Say Yes! Chapter 3, a scandal fanfic

Hey everybody, y'all good? I'm back with another short chapter. As always thank you guys for reading, and leaving positive reviews and PMs. I appreciate all of you. Thank you for staying with me. There are only three or four chapters left in Say Yes!, and I'm really enjoying writing about Elliott and Satchel. Again, thank you for coming to my little corner of the fanfiction world and reading my story. Stay safe. Wear a mask, and get vaccinated if you can. Happy reading.

TBOT

When Satchel left Elliott's apartment Sunday morning, he drove around the city for a while with every intention of going back, but the longer he drove, the angrier he became. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to talk to Elliott without getting emotional and possibly saying something he would regret, he hopped on I-95 and headed home to Hampton. During the three hour drive, he ignored Elliott's calls and text messages because he didn't want to start another fight while he was driving. Later, he sat on his patio smoking a Montecristo, and drinking aged scotch from Double Barrel, Elliott's father's distillery, thinking. So many times he held the phone in his hand and started to call her, but his ego won out.

He wanted to win this fight. He wanted her to see things his way for a change. He wanted to be married and have the family he'd always dreamed of, with Elliott. Even though she'd made it clear that she wasn't interested in getting married, he'd still taken a gamble on his dream, and lost. "Marriage at this point in my career is just a set-up for broken expectations. Satch and I are good."

He wasn't good. Marriage mattered to him. "But more than Elliott?" Of that he wasn't sure.

Maybe some time apart would bring some clarity on their relationship. At least he hoped so.

Monday morning…

Satchel called Elliott every morning, and they talked on his morning drive into his office. This morning he hadn't made that call. He'd listened to the numerous messages she'd left, after reading the text messages the night before, but he didn't call her. He decided he would call after his meeting, just to see how she was doing.

Later that morning, after his meeting, Satchel called Elliott but got no answer. He needed to talk to her. During the meeting he'd been shocked and surprised when his Director had offered him one of the positions in California. He'd never shown any interest in the project which is why it was a surprise. After thanking her for the opportunity, he'd asked for a few days to decide.

The first person he wanted to talk to was Elliott. He didn't want to make this decision without her input. When he didn't get an answer he sent a text message. Hours turned into two days. Elliott wasn't answering her phone. He'd tried her multiple times but she'd gone radio silent, and her silence had begun to irritate him. He could understand her being upset with the way he left, but there was no way either could fix whatever was broken if she refused to talk to him.

Satchel was a highly confident and self-assured man. Her silence and failure to respond to his attempts to contact her felt like rejection. He took that as a sign, and accepted the assignment. He'd be in Pasadena three months. He made one last call before he had to board a plane to California, and fly away from his love.

"Fitz Grant."

"Hello Mr. Grant, its Satchel. How are you, sir?" he asked.

"Hello, Satchel, I'm good. How are you, son?"

"I'm all right. I'm heading to the West coast for three months, and I wanted to speak with you before I left." He spent a few minutes explaining to Fitz how and why he'd ended up taking the assignment in California.

"I've been trying to reach Elle but I guess she's having too much fun at Cape St. Claire to answer my calls and texts.

Fitz realized that Satchel had no idea that his girlfriend was home in D.C., holed up in her old bedroom crying, and missing him. He contemplated whether he should tell him, and then thought, 'to hell with it.'

"Satchel, Elle didn't go down to the Cape. She's been in D.C. since Monday. She won't talk much about what happened and didn't happen between you two, but I hope that you never disrespected or hurt my daughter," Fitz said.

"No! Of course not, Mr. Grant. I love Elle. I love her enough to want her to marry me, but she turned me down."

Fitz smiled. He knew this, but he had to ask. He was a father after all. "Yes, she told her mother you proposed, and gave her the sanitized version of what happened after that. I don't really need the details, I just know that things aren't right between you and my daughter right now. But don't give up on her. She loves you."

Satchel knew this and he appreciated Mr. Grant for saying it.

Fitz sighed when his words were met with silence. "Satchel, if you're lucky, one day you and my daughter are going to sit together and look back on all those things that brought you together and kept you together. You're going to laugh about moments that, at the time, you thought would break you, and you're going to shed a tear or two over the memories that kept you holding it all together. Just give it time."

