Chapter Three
One review response: Well in general for the all the reviews I thank you! But SimCecilia I'd advise you to read the prequel to this story, Protecting Her Always...it explains the father situation a lot better!
With Lily settled on her lap Lizzie is appreciative of the nice weather as the ceremony begins, she doesn't want to draw anymore attention to herself necessary by having a fussy baby. The ceremony is started out with a speech by the principal and then moves on quickly to Miranda standing up and singing the class song, the words and seeing Miranda for the first time in so long brings tears to her eyes. Gordo's speech doesn't help either, by the time they both sit down and the names are about to be called Lizzie is all out bawling and Lily is looking at her mother concerned.
"Wha' wrong Mama?" Lily asks.
"Nothing's wrong baby," Lizzie responds.
"Why you sad?"
"I'm not sad," Lizzie whispers, "but it's quiet time now, see Mama's not crying anymore."
Lily nods, satisfied with her mother's response and begins to entertain herself with the beads on Lizzie's bracelet. The ceremony actually goes a lot faster than Lizzie had been expecting and within minutes the students are in the crowd mixing with their family and friends. Lizzie doesn't spot anyone she recognizes until Lily calls, "Uncle Efan!"
Lizzie twirls to see what her daughter is seeing and sure enough behind her is Ethan Craft jogging toward them, "hey Ethan, congratulations."
"Uncle Efan! Uncle Efan!" Lily holds her hands out to Ethan and Ethan takes her into his arms and immediately tosses her into the air with Lily giggling.
"How does Lily know Ethan?" Jo asks.
And expression of what must be shame crosses Lizzie's face, "Ethan visited us all the time while I was at school. Everyone respected my privacy when I said I didn't want to see anyone, except Ethan. I'm sorry I never told you but for some reason Ethan was the only one I could see..."
Jo nods in understand, "you don't have to apologize for your choices Lizzie."
Lizzie lets out a sigh of relief, "I am sorry though."
"Ethan who is this, is she your cousin or something?" Miranda walks up to Ethan and either doesn't recognize or notice Lizzie.
"No this is Lily Gordon." Ethan responds.
Miranda turns around and her eyes go wide when she spots Lizzie, "I didn't even see you there!" Miranda exclaims hugging Lizzie. "You look great!"
"So do you." Lizzie responds, "and you sounded amazing."
Miranda smiles, "thank you. I didn't even know you were coming."
Lizzie nods, "I wanted it to be a surprise, so I told Mom, Dad and Ethan not to say anything." Lizzie responds, "so I guess surprise."
Miranda hugs Lizzie again, "I am so happy you are here. How long are you here for?"
"Just for the summer." Lizzie states, "I got a full ride scholarship to a college in Texas so I have to be there in August, but until then I'm here."
"That's awesome!" Miranda exclaims, "we'll be able to hang out, like old times."
Lizzie gives Miranda a smile but deep down she knows that it won't be like old times, and she knows that it's going to be weird hanging out friends who don't have kids. "Yeah."
"So this is Lily?" Miranda asks, "she's adorable."
Lily buries her head in Ethan's shoulder and Lizzie is about to inform Miranda about Lily's shyness when Gordo joins the group and spotting Lizzie he stops and stares. "I had no idea you were..."
Lizzie shrugs, "surprise."
"It's good to see you," awkwardness descends between the two.
Lizzie nods, "yeah, that was a great speech."
Silence falls over the group for a minute until Gordo states, "I'm sorry, I was just coming over to say that the limo is picking us up now to take us to dinner, Larry's out there waiting for us."
The silence continues as everyone looks back and forth between each other not sure what do about Lizzie. Finally Miranda suggests, "Lizzie you should come with us."
Lizzie shakes her head, "I can't, sorry. I have Lily with me."
"We could take her home Lizzie." Sam offers.
Lizzie glances at her daughter and then shakes her head, "no, she'd scream for most of the night."
"You could bring her with." Gordo offers.
Ethan and Lizzie both shake their head, "definitely not." Lizzie states, "taking a two-year-old to a restaurant much less a nice restaurant is to much work. But really, thanks for asking, we'll get to do other stuff I'm sure, I mean I'm here for the whole summer."
Everyone smiles and nods and within minutes they have all head toward the location of their limo. "You could have gone with them Lizzie." Jo states, "we're grandparents, baby-sitting comes with the territory."
