Thank you so much for reading and responding. I appreciate any and all feedback. You've all been wonderful! I still own nothing of Once and Again and I own no part of the song/lyrics for Someday We'll Know. Thanks again for reading and for your patience...I hope you enjoy...
If I could ask God just one question
Why aren't you here with me tonight?
"Oh get a room...go upstairs...go to the garage or something. Please. That is not something I want to see. I'm young and impressionable. HELLO! What? Okay, so I'm not as young as I used to be but I'm still much younger than the two of you and always will be." Zoe complained to Grace and Eli.
"Look, they sent me here to get you. Come to the kitchen please. Oh, and Grace? We've got to go get Grandma soon." Zoe stated and turned around and went back to the kitchen.
"Well sweetheart, looks like we're needed." Grace said, grabbed Eli's hand and walked to the kitchen with him following reluctantly behind.
Before they reached the kitchen she stopped, looked in his eyes and whispered, "I changed my mind. I don't want to do this. You realize I want to run and hide and let everyone else take care of it all. I want to spend every moment I can with you before you have to go and I don't want anything to spoil it. I know, don't say it. I have to face them and I have to explain everything. Why did I send so many invitations?" Eli squeezed her hand for reassurance and guided her into the kitchen.
Elitook a deep breath as all eyes slowly looked at the two. "Okay, here we are." He didn't know what else to say. 'I'm trying to be strong for Grace and I cannot help her one little bit. I need to stand firm and profess my love and take care of everything and I feel like a little boy who threw a baseball through the window after my mom told me to go to the backyard to play instead of the front yard. That was a horrible day.'
"Uh, what..." Eli cleared his throat. "What did you need?" 'What just happened to my voice? I sounded like I was twelve. Yeah, big man Eli taking care of the woman he loves by regressing back to puberty.'
Rick smiled. "E, are you okay? Everything alright? Not, um, what is the word I'm looking for...terrified maybe?"
Jake laughed as Karen said, "Rick, leave him alone. It's been a difficult couple of days. Eli, it's completely okay if you are a little nervous. We must look like the inquisition. We're okay with it, with you and Grace, with all of this. Well, I am a little disappointed that you could not control your hormones this afternoon but, I am your mother and mothers don't want to know everything their children do in their house."
Karen was grinning as Rick spoke up, "Okay Karen, that was much nicer than what I said."
"Oh leave them alone. Now Gracie, where is the invitation list? We'll have to start calling everyone to let them know they shouldn't show up at the church tomorrow." She gasped."The food...what are we going to do with all that food? I forgot all about the reception. Hang on, calling them now." Lily jumped up, grabbed the phone and walked to the living room to make the call in peace.
Grace sighed. "She'll never stop calling me Gracie will she? I'll be 50 years old and she will still be around worrying about me and calling me Gracie." She sighed once more andgazed helplesslyat Eli.
"She's used that name so many years she can't stop cold turkey. But Grace, have you noticed your mom only says Gracie when she's worried about you? At least she improves a little bit as the years pass." Rick smiled warmly at his stepdaughter and made a mental note to talk to Lily that night about trying harder to call her daughter Grace and not the nickname she's always used.
Lily stepped back into the room while dialing another number. "Okay, caterer taken care of. Hang on..." and she walked back to the living room.
"Is she going to be okay?" Eli asked.
"Who? Lil? Yes, she'll be fine. She's been acting like this two months now. Every single day. It will be better soon. Our phone may never recover but Lil will be fine. I have a feeling that she realized our son is still at his friend's house and is begging to let him stay another night. Here she comes." Rick smiled and waited patiently for his wife to speak.
"Okay. Philip can stay another night, thank goodness, and now we can concentrate on what needs to be done and do it. Geoff and his family were handling everything concerning the rehearsal so they'll take care of canceling it all. Gracie...sorry, Grace, did you want us to make the calls to everyone on the list for tomorrow or did you want to help us do it? You don't have to help if it would be too difficult for you because you know everyone will have questions. I know you don't want to answer the questions today do you?" Lily walked to her daughter and put her arms around her. "We'll help you sweetie. You don't have to do any of this alone."
"No mom, I do. It's my wedding and my decision to cancel. I can make the calls. Why don't I do that while you get Grandma? Don't you need to pick her up soon?" Grace knew she needed to be brave and call everyone herself but she knew when she did it, she'd have to do it alone without her mother hovering over her. 'I don't want to do this. I don't want to do this at all. Geoff can call his friends and family. I'll have to call him and tell him that. He'll never think of it. I don't want to talk to him anymore today.'
Eli beamed. He knew how difficult it was for Grace to decide to make the calls alone and yet, without seeming to hesitate too much, she told her mother she'd make the calls. She wouldn't have to do it alone. "I'll help you Grace. I can help you with whatever you need."
Grace looked at him lovingly, gave him a smile, and whispered "thank you E."
Lily saw the exchange between the two and knew her daughter would be okay. She took a deep breath and said, "Okay, let's go get Mom now. Come on Judy, you're coming too. Yes you are and don't look at me like that. Bye everyone. We'll be back in a while." Lily got her purse and raincoat and walked outside with Judy right behind her mumbling about not wanting to go but having to anyway and that she still didn't want any crackers no matter how pregnant she was.
