Fairy Tale of New Lawke (NaNoWriMo)

Chapter 26 - Elliot

The warm May air caressed Elliot's exposed skin as he carried box after box into Dottie's cottage. Like an escalator he and Adaline would pass one another on their way to and from the moving van. Dumping a box labelled kitchen onto the dining table Elliot dusted his hands before flicking on the kettle.
"Thank god that's over with," he sighed as Adaline walked with the Las box from the van.
"Just the unpacking now," she laughed.

The scent of fresh paint still lingered in the air despite it having been a week since the pair, with Dean, had redecorated the entire cottage. It felt modernised and fresh now, though Elliot could swear Dottie's presence still lingered in the hallways.
"Where should we start?"
Boxes piled high, items belonging to both Adaline and Elliot. It had been far easier than either had anticipated ending their current tenancy agreements in order to embark on their new venture together. Thank god for Facebook marketplace, Elliot had thought on numerous occasions. Two separate places of residence full of furniture plus the furniture already in the cottage was simply too much for one household. Between them, they'd successfully compromised on what to keep and what to part with, the money made used for the decorating.
"Let's do Bonnielola's first. She'll be here this weekend right? I want things to be perfect for her," Adaline said brightly, already half way up the stairs.

Bonnielola's bedroom was to be Dean's old room, the second largest in the house. Transformed from the murky brown room to a dusky pink and white, Elliot knew his daughter would adore it. Her cabin bed lay in pieces next to the window, ready for Elliot to tackle while Adaline watched from the sidelines, laughing as he cursed and fumbled with instructions. Finally up Elliot sighed. It was more effort than it needed to be. It took the remainder of the day for her room to be complete - bookshelf nestled in the corner with a small children's armchair next to it, wardrobe and drawers on the opposite wall and the toy box with her name carved into the front underneath her cabin bed. Closing his eyes, Elliot could almost see Adaline rocking Bonnielola as she read her We're Going on a Bear Hunt for the millionth time, just as she'd taken to doing every weekend. It had become their thing and he loved her for it.

Neither of the adults wanting to cook after a long day of moving and building, they settled for a Chinese takeaway. It arrived within 45 minutes, both ravenous by the time it was served. They ate in near silence on the sofa that had once been in Adaline's home. It had been hard for her to part with Dottie's old sofa, but the decades' worth of tears and damage had warranted a replacement Elliot had pointed out. In fact, most of Dottie's furniture had shown signs of the times, well loved pieces worn down by the family who shared the space. Most of the furniture was beyond saving much to Adaline's dismay. They had managed to keep the double bed in the spare room and the beautiful walnut wardrobe and drawers set in Dottie's old room with the matching vanity unit. The rest Dean had taken to the nearest dump including the beloved dining table, this too replaced with the one Adaline had in her previous home. Elliot's double bed had replaced Dottie's, the pair agreeing his was significantly more comfortable than Adaline's.

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Finally the cottage was finished, everything had a home and had been placed in it. Adaline stood at the oven making a Sunday dinner for her, Elliot, Dean, Mary and Joshua. Over the months, with Elliot's gentle guidance, Adaline had become a notably better cook, though she still could not perfect her mother's stew. Elliot sat at the dining table watching her potter about prepping vegetables and seasoning the beef. Tonight is going to be perfect, he told himself as Dean gently rapped on the front door. Absolutely perfect. It just had to be.

Laughter filled the air, Joshua impersonating a tractor on the floor of the kitchen while the adults sipped glasses of wine, Adaline nursing a cup of tea claiming a headache had hit her.
"You guys have done amazing with the place," Mary said as she pushed the fleeing tractor back towards Joshua with her foot.
"She's right, mum would be so proud. What did Bonnielola think of her new room?"
Elliot beamed, thankful Adaline's family had been so accepting of him and his daughter.
"She absolutely loved it," Adaline gushed pausing to bring the hot drink to her lips. "She didn't want to leave did she darling? And oh, you should have seen her face when she saw the reading corner. What a wonderful idea Mary by the way,"
"You should have heard her on the phone to Laura, she didn't want to leave this weekend. Though I suspect meeting her baby brother will be even better for her," Elliot added.
Adaline subtly squeezed his hand. Though his feelings for Laura has long since been vanquished, knowing she and his sister had welcomed their first child together had been much harder than he'd anticipated. He'd yet to meet the child, unsure if he should given the strain he and his sister's relationship already had.

Elliot smiled his thanks at Mary as she placed a plate overflowing with hot, chocolate fudge cake and vanilla ice cream. He was ready. It was nearly time. They just had to get through this last course. Joshua, exhausted from the day, now lay sleeping in Bonnielola's bed. Two bottle of wines downed between the three of them, it had already been agreed that Dean and his little family would spend the night. Better safe than sorry Adaline had said with a smirk as she poured Mary another glass. The two women now sat huddled together giggling as the ate. Elliot raised an eyebrow at Dean, neither understanding what was so amusing to the women. If he was going to do anything, he had to do it soon before Adaline became too tired to do much of anything. Though he had to admit, it was nice to see her truly smile and enjoy herself for the first time since Dottie's death. He took a deep breath in. It was now or never. He just had to rip the bandaid off. Take the plunge. He looked to Dean, silently seeking support. Dean simply nodded once, reaching out to hold Mary's hand. He must have given it a slight squeeze Mary's eyes widening suddenly before she coughed loudly and turned to Adaline smiling. A loud crash sounded as Elliot pushed his plate off the edge of the table. Adaline started, staring at him with a bemused look. He knelt down to clean the mess, reaching into the pocket of his hooded jacket, fumbling around until his fingers hit something solid. Small box in hand he raised one knee off the ground and cleared his throat. Adaline stared at him. Dean and Mary stared at him, large smiles on their faces. He suddenly felt very nervous, very pressured. It had sounded so perfect in his head. He suddenly wished he hadn't chosen to invite Dean and Mary to witness what could potentially be the most embarrassing moment of his life. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he held her hand in his and smiled. With her looking down at him wide eyed, the glint he loved so much shining in her eyes, his fears dissipated. He could do this. He was really doing this.

"Adaline Jones, since you came back into my life, you've shown me more love and kindness than I could possibly deserve. I watch you with Bonnielola and couldn't imagine our lives without you there. You're the kindest, funniest most awful cook I've ever met and I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that no woman will ever hold my heart the way that you do. Will you please do me the honour of becoming my wife?"