Unwritten (Chaennie G!P)

Part 17

Jennie's POV

Ella was practically jumping up and down when I opened the dress bag containing her Halloween costume. She wanted to be Belle from Beauty and the Beast. I was able to find a pattern for the yellow ball gown she wears at the end of the movie but I had to make some adjustments for Ella's height.

"Tada!" I said, revealing a burlap sack as a joke. It was Roseanne's idea.

"That's not Belle's dress," she told me, her smile falling.

"It's not?" I smiled and nodded to Roseanne behind her, who was holding the hanger with the real dress on it. It was a pretty good replica if I did say so myself.

She turned around to look at her Mama. Ella let out a little gasp, covering her mouth. It took her a second to get her bearings before she bolted across the room.

"Jennie!" she squealed. She grabbed the dress from Roseanne to inspect it. "Can I put it on now?"

"Yes. I want to make sure it fits you, but you can't wear it all day," I said. After Halloween she might never take it off.

She bounced out of the room with a huge grin on her face to go put it on.

"I don't think she's going to accept it if I do get a girlfriend," she chuckled. "No one will ever measure up to her precious Jennie."

"Awww I don't think that's true at all. She's just excited about the dress." Truthfully, it made me happy to see her so happy. Ella was a good kid. She had the right balance of sass, silliness and sweetness to her and it made her irresistible. I genuinely liked talking to her and she didn't mind it when I came over to the house when she was there.

"Yes, she's excited about the dress, but she loves you. She told me so," she informed me.

That brought tears to my eyes.

It could have been because of the dress and the apron or because I taught her how to make her own friendship bracelets or because we both sang loudly and off-key to annoy her Mama, but... Well come to think of it, I'd seen a lot of her in the last two months. She and Roseanne came over after I closed on my house to help me get settled. Roseanne did most of the heavy lifting while Ella wore herself out running up and down the stairs to check out the view from the rooftop. She was jazzed that she could see her house from mine.

"I love her too," I told Roseanne. "That's not weird or creepy, is it?"

"Not at all," she replied. "If you met her once and said that, then yes it would be. You've been around enough to fall in love with my princess."

"Good," I smiled. "She's a good kid."

"Thanks. I like to think I played a small role in that," she chuckled.

"I'm pretty sure it was more than a small role." I wiped a tear off my cheek. I wasn't at all surprised when El called out for help with the zipper in the back.

"Mop up that mess on your face before you get there. She might think I'm abusing you," Roseanne snorted as I started toward her room.

"Afraid your fourth grader will kick your butt?" I teased before turning for Ella's room.

"Jennie!" she called again.

"Coming!" I walked up the stairs and down the hall to Ella's room. "You look beautiful," I told Ella as I walked in. That shade of yellow looked gorgeous against her mocha skin.

"Thank you soooooo much. Can you zip me?"

"Of course." I moved all her thick hair out of the way and carefully pulled up the zipper.