Jake arrived at Edgar's house looking slightly worse for wear. Edgar opened the door and led him into the kitchen where he offered him a cup of coffee. They both went outside to the back patio to have their coffee and a cigarette.
"I see you got my message" said Edgar.
"I did. I was out with some friends at a bar, I guess one of the girls there got a hold of my phone" said Jake.
"Did you hook up with any of them?" asked Edgar.
"No. I would never do that to Isabella. I really like her" said Jake. Edgar just stared at Jake for the next few minutes.
"I believe you. I hope you can convince Isabella that you are telling the truth said Edgar.
"Is she up yet?" asked Jake.
"It's Saturday, usually she and kids get up to watch cartoons" said Edgar. Jake just smiled remembering when he and Isabella had watched cartoons together.
"Do you think it would be ok if I went up to talk to her?" asked Jake. Edgar sized him up for a minute before nodding. Jake headed back into the house and up the stairs. Arriving in Isabella's room he saw that she was still fast asleep. Sitting down on the bed next to her he moved a few strands of her hair from her face. Her eyes fluttered open and widened in surprise when she saw who was touching her hair.
"What are you doing here?" asked Isabella.
"I wanted to apologize for missing your call last night. I was at the bar with a couple of friends and one of the girls must have gotten a hold of the phone" said Jake.
"It's ok, we don't have an exclusive relationship or anything" said Isabella her eyes filling with tears.
"I didn't do anything with anyone because the only person I want to be with is you" said Jake. Isabella felt a few tears fall onto her cheeks and she gave Jake a watery smile. Jake pulled her into a hug burying his face in her hair and inhaling deeply. Isabella turned her head and captured Jake's lips.
"Isabella, there is a boy in your room" said Elise from the doorway. "And you're kissing him." Jake pulled back. Isabella willed her cheeks to cool.
"Good morning Elise, I believe you know Jake" said Isabella.
"Were you playing sleeping beauty?" she asked.
"No, Jake was just giving me a kiss" said Isabella frankly.
"Is he your boyfriend?" asked Elise.
"Yes, I am" answered Jake.
"Does daddy know?" asked Elise.
"Yes he does and he approves" said Isabella.
"Um, ok" said Elise. "Can you make scones for breakfast this morning?"
"Sure, lets go down and make them together" said Isabella gently shoving Jake off the bed. All three of them headed downstairs and into the kitchen.
Edgar was sitting at the island drinking a cup of coffee and reading the paper when the trio entered the kitchen. Elise climbed into his lap and gave him a big hug.
"Isabella and Jake are boyfriend girlfriend" she announced.
"I know" said Edgar smiling down at his daughter.
"They were kissing in her room" said Elise. At that Edgar shot a disapproving look at both Isabella and Jake. Isabella mouthed sorry and Jake just shrugged.
"Elise, did you still want to help me make the scones?" asked Isabella.
"Yes" said Elise getting down from Edgar's lap. Jake slid into the chair next to Edgar and watched as Isabella and Elise made breakfast. The kitchen was soon filled with the delicious aroma of cranberry scones. The moment they were out of the oven Edgar snagged one off the cookie sheet passing the hot confection between his hands to prevent burning. Isabella took honey and butter out of the fridge and placed them in front of Edgar. She handed Jake a plate and prepared a scone for Elise before taking one for herself.
"Are you excited to see your mommy today?" Isabella asked Elise.
"Yes, and my Nana" said Elise.
"Don't forget to take your cards to the airport" said Isabella. Turning her attention to Edgar she asked "when are you leaving?"
"The plane is suppose to land at 2pm, so I was going to take the kids for lunch before we pick them up" said Edgar.
"Do you want me to go?" asked Isabella.
"Not necessary, besides who knows how much luggage they are going to have with them" said Edgar grimacing.
"I'll get everything ready here. What do you think Louise wants for dinner?" asked Isabella.
"Something that you made" said Edgar with a smile.
"Thanks for the helpful hint" said Isabella. Alex and Daniel both appeared in the kitchen, saying perfunctory hellos to Jake and their dad before digging into their scones with some orange juice.
"You guys need to start your homework now because you are going with your dad in a few hours to pick up mommy and nana" announced Isabella. Everyone around the table smiled. Isabella spent the rest of the morning helping the kids with their homework while Edgar and Jake disappeared into the garage. At 11 am all the kids were dressed and loaded into the car on the way to lunch and the airport. Isabella waved from the doorway before walking back into the kitchen where Jake was sitting at the island playing on the laptop.
Isabella walked past him leaning down to give him a quick kiss on the cheek before walking to the freezer. She pulled out a few packages of frozen meat and set them out to defrost.
"What did you decide to make?" asked Jake.
