, so I hope you get it in time. Happy 21st, Ellie. I miss you.
I read the letter about six times, just to understand what I was reading. It felt like he had positive feelings about me, but it also seemed like he was ending our friendship. I was very confused about what new changes in my life he was talking about. I didn’t think he was talking about my job—how would he know I got a promotion? –so the only thing I could think of, the only thing that made me panic, was that he thought I was in a serious relationship with Harlan.
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