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“Do your kids know?”
“Not yet. But I would love for you to meet them.”
Not sure I was ready for that. I just met him. I just learned he didn’t abandon me. All these years, I completely had the wrong perception of the man. I needed time to think and process.
“I need to head home, but I’d like to see you again.”
He got up from the table, and we walked to my car. “You have my number. Call me sometime.”
After the stuff I learned today, I would like to get to know him. After all, it wasn’t his fault my mom never told him about me.
Chapter Thirty-One
ELLA
I had decided to try and get a head start on my workload for tomorrow while Alexander went to meet his dad. My parents had called, and they wanted to come visit. My dad wanted to get to know Alexander since things had gotten serious. I wanted them to get along. I tried to get along with his parents for the same reason. I was hoping he and I were forever. I didn’t ever want to lose him again.
I heard Alexander’s car in the garage. I hoped it went well. Even though he didn’t want to admit it, not knowing about his dad bothered him. He was not good at hiding stuff. He came into my office and sighed. I asked him what was wrong, and he told me everything. I was shocked. I didn’t expect this to happen. I could understand why he was so shocked. He told me he had siblings. I couldn’t imagine finding out I had siblings for thirty years and never met them. I tried to change the subject by telling him about my parents’ visit. He seemed pleased. He had only met my parents once, and it was awkward. I was hoping Alexander and my dad could bond over manly things. I was not ecstatic to have to spend a lot of time with my mother. We just didn’t get along. We never agreed on anything. I’d already come to terms that my mom would probably not like Alexander, andthat was fine with me. All I cared about was my dad. I would like my brother to meet him, but we weren’t that close. Alexander and I got settled for bed and fell fast asleep.
After work, I was excited to see my dad. I hadn’t talked to him much in the last couple of weeks. The last time I saw him, he wasn’t looking too well. As he was getting older, it could just be his age taking its toll on him.
Alexander was excited to see my parents in a comfortable setting, although, he knew his house could be overwhelming to some. He was hoping my parents could see past the money like I did. I had no worries. I knew my dad would love him once he got to know him. We got the guest bedroom all set up for them. I heard a car pull up, so we ran downstairs. It was them.
I greeted them at the door as Alexander helped my dad with their luggage. My dad looked pale and run down. Something was wrong. I figured I would give him time to tell me. I gave my dad a hug and told him how much I’d missed him. Sometimes I wished I was a kid again. We used to do everything together. He was my best friend and my hero.
Alexander and I gave them a tour of our house. My mother was shocked. She couldn’t believe how big the house was and that it had a playground.
“So, I’m guessing you want kids?” she asked.
“Yes!” we both replied in unison.
We had only talked about having kids a few times. I was glad to know we were still on the same page. My dad had always wanted grandkids. He couldn’t wait to be a grandfather. I was terrified at the thought of being a parent, but it didn’t change the fact that I wanted kids. I knew deep down we would be great parents.
My dad started to tell us about the cruise they just got back from and how much he enjoyed it. Neither one of us had ever been on a cruise. Maybe we should change that. My parents werealways traveling somewhere. They had just gotten back from the Virgin Islands. After going through their pictures from the trip, I was jealous. Alexander had mentioned to my parents that he was thinking about booking us a cruise. If he did, that would be epic.
“So, what are you plans?” I asked.
“Probably golf?” my dad answered.
“I’ll join,” Alexander offered.
My mom and I looked at each other like,oh great, we are stuck with each other. I didn’t know what we were going to do, but the men would be playing golf and bonding. That was great. They could have some alone time together.
The men got changed and headed out to play golf while I was stuck here with my mom. I couldn’t even think of the last real conversation we’d had recently. I decided to go for a swim. It was cold outside, but the pool was heated. I went upstairs and got changed. By the time I got back downstairs, my mom was already in the pool. She screamed at me to hurry up. Of course, she would. I jumped in the pool and splashed water all over her. She gave me a go-to-hell look, and I reciprocated.
The next half hour was pure silence between us. Finally, I asked how dad was doing. She told me he was fine, but I wasn’t falling for her bullshit. So I asked her again, and I got the same response. I knew she was lying to me. I begged her to tell me the truth. Finally, she sighed and said he didn’t want us to know. I understood that he didn’t want to alarm us, but we had a right to know. I needed to know what was going on with my dad. She began to tell me he had heart disease. He had a couple of heart attacks last year. Immediately, I was thinking why did they keep that from me? It was serious. I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
“Is he going to be okay?” I asked, almost in tears.
“No, Ella, he’s not.”
Her response had me blubbering like a baby. I couldn’t lose my dad. I knew one day he would pass, but it didn’t need to befor another twenty years. He needed to walk me down the aisle and see his grandbabies. After thinking about a million different things, I realized he was playing golf with Alexander right now. Should he be playing golf?
Chapter Thirty-Two
ALEXANDER
We jumped in the Audi and headed to the golf course. We got to the first hole, and I realized I’d only played golf a couple of times. I wondered if he was any good. Within a couple of holes, I could tell he played often. He was quite good. I wanted him to like me. I knew it was important to Ella. I would try my best to gain his trust. We played for about an hour, and there wasn’t much conversation between us. I could tell he wanted to talk to me, but he wasn’t. Maybe he wanted to know my intentions with his daughter. “I love your daughter.”