Satchel nodded on the other end. "I have faith that Elle and I will eventually get past this, but right now I need to get away for a while, to put some space between us, and think."

"I understand, Satchel." And he absolutely did. "Every relationship gets tested, son. The question is: can it be fixed?" When there was no answer, he continued. "I'm saying there's no such thing as perfect. Sometimes things are said or done that lead to regrets, even in love. What you and my daughter have is worth fighting for, even if she said she didn't want to get married right now, and for whatever reason."

"I know Mr. Grant, and I'm not running away from us. I really love Elle. I'm 'in' love with her. But we both need time."

"I understand. And I respect that you were man enough to call me, when you couldn't reach her, and talk to me. That's the reason I'm talking to you at all. My daughter needs a man who's willing to be her partner, who doesn't mind allowing her to think that she's in charge even when she isn't, and you've put up with her bossy and formidable personality for years."

Both men laughed. It was true.

"You have proved over the years that you are that man, Satchel. You're good for her, and you're confident enough in yourself to not be intimidated by her. I would suggest that you take your time in letting things work out. When it should, it will." And it would. He had faith in Satchel.

"Thank you, Mr. Grant," Satchel said quietly, as he accepted Elliott's father's heartfelt words, but right now he wasn't really interested. He just wanted his woman back.

"You're welcome, Satchel. I just felt you needed to hear that from me. Now, do me a favor."

"Anything, Mr. Grant."

"Please don't repeat any of this conversation to my wife. We agreed that we would stay out of this, and allow the two of you to work it out."

Satchel laughed. "Your secret's safe with me."

"Thank you, Satchel. Good luck in California, and you know you can call any of us to talk, anytime."

"I know. Thanks again, Mr. Grant."

Saturday, Hampton, Virginia

It had been six days since Satchel had seen or talked to Elliott. She still hadn't reached out to him after he'd called and texted her. He held his phone, disappointed in himself for still missing her. Still wanting her. Still loving her. He wondered if she even knew that he was going to California. He was almost certain that her father had told her. Still nothing.

Did she know? Did she even care? That was the better question.

Saturday, Grant residence, Washington, D.C.

Elliott looked down at her phone on the floor as she lay on the couch in her parent's family room. Her hand literally itched to call Satchel and ask him why he'd thrown their eight year relationship away so easily. Why would he? How could he? She'd stubbornly decided not to call him after telling her father that she would. She was afraid. She was uncertain at the moment about his feelings for her, but she was very clear about her own. She loved him. She'd told him that, but he left her anyway.

Sometimes love isn't enough.

She reached down and picked up her phone, and scrolled through her photos, looking at their relationship in vibrant color. Tears came to her eyes, again, but she blinked them away.

Tomorrow would be one week since she'd seen or talked to him. She had yet to return to her apartment in Baltimore, choosing instead to hang out at her parent's home with her siblings. She had another week before classes began again. Although she'd ventured outside her bedroom, she still had yet to leave the house. Her mother and her sisters had met up with her tante and Mela earlier, for a spa day and for a little shopping. She'd declined their invitation to join them, and spent the morning in bed crying for everything she'd had and felt for Satchel, as well as for everything they could have had, before he ended it.

Still, Elliott refused to give in and call him. Instead, she dropped her phone on the couch and draped her forearm over her closed eyes.

"You okay, Elle?"

She looked up as her father walked into the family room and grinned at her before lifting her feet and taking a seat on the sofa, and placing them on his lap.

"I'm good," Elliott answered, and looked around. "Where's Rowe?"

"Hayes III texted him while we were at the barber shop and asked if he wanted to hang out with Theo and some of his friends. They're playing baseball at Banneker. Luckily, his equipment bag was still in my trunk, so I dropped him off at Hayes Junior's house, and he'll bring him home later."

Elliott nodded absently.

"So you didn't want to join your mom and the triplets for a spa day and shopping?" he asked as he reached for the remote.

She shook her head. "No. I just didn't feel like going."

Fitz nodded. "Okay," he said as he searched for a documentary he'd been waiting to watch.

