Love Grows (Love series: book 3)

Chapter 7.

Scott  

Sitting in the living room, waiting for Ella to get home from therapy. My eyes just keep darting around the house, it's funny when we first came to see this house, we loved it. It called to us both, it just felt like the right place for us to start fresh together as a family and with Remi. 

And even though it already had bricks and walls when we moved it, it's the home within that was built on love.

But now as I look around it just reminds me of my mom getting shot here, Kylie getting shot here, but most of all it reminds me that I could have lost Ella in this very house.

And I know that the house now makes her uncomfortable, our once loving happy family memories are overtaken by the horror that happened here, on what was meant to be the best day of our lives.

If it would help my wife to heal then I would move houses tomorrow, a house is just a house really. It's the people who you love that make it a home.

And honestly, this place doesn't feel like home anymore.

"Thanks, Max" Snapping out of my voice as I hear her voice, followed by a beeping outside and the front door closing.

Moving my eyes up to just as Ella comes walking in and smiles as she sees me.

"Hi, beautiful" I greet her, Ella smiles and comes and sits down next to me on the couch, once she removes her boots, she pulls her feet up and curls into me, wrapping my arm around her and bring her closer to me, as she rests her head on my chest.

"Hey..." She mumbles into my chest, kissing her softly on the top of her head.

"How did your first therapy session go?" I ask as we sit in blissful silence.

"It was okay I guess; we'll see how the next one goes" She replied unsurely,

"I didn't know Max was taking you today?" She looks up at me and sighs.

"Yeah, at first, I was going to go by myself, but I wasn't ready too. So, I called Max" She explained,

"I could have taken you, Elly... if you needed me too" I sighed off sadly, Ella looks at me for another second, before lifting herself off me and sat up, so we were eye to eye with one another.

"I know that Scott...I do but since the attack, I've been co-dependent on you a lot. And that's not healthy, not for me and not for you either, or our marriage".

"babe I don't mind you coming to me. I'm your husband, after all, it's my job".

"I know that, and I love you, but we need to start getting back to normal".

"Do you think we should sell the house?" I ask her all of a sudden,

"Where is this coming from? You love this house" She replies.

Taking her hand in mine gently and just let out a small sigh.

"I did but now it doesn't feel like home, even though the floors and rug have been replaced the-;" I began explaining only for her to cut me off gently.

"But the haunted memories are still what you see" She finished for me.

"Yeah...." I nodded.

"I don't know baby...how about for now we just table it and focus on celebrating your birthday tomorrow. And then maybe revisit it in the future" She says to me, letting out a grunted as she mentions my birthday, I hate my birthday always have.

"Do we have to? You know how much I hate my birthday" I moaned.

"Yes I do, and yes we have to. Do you know how excited Remi is, that it's daddy's birthday. Last year she was just getting to know you, this is your first birthday with us as a real family" She said, kissing her quickly on the lips before pulling back and smiled at her.

"Fine for Remi then...so what did you get me" I joked; Ella looks at me for a second. And then smirks before meeting my stare.

"What every twenty-six-year-old man wants....old man slippers" She laughed,

"Are you calling me old babe?" I said and reached over and started to tickle her senseless, trying to be careful not to crush her with my weight above her.

"Your...still very...sexy though..." She got out through her laughs, bending down, and kissed her, Ella wraps her arms around my neck to pull me closer.

"I'll show you sexy, wifey" I announced pulling away from her kiss, standing up, and gently grabbed her before throwing her over my shoulder, and headed upstairs, to our bedroom.

And through the whole house, the only sounds you could hear were those of our laugher.