Chapter 14
Elle and Brooke were both packing. Tomorrow, they'd be leaving for Los Angeles, Delta Nu headquarters. And Emmett was just standing in the doorway, watching with an amused look at their style of packing.
"'Clinique' Skin Care Line," Elle mumbled, handing the basket to Brooke.
"'Clinique' Skin Care Line is in the bag!" Brooke called out.
"Prada evening maternity gown," Elle mumbled again.
"Prada evening maternity gown is in the bag!"
"You girls are insane. What are you doing? Making sure the neighbors hear what you're packing?" Emmett inquired with a laugh. "I'm sure they already know where we're going."
"No," Elle said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "We're packing for our trip to Delta Nu. Duh." She rolled her eyes and continued putting her stuff in the luggage.
"Elle, where's my Fendi purse?" Brooke suddenly asked. "I can't find it anywhere!"
"Under the living room couch on the left," Elle responded almost immediately.
Brooke dashed off. "Thanks!"
"Elle, are you sure you're up for this one-month trip? And I mean, Delta Nu? You're five months along, for goodness' sake, honey," Emmett said, looking a bit concerned.
"Five and a half. I'm fine, Emmett. Stop worrying about me. It's not like I'm going to go through lipo-suction in three months. I'm not worried, and I'm the one giving birth, so neither should you be worried, alright?" Elle asked him with a smile and touched his cheek.
Emmett grabbed her hand and kissed her pale fingers. "I'm"-
"My left or the couch's left?!" Brooke called out.
"Um...your left!" Elle replied.
Emmett and Elle both laughed quietly and Elle motioned for him to continue. "I'm just making sure you're going to be fine. I don't want something to happen to either Emma or my little Elle," he said with a sincere look.
"And nothing will happen. I promise you. We'll both be fine. Just be patient, Em. We have just three and a half more months left and we'll be a family," Elle said with an excited look.
"I never dreamed this would ever happen."
"Neither did I. It feels like just two weeks ago I was dumped by Warner and studying for the LSATs. Three years passed by too quickly. Now I'm married to the greatest and sweetest guy on the planet and I'm about to have a kid," Elle said, piecing it all together.
"Ha! Imagine how I feel. I thought my mom was right about me. That I was a bookworm and no one would ever even date me once. That I wasn't hot enough because I didn't care about my looks. If only she could see me now. Not only that I became best friends with the most beautiful and blondest and pinkest girl on campus, but I married her," Emmett said with a chuckle.
"It's like...we were meant to be! Omigosh, is that what they call fate?!" Elle cried out.
"How about my Juicy sunglasses?!" Brooke shouted.
"Under the sink in the bathroom, on top of that box of J-Lo products! Bruiser will show you!" And the Chihuahua sped off to find Brooke.
"Thanks!"
Elle giggled, then kissed Emmett's cheek. "You are the most perfect guy for me," she said with a grin.
Emmett held her close to him and kissed her ear. "Well, you, Little Miss Woods comma Elle, are the most perfect woman in the history of most perfect women," Emmett told her.
"Is that even a history?" Elle teased.
"Of course! I have proof. She's in my arms at the moment."
Then, they both heard a loud sigh. "You guys are so cute! I can't believe neither of you knew you loved each other when you first took on my case. So oblivious," Brooke said, leaning on the doorway.
"Since when do you use that word?" Emmett asked, looking amazed.
"Since I read it on one of Elle's notes on the table just now," Brooke said, looking proud of herself.
"That was the dictionary that was opened and Emmett circled the word. Not one of my notes," Elle told her.
There was a long pause, then, "Oh. Well, I like that word."
Elle laughed . "And I think that you are the strangest person ever, Brooke."
"Back at you!"
"Well, if you want my opinion, I think both of you are strange, blonde, and mine!" Emmett exclaimed and put one arm around Elle's shoulder, and the other around Brooke's.
"That's why we never ask for your opinion," Brooke teased, then gave him a playful punch in the shoulder.
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"Omigosh, and what if they'll disown me because I'm fat! No, wait, Delta Nu would never disown me because I gained four pounds," Elle debated with herself. "Omigod, what if they don't recognize me?! Or, what if they-"
"Is she broken?" Brooke asked Emmett in a quiet voice.
"You should've seen her when she was only two and a half months along. She thought she was going to crash the plane because she gained a pound," Emmett whispered back.
