“Early June.You?”asked Mia.
“Mid-June!These babies are going to be the best of friends!”replied Ella, feeling better than she had since landing in Aspen.
Sadly, Ella’s parents continued to ignore her calls.Sophie called her late Tuesday night and begged her to come home.Hearing the anguish in her sister’s voice, Ella almost demanded that Ben get her a one-way ticket back to Napa.The only thing that stopped her was that she could not bring Ben.He had defended her and been by her side the whole way.She could not just walk away from him—not even for her family whom she missed so much.She had tears in her eyes as she told Sophie she would not be coming back until Ben was welcome too.In a last force of fake strength, Ella added that it was time for her parents to either get on board with her marrying Ben or face a life without her and her child.Ella was not sure she would be able to stick to her guns forever, but she had to try.
After hanging up with her sister, Ella pasted a smile on her face and prepared for her trip to Arkansas to meet Ben’s parents.Surely whatever awaited them there could not be any harder than the past few days, could it?Sending up a prayer that things were going to go smoothly, Ella handed Ben her suitcase and headed out of the condo ready to take on Operation Meet Ben’s Parents.
Chapter 16
Searcy, Arkansas
Ben and Ella landed in Little Rock by 9:00.They had planned to meet up with Ben’s parents at baggage claim.Ella had to take several deep breaths to calm her nerves as they made their way through Clinton Airport.
Suddenly, feeling almost paralyzed by meeting his parents, Ella pulled Ben to the side.“Would it be okay if we did not immediately tell your parents about the baby or about being engaged?Let me get to know them a little first,” Ella pleaded in a small voice.
Ben could feel her panic.Wanting to put her at ease, he said, “If that is how you want to do this, that is fine.Stop worrying.They are going to love you.But I do want to tell them before we leave.We agreed that we would do it in person.”
Nodding, Ella said softly, “Okay, but give me a day or two.Maybe if they get to know me as your girlfriend a little, it will go over better than just dropping two big bombs on them right before Thanksgiving dinner.”
Ben took Ella’s face in his hands and gave her a soft kiss.“Got it.You are just my girlfriend today.But, tomorrow, we will tell them everything.You good with that?”Ella nodded.
Taking Ella’s hand, Ben helped her onto the escalator that would take them to the luggage carousel.Looking out at the crowd below, Ben was surprised his folks weren’t front and center waiting for them.He knew his mom would be chomping at the bit to get to him.For so long, it had just been the two of them.Yes, he loved his dad and his sisters, but sometimes he missed the little life he and his mom had back in New York so many years ago.Though he knew she would never admit it, Ben suspected his mom did too or at least the closeness they shared when it was just the two of them against the world.
Because Ben had shipped all of his ski equipment and bulky items back to California before they left Aspen, he and Ella had only two small bags to collect.Ben was in the process of retrieving their second bag when he heard his little sisters yelling his name at the top of their lungs as they ran toward him full speed.
“Ben!Ben!”yelled Lizzy and Lola, waving wildly.Obviously, they were very excited to see the big brother whom they adored.
Ben scooped them up into his arms and swung them around as they squealed with delight.Ella had to move back slightly to keep from being smacked in the face by their flying legs.After a moment, Ben dropped the girls to the ground and was enveloped in a massive hug by his mom, followed by a quasi pat/hug from his dad.
Ella stood off to the side and said nothing until Ben extricated himself and walked over to her.Putting an arm around her shoulders, he said, “Mom, Dad, meet Ella.”Gesturing to Ella, he added, “Ella Santiago, meet my parents, Bennett and Poppy Carrington.”
Ella stood frozen with a fake half smile on her lips, unsure what to do.For a moment, no one said a word, Ben could tell by looking at his parent’s faces that they were taken back by how young Ella looked.She had thrown on leggings and a sweatshirt for the flight and no makeup.To Ben, she looked as stunning as always.But he admitted to himself that at the moment, she looked like a teenager, which technically she still was, albeit one with a college degree.He could tell her age was giving them pause as they exchanged concerned looks.
Then as if realizing how rude they were being, Poppy gave Ella a huge smile as she swooped in, giving her a hug.“I am Poppy.It is so nice to meet you.Welcome to Arkansas.”
Right behind her, Bennett gave Ella an abbreviated pat/hug similar to the one he had previously given his son and echoed his wife’s sentiments.“Yes, welcome.I am Bennett, Ben’s old man.We are happy to have you.”
Lizzy and Lola swarmed Ella, enveloping her in hugs.The girls were completely enamored with Ella.Immediately, they began commenting on how beautiful she was with her gorgeous long dark hair.Ella looked stunned and overwhelmed by all the attention.But having grown up with six siblings, she quickly rebounded.Smiling, she made it a point to address each girl individually.
Taking Lizzy’s hand, she said, “You must be Lizzy.Ben has told me so much about you.You love cheese dip and chocolate ice cream.Right?”
“Absolutely!”yelled Lizzy, giving Ella a high five.
“Well, guess what, I do too.If I have time, I would love to make you my specialty cheese dip.Ben loves it.”
“Yep, it is the best,” nodded Ben.
Turning to Lola, Ella said, “And you must be Ms.Lola!The dancing queen of Searcy.Your brother has shown me several videos of your fabulous dance moves.Maybe you can teach me some of your moves before we leave.I am hopeless on the dance floor.”
At Ella’s words, Lola broke out in the most delicious little giggle.Nodding enthusiastically, Lola replied, “You got it, sista.”Spinning around and doing a little impromptu dance, Lola added, “I really do love to dance.”And just like that, Ella had both girls under her spell.
Everyone laughed at Lola’s little dance, then Bennett said, “Okay, let’s get out of here before they throw us out.”
Bennett carried one bag, and Ben carried the other.The whole group began making its way toward the car.The entire walk there, Poppy peppered Ella with questions about the trip to Colorado.They were all surface-level questions about the weather, the food, and the condo.Poppy and Bennett had thought that they had spent the past few days in Denver because that was where Ben’s friends lived.They were shocked to discover they had been in Aspen.Poppy made several comments about it and lamented that she wished she had known they were in Aspen instead of Denver.Ella had no idea what difference it made, but evidently it did to Ben’s mom.
As far as the other questions Poppy was asking, Ella understood the woman was just trying to be friendly while fishing for information in a nonthreatening way.Ella could not blame her.She was a total stranger who showed up out of nowhere.At that moment, Ella was so glad she had gotten Ben to agree to wait to spring the news about the baby and their engagement until they got to know her better.Otherwise, she could only imagine how awkward the car ride to Searcy would have been.Ultimately, Ella had to admit the whole situation was going much better than Ben’s first meeting with her folks.Of course, they had not dropped reality on them yet, so it could nose-dive at any moment.
The ride to Searcy was filled with Lizzy and Lola asking questions a mile a minute.Bennett repeatedly asked them to calm down and give Ella and Ben a break.Both Ella and Ben laughed and took it all in stride.They realized the girls were excited to see Ben.
