Page 36 of Daddy's Best Friend

I saw Elaine first, her hair tightly curled and bound against her head with a hairband. She had her arm hooked through Todd’s, pulling him along. He wore a gray hat and suit coat and a scowl on his face. I could see right away that he was unhappy, and I felt Ella shift away from me on the wicker couch, but I pulled her back to me, tight against my side.

She looked at me nervously, and I blinked slowly, showing her I had her back. As Todd and Elaine boarded the boat, I stood and so did Ella. I kept my arm around her waist, so she didn’t shy away again, and welcomed our guests.

“Todd, Elaine…” I offered my hand and Todd scowled at it, then shook it. Elaine smiled curtly and pinched my fingers. I brought her hand to my lips and kissed it as I always did, then Ella stepped forward. She kissed her mother on each cheek, then hovered in front of her father.

What happened next shocked the hell out of me. When Ella leaned in to offer her father the customary kiss to each cheek, he took her into a bear hug. With one hand on the back of her head, he kissed her cheek hard, then whispered something in her ear. She held him for several long seconds. I thought I saw a tear stream down Todd’s cheek, and I looked away to offer respect.

Elaine’s eyes caught my gaze and she simpered. It was clear she had gotten through to him at some level. She patted Todd on the back after a few more seconds, and he released his daughter. Ella returned to me, and we all sat down.

“Thank you for coming.” I wasn’t sure how to start the conversation given the way we left things three weeks ago. Todd hung his head and Elaine spoke for both of them.

“Thank you for having us.” She picked up a glass and sipped the sparkling cider Ella had filled it with. “It’s lovely, this spread you put out.”

“Thanks, Mom. I know these cheeses are your favorites, and Dad’s.” Ella snuggled in to my side and I held her, more confident than ever that right there was where she belonged.

“Well, it’s simply beautiful. And I love the lighting. Did you do something different?” Elaine looked around. The boat was exactly as it had been the night of Ella’s birthday celebration, which meant this was small talk. She was deflecting and it was uncomfortable.

“I’m sure that this conversation is just about as uncomfortable for you as it is for us, but let’s not avoid the elephant in the room.” I patted Ella’s knee, and she shrank back. “Todd, please hear me out before you react, because I need you to understand something.”

Todd let his head hang for a few seconds, then looked up at me. There was no contempt in his eyes, only sorrow and pain. He nodded and gestured at me as if to say I had the floor. I glanced at Ella, who looked on the verge of tears—pretty normal for her lately. I chalked it up to hormones.

“You may not understand this fully because of the age difference, but I love Ella.” I squeezed her against my side. “Todd, you asked me to promise you to help her, to watch out for her, to protect her. I did just that.” He sucked in a breath, but I held up myhand in defense and he turned his angry expression away. Elaine grabbed his knee and smiled at me painfully, so I continued.

“I listened to her and heard her heart. I was there for her when she was hurting, and I comforted her. We bonded as friends. And at one point, we made a choice to cross the line into something more than friendship. When Kirsty left me, I thought I’d never love again. And I was wrong. Ella is the best thing that has ever happened to me. She is kind and funny, and smart—”

“And half your age…” Todd cut me off, his eyes locking on mine. “She is a baby, Alan.” I heard the emotion there. I was certain he’d be crying if he didn’t have an ego the size of Texas.

“And a woman in her own right.” Elaine rubbed Todd’s back. “We are struggling with the age difference, but it isn’t enough for us to just put you both out of our lives, not with a grandchild coming.” Elaine’s calm tone seemed to hypnotize Todd. Ella shivered even though it was a warm evening. I took a napkin from the table and offered it to her, and she wiped her eyes.

“I admit, that got me at first too. And she makes fun of me for being old quite often.” I tried not to smile, but I couldn’t contain it. Ella snickered; then Elaine giggled. “My point is, love is love, whether you’re 40 or 22. And when you find the person your soul connects with, you don’t get a choice whether you love them or not. It just happens.”

Todd dropped his head again. I could see the frustration across his shoulders. He took his hat off and rubbed the top of his head, then returned the hat. When he looked up at me, he had a tear in his eye. I knew this was not an easy conversation for him. I regretted making every choice I made because of the fact that I’d hurt him, but I didn’t regret loving her.

“What I don’t understand is why you lied to me. All those times when you said she was doing fine, working hard. You were having an affair with her, but you didn’t tell me what was happening. You kept this all from me, until the point she got pregnant and then let her blame it on your son.”

“Now, that was my fault, dear. I made an assumption, and she was terrified to confess.” Elaine eyed Ella and nodded at her, prompting her to agree.

“I’m so sorry, Daddy. You just seem to want to control every decision I make. I didn’t do this to hurt you. I swear it. He was just there to listen when I needed a friend, and one thing led to another. I love him, Daddy, and who better to hold my heart for the rest of my life, than someone you already respect and trust.”

It was that phrase that caused the cascade of tears across Todd’s face. I watched him swallow and blink out the tears, unabashedly bawling his eyes out. He didn’t look away from her, didn’t wipe his eyes. He just let the tears flow.

“A grandpa, huh? I’m not old enough to be a grandpa.” Ella rushed to his side, falling on her knees and wrapping her arms around him. He embraced her too and I watched Elaine grab a napkin off the table to wipe her own emotion away. Todd held his daughter and cried with her for a few minutes. They spoke softly in tones I couldn’t hear, but somehow, I knew the worst was behind us. We were moving forward.

So, the rest of my plan for the night could continue.

The minute Ella pulled away from Todd, I stood and reached into my pocket, withdrawing the gift I’d purchased for Ella earlier this week. I looked Todd in the eye, towering over him.

“Mr. Vance, it has been my pleasure caring for Ella the past few months. She has taught me how to not take life so seriously, how to have fun again, how to love again. She reawakened my passion for my business, for being a father, and for finding hope in the tiniest of things. It would be my greatest honor, if you would allow me to seek her hand in marriage.”

I heard Ella gasp. Elaine’s eyes widened and I saw fright in her expression, as if I’d crossed a line too quickly. But I knew Todd Vance just about as well as I knew myself. He was a man of morals and tradition. If we were 18 and made a dumb mistake, it was our job—our duty—to take responsibility. To Elaine this appeared as if I were reaching, but I knew to Todd, it would mean the difference between earning his respect again or being on his blacklist the rest of my life.

Ella cried harder. I wanted to turn to her to comfort her, but not until Todd spoke. So, I waited.

“Well, Alan, I appreciate that you are doing the right thing.” Todd stood and offered me his hand. “If Ella is happy to have you, then you have my blessing. Life is too short to have hatred between brothers, and my daughter is my world. So, take care of her. Or I will kill you.” I had a feeling he was being serious, but I chuckled and shook his hand.

“In that case—” I turned and knelt on one knee in front of Ella, who had her mouth covered with both hands “—Ella Vance, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife? I can’t imagine a day without you. You are my sun and my moon. You are the light by which I see. You are the face I want to wake up to every morning, the air I want to breathe every day, and the heart I want to hold every night.”

Ella nodded, unable to speak and sobbed harder as I took her hand and slid the ring on her finger. She didn't even bother looking at it, just threw her arms around me.

---