"Do you think my mother would comment on my clothing? I mean, I know I'm not wearing those high- class 'de la Renta' clothes anymore because unfortunately, he didn't make maternity clothes, but I still get to wear Prada or even Liz Claiborne sometimes, so it's not that bad-"
"Elle-" Emmett tried.
"...and it's not like they're going to hate me, I mean, I'm pregnant, so of course I'd gain some weight, but not fat-"
"Honey..."
"...or fast food fat or whatever. Sisterhood's forever and the girls would never let me down-"
"Let me try," Brooke told Emmett. "Omigod, it's the latest issue of Vogue!" Elle then stopped talking and looked expectantly at Brooke, who smirked at Emmett. "And that's how a Delta Nu does it."
"Well..?" Elle asked.
"Well, what?"
"Where's the issue?"
Brooke sighed, and looked over at Emmett, who finally began to relax. "Elle, honey, you need to desperately calm down. I mean, you talked to Serena and Margot in turn yesterday, so you know they all still love you. I know I do," Emmett explained with a smile.
"I do too. Chill, Elle, you're going back home, not some foreign weirdo place that Emmett came from," Brooke said with a sincere look and Emmett shot her a look.
"Ok. Right. Both of you are right. Now, all we need to do is wait for- Omigod, it's Daddy!" Elle squealed and Emmett and Brooke were sure the whole airport had heard them. Elle flew from her chair to her father. "Daddy!"
"Button, how are you? How was the plane ride?" Wyatt asked, as he always would.
"Darling, who cares about the ride, it's our daughter you're supposed to care about. We're going to be old grandparents in a few months. How many more, Elle?" Eva said, kissing her daughter on both cheeks.
"About three and a half more. The due date is March twenty-four. Oh, and her name is Emma Elaine," Elle explained as Emmett got to her side.
"A classic name. I love it. As usual, I'll take Bruiser," Eva said, picking up his tote bag and smothering him with kisses. "Emmett, sweetie, you're keeping Elle alive and well, I see." Then, she kissed him on both cheeks too.
"You picked a fine man, Button. I like him better than that Warner guy. There was something false about him," Wyatt announced, and Elle, Emmett, and Brooke all sighed mentally.
"Elle's never been better, Mr. and Mrs. Woods. You know I take care of her," Emmett said with a grin.
"Please. It's Eva. You're our son-in-law, so you deserve to call us by our first names. Just Wyatt and Eva will do nicely," Eva explained, rocking Bruiser back and forth.
"So this is the legendary Brooke Wyndham of Delta Nu, Los Angeles. A pleasure, Mrs. Wyndham," Wyatt said, kissing Brooke's hand.
"Just call me Brooke," she said with a smile.
"Oh! Elle, you can't be serious! She's the Brooke Wyndham, who got you to be a size four...er...a little more now, but she helped you lose weight?" Eva shrieked.
"Mom, she's cool. She was a Delta Nu too, so, chill. At least for now," Elle said, grinning widely. "Oh, and she's Emmett's sister, or my sister-in-law."
"Now this I never knew, but it's so exciting! The L.A. legend is my own daughter's sister! I can't wait to tell everyone!" Eva exclaimed, squeezing Bruiser tighter and he gave a bark.
"Be careful with him! He's been sensitive lately. I think he's becoming jealous of Emma. Either that, or he's telling me I'm too fat," Elle said, shaking her head at herself. "I feel like a disgrace to sororities."
"Aw, Elle, you're not. You're still adorable and beautiful to me," Emmett assured her and kissed her cheek.
Eva giggled and Wyatt looked proud of him. Elle's father grabbed the bags, as always, but Elle insisted on taking her duffel bag on her shoulder, along with her Dolce & Gabbana purse and Bruiser's tote. The ride was different from the last. They'd be going to Elle's parent's home instead of directly to Delta Nu.
Emmett kept telling her to rest and even Elle knew she needed at least a day of rest before she went to see her best friends. She wasn't going to mess around at parties or with boys anymore. She was going to be a mother and a good wife...well, a tired one for now. She'd rest and she'd see Delta Nu in the morning.
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"Emmett? Are you awake?" Elle whispered in the darkness.
"I am now," was the mumbled response. "Whats up?"
Elle paused for a few seconds to glance at the digital clock. 3:17 in the morning. "Em, what if-?"
