Ain't This Life So Sweet | Joanne

Chapter Five

"Staaaaace!" Joe ran towards his co-presenter for the evening and wrapped her up in his arms.

"Alright? How's Di?" She asked as he finally let her go.

Joe smiled. "She's good. She's... she's really good."

"Awwh, you're so cute! I have no idea how I didn't put money on you two getting together!"

They both laughed. Joe looked around and checked who was nearby. They hadn't got started yet, and not many of the crew were about.

Joe beckoned Stacey towards the refreshment table and grabbed a bottle of water.

"There's something I need to explain to you, actually. About Dianne". Stacey stared at him, clearly running through the millions of possibilities of things he could say.

"She... she'll be coming by later to watch the show. But she won't be coming alone." He took a breath. Over the last few weeks, he had had a lot of practice at explaining the Emelia situation to people, but it still felt like it wasn't his secret to share.

"Not many people know, but Dianne has a little girl. Emelia." Stacey's expression didn't change. She was a journalist, and she was really good at keeping calm when other people needed her to.

"OK."

"I... I'm sorry I never told you this before. But it really isn't common knowledge. She... she lives in Australia with Di's parents while Di is over here dancing and stuff. It's not been an easy situation, but that's how they manage it." He took another breath. "Anyway, Di and I surprised Emelia on Christmas day by inviting her back to come and stay with us for a week."

Stacey smiled and put her arm around Joe's shoulder. "You're so cute!" she said excitedly. "So, she's bringing her little girl tonight?"

Joe nodded. "Yeah. Di thinks she'll probably manage to stay awake. I think she's going to let her have a nap now at my place, and then they'll be coming by later. I've put a load of stuff in my dressing room for her and I've got her some ear defenders for the fireworks."

Stacey patted him on the back. "You're so thoughtful. I can see exactly why that girl has fallen so hard for you. Everyone needs a Joe Sugg in their lives!"

///

"Do you want to go and say hi to Joe?" Dianne asked. Emelia had managed to grab an hour or so's sleep in her 'new favourite ever big girl bed' in the afternoon. Dianne had used the time to shower, put on fresh makeup and style her hair ready for the evening's events.

She hoped that Emelia would manage to stay awake until midnight. Jet lag wasn't something she was used to- the furthest she had ever travelled by plane with her daughter had been to Bali when she was very small- and Dianne wasn't sure how it would affect her. Still, Joe had thought through every possible outcome and had a plan to make sure that Emelia was safe and comfortable, but that Dianne would still enjoy their evening together.

Emelia let go of Dianne's hand and ran over to Joe. Joe bent down and fist-bumped her.

"Oh, Di, she's gorgeous!" Stacey walked up to Dianne and pulled her into a firm hug. "And she looks so much like you!"

Dianne beckoned her daughter back over to her and picked her up, resting her on her hip. She breathed deeply, chuckling. "This was so much easier to do when you were tiny. You need to stop growing!"

Emelia giggled and leaned into Dianne. Dianne pointed to Stacey. "Peanut, this is my friend Stacey."

Emelia waved. Stacey beamed. "Hello, Emelia. Did you come here on a plane? What was that like?"