A Beautiful Forever

chapter 39

Elliot

Mum has agreed, well, actually she’s insisted on looking after Grace for us while we go out to dinner with my father and Erica. Both

Paige and I are really nervous about leaving her. We've never had her babysat before.

“It’ll be fine you two, just go and have a good time. I’ll call if she won’t settle, don’t worry,” mum stresses to us as we leave. She

practically pushes us out of the door and closes it in our faces.

“Shall we?” I say to Paige, holding out my arm for her to take. She smiles and slips her arm in mine, leaning into me. “You look

gorgeous tonight by the way.” She’s wearing a fitted black dress that hugs her body in all the right places, and I wish that we had a

room of our own to go back to after dinner tonight.

“Thank you, you scrub up okay yourself,” she replies.

We drive to the restaurant, spending most of our time wondering aloud if we’re doing the right thing leaving Grace behind, we could

have brought her with us. But when we pull up at the restaurant, we realise it’s pretty up market. Not really the right place to bring a

baby.





Paige


God, I hate being away from Grace, and I hate eating at fancy restaurants, obviously with my background; I haven’t been to very

many. Ok, I’ll be honest; this is the first time, the only extended table manners I have are learned from watching Pretty Woman.

Elliot very gentlemanly opens my door and ushers me inside, the décor is very modern; all glass lined walls and dark square shaped

furniture. The host shows us to our table where Elliot’s dad, and his wife are already waiting.

Robert stands as we approach, shaking Elliot’s hand and kissing my cheek. I take my seat across from Erica and smile at her.

“Are we late?” Elliot asks.

“No, not at all,” his father answers. “We just wanted to make sure we were here before you.”

“Ok?”

“Well, it’s not every day that a father gets to welcome his son home from overseas, especially when he brings with him, such a lovely

wife and a beautiful daughter.”

I blush a little and thank him for his kind words. A waiter comes over and takes our drinks order. Robert orders a bottle of wine for

the table and feeling uncomfortable asking for a coke in a place like this, I go with sparkling water. I feel like a wolf in sheep’s

clothing in here.

“You don’t drink Paige?” asks Erica.

“No, I don’t. I’ll have one occasionally but I'm still feeding Grace, so I don’t drink at all at the moment.”

“You’re still feeding her? Isn’t she eating normal food yet?” she asks wide eyed.

“She only eats soft food, she still needs her milk,” I answer diplomatically.

As our drinks are brought to us, we all talk about what life was like for us in the UK, Erica is interested in the fact that I’m a

hairdresser, saying that she always wanted to be one when she was a kid. Although I think, most girls go through that phase at some

point.

The waiter returns and takes our orders, I order something to do with chicken and hope that it will be ok. The meals aren’t names

that I recognise, so I just point at one and say that I can’t read it properly without my glasses. I catch Elliot trying not to grin; he knows

full well that I don’t wear glasses.

When our meals are delivered, I’m rewarded with the most tender slices of chicken, drizzled with a warm creamy sauce on a bed of

semi crisp vegetables that tastes divine. I’m so glad I didn’t order something weird.

I listen in as Elliot and his father talk about Robert’s work, he tells us some vague details of the case that he is working on and gives

Elliot a reminder that he can always go back if he’s had enough of personal training.





Elliot


I have to give the guy credit. He doesn’t give up too easily. “I don’t think so dad, I never really enjoyed law,” I say.

“Fair enough son,” he says surprising me by holding up his hands to imply that the subject won’t go any further. “Have you got work

lined up or do you need to look around?”

“I’ve already called the gym I used to work at, and they’re happy to take me back,” I say.

“I’ll bet you’re very popular, Elliot,” Erica puts in. “All the women would want you because you’re so nice to look at, and all the men

would want you because they want to look as good as you. I’m not surprised they want you back.”

“Thank you Erica… I guess,” I laugh, making a joke of it as I place my arm around the back of Paige’s chair, using my thumb to

caress her shoulder as we all talk.

Paige is looking at her phone on the table. I know she’s resisting calling my mum to make sure that Grace is alright, truthfully, I would

love to call her too, but I’m trying my best to just enjoy our time out and not worry. I know my mother will call if there’s a problem.

My dad raises his hand and signals the waiter over, asking for the bill before turning to us. “Erica and I asked you out tonight

because we wanted to give you a wedding present. We feel really bad that we didn’t get to come out for the wedding or the baby, so

we wanted to give you something… helpful as a wedding gift.”

The waiter approaches us again with the bill, and my father places his credit card in the black folder, handing it back to the waiter

immediately.

“We know you are both dying to get back to little Grace,” Erica adds. “But if you can just bear with us, we have something really

special for dessert.”

“Ok?” I say, looking at Paige as she says the same thing. Dad signs the bill when the waiter returns again and stands.

“Did you drive?” he asks.

“Yeah we did, where are we going?” I say standing as well.

“It’s a surprise, just follow us,” he tells me.

Erica claps her hands giving a little excited squeal and Paige, and I exchange glances as I offer my hand to help her up.

Walking out of the restaurant, we follow behind my father and Erica, who are clinging to each other, the picture of a happy couple. I

guess now that I think about it, this is the happiest I have seen my dad in years. Erica is obviously very good for him.

“Where do you think we’re going?” Paige asks me quietly.

“I seriously have no idea.”