More goodbyes were said as Rick was next out the door followed by Jake and Zoe. Rick was driving Lily and Judy while Jake was going home and Zoe decided to go with him. Karen and Jessie walked over to Eli and Grace and Karen gave him a hug while Grace and Jessie quietly talked. She whispered in his ear "E I love you and I am so happy for you and Grace. It took a long time but you belong together. I can see it in your eyes. Don't ever let go of that feeling. It's too precious to lose."
Karenturned to Grace and hugged her as well. "I'll see you later Grace. We still need to eat that ice cream and talk. I wont forget. Take care you two." She and Jessie walked out the door and as it shut behind them Grace and Eli realized they were all alone.
Eli swept her up in his arms and said, "Grace, my love, where would you like me to take you? We can spare a few moments to ourselves before we start making calls, right?" Grace thought a moment, smiled and said, "the backyard" and with no hesitation that was exactly where they were headed.
For the next half hour, the two sat in their spot while a light rain fell around them. They talked about the past, what was happening in their lives and the possibilities of the future. They didn't care that they were soaked again. They didn't care that they would end up with colds. The only thing Grace and Eli worried about was finding enough time together alone before the difficult decisions had to be made about their futures.
Eli had his arms wrapped around Grace who was sitting between his legs leaning back into him. He kissed her cheek and finally said with a sigh, "Grace, we need to get inside and make those calls now. I'll be right there with you. I can help or I can even make them for you. Sweetheart, we have to go now." Eli stood and took her hand as he said, "Come on, we can do this."
Grace reluctantly stood and the two went inside. Eli got towels and they dried themselves off and began the arduous task of calling and explaining there would be no wedding. Eli held her hand and continually gave her reassuring hugs. Finally the calls were done and the two realized they were starved.
"We didn't eat lunch did we? Thank goodness Mom made such a huge breakfast. Although we worked that off earlier didn't we?" Grace laughed and heard a loud moan from the hallway.
"Grace, we're home now and you do not need to discuss something like that with other people in the house." Zoe walked into the kitchen with Tiffany.
"Hi Tiffany. What are you doing here? Why didn't Daddy bring big mouth home?" Grace questioned.
Tiffany smiled at Zoe and looked back at Grace with a mischievous grin. "You see, big mouth and I had a little talk today and then we made some calls of our own and we are having a slumber party tonight. Just the girls. No boys, so you'll have to tell Eli he's got to let go of you and has to leave the house tonight. Either that or he's banished to the garage. Whichever you prefer Eli."
"Slumber party? Aren't we all too old to do this?" Grace was puzzled and in the back of her mind wanted to be banished to the garage with Eli.
Tiffany put her arm around Grace's shoulder and said, "No woman is ever too old to have a slumber party and thoroughly enjoy it. We'll have a blast. We'll eat all kinds of junk and forget about any diets or dedications to health foods we may have and our gossip about boys gets so much more interesting now that we're older. It will be you, Zoe, Lily, Judy, your grandma, Karen, Jess, and I tonight. We'll have so much fun you'll forget all about the big idiot you're not marrying. And you won't even miss Eli all that much. Don't give me that sad pathetic puppy dog look Eli Sammler, I said all that much, I never said she'd completely forget you too!" Tiffany laughed and put her other arm around Eli. "This woman will never be able to forget you. You have no need to worry about that."
"We're here! And we have junk food and drinks." Karen and Jessie walked to the kitchen with their hands full of grocery bags. "A slumber party is not a slumber party if there isn't enough junk to stuff your entire body. We have to feel absolutely horrible in the morning because we ate so much or it was not a fun slumber party. Oh, and Grace, we have ice cream too. Come on. Let's get this stuff put away so we can get our sleeping bags and everything out of the car. Eli, son, you need to go soon. No boys allowed. You and your father can go over to Jake's and help him with the kids and do your male bonding thing. Pick Henry up on the way if you go. Grab Will too while you're at it. Come on, pack your things so you can go and we can get started. Say your goodbyes, we won't watch will we?" Karen laughed along with the others.
"I guess our night has been planned for us then. I don't know if I like that idea but do we have a choice?" Grace sighed.
"You'll have fun. The boys will have our male bonding tonight too. You'll have more fun though. We'll watch sports all night. Help me get some stuff together." Eli and Grace walked to the garage.
"I wish we could be alone tonight but this will be good for you Grace. You'll laugh and you'll talk and they will do all they can to help you. We have the rest of our lives. I love you Grace Manning, and don't you ever forget that." Elifound a pair of socks and put them inthe bag as he looked at Grace. "There, I'm ready to go. Let's see if they're back yet with your Grandma. I know, I know, I wish we could be alone tonight too. Come here." Grace walked into his awaiting arms and he held her until Jessie knocked on the door and said it was time for Eli to go. They didn't dare think about what would happen or how they would feel when he had to go back to his life and the band. They blocked that out of their minds and would continue to do so until the dreaded moment arrived.