AN: Hey, guys! How are you doing? I hope you're all well. I'm sorry for being wacky with my updating on some stories, including this one, I've been really busy. I hope you enjoyed the last part, and that you enjoy this next one as well. Feel free to review it and leave your comments, I'd love to hear what you think and plus I really miss the input from you guys.
We part from the kiss and we both can't help but to laugh while the happiness flows through our veins and I wrap her up in a another much needed hug. I hear the back door open with its familiar click and a pair of puppy paws and child's feet run in to join us in the kitchen.
"Mummy, daddy, I didn't mean to, sorry." Henry states and we move our heads resting on the others shoulder or buried in their neck to find the boy with wet mud all over his black shirt, hands and face, as well as the puppy's paws.
We both chuckle and look to each other to share an amused look before she lays her head on my chest while my arms are snugly around her. What a normal, but also extraordinary day it's turning out to be for the both of us.
"Am I in trouble?" Henry asks with a worried look while we still smile.
"No, honey, you're not." Ella responds for the both of us, or for whoever his question was addressed to.
"I'm not?" he queries with a disbelieving look.
"No. Just go to the bathroom and get your dirty clothes off. Daddy or I will be there in a minute to give you a bath." Ella directs him and he walks off with Martha behind him down the hall and into the downstairs bathroom, oh the family life.
Ella giggles and then lifts her head to look at me and I kiss those laughing as well as grinning lips in just a peck while the smiles stay planted on our mouths.
"Thank you for saying yes. Ah I can't wait for what's ahead for us." I tell her with a thankful smile while I caress her cheek.
"Welcome. Thanks for wanting to marry me, and spend the rest of your life with moody me and unpredictable, silly Henry." she returns while I smirk.
"I wouldn't want to be with any other beautiful, moody, hard working woman for life. Goofy, sometimes naughty Henry is just a bonus along with the package, I reckon." I remark and she shakes her head with a laugh and we share another kiss before we walk to the bathroom hand in hand to find Henry with his face and hands marked with brown mud sitting in just his blue briefs on the toilet seat, I offered to get the lad and dog cleaned up while she washed his clothes and other laundry for a load.
After getting the wet mud off of Henry's boyish face I got to his hair and his body that I washed up and then I wrapped him up in a big towel afterwards. Since I didn't feel like going through the tiring as well as back breaking task of giving Martha a bath too I just did my best to clean off her big feet. I drained the tub afterwards, did a quick rinsing of it and placed the kids shampoo, body wash and dog shampoo on the bathroom shelf before leaving the bathroom to find Henry laying on the couch with the towel wrapped around him. I was a bit afraid that I'd find him running around stark naked, I must admit. Ella comes out of the laundry room with a clean outfit for Henry that I thanked her with a kiss on the cheek before I gave the lad the clothes to get into, and I helped him with his shorts that were giving him troubles to button. He decided that he had enough of outside for the moment, which Ellie and I were relieved for since there wasn't any possibility of him coming across another puddle of that gooey mud.
I randomly sigh and walk up to our bedroom where Ella is putting away some clothes while Henry plays in the living room with Martha keeping him company. I open the drawers of my dresser and grab the small stack of folded clothes of mine on my dresser to put away before sitting on the end of my bed.
"We're going to be giving a lot more baths." Ellie notes with a grin and I nod, good point.
"Yeah, we definitely will be alright." I remark and her hand wanders over to intertwine her fingers with mine, and I see the ring sitting on her ring finger, it looks as if its supposed to be there.
I look to her and I flash her a small smile which she gladly returns and then I think about the wedding, our upcoming wedding.
"We should probably get talking about the nuptials and where we should have it and who to invite." I state in a happy tone, her eyes focus back on mine, and she nods.
"Lets not have a big, all out wedding, yeah?" she suggests and I breathe a sigh of relief, I wasn't expecting her to say that but nonetheless I am very glad that she feels that way.
"Agreed, I'd like it if we didn't do that. What then, a little ceremony or-?" I tell her that I feel the same way and I go on to add on more ideas before she interrupts.
"What about a simple courthouse wedding with just a few people for witnesses? You know I don't like big things and I know that neither do you, most of the time." she so to speak finishes my sentence for me, this wedding plan gibberish is looking to be more easier than I thought it would turn out for us.
"I'm definitely on for that. Who other than Henry though?" I comment and she tucks her hair behind her ear that wear these new pair of earrings she got recently.
"Your brother maybe, one of the lads and my mum?" she suggests, I nod.
"That sounds perfect, darling. But when?"
"How about next weekend? The sooner the better." she proposes and I smile, I'm liking this idea.
"I'd like next weekend, and then maybe we can have a little party here at the house with friends and family to celebrate." I recommend to her on going down that route to not have it be a big thing, but to still remember to include family and friends on that special day, it's still hard for me to believe that she said yes.
And so over the duration of the next week we worked, picked up Henry from his on and off days at school and in between being a couple and also parents to the boy we called family members, friends, aunties, uncles, cousins, and old high school buddies that we wanted at the reception after the little, private ceremony at the courthouse that's coming up rather quickly.
