Page 111 of Ripped & Shipped
“We’re good.”
She gets out of her chair and walks toward me. I stand and we hug.
Mom rubs her hand down my hair and then she whispers into my ear, “I’m sorry, baby girl. So sorry.”
“It’s all water under the bridge, Mom.”
Between us, it is. I’m not telling her how much living in this town with all the judgment and rejection is getting to me. I think I’ve held it together for so long, using my online community, who love me well, to buffer the reality of where I live. Being more open to life here—spending time with Chris—has cracked something inside of me. Now I feel like I’m a bunch of exposed nerve endings. I can’t stop feeling all my emotions. That man has wrecked me.
CHAPTER37
Chris
My hands tapout a rhythm on the steering wheel as I drive to pick up Ella Mae to take her with me to meet Alex and Courtney. No one in my life has met them before, which seems wrong, now that I think about it.
I guess keeping my two worlds separate felt like one way to cope with everything I’ve endured in each of them.
But Ella Mae makes me want to merge everything, to take risks, to start fresh. More than that, she makes me want to buck the rigid lines that have constrained us our whole lives. I’m going to burn those lines to the ground if it means actually having something real with her.
Ella Mae has been blatantly avoiding me since our kiss Saturday night. We had returned to the party inside the pavilion, but she didn’t dance another slow dance with me the rest of the night. She was pleasant on the surface, but I picked up on her body language. She kept her distance, barely holding eye contact with me for more than a beat.
On the drive home, she kept our conversation playful. She tried to act like our kiss didn’t rock her world. But that kiss told me everything I need to know about what Ella Mae really wants. Our situation is beyond complicated, so I won’t push her.
The Army taught me strategies for offensive attacks. Granted, Ella Mae’s not my enemy, and we’re not at war, but I can use what I learned in the military to our advantage. And yes, I saidour. It’s in Ella Mae’s best interest that we pursue a relationship. She may not know that yet, but I do.
We’re good for one another. If I didn’t think so, I’d abandon this whole pursuit. But since I know it’s only a matter of time until she gives in to what she really wants, I’ll patiently outwait her resistance. Then I’ll make my move when she’s optimally ready.
Ella Mae answers the door wearing a pair of stretchy pants and a loose top. She’s got on sandals, and her hair’s in a ponytail. She’s wearing makeup, but not too much. I’ve concluded that her level of makeup reflects how much she intends to put on a persona over her real personality.
When she’s got fake eyelashes and sparkly dust around her eyes, she’s in full-on influencer mode. Her voice even changes, like an actress going onto stage. But when she’s bare-faced, that’s when her heart is on her sleeve. She’s vulnerable and relaxed. Very few people have the privilege of seeing this side of Ella Mae. I’m one of them, and I treasure the fact that she trusts me enough to let me that close.
Our drive to Columbus is less awkward than the drive home from Cincinnati was. She seems to have resolved something. There’s a lightness to her that wasn’t there after our weekend.
We pull up in front of Alex and Courtney’s around five. I skipped working at the office today so I could bring Ella Mae with me. Kassie’s out front kicking a soccer ball and Alex is in his chair cheering her on. I didn’t tell Ella Mae that Alex uses a wheelchair before we got here.
“How do you know Alex?” she asks before we get out of the truck.
“We served together. He was my best friend overseas. He’s like a brother to me.”
“So,” Ella Mae says, her eyes trained on Alex through the truck window. “That happened over there?”
“Yeah. It did.”
“Okay.”
She opens the door and steps out.
“Mommy!” Kassie shouts. “Chris is here with his girlfriend, and she’s really, really pretty!”
Kassie runs into the house.
Alex watches her and then turns to us, still chuckling. “Hi, I’m Alex. You must be Ella Mae.”
He sticks out his hand and Ella Mae shakes it.
“Yeah. That’s me. Nice to meet you.”
“Chris has told me a lot about you,” Alex says, wagging his eyebrows at me.