Elliott shifted on her side, propped up on her elbow, and rested her chin on her palm. "Uncle Ford called and invited me to come down to Miami for a few days. I could use a change of scenery and since I missed the trip to the Cape, I'm going to take him up on his offer. He's reserved the PH suite at the Grant property on Biscayne Bay. Charlotte, Evie, and Bella are available to go with me. Chloe may come down from Tallahassee to join us. We're leaving on Wednesday and returning on Saturday."

Fitz glanced at his daughter. "He told me that he was going to suggest it but I wasn't sure if you'd be up to it. I'm glad you decided to go," he said, patting her leg.

"Yeah, me too," she said, looking at the television. "Daddy, are you really going to watch a documentary on the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge? Really? Really, Daddy?"

Fitz gave his daughter that crooked grin before quickly grabbing the remote. "Really," he said laughing.

Elliott smirked at her father, reached for her phone and stood from the couch. "I'm going upstairs."

He looked at her with concern.

"I'm not going to get in bed and cry," she said, noticing the look on his face. "I'm all cried out, for now."

Fitz nodded. "Are you going to call Satchel?" he asked hopefully.

She sucked her teeth. "No," she said. "I miss him, but I'm still mad at him."

"Ell-"

She held up a hand cutting him off. "Daddy, please not now. I have nothing to say to him. Nothing!" Elliott knew that her parents were hoping that she and Satchel had at least spoken by now. But neither had called the other. That didn't sit well with Fitz or Olivia, but they were keeping their mouths closed.

"I'm going to go and enjoy a little online retail therapy. Whatever doesn't arrive in time, I'll pick up in Miami." She leaned down and kissed her father's cheek before heading upstairs.

Later that evening…

"Why are you looking at me like that, Olivia Grant?" Fitz asked with amusement, standing in the door of their bathroom. Olivia self-consciously raised her hand to her hair and licked her lips. He smiled as he walked into the bedroom, stripping off his towel as he strode toward their bed. Fitz was four months shy of his sixtieth birthday, and was still as fit and fine as he'd been when he'd turned forty and fifty. Of course he was still strikingly handsome, but the beautiful blue eyes he'd passed along to their son were currently filled with frustration.

"If Elle doesn't call Satchel soon, I'm going to take her to California myself so those two can talk," he said, sitting down on the side of the bed.

Olivia, wearing a stark white cotton tank top with a matching pair of bikini panties, got on her knees behind him and began to massage the tension from his shoulders. She still wasn't as good at it as her husband, but she usually got the job done.

"You will do no such thing. We agreed that we would let them work this out on their own and we are not getting involved, Fitzgerald."

He sighed. "I know. But I hate seeing her like this. And he sounded so pitiful when we talked. I just want to help."

Olivia moved to sit next to him. "So do I, babe. But we're only helping if they ask. I don't agree with how they're handling this entire situation either, but we're going to give them the time and space they need to work it out. And they will, in time."

"I don't disagree, but Livvie we lost four years because we were both too stubborn to admit how we felt about each other. I don't want that to happen to Elle and Satchel."

"I don't either. And Fitz it wasn't you, it was me who was too afraid to admit that I loved you, that I was in love with you."

Fitz smiled at his wife. "Well I was too stubborn to call you because of my pride and ego. We also had a third party working against us. But I understand what you mean. Elle is behaving the same way. She told me that she had nothing to say to Satchel."

Olivia chuckled. "Okay, nothing. I'd like to know how that conversation goes when they do have it."

"Well I hope it's soon because right now they're wasting time. That's time that they'll never be able to get back. I told her that if she and Satchel don't want the same things from their relationship long-term, it's best to end it now rather than later."

Olivia nodded, agreeing with her husband. "Obviously our position on this situation is different than Elle's and Satchel's, but theirs are the only ones that matter. They'll work it out, one way or another, we just have to be patient and take it easy on them."

Fitz stared at his wife for a long time. "The older you get, the wiser you become, and it's sexy as hell. You're sexier than most women half your age," he said.

"Most?" Olivia asked as she stood in front of him and did a complete three-hundred-and-sixty-degree turn.

"All," he assured her, looking down at his dick hardening between his thighs. His fifty-five year old wife did that to him with just one look.

