“Your mom does know about this dinner, right?” I asked, jogging ahead to open the passenger door for her. “She knows she’s meeting us?”
“Of course,” she said. “Don’t worry. She’ll be there.”
I rolled my neck from side to side, trying to release some of the anxious tension as I rounded the car to the driver’s side door. The sky was darkening, signaling the arrival of a late summer storm. A couple of random raindrops splattered against the windshield as I started toward the restaurant.
“How did she seem when you talked to her?” I asked for what felt like the millionth time since she said her mom was willing to talk about things over dinner.
Grace giggled. “I already told you. She was ready and willing to talk to you.”
“I know, but maybe I should have called her first?” I asked, second guessing myself. “It just feels weird that this will be the first time we’ve even talked since everything happened.”
“No, it’s not weird,” she said quickly. “She thought it would be better that way. You know, talking in person.”
I nodded. “Right.” I still felt strange about it, but I chalked it up to how nervous I was about seeing Ella. I couldn’t help but feel hopeful that we would walk away from the conversation differently than we’d arrived. That she would give me another chance to show her I could be the man she deserved.
Grace had suggested we go somewhere that was meaningful to us, but the truth was, every moment I’d spent with Ella meant the world to me. Part of me wished I could have gone to her house and talked with her there, but Grace had insisted that meeting for dinner was what Ella wanted.
She probably preferred to be on more neutral territory, somewhere she could easily leave should she realize that this wasn’t what she wanted. ThatIwasn’t what she wanted.
My stomach churned at the thought. What if she didn’t take me back?
“Grace, I need you to know something,” I said as I drove. “No matter how this turns out, I’ll always be here for you, okay? But if your mom doesn’t want a relationship with me, I need to know that you will support her and be on her side, no matter what. Can you promise me that?”
“She’s going to want to get back together with you,” she insisted. “I know she will.”
“But if she doesn’t,” I said, “I don’t want you to hold that against her, okay? I hurt her, and that is my burden to bear.”
Grace’s mouth turned downward. “She’s going to forgive you.”
“I need you to promise me, Grace,” I said again.
She sighed. “I promise.”
I hated to even think about the possibility that I would walk away without Ella, that she wouldn’t be able to forgive me. But I knew my actions had consequences, and I was prepared to accept whatever they were. I was just grateful she was willing to hear me out.
The closer we got to the restaurant, the darker the skies became, and I hoped that wasn’t a bad omen. We drove the rest of the way in silence as I mentally tried to calm my nerves, rehearsing everything I would say to her. I’d thought it through over and over again in my mind. There were a million things I wanted to say, but they were all a longer version of the same thing… that I loved her and Grace, and I would spend my life showing them if she’d let me.
“We’re here,” Grace said, rubbing her palms together as the sign for Moto came into view.
My stomach flopped around like a fish on dry land as I found a parking space.
“We better get in there before it starts raining,” Grace urged. “Are you ready?”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
She reached over and placed her hand on my arm. “It’s going to be okay.”
I placed my hand on hers and nodded. No matter the outcome, I’d been given the gift of a second chance. As the waves ripped around me, tugging at my heart, I was reminded that they were never there to take me down or pull me under.
They were there to teach me how to swim.
* * *
The wind whippedaround us as we approached the front door of the restaurant, and I noticed a familiar figure walking toward us.
Thunder rumbled, causing the ground to tremble slightly beneath my feet. “Is that... Is that Derek?”
“Shit,” I heard Grace curse as my eyes gravitated to the figure that fell into step beside him. Her hair fell in soft waves around her face, and her blue, floral dress held her tight—the way I longed to. She was breathtaking.