Lizzie licks her lips and thinks for a minute, unsure if her parents can understand her reasoning behind not going, but as they walk she decides to attempt to explain it to them. "I don't think I can just jump back into being friends with them."
"What do you mean?" Sam questions sliding into the driver's seat.
"We're so different now, we have nothing in common, I mean I couldn't tell you what was in style right now or who was the hot movie star, or even the classes they will be talking about. I'm not part of their world anymore."
"I'm sure you would adjust quickly," Sam states.
"It's not just being out of the loop, they don't know what it's like to have kids. They don't understand that I can't just pick up and go out to dinner, Ethan gets it a little bit but...it's hard to explain."
"I get it Lizzie," Jo states. "You don't have very much in common anymore."
Lizzie nods, "exactly and I don't want to force the my life on them. Don't get me wrong," Lizzie states adjusting Lily in her car seat, "I love my kids, but I don't want to force them on my friends and I know them, and I know they are going to inconvenience themselves for me. I don't want them to do that."
"No!" Lily's statement causes a break in the conversation.
"No what?" Lizzie asks facing her daughter a determined expression on her face that Lizzie knows means Lily's about to throw an unusual fit.
"No seat." Lily states.
Lizzie sighs, she should have seen this coming Lily hated sitting in the car seat for long periods of time, "just until we go home."
Lily shakes her head, "no."
Jo turns around in the front seat, "hey Lily I have a deal to make with you." Lily stares at her grandmother and Lizzie can tell that her daughter had forgotten that almost complete strangers were in the front seat. "If you sit in your car seat like a good girl we can have some ice cream when we get home."
Lily looks towards her mother and Lizzie nods, "you can have some ice cream when you get home if you want."
Lily turns her attention back to Jo and then nods solemnly, "okay, ice cream," she nods again, "okay."
Lizzie stares at her parents, Jo had hadn't that situation easily while Lizzie had been expecting a complete blow-out from her daughter her mother had handled it easily. Maybe being home wouldn't be so bad, maybe Jo could teach Lizzie something's that she didn't know she didn't know.
One review response: Well in general for the all the reviews I thank you! But SimCecilia I'd advise you to read the prequel to this story, Protecting Her Always...it explains the father situation a lot better!
With Lily settled on her lap Lizzie is appreciative of the nice weather as the ceremony begins, she doesn't want to draw anymore attention to herself necessary by having a fussy baby. The ceremony is started out with a speech by the principal and then moves on quickly to Miranda standing up and singing the class song, the words and seeing Miranda for the first time in so long brings tears to her eyes. Gordo's speech doesn't help either, by the time they both sit down and the names are about to be called Lizzie is all out bawling and Lily is looking at her mother concerned.
"Wha' wrong Mama?" Lily asks.
"Nothing's wrong baby," Lizzie responds.
"Why you sad?"
"I'm not sad," Lizzie whispers, "but it's quiet time now, see Mama's not crying anymore."
Lily nods, satisfied with her mother's response and begins to entertain herself with the beads on Lizzie's bracelet. The ceremony actually goes a lot faster than Lizzie had been expecting and within minutes the students are in the crowd mixing with their family and friends. Lizzie doesn't spot anyone she recognizes until Lily calls, "Uncle Efan!"
Lizzie twirls to see what her daughter is seeing and sure enough behind her is Ethan Craft jogging toward them, "hey Ethan, congratulations."
"Uncle Efan! Uncle Efan!" Lily holds her hands out to Ethan and Ethan takes her into his arms and immediately tosses her into the air with Lily giggling.
"How does Lily know Ethan?" Jo asks.
And expression of what must be shame crosses Lizzie's face, "Ethan visited us all the time while I was at school. Everyone respected my privacy when I said I didn't want to see anyone, except Ethan. I'm sorry I never told you but for some reason Ethan was the only one I could see..."
Jo nods in understand, "you don't have to apologize for your choices Lizzie."
Lizzie lets out a sigh of relief, "I am sorry though."
"Ethan who is this, is she your cousin or something?" Miranda walks up to Ethan and either doesn't recognize or notice Lizzie.
"No this is Lily Gordon." Ethan responds.