Olivia straddled her husband's lap and pushed his upper body down onto the bed. "I'm going to show you what else your sexy wife is capable of."

Fitz grinned and raised his arms above his head, allowing his wife to have her way.

Elliott remained in D.C. the next three days before she and her cousins flew down to Miami for a little fun in the sun. The first two days she'd partied, she'd danced, she'd had fun. She also fought hard to make sure her heart wasn't broken again, even denying herself when all she really wanted was Satchel.

On their third night out, she'd been in the club with hundreds of others, but still felt lonely. She still hadn't heard from Satchel since that Sunday over a week ago. With each passing day, she had gone from hurt to anger to surprise that he hadn't tried to contact her again. Of course that worked both ways, but she'd expected him to do what he always did, give in to her and let have her way. But he hadn't. He hadn't come to her. He hadn't changed his mind. Who professed love and ended a long-term relationship all in the same breath? she thought.

It's really over.

"Damn," she whispered as she sat at their table in the club's VIP section watching the bodies below gyrating to the music, enjoying themselves. Closing her eyes, an all too familiar wave of pain and regret came over her. At that moment she decided to leave rather than be a killjoy, and allow her cousins to have a good time. She stood and made it downstairs, and had managed to push her way through the bodies to reach the exit when she heard her name.

"Elliott! Elle!"

She stopped in her tracks and turned to see her cousins, two sets of twins, making their way toward her through the crowd, until they stood in front of her.

"Where are you going?" Evie asked.

"Guys I'm tired, so I'm going back to the hotel. But you stay and enjoy yourselves. Okay?"

They all looked skeptical at first, but then saw the pleading in her eyes. After a few minutes, the four of them decided to give her some time alone. They waited with her for their driver to return and hugged and kissed her goodbye, and then watched as she drove away, before going back inside the club.

Elliott's classes had begun again as well as her rotations. She'd thrown herself into her studies to keep her mind off of Satchel. They still had not talked but she would see him on Saturday in D.C. at an art show being held for a good friend. She knew he'd RSVP'd and would be flying in to celebrate his friend and fraternity brother. It had been over a month since they'd last seen each other, and she couldn't wait to see his handsome face again. It was time. She found herself excited and actually looking forward to a night out, seeing Satchel and their friends.

"So how long are you going to ignore Elle?" Brian Bennett, Satchel's best friend, asked.

Satchel shrugged. "I don't know what to say to her," he finally answered.

"Maybe you should start with an explanation of why you left in the first place, and then apologize."

Satchel looked at his friend before taking a long swallow of his beer. "You don't understand, Bri. It's complicated."

"It doesn't seem complicated to me," Brian said. "You asked her to marry you and she turned you down. So you tucked tail and hauled your ass across the country."

They both turned as Brian's girlfriend, Ayeesha, entered the room.

"Brian's right. You've messed up big time. If I were Elle I wouldn't have anything to do with you."

"Well I guess it's a good thing you're not Elle," he snapped back.

She rolled her eyes at him and then turned to her boyfriend. "Our reservation at Sushi Bistro is at eight."

Brian kissed her cheek. "Thank you, baby."

Ayeesha looked at Satchel. "The reservation is for the three of us, but you're going to have to get rid of that attitude before you go anywhere, especially with me."

"Leave me alone, Yeesha. I don't need you giving me a hard time right now."

"I'm not giving you a hard time, Satch. I'm just stating facts. You messed up and now you're facing the consequences."

"A hard head makes a soft ass, bro," Brian added, laughing.

"Did you ever stop to consider that Elle might not want you back?" Ayeesha asked. "If you'd bailed on me, I know I wouldn't want you back!"

Satchel panicked as he considered that his friend's girlfriend might be right.

"You know she'll be at Hakeem's show tomorrow night. You'll finally get a chance to see and talk to her," Ayeesha said, sounding a little more sympathetic after seeing the look of panic on his face.

"I should call her," he said as he pulled his phone out of his pocket.

"You're going to just call her, out of the blue, after a month of no contact?" she asked.

He glared at her as he touched the screen and called his girlfriend. Could he still call her that? The phone rang over and over, and then went to voicemail. Elle wasn't answering his call, and that didn't sit right with him. He didn't bother leaving a message; he'd see her in less than twenty-four hours.