"Spaghetti and meatballs" replied Isabella.
"Yummy" said Jake.
"You can stay if you want, I'm sure Edgar wouldn't mind" said Isabella. "You can meet Louise's mom."
"Do you want me to stay?" asked Jake tentatively.
"I love spending time with you, but I understand if being here for a family reunion dinner is a little much to ask of you" said Isabella.
"I'd love to stay if it makes you happy" said Jake. "Maybe you can teach me how to make the meatballs." Isabella turned a mega watt smile to Jake and he smiled back. They spent the rest of the afternoon cooking together in the kitchen and Jake slipped out of the house a few minutes before Edgar and the family returned.
Louise was relieved to see her house again, she felt like she'd been in Norway forever. She looked at her mom and kids in the backseat of the ca and smiled this was just what her mom needed. She had been thrilled to see the kids and receive their welcome home cards. Louise had asked Edgar if the cards were his idea which he quickly denied saying that it was all Isabella's doing. She and Isabella needed to catch up, from what Edgar told her on the phone they had a lot to talk about. Pulling up at the house Louise saw Isabella open the door allowing the kids to run past her into the house.
"Louise! I've missed you" she said running up to give Louise a hug.
"Isabella, you look lovely as always" said Louise. Isabella immediately went over to Louise's mom to reintroduce herself.
"You my dear can call me Nana just like the kids and Edgar do" said Nana.
"Ok, thanks. I have some cookies inside and some tea if you are interested in a little snack" said Isabella.
"Why didn't you say so?" asked Edgar charging into the house carrying two suitcases. Isabella smiled to herself and walked around to the trunk and pulled out the remaining suitcase wheeling it into the house. By the time she got to the kitchen the kids had already descended on the tea treats. Isabella poured out tea and juice for everyone. The rest of the afternoon was spent getting Nana settled into her room and unpacking. Isabella sat on the bed with Edgar as Louise unpacked her suitcase.
"So Bella, did you like being lady of the house?" asked Louise.
"I like being the nanny better" said Isabella.
"I hope Edgar and the kids were respectful and not too hard on you" said Louise.
"Everything was fine. Although I missed our girl time, Edgar wouldn't go with me to get a pedicure" said Isabella.
"Well we will have to go soon, my toes are a wreck" said Louise.
"I'll make the reservations for sometime this week, I'd like to get them done before I go away this weekend" said Isabella.
"Where are you going next weekend?" asked Louise.
"I'm going away for the weekend with Jake" said Isabella quickly adding "Edgar said it was ok."
"Of course it's fine, it's just a little surprising. Are you and Jake dating seriously?" asked Louise.
"Yes, he's my boyfriend" said Isabella with a wide smile.
"And you seem to be over the moon about it. Bella you deserve love and happiness, but know that being with a fisherman is a hard life" said Louise seriously.
"Hello, I'm still in the room" said Edgar.
"Oh Edgar, you know exactly what I'm talking about. I don't want to sugarcoat it for her. Jake will go away all summer come home for a month, then go back out until Christmas, come home for a few weeks then go back out until spring" said Louise.
"I think she knows all that, she's seen you deal with it for 5 years" said Edgar.
"Very true" said Louise walking over to give Edgar a kiss on the cheek.
"I'm going downstairs to check on dinner" said Isabella quickly excusing herself from the room.
The next day was started with a huge feast for breakfast. Isabella and Nana spent the morning making delicious Norwegian crepes and a variety of other more standard breakfast fare. While Louise and Isabella cleaned up the dishes they chatted about the week ahead. Louise thought the pedicure should be on Wednesday and that her mom should go with them. Isabella informed her of the children's homework and of any special days coming up. Louise dove back into her volunteering by contacting all her groups to tell them she was back in town. The whole family went to the park in the afternoon with the standard picnic lunch. Isabella sat on the blanket watching everyone play together. They were an idyllic family when they were all together, which sadly wasn't often enough.
The week passed quickly for Isabella. Louise and Nana drove and picked up the kids everyday from school, giving Isabella a chance to catch up on her TV watching and internet use. She and Jake talked everyday sometimes more than once. They were going down to Vegas for their getaway and Jake had booked a room at the Venetian. Isabella was excited, it had been a long time since she'd graced Sin City with her presence. Louise insisted that Isabella buy some new clothes including a very pretty dress that showed a lot more skin than Isabella was use to. At their pedicure on Wednesday Isabella filled Louise in on Alex's lab partner Kate and the study date they had. Louise was over the moon that her oldest son was interested in a smart girl, she hoped his grades would improve. By Friday Isabella was all packed and anxious to go, she had a great week with the family and was ready to have even more fun with Jake. Edgar drove the two to the airport wishing them a safe trip and lots of luck at the tables.