Page 203 of Fame & Rhythm

“You think?” Aston teases.

I manage a small smile. “Okay, fine. I am worthy of love. You’ve made that pretty clear.”

“Damn right we have,” he says, pulling me into his side.

“I am worthy of love!” I call out, louder this time, and something in my chest loosens as I say it.

Everyone pulls me into a group hug, arms tight around me.

And then I realize…

… Ella isn’t there.

I pull back and look over to where she still stands by the tree, turned slightly away from us.

“Is she okay, Mum?” I ask quietly.

Mum follows my gaze. “She will be. She just needs a little time.”

We start walking over to her.

“Elle’s Bells, you coming?” I call gently.

She turns, forcing a small smile, and I slip my arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.

“You know I love you, right?”

“I know,” she says softly.

And together, we walk back to the car.

***

We get home, and I can’t stop thinking about Ella.

I know she’s struggling with this. Of course she is. Seeing my birth mother show up after all this time has to hurt, especially when it makes her think about her own birth parents and why they’ve never come looking for her.

Part of me wishes I could help her find them.

But another part of me wonders if not knowing might be easier.

Because if they turned out to be anything like Loretta, maybe Ella is better off without the answers.

Then again, I’m not sure how I feel about any of this either.

We make our way inside, and Mum and Dad head straight for the kitchen, probably for a coffee, or maybe something stronger. Mum’s nerves are clearly as unsettled as mine. Ella disappears upstairs to her room, and I sink onto the couch with Aston, curling into his side while the two dogs climb onto our laps like they’ve decided emotional support is their full-time job.

“So,” Aston says, stroking his hand gently along my arm. “How are you really? It’s just us. You can be honest with me, baby.”

I rest my head against him. “I’m okay… I think. Hearing her say she loves me, even though she gave me up, was something I really needed to hear.” I pause, trying to find the right words. “I know you love me. I believe you. But I guess there was always this niggling feeling that if she didn’t love me enough to keep me, then how could anyone else?”

Aston exhales softly, pressing his lips to my hair. “I know. You’ve been carrying that your entire life, and it was part of the reason we fell apart. But maybe now you’ll finally start listening to us when we tell you what you mean to us.”

I tilt my face up, and he leans in, kissing me softly.

Time passes, and Aston and I stay curled up in the living room, watching trash on television while the dogs snore across our legs. We’ve been here for hours, and I have no idea where Mum and Dad are. Maybe they’re giving me space with Aston, but eventually I decide to check on Mum.

I stand, telling Aston I’m going to get us something to eat, then head toward the kitchen.