He looked at his best friend and his best friend's annoying girlfriend whom he loved like a sister. "I'll wait until I see her tomorrow to talk to her."

Ayeesha shook her head. "You are such a man!" she exclaimed as she left the room.

Brian laughed and checked his watch. "We should leave in about an hour for dinner, bro," he said.

Satchel nodded. "I need to shower, and then I'll be ready." He'd decided to stay with his friend while he was in town instead of his parents in order to avoid his mother's questions. A part of their last conversation was still on his mind.

"Satchel?" she said.

"Yes, Mom?"

"Call Elle. Fix this."

He sighed. "Yes, Mom."

He was going to try.

Brian drained his bottle of beer before standing and walking out of the room, leaving his best friend alone with his thoughts.

The next evening, Zenith Gallery…

Satchel saw Elliott the moment she walked into the gallery, along with her cousin, Charlotte Wright. His heart hammered in his chest as he took her in. Those beautiful doe shaped, blue green eyes, and the pouty lips curling into a smile just before she laughed at something Charlotte said.

She was wearing the requisite little black dress and sky high strappy sandals. At five feet three and a half, she loved wearing heels to add a few inches to her height, just like her mother. Her hair hung like a silky brown and blonde curtain, past her shoulders, almost to her waist, with a center part.

Beautiful.

They were greeted by a group of women, that included Ayeesha, and they all stood talking, catching up. Satchel had managed to stay out of her view when his eyes connected with Ayeesha's. She started to raise her hand to wave him over, but he shook his head and backed away, realizing he wasn't ready to face Elliott.

Seeing the look on her friend's face, Elliott glanced over her shoulder in time to see Satchel's retreating back. When she turned back around, she forced a smile on her face and refocused her attention on the group of women she'd been talking to.

Satchel stood in a hidden alcove where he could see everyone and everything, and not be seen. He shoved his empty hand in the pocket of his slacks as he watched Elliott, a few other women and Hakeem, as they started to tour the exhibit. She didn't appear to be unhappy or missing him, at all.

She's okay. That was good. Right? Hell no.

His appetite was gone, and he could barely go a full minute without thinking about her, and seeing a little remorse about breaking his heart would have at least made him feel as if she was as miserable as he was. He forced himself to look away from her when all he really wanted to do at that moment was walk across the room and kiss her. As they moved closer to where he stood, he stared at her. He was still drawn to this beautiful woman, always would be.

Damn, I miss her.

"So Elle, how's med school?" He heard Hakeem ask her. "And let me say before I forget, thank you for coming up for my show. I know how busy you are."

"Anything for you, Keemie," she said laughing at the childhood name she'd always called him. He laughed along with her before kissing her cheek and grabbing her hand, and moving on to the next painting.

Satchel couldn't hear the rest of their conversation as they walked away from where he stood, hidden. He finally left the alcove and went to the nearest bar.

"What was that all about, Satch?" Ayeesha asked as she walked up and stood next to him. "I thought you were going to talk to her."

Satchel nodded his thanks and dropped a bill in the tip jar, as the bartender handed him his drink. "I know what I said Yeesh, but I changed my mind." He was angry and didn't know why.

Ayeesha looked at him, opened her mouth as if to say something and then changed her mind. She turned away from him, but then turned back. "What is meant to be will be, Satch," she said. "Remember that."

"Thanks, Yeesh," he said to her as she walked away.

She threw up her hand and kept walking.

Satchel looked brooding as he walked to gallery's empty foyer to check his messages.

"Satch?"

He looked up from his phone to see Elliott standing in front of him. Her expression was pained, hurt. Damn.

"You don't have to hide from me," she said in a low voice. "It's over. I get it. I'm not going to cause a scene." Being in close proximity to him, she was needy. She needed him.

He shook his head. "That's not why-"

"Then what is it, Satch?" she asked, cutting him off. "Why did you walk away when Ayeesha called you over? And why are you hiding from me now?"

Time had changed nothing for him as he stood looking down into her beautiful upturned face. His entire body felt more alive than it had in over a month, and his heart pounded and pulse raced at being this close to her. His stomach was tied in knots with his emotions. God, he loved this woman.