"Elle, I promise you that they'll love you. We've been through this a million times. Now, stop thinking and go to sleep. You're tired," Emmett said quietly.
"No, not about Delta Nu. I was going to ask something about Emma. What if she's too early, or late?" Elle asked. She hadn't had time to think about her unborn girl yet.
"She won't be. Neither early nor late. You're her mother, remember?"
"I know, but what if, you know? Or what if she's disabled or she has a sickness that could kill either one of us at birth, or what if-"
Emmett put his finger to Elle's lips. "Shh. There's no 'what if' in this, Elle. If the doctor said Emma was healthy a month ago, and you didn't feel any change, then she's fine. Stop worrying about it. We're going to have a beautiful baby girl who's going to look exactly like her mother, and we're going to grow her up as parents should, ok?"
Elle searched his eyes, just in case he was being sarcastic at some point. She was still a bit touchy with the subject of the huge argument and silent treatment. But she found only honesty in his sincere eyes. "Ok. Promise?"
"I promise, Elle. Just don't worry. That's my job. But for now, we should get some sleep. The girls are going to be hogging you a lot tomorrow. If I'm lucky, I'll get to have some quiet time with you," he said with a grin.
"Sounds good to me," Elle agreed. "I love you, Em."
"Love you too, Little Miss Woods comma Elle." Then, he gently kissed her, and draped an arm around her waist and closed his eyes.
Elle closed her eyes too, but not after moving closer to him. She smiled at his calm face as he immediately fell asleep. What did she do to deserve someone like him? And she thought Warner was perfect. Boy, was she wrong. There can never be anyone more perfect, and handsome, and romantic than Emmett Forrest. And guess what? He was all hers.
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First, there was a heavy breathing. Then, there was a whooshing sound and soft thudding. While that continued, they heard a routine that only one of them knew by heart.
Brooke had woken up early that morning to do her jumping and stretches. Elle groaned and looked at the time. 6:37. Elle got up.
"Brooke! What are you doing?" Elle asked her in a whisper.
"My...jumping...and...aerobics," Brooke responded in between jumps.
"It's hardly six-thirty! Everyone's sleeping."
"Only the men. Wyatt and Emmett are still asleep. Want to join us?"
Elle was afraid to ask. "Us?"
"Yeah, me and your-"
"Sweetie, are you going to join us?" a too familiar voice asked.
"You woke up my mother just too jump rope?" Elle asked, not believing it
"Actually she woke me," Brooke said. "I'm glad she did. I needed some warm-up before we go over at Delta Nu."
Elle stared at them open-mouthed. This couldn't be her mother. Sure, she was always excited about Brooke's fitness tapes, but to wake up at six in the morning? She'd never do that.
"Are you sure you're my mother?" Elle asked.
Eva laughed and put an arm around her daughter. "Elle, if I know you're my daughter, then I'm your mother."
"Right. Well...um...I'd better go and let you two...jump rope. Brooke, we're leaving around noon, so be ready. We'll be staying for three weeks, then we're staying here the final week," Elle informed her, and backed out of the room.
"Thanks, Elle!" Brooke cried out, and both Elle and Eva shushed her.
"Brooke's giving my mom a lesson," Elle explained simply and crawled back into bed.
"You're kidding," Emmett replied.
"No, no, quite serious. My mom actually woke up at six in the morning to sweat. I remember those days when I was the one to wake up that early and do Brooke's fitness tapes. Gosh, I was so fat. A size six. Can you believe it?" Elle asked.
Emmett pressed his lips unto Elle's bare shoulder. "You're perfect," he mumbled.
"You too."
"I guess Brooke has that fitness power over people."
"You got that right," Elle said in a quiet voice. "I can't wait to win Brooke's case."
Emmett sat up and looked at her. "Elle, you don't know if we're going to win the trial. We might not."
"But we might."
"Don't get your hopes up too high. This is a complex case. I don't think you could work your Cosmo Girl magic on this one-"
"Oh, so you think that was me just being a blonde? Is that it?" Elle asked him sharply. "If it wasn't for my "magic", Brooke would still be in jail."
"You know I didn't mean that. What I mean is that you can't use your knowledge one whatever it was back then. If it were custody we needed, then it wouldn't be hard at all, but Brooke's asking full custody over Bailey. And so will the ex. And he'll deny beating her up," Emmett explained calmly.
