Starting Over: rewrite

Birthday Surprises

I love the support you guys have given me throughout Ella's whole story. I hope you enjoy this update.

Dan's POV

It's been amazing to have Ella as my friend again. We picked up like we never stopped talking to one another, and our lives never got complicated. "I always knew you and Vanessa would become a couple." Ella declares to me as she works on some emails.

"Did you know?" I ask her as I play with Palmer, who actually enjoys being around me, unlike the last time I was with her at Christmas when all she did was scream her head off if I walked into the room.

"Best friends tend to make the best couples."

"Then why are you and Nate not together?" I question her, and she throws a piece of paper at me that I try to catch but fail miserably.

"Because he's my brother's best friend. Not mine." She clarifies. "Besides, I'm learning not to date guys still in love with someone else."

"I mean, he was in love with you as well," I argue.

"Not enough." Her tone of voice changes.

"Things weren't easy at the beginning for Vanessa and me." I share trying to ease Ella's feelings about her relationship with Nate. "It was rough."

"Yeah, having a threesome with your girlfriend and best friend can be very tough." My eyes widen.

"Uh...how..."

"Nate told me a lot of things."

"Damn him."

"Damn." Palmer mutters, and I look at Ella, hoping she won't kill me.

"It's fine. She's heard worse things." She waves it off like her toddler cussing isn't the worst thing.

"Okay, so yes, the threesome thing was not the brightest idea. But it did make me realize my feelings for Vanessa."

"And Nate seeing Serena being in love with his cousin made him want her even more."

"Uh...well that..." I don't know what to say about that since I have nothing to relate to it that would make her feel better.

"I've moved passed it, Dan, so no worries. He was a moment in my life, and that's it." But, I can tell it's still bothering her.

"Not that you need someone in your life, but have you started dating since Nate?"

"Kind of hard to find someone who is okay with you being a young mom and working full time." She answers. "Nate was a rare creature ready to settle into home life with me."

"There is someone out there for you, even if it's just for fun right now."

"I can't just have fun, though. I want Palmer to see a stable mom with a stable relationship, and no offense to Lily. She is a great-grandmother, but...."

"Yeah, I know what you mean."

"I'm not Serena's biggest fan, but having her mom uproot their normal lives for her guy at the moment took a toll on her and Eric, and I don't want to do that to Palmer." She explains.

"Mama look?" Palmer gets Ella's attention to what we've been doing.

"Ohh..." Ella is trying to hide her laughter.

"It's okay. Just let it out."

"Oh Dan, why..." She comes over and inspects Palmer's work. "Why didn't you say anything?" She looks over the marks on my face from the marker Palmer was using to color.

"She was happy and..."

"And now you have...thank God, washable marker all over your face."

"I look good, don't I?" I tease.