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Jim said, “I’d appreciate it, but it’s not required.”
“Fair enough. You’re going to stick around?” he asked, his bluster gone.
“Yes.”
“Good,” Earl grunted.
Irene sat on the other love seat with a look of relief on her face. She mouthed “Thank you” at Jim.
When Elle came out of the bathroom, her eyes were a little red. Jim immediately wanted to pull her into his arms. Earl beat him to it, getting out of his chair.
“I’m sorry. Don’t cry, baby. Come here,” Earl said, pulling her into a hug.
Elle stood there stiffly for a minute and then wrapped her arms around him. Jim heard Earl saying something. He really hoped that whatever it was wouldn’t make her cry again.
For the next few hours they all sat in the living room as Elle and Irene discussed some of the practicalities of being a mother. Earl made grudging attempts at small talk, which was enough for Jim.
By the time they were ready to leave, Earl was considerably more relaxed. He hugged Elle one last time and said, “I can’t believe I’m gonna be a grandpa.”
Elle grinned and said, “Well, you are. It’s a done deal.”
Jim got distracted when Irene hugged him to within an inch of his life and whispered, “Thank you, honey. I thought it was gonna get real ugly.”
Hugging her back, he murmured, “Me too. Thanks for disarming him.”
Irene beamed at him and then let him go to reach for Elle. Jim stood there awkwardly until Earl slapped him on the back and said, “You take care of my girl, Jim. Irene took my guns but I know where she hid them.”
“Daddy!” Elle said. Looking at her mother, she said, “Mom. Pawn them.”
A few minutes later, Irene and Earl both walked them to the door, waving to them as they got into the truck. Elle was silent until they had backed out of the driveway.
“You must be the Earl whisperer, Jim. He was pissed when I got up, and hugged me when I came back. What did you say?”
“I told him it was okay if he was angry at me, but that you needed his support,” Jim said, shrugging.
“Thank you,” Elle said softly as she reached across the console to put her hand on his thigh.
Clearing her throat, Elle said, “He even managed to make conversation with you this afternoon. All things considered, I think he might like you.”
“How do you figure that? The only reason he agreed to be nice was because I told him he could feel free to hate me all he wanted.”
Elle laughed, then said, “I can see how that would appeal to him. What about your family? You never really even mentioned how they reacted to the news.”
“My mom congratulated me and asked the obligatory questions about you. I was kind of surprised by the nonreaction. Normally she’s opinionated about everything. It was strange, considering her normal behavior. I haven’t spoken to my father. You’ll meet them when they’re here in a couple weeks, right?”
“It’s not like I could tell you no, Jim. Not after how ridiculously understanding you were about them showing up unannounced and this afternoon. What should I expect?”
“Polite distance from my dad,” Jim said. “My mom, I don’t know. We’ll just say that she’s nothing at all like yours.”
“I’m sure it will be fine,” Elle said.
Jim wasn’t entirely sure. He’d expected a nonresponse from his father. He’d expected his mother to go through the roof. He’d received a calm response back asking the requisite questions. There hadn’t been any criticism at all. That worried him.
Trying to put it out of his mind, he changed the subject, asking, “So, where to now?”
“I don’t know. Back to LA?” Elle asked.
“Could you give me a little more than that?” Jim asked, smirking.
