Broken Promises

Part 31

"Ella? Is that you, baby?" Stevie asked loudly enough for whoever had just come in through the front door to hear.

"What?" Ella entered the family room, she leaned against the door frame, arms crossed over her chest.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have bothered you." Stevie said, looking away. "Clearly, you don't want to be near me."

With an exaggerated sigh, Ella approached the back of the couch, where Stevie was sitting. "What did you want?"

"Could you bring me some crackers, please? And if it's not too much to ask, I'd love a cup of tea."

Without a word, Ella stomped out of the room and into the kitchen. Tears sprung to Stevie's eyes, but she took a deep breath to calm herself down. Ever since the affair was no longer a secret and the kids knew the exact reason why their parents weren't living together, Ella's behavior towards her mother changed. She had an attitude, her responses were short and sharp, she was moody. She was clearly upset and Stevie didn't know how to make it better. It wasn't enough to tell Ella that the worst was in the past now, that Stevie and Lindsey were working through it and making great progress. Adam was dealing with it in his own way, however, he was simply happy his parents' relationship seemed to be strong enough not to fall apart.

"Anything else?" Ella asked, putting the tea and Stevie's snack on the coffee table. 

"Sit down with me?" Stevie reached for her daughter's hand, looking up at her hopefully. "We can talk, sweetheart. If you have something to say, then say it, please. I can't handle much more of this."

Thinking for a moment, Ella slumped down on the couch beside her mother. She pulled her feet up and hugged her knees close to her chest. "I'm angry with you."

"I know." Stevie nodded, clasping her hands on her belly, which seemed to be growing larger every day. 

"I thought your marriage was perfect." Ella leaned back. "You and dad set an example, you showed me what two people in love look like. Your relationship is what I hoped to have." She turned her head slightly and glanced at Stevie briefly. "Now I know it's all just a lie."

"Honey, it's not." Stevie emphasized, sandwiching Ella's hand in between her both. "Your father is the only man I have ever loved. I love him today as much as I did more than twenty years ago. I was young, stupid, naïve... I made a mistake, but it has nothing to do with how I feel about your dad. He and you, and Adam are the best that's ever happened to me. You're the light of my life. You're the reason I live. Without either of you, I'd have nothing, I'd be nothing. I'm so sorry that I've made you doubt us. Even if your father forgives me, I'll never be able to forgive myself. I regret what happened, but I can't change anything." She shrugged, giving an apologetic look. "If you want to be angry with me, be angry. You can yell at me, you can tell me all you're holding inside, but one thing I want you to know, baby, is that you don't have to be afraid. We've gone through the worst. We're trying to heal. Most importantly, we still love each other. We're a family and we're going to remain a family."

Ella got emotional, listening to her mother. She wiped a few silent tears away and closed her fingers around Stevie's. "You're not going to get divorced?"

"No. Not a chance." Stevie shook her head, smiling as she reached to stroke Ella's hair to comfort her.

"I hope, I'm not interrupting." Lindsey made his presence known, pretending he hadn't overheard their conversation.

"Never." Stevie looked back over her shoulder.

Lindsey came closer, he kissed the top of Ella's head then bent down to give Stevie a kiss as well. "I was gonna ask, what you'd like for dinner, but I see that you're all set."

Ella sniffled and forced a smile. "Your tea's gone cold. I'll make you another cup." She added, standing up.

Lindsey moved around the couch to take a seat, he gave Stevie another peck on the lips. "You're going to be okay, right?"

"We are." She nodded, a sincere smile crossed her face.