You get a little insight into Noah in this chapter. READ, REVIEW, AND REQUEST!

XOXO Jules

Chapter 17: "Like a high school letter"

"BAM!" Sandy said knocking on the outside of Ellas door for the hundredth time that morning. "Come on! You have to get ready for school!"

There was no answer from the other side of the door.

"Alright then Isabella Marissa, make sure you are decent because I am about to come in!"

Worried, still that he did not hear a response Sandy entered the bed room. The sheets were tussled like the bed had been slept in.

"SETH!" Sandy yelled downstairs

"Yeah dad." Seth yelled back

"Is Bam with you?"

"No why?" Seth asked

"Because she is not in her room!"

Ella had the tendency of hiding when she didn't want to go to school. He usual spot was the pool house, or if she was feeling really brave the bush behind the pool.

"I'll go check the pool house." Seth said coolly.

Sandy was overprotective of his only grandchild. He had never had a daughter so it figured that he was making up for it now.

Seth wandered out by the pool house. He saw them lying there in the bed before he even opened the glass doors. He saw Summer, lying with her arms around Ella. Ellas head was resting on her chest… Suddenly, when Seth saw the two, he knew that he made the right decision by allowing Summer back into their daughters life. It felt good.

Seth cautiously entered the pool house. He knew how Summer could be first thing in the morning. Ella was the same way.

"Hey." He heard a voice say. He turned to see Summer staring at him. "I'm sorry, she was afraid of the storm last night, and she told me that you were talking to your parents, and I guess that we just fell asleep here." She said totally apologetically.

"It's okay." Seth said. "I figured that she was in here."

Summer nodded. Seth gently shook Ella awake.

"Bam. It's time for school!"

"NO!" She said turning over, hiding her face in Summers shirt. "I don' wanna!" She argued.

"How about we go out for those banana splits when you get home?" Summer asked

"But Marissa…" Ella said

"Maybe she can come too." Summer said getting out of bed.

Ella thought for a second.

"Deal." She said smiling. She groggily walked out of the pool house.

"I have breakfast inside." Seth offered to Summer when they heard a loud "EW" come from outside of the pool house.

Summers head shot up.

"Was that Ella?" Summer asked shocked

"Like mother like daughter." Seth same smiling, and then heading off to find out what Ella had Ewed about.

"What is it?" Seth asked, he and Summer approaching their daughter together.

"I just stepped on a slug!" She said jumping into her father arms.

"Come on Bam, a slug won't hurt you, go on in and get dressed."

Seth and Summer sat at the breakfast table across from one another. This had become a familiar routine ever since their trip to Tijuana right before junior year, and even more so when they started dating junior year, and Summer rode with Marissa to pick the boys up in the morning.

Summer broke off a piece of Seths crust and nibbled a bit off of the end.

"Hi." Noah said when she came in the morning and gave Seth a big kiss on the cheek.

"Hey honey." She said turning around to kiss her in return.

Summer in turn tried not to cringe at the scene.

"I'M READY!" Ella said running down the stairs, her skateboard resting under her arm. "Hi Noah." She said smiling.

Noah bent down to her face level.

"It looks like some of those missing teeth are coming back in." Noah told her.

Ella nodding, her pig tails swinging from side to side. Summer got a little jealuos when she saw the interaction again between Noah and her daughter, but did she have the right to be? Noah had helped raise her. Summer knew that she would just have to swallow her pride. She wasn't there then, but at least she is now.

"Are you ready to head out without eating?" Seth said pushing a box of cereal towards his daughter.

"Dad, it's Wednesday remember?" Ella said in the "No duh!" tone of voice.

"Oh yeah, you guys go to Mc Donald's." Seth reminded himself.

"Bye dad!" Ella said giving him a kiss on the cheek "Bye." She said waving to Summer.

She never called Summer anything, she never called her mom, or even Summer for that matter, and yet it was more that Summer could have hoped for. At least she was addressing her.

Seth sat in his office at the restaurant on his cell phone.

"No! The forty cases of wine should be here for the Johnson wedding already!" He said becoming frustrated.

There was a knock at the door.

"Henry, I'll have to call you back later." He said hanging up. "Come on in!" He yelled.

"Hey Seth." Noah said sitting in the arm chair next to him, at Ryans desk.

"He, what's up?" Seth asked spinning to see her.

"Nothing. I just wanted to stop in." Noah lied.

"Oh come on, I know when you lie to me." Seth said.

"It just-, I mean, like…, you would tell me if I were getting in the way of things… right?"

"In the way of what things?" Seth asked in true male fashion and all

"Summer and Ella. I am just stuck between a rock and a hard place here because Ella is like my own daughter, but then again she's not. I just, I was naive. I never prepared myself for this, … for Ellas real mother coming back, and now that shes here am I getting in the way?" Noah asked, tears threatening to fall

"Of course not!" Seth said pulling Noah over into his lap. "You have been there for Bam since she was born, and I will not have it anyother way." And with that he leaned in and kissed her.