"I know, Em, I know, but I'd rather stay positive, because if I kept saying that we're not going to win, then I really will startbelieving we won't. But if I say we will, then even if we won't, at least I saw the best in the situation and saw it wasn't impossible," Elle told him.
Emmett smiled and shook his head. "You really are something, Elle Woods, also legally known as Elle Forrest," he teased.
"Our last names are synonyms," she randomly said, and Emmett laughed and kissed her lips.
"So, what's Emma going to be?"
"Emma Elaine Forrest," Elle said firmly.
"She's going to be beautiful, just like her mother. And you know what I've discovered? The first two letters of her first name are like the first two letter of my name, and the first two letters of her second name are the first two of your name," Emmett said with a smile.
"Then it's ironic that I chose 'Emma' and you chose 'Elaine'."
"It's called 'fate', Little Miss Woods comma Elle," he replied.
This time, Elle moved closer to kiss him. "I guess you answered my question from yesterday. About fate."
"That was my goal," he laughed. "Are you even tired anymore?"
"You want the absolute truth?" Elle asked.
"The absolute truth," Emmett confirmed.
Elle shook her head. "I'm not tired enough to sleep, but when I think about all the energy and excitement of today, I'd rather sleep."
Emmett laughed. "I'd rather jump rope!" he exclaimed.
"Then come join us, Emmett, sweetie!" Eva's voice rang cheerfully.
Elle giggled and shushed him. "You'd better keep it down."
"It's seven in the morning and we're awake, and they're jumping rope. Is Los Angeles a city of madness?"
"Not quite. Only when I get to Delta Nu. That's when everything springs into action. Even Valentino seems to be having sales when I come here," Elle explained, and Bruiser's ears twitched and he looked eagerly at Elle. "Oh, baby, it was a figure of speech. I wish Valentino would have sales!"
"So you 'baby' him and not me?" Emmett asked, pretending to be shocked.
"Yes, I do. We hardly became friends again, and you still owe me for never telling me the secret. Then we'll talk," Elle said with a straight face.
"Elle, you know I-" Then, she began laughing, and he cracked a smile. "Oh, no, you didn't!"
"And if I did?" Elle challenged him.
He picked up the pillow and threw it at her. She gasped, and threw it back, just as he jumped up from the bed. "Missed!" he cried out.
Then, Elle got up, took up her own pillow and hit him right in the face. As he grabbed the pillow, her eyes widened and she squealed with laughter as she ran out of the room.
"Brooke, save me!" Elle cried out and grabbed Brooke's arm, hiding behind her.
"Told you anyone would be afraid of him," Brooke remarked with an amused look.
Emmett shot her a look. "Watch it," he warned.
"Emmett, do not lay one finger on me, because I know that once you do, you'll be tickling me!" Elle shrieked.
"I haven't thought of that yet. Good idea!" he exclaimed and Elle shrieked again.
"Doesn't anyone sleep around here anymore? Or is it a new 'thing' in L.A.?" a voice mumbled from the doorway.
"Sorry, Daddy. Totally my fault," Elle apologized and ran to hug her father.
"No problem, Button. I was awake anyway, after I began hearing your mother jump rope," Wyatt said, looking amused.
Eva shook her rope. "Don't make me make you do an hour of aerobics, Wyatt," she threatened.
"I'd love to, but don't we have to get to Delta Nu?" Wyatt asked slyly.
"Knowing the girls, they probably woke up at three this morning to set up everything," Elle said with a smile.
"Well, then, sweetie, if you're ready to leave, then let's go. Better not keep them waiting!" Eva exclaimed.
"Give me just ten minutes to change and fix my hair," Elle nodded and dashed to their bedroom.
"I wonder why she hasn't mentioned makeup," Eva thought aloud.
"Maybe she decided to lay it off for a little," Brooke shrugged.
"It's not like Elle at all, though," Eva said.
"Don't worry so much, dear. She just doesn't want to be a bad influence for the baby," Wyatt said.
"And how do you know?" Eva asked him.
"You did the same before Elle was born," he said and walked away.
"How that man remembers everything, I'll never know," Eva remarked, shook her head, and walked off into the kitchen.
Silence engulfed them, and Brooke and Emmett looked at each other. Then, they burst out laughing. "Come on. Let's get out of here," Emmett said, and both went to their rooms to get ready.