On Saturday, the weekend of Bella’s birthday, I was kicked out of my house by my mother, Alice, Sue and Lauren. They were giving my wife a day of pampering, which she deserved. I heard things mentioned like manicures, pedicures, highlights and a complete makeover.
It was also in preparation for the date I had planned for my wife in honor of her birthday. A long overdue date with soul mate, the woman I’d loved more than my own life.
I left the house with Charlie, driving over to Emmett’s to watch the Cub’s game with Jasper, Uncle Jimmy and my dad. Arriving at Emmett’s contemporary home overlooking the lake, I took Charlie out of his car seat and carried him, along with his overnight bag of goodies inside. “Hello?” I called.
“Edward! We’re in the back, but I’m getting beers,” I heard from the kitchen.
I walked through Emmett’s living room and dining room, finding Jimmy rooting around in the fridge. All around the home, I noticed Lauren’s boho aesthetic mixed in with Emmett’s love of clean lines. Lauren obviously decorated since Emmett was completely color blind. However, he loved the sleek contemporary lines. Their styles were blended well and it made for a unique home.
Jimmy turned around, holding a few bottles of IPA. “You brought my grandson!” He grinned goofily as Charlie began squirming.
“Ganpa!” Charlie squealed, reaching for Jimmy. He put down the beers and eagerly swooped Charlie into his arms. He kissed and tickled him, making my son giggle happily.
I chuckled, putting Charlie’s bag onto the ground. I picked up the beers and walked with Jimmy out to the back patio. Once outside, I sit down on a chair and marveled at Emmett’s set up. “Nice, Em … I like the outdoor family room.”
“Thanks,” Emmett grinned, munching on some chips. “The structure was already here, along with the fire pit and hook ups for the television. Lauren added the frou-frou stuff and made it homey.”
“It looks great,” I said, munching on some veggies and dip.
“Are you ready for your evening with Bella?” Dad asked.
“I think we both need this. Just a night where there’s nothing hanging over our heads,” I said, taking a sip of beer. “Thank you for watching Charlie, Dad.”
“We would have, but after Sue comes back, we’re going to visit Leah,” Jimmy said, bouncing Charlie on his knee. “I’m happy that we got to see each other today.” He kissed Charlie’s head and he wriggled on Jimmy’s knee.
“How’s she doing?” Jasper asked. “Leah?”
“She’s getting better. No more violent outbursts. At least, not recently,” Jimmy answered. “The
doctors said that she could be okay to come home by the holidays.”
“Why was she placed in a residential facility?” Emmett asked.
“She was suffering from PTSD from the abduction and what happened that day. You’ve seen how Bella is dealing with it, and she’s able to express her fears, frustrations, anger and pain. She can tell you if she’s upset or question things occurred to her. Leah? She didn’t know how to make sense of what happened,” Jimmy said. “She became violent and she hurt Sue. She was raging and hit Sue so hard that she knocked a few teeth loose. So, we placed her into a residential facility. They’ve been able to help her come to grips what happened that day. It’s slow-going, but we’re seeing more of Leah and less of the confused, angry woman.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
“Edward, don’t apologize. It’s not your fault,” Jimmy smiled at me. “You didn’t cause Renee to go batshit crazy.”
“No, but it was our connection to Ricardo that hurt Leah,” I huffed out.
“Son, you can’t talk ownership of what happened. It’s not your fault,” Dad said forcefully, his voice taking on a resonant tenor. “Things are changing. You’re changing … let those changes happen.” He gave me a stern, but understanding look. A look to tell me to shut the hell up.
Emmett and Lauren's home