Miranda turns around and her eyes go wide when she spots Lizzie, "I didn't even see you there!" Miranda exclaims hugging Lizzie. "You look great!"
"So do you." Lizzie responds, "and you sounded amazing."
Miranda smiles, "thank you. I didn't even know you were coming."
Lizzie nods, "I wanted it to be a surprise, so I told Mom, Dad and Ethan not to say anything." Lizzie responds, "so I guess surprise."
Miranda hugs Lizzie again, "I am so happy you are here. How long are you here for?"
"Just for the summer." Lizzie states, "I got a full ride scholarship to a college in Texas so I have to be there in August, but until then I'm here."
"That's awesome!" Miranda exclaims, "we'll be able to hang out, like old times."
Lizzie gives Miranda a smile but deep down she knows that it won't be like old times, and she knows that it's going to be weird hanging out friends who don't have kids. "Yeah."
"So this is Lily?" Miranda asks, "she's adorable."
Lily buries her head in Ethan's shoulder and Lizzie is about to inform Miranda about Lily's shyness when Gordo joins the group and spotting Lizzie he stops and stares. "I had no idea you were..."
Lizzie shrugs, "surprise."
"It's good to see you," awkwardness descends between the two.
Lizzie nods, "yeah, that was a great speech."
Silence falls over the group for a minute until Gordo states, "I'm sorry, I was just coming over to say that the limo is picking us up now to take us to dinner, Larry's out there waiting for us."
The silence continues as everyone looks back and forth between each other not sure what do about Lizzie. Finally Miranda suggests, "Lizzie you should come with us."
Lizzie shakes her head, "I can't, sorry. I have Lily with me."
"We could take her home Lizzie." Sam offers.
Lizzie glances at her daughter and then shakes her head, "no, she'd scream for most of the night."
"You could bring her with." Gordo offers.
Ethan and Lizzie both shake their head, "definitely not." Lizzie states, "taking a two-year-old to a restaurant much less a nice restaurant is to much work. But really, thanks for asking, we'll get to do other stuff I'm sure, I mean I'm here for the whole summer."
Everyone smiles and nods and within minutes they have all head toward the location of their limo. "You could have gone with them Lizzie." Jo states, "we're grandparents, baby-sitting comes with the territory."
Lizzie licks her lips and thinks for a minute, unsure if her parents can understand her reasoning behind not going, but as they walk she decides to attempt to explain it to them. "I don't think I can just jump back into being friends with them."
"What do you mean?" Sam questions sliding into the driver's seat.
"We're so different now, we have nothing in common, I mean I couldn't tell you what was in style right now or who was the hot movie star, or even the classes they will be talking about. I'm not part of their world anymore."
"I'm sure you would adjust quickly," Sam states.
"It's not just being out of the loop, they don't know what it's like to have kids. They don't understand that I can't just pick up and go out to dinner, Ethan gets it a little bit but...it's hard to explain."
"I get it Lizzie," Jo states. "You don't have very much in common anymore."
Lizzie nods, "exactly and I don't want to force the my life on them. Don't get me wrong," Lizzie states adjusting Lily in her car seat, "I love my kids, but I don't want to force them on my friends and I know them, and I know they are going to inconvenience themselves for me. I don't want them to do that."
"No!" Lily's statement causes a break in the conversation.
"No what?" Lizzie asks facing her daughter a determined expression on her face that Lizzie knows means Lily's about to throw an unusual fit.
"No seat." Lily states.
Lizzie sighs, she should have seen this coming Lily hated sitting in the car seat for long periods of time, "just until we go home."
Lily shakes her head, "no."
Jo turns around in the front seat, "hey Lily I have a deal to make with you." Lily stares at her grandmother and Lizzie can tell that her daughter had forgotten that almost complete strangers were in the front seat. "If you sit in your car seat like a good girl we can have some ice cream when we get home."
Lily looks towards her mother and Lizzie nods, "you can have some ice cream when you get home if you want."
Lily turns her attention back to Jo and then nods solemnly, "okay, ice cream," she nods again, "okay."
Lizzie stares at her parents, Jo had hadn't that situation easily while Lizzie had been expecting a complete blow-out from her daughter her mother had handled it easily. Maybe being home wouldn't be so bad, maybe Jo could teach Lizzie something's that she didn't know she didn't know.