Bennett nodded and Ben continued.“Our rental house was across the street from their place.We ate there several times.I met her then, and we have sort of been together ever since.”
Giving his son a strange look, Bennett asked, “What do you mean, you have sort of been together?”
“I mean, we have been texting and talking, and a few weeks ago, we decided to give this thing a real shot.She has moved into my place in Malibu.We are considering marriage.”
With an incredulous look, Bennett asked, “You are living together?Marriage?What about school?What is she doing about school or a job?Have you thought about this?It feels very sudden.”The questions and concern poured out of his father.As much as Bennett hated to pry into his son’s private business, this was too much.
Holding up one hand to stifle his father’s flow of questions, Ben said, “I know you have concerns.But you are going to have to trust me on this.I know what I am doing.I am still in school and on track to graduate in the spring.Ella is technically done with school.She isn’t looking for a job, but that is really not our number one priority right now.We have a lot of details to work out, and when we do, you and Mom will be the first to know.Until then, I need to know you have my back and trust that I have got this.”
“I do trust you, but slow down.You are both so young, especially her.What is the rush?Date each other.Get to know each other.A few months is hardly enough time to be talking about marriage.You don’t want to rush into something that you might both regret.”
Ben held up his hand and said, “Dad…” but Bennett was on a roll and kept saying how young they were and how they had all the time in the world to settle down.
Ben tried three times to get a word in before he blurted out, “Dad, Ella is pregnant.”
Bennett’s head snapped back in shock.“Pregnant?Is it yours?”
“Would we be having this conversation if it wasn’t?”The look Ben gave Bennett told him that there was no doubt about who had fathered Ella’s baby.
“Okay, well, it is 2023.No one has to get married just because of a baby.You have lots of options.”
“That is just it, Dad.I don’t need a lot of options.I know what it is like to grow up not knowing your father.I won’t do that to my child.”
While Ben had not said that to hurt his father, it still stung.Sadly, it was also the truth.
“Can you honestly look me in the eye and tell me that if you had known about me, you would not have married mom twenty-three years ago?”
Without hesitation, Bennett replied, “No, son, I cannot.You’re right.I would have done exactly what you are doing.”
“Thank you for that,” replied Ben.“I don’t have all the answers, but I am doing my best here.”
Bennett was taken aback by the adult look of strength in his son’s eyes.He had yet to get all the answers he wanted.Hell, who was he kidding?He had a thousand more questions, but he could tell Ben had shared just about all he planned to at that moment.He knew he should not push, but he could not help himself.He had to ask one last question.“Are you still planning on coming back to Little Rock and starting law school in the fall?”
With a weak nod, Ben said, “At the moment, that is still the plan.I am not making any promises.If there is one thing I have learned in my twenty-three years, it is that life can change on a dime.That has certainly been the case in the last few weeks.I promise that you and Mom will be the first to know if those plans change.”
Nodding, Bennett thought his son was more right than he ever imagined.Enveloping his son in a hug, he said, “I am proud of you, Ben.I trust you to do what is best for you and your child.Just know that your mom and I are here if you need us.Always.”Before Bennett let it drop, he wanted to ask one more question.“I understand that you two are still working out the details, but what do her parents think?Are they okay with her moving to Arkansas and finishing college here?”
Shrugging Ben said, “Her folks are pretty upset about all of it.They are very religious and overprotective.They see me as the big bad wolf who corrupted their perfect daughter, and in many ways I am.As far as school goes, Ella had completed her undergraduate at Cal Poly Tech.She graduates in a few weeks, but all her classwork is done.She really is amazing.She has a scholarship to Michigan in the fall to start grad school.We honestly have not worked through all the logistics of how this is going to work.Just know that it is going to happen.I love her, and she loves me.We both love and want our child.I know we are not choosing the easiest row to hoe here, but it’s the one we’ve got.”Pointing to the bubbling oil, Ben said, “Looks like the oil is ready.How about we drop these bad boys?”