"It hurts too much to see you, Elle." There. He'd said it. "I'm the one with the broken heart, remember?"

"I know, but I love you so much," she said as tears filled those eyes he could get lost in. She raised her hand to touch his cheek but he stopped her, and then spoke.

"I had to tuck my tail between my legs and get the hell away from here because I couldn't take being near you and not being with you."

She nodded. "Satch, I've regretted the moment I turned you down, and I want another chance. I want to erase a stupid mistake. Please."

"Why didn't you call me, Elle?" he asked.

"I thought you were done with me. You never called after you left for California."

"You could've called me too. You broke my heart when you turned me down. I'm man enough to admit it, but I would've been reminded of that every time I saw you, so I left," he said, his voice broke with his hurt.

He turned to walk away.

"So you're leaving me again?" she asked, her own voice filled with anguish.

He said nothing as he continued to walk away.

"Hey," he said as he quickly walked past Charlotte.

"Hey, Satch," Charlotte called after him as she watched him walk back toward the gallery.

Elliott stood, afraid to move, as if the slightest motion would reduce her to pile of immeasurable despair. She barely breathed, scared she would collapse. Something or more specifically someone, Charlotte, kept her upright. The moment she saw Satchel round the corner and disappear from sight, her entire body screamed on the inside. She refused to cry, knowing her tears would become endless. Charlotte pulled her cousin into her arms, offering the love and strength she needed, and then led her away from curious onlookers, toward the exit.

Later…

Olivia looked over the top of her reading glasses at her husband's silhouette as he stood on the balcony off their bedroom, staring into the darkness. She knew he was thinking about their daughter.

Earlier, Elliott had returned from the art exhibit, upset. They'd been sitting in the family room watching a movie when she walked in. It had taken some coaxing, but she'd eventually told them what had happened between her and Satchel. It hadn't gone as their daughter had hoped.

Olivia had opened her mouth then closed it just as quickly, a few times, while Elliott spoke. She decided that whatever impasse Elliott and Satchel were at, it would have to be solved by them.

"I can't breathe without Satch," she'd said, as she laid her head on her father's shoulder. "I feel like the bottom has fallen out of my world, and right now I'm falling into a black hole. I need him, probably more than he needs me," she laughed dryly. "He's a big piece of my heart and right now my heart is broken. I never knew it was possible to hurt this much."

She sighed, and stood and kissed both of her parents before saying goodnight, and going upstairs to bed.

They'd sat talking quietly for a while, their movie long forgotten, before retiring to their bedroom as well.

Olivia shut down her tablet, removed her glasses, and climbed from the bed to join her husband. She walked up to him, pressed her body into his side, and wrapped her arms around his waist. Fitz leaned down and kissed the messy bun atop her head, before pulling her close and putting an arm around her shoulder. For almost twenty-six years this man had been her lover, her friend, and her backbone. His highs were hers. His lows were hers. And ever since their firstborn, their first baby girl, had broken up with her boyfriend over a month ago, there had been more lows than highs.

"She's going to be okay, Fitz," she assured him, looking out at the lighted pool and beyond.

He said nothing and just nodded his head.

"We're doing the right thing. They're going to have to figure this out and find their way back to each other on their own. We are not going to interfere," Olivia told him softly. She looked up at his profile and felt her heart swell with love.

"I just don't like seeing her so unhappy. She's my baby, Livvie."

Olivia slid her hand beneath his t-shirt to rub his back. "She's my baby too, and I don't like seeing her unhappy either. But, Fitz, they're going to get past this."

He looked at his beautiful wife and smiled before leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to her lips. "We'll see."

"Trust me, babe. Have I ever steered you wrong?" she asked, leaning away from him to gaze up at his handsome face.

"I have something you can steer," he said raising a brow suggestively, with a crooked grin on his face, before squeezing her backside.

Olivia chuckled and rose on her toes to kiss his lips before turning to walk back into their bedroom. Fitz turned to watch her as she stopped, glanced over her shoulder and winked at him. She removed her robe and dropped it to the floor, exposing her naked body to him, sashayed to their bed, perched herself on the side, and licked her lips while slowly opening her legs.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" he said, rushing into their bedroom, and closing and locking the French doors behind him.