I walk in the house from yet another session to wrap up the album, one of our last ones on this particular album. The launch party for it is at Brian's place this Friday, our set wedding date the next day in the late morning. I toss my car keys on the kitchen counter before glancing to the calendar on the wall and recalling that Ella must of just gotten off work as its around one thirty. I throw my jacket on the couch before going up the stairs with my hands in pockets to find her laying on our bed with a book in hand while in comfy pajamas. I plop down beside her and she cocks her head slightly to smile at me and I take the book from her hands.
"Paul, I was reading that." she states with an angry tone and I set it on the lamps table before looking back to her mad expression.
"I know, and I'm sorry, but I need to speak to you about something important." I apologize and her face softens.
"What is it?" she questions, I take in a breath.
"Do you remember months back when you said that in order for Henry to be adopted by your husband, if you were to marry, that Dylan would have to basically sign him over to your husband?" I question as we lay on our sides, facing each other now, she nods.
"Yeah, I remember," she answers and then the realization of what I'm talking about comes onto her face. "Oh, Paul." she finishes with a happy look and I lick my lips before speaking.
"You've said that I've been his father always, and I consider him to be my son, Ellie. I always have and always will. I've wondered for years if Henry would ever become mine, legally, and this is my chance to accomplish that. I want him to be my son, El, officially. I just wanted to go over it with you." I declare and she gives me a hug that I appreciate.
"Paul, of course I want you to adopt him. That's so sweet of you, and to be honest, it's what I've always wanted to happen. Nobody else could be his dad, because you're his dad. You most definitely have my word to, if that's what you were looking to ask me about it." she remarks and we part to look at each other, and my hand moves to her waist to rest there.
"Thank you, Ellie. I've got to ring Dylan and try to convince him to give up his rights to Henry, don't I?" I voice my suspicions and the look on her pretty face says it all.
"Yeah, you'll have to." she answers and I nod my head and kiss her before she leaves the room with her novel to give me privacy.
I let out a loud sigh and I take in a big breath before picking up the cream colored phone and putting in the number I have written on a slip of paper I fished from my pants pocket that I placed on the table. It took a few phone calls to finally get his number. I place the phone to my ear and I close my eyes tight while I knead my temple as I hear it ringing. I hope he can just give me this one thing and then Ella, Henry and I won't have to hear from him for the rest of our lives.
A woman picks up and I ask for Dylan and the kind lady gets him and it takes a number of seconds until he picks up.
"Hello, this is Dylan." he introduces himself and I sit back up and comb back my hair.
"Hi, Dylan. This is Paul, Ella's-." I begin with my greeting before he interrupts me, this doesn't look like the best start.
"Yeah I know you, the Beatle who's dating Ella." he finishes my words for me and I think about correcting him since we're now engaged, but maybe I should just leave out our happy news from this conversation with him, he doesn't deserve to know.
"Yes, that's me. I wanted to speak to you about something." I declare and I hear ruffling on the other side and the commotion in the back disappears, moving to another room or something perhaps.
"Oh no, don't tell that me that this is about you thinking I should pay damn child support for Ella and I's kid too?" he retorts, I can see why Ella despises him, I don't get why she was with him in the first place to be honest.
"Uh no, it has nothing to do with that actually. But it is about the child Ella and you had together." I comment while I stare at my royal blue socks that sit on the off white carpet of our bedroom, I can feel my heart starting to beat at a fast pace that isn't a normal one.
"Okay, what about the kid?" he questions and I take a deep breath.
"I'd like for you to sign him over to me, so I can adopt him." I put it simply and he doesn't say anything for a few silent seconds, I decide to add on more while he seemingly thinks this simple request over.
"You know, the first time I met Ella was the in the hospital the day after your child was born. If you didn't happen to know, she gave birth to your son. She's named him Henry, and he is the most brilliant and adorable six year old that I have ever met. I helped raise him, Dylan, and I've been his father all of this time for the past six years because you walked out on Ellie before he was even born. I intend to provide for him and his mother, and I know that you don't care but I love them both. I came home from the states this past summer to find what a horrible thing you did to Ella, you bastard. I took care of them after it and I had to see how hurt they both were all because of what you must of found to be right. He's never been yours, Dylan. He's my son, he calls me 'dad' and I want to adopt him, but because he's yours by blood I have to ask for your damn permission to adopt him. I don't know what you're going to say, but since you got this new family of yours that won't include Henry in, I don't see why you would say no to my request." I draw it out long to I don't know, try and convince him or to just vent to this idiot how much I hate him and for what he's done to my family.
"I never wanted him, and I never intended to stay from ever since that day she had told me she was pregnant. You can have him for all I care, I have a family of my own now." he retorts and I actually smile at hearing his response.
"I'll send the papers to your address then." I conclude and I place the phone back on the hook with a triumphant sigh, no need to thank him for that.