Nodding, Bennett retrieved the turkeys and dropped them in the fryer, and all conversation about anything except that stopped.Later, when the turkeys were done, Bennett and Ben returned to the kitchen where they found Poppy and Ella, along with Lizzy and Lola, watching a Hallmark movie.For Ella, the afternoon had passed quietly.She had taken a short nap and then came downstairs around 5:00 and joined Poppy and the girls.
At 6:00, Ben’s relatives arrived.The house got very noisy very quickly.While the men went back outside to clean up the deep fryer, the women visited around the kitchen island.Ella knew the backstory of how Taylor Stone had previously been married to Ben’s dad, and it felt as weird as she was afraid it would feel.The two women, Taylor and Poppy, were sisters who had not grown up together.Everyone was completely nice and agreeable, but an undercurrent buzzed through the room.Rosie, Taylor and Greer’s daughter, along with Lizzy and Lola, had escaped to the girls’ playroom, leaving Ella with the two sisters.In a strange turn of events, Ella found herself carrying the conversation.Both women asked her tons of questions about her life, family in Napa, schooling, and plans for the future.Ella could tell that Ben had not shared anything about her with his mom.It was unnerving to be answering questions while still trying to hide the fact that she was pregnant and engaged to Ben.
Ella was rethinking her decision not to come clean to everyone that morning.Maybe that would have been easier.As it was, Ella felt like she was having to catalog her every response and make sure she remembered it later.She was not built for such pressure, and the conversation was starting to weigh on her.Luckily, the guys came back in just before 7:00, and the atmosphere lightened.
It was an amazing meal, but one that Ella could barely enjoy.She was still fighting nausea, and the smell of the turkey soured her stomach.Taking deep breaths, Ella managed to eat something and keep it down.When dinner was over, Ella was ready for an escape.The girls had offered one by begging her and Ben to join them for a few hours of mindless parade watching.As the girls raced upstairs to start the recording of the parade, Ben and Ella moved to join them when their escape was stalled.
Out of nowhere, Bennett stood and asked all the adults to stay at the table.He explained that he had been given the opportunity to run for office.But he said he would only do so if everyone at the table was willing to come clean about the events that had derailed his political career nearly a decade before.Ella really wanted to jump up and run away.She had enough of her own problems without adding the Carrington family drama to the mix.However, Bennett insisted that she and Ben stay.After hearing his father’s pitch for getting back into politics, Ben had immediately offered his support.He told his father that both he and Ella were behind him in his bid for election.Ella felt really out of her element, but she echoed Ben’s words of support.
Much to Ella’s surprise, it was not Ben’s response that got the biggest reaction, but rather Greer’s, Taylor’s husband.The other man roared back at Bennett, making a total jerk of himself.Ella was not privy to all that had happened between the two men, but obviously there had been bad blood in the past.Somehow, Ben’s aunt managed to wrangle her husband out the door without too much extra drama.So much for Ben’s promise that his family did not have big yelling fights.All of it left Ella feeling overwhelmed and tired.She offered to help clean the kitchen, but Ben suggested that she go take a bath instead.He could tell their little family drama after dinner had thrown her for a loop.
Ella’s family had their fair share of fireworks, but that was expected.Today’s round of explosives had come out of nowhere.Excusing herself, Ella escaped to Ben’s room where she took a quick shower.She checked her phone to see if her family had sent her a Happy Thanksgiving message.Sadly, they had not.Deciding that she would be the better person and reach out to them, Ella dashed off a quick message to her parents and each of her siblings.She wished them all well and told them how much she missed being with them.She hit send quickly before she chickened out.Nothing might come from her ongoing efforts to reconnect with her family, but she had to try.Surely they couldn’t freeze her out forever.Plopping onto the bed, Ella snuggled under the down comforter and fell into a deep sleep so quickly that she didn’t even hear Ben come to bed an hour later.
Chapter 17
Searcy, Arkansas
The next morning, Ella woke feeling refreshed.Ben was already up.He had showered and kissed her good morning before heading downstairs more than an hour earlier.An early riser, Ben never slept past 7:00.
