Chapter 70

Roman walked into the house and saw Ella standing on a chair painting. He groaned and walked over to lift her off. He took the roller out of her hands and grinned at her.
"No." he said. "And don't argue."
"Roman. It was fine." She protested. "I've been taking care."
"On a chair. What happened if you had a dizzy spell." He grimaced at her.
"Fine." She said.
He dipped the roller and started painted the wall not catching the wink that Ella gave Nic who grinned back at her.
After a time Roman looked around the room.
"For two people painting you don't seem to have done much." He said softly. "In fact you only got one wall done."
He looked at Ella who was smiling.
"See I told you I was taking care." She grinned at him.
"You only got on the chair when I arrived didn't you?" he said with a groan.
She nodded.
He leaned over and kissed her.
"It is a good job I love you."
"Funny you should mention that because I have something to tell you." She said biting her lip.
Roman put down the roller and folded his arms across his chest.
"Yes?" he said raising an eyebrow.
"It's about Nic's mum." She began.
Roman didn't say anything but looked over at Nic.
"I've sort of made arrangements for her to be here for the wedding." Ella said in a rush.
"Is that what you want Nic?" Roman said.
Nic nodded nervously.
"Ok then. When does she get here?" he asked.
"Thursday." Ella said. "I've booked her into the Sands to stay."
Roman nodded.
"You don't mind Dad?" Nic asked him.
Roman shook his head.
"No Darling, its your day if you want Natalie there then she should be." He said softly.
Nic felt herself getting weepy again. She looked at Ella.
"What do you think with what we've done?" Ella asked him changing the subject.
Roman looked at the pale cream settee, still wrapped in plastic covering, the bookcase and the boxed TV. Well he assumed it was a TV from the picture on the box.
"I am impressed. I've got the things you asked for in the car Nic. Do you want to show me where you want them?" Roman asked.
Nic nodded.
"Upstairs. Isn't Geoff coming to help?" she asked.
"Yes." Geoff said from the doorway.
He walked over and kissed Nic.
"Well if you give my dad a hand with setting up my sowing stuff in the little bedroom I can make a start on the curtains." She murmured.
She looked at him from under her lashes and took hold of his hand and gave it a squeeze.
Geoff grinned at her.
"Nic I think the place is looking great." Geoff said.
"Thank you Geoff and thank you for the wedding present. I didn't spend all the money." She said softly.
She walked over to her handbag and pulled out a savings book in their joint names. She handed it to him.
"I got the bare minimum and Ella helped haggle so there is some left." She grinned. "I thought we could put it towards that project we plan to start working on when we get married." She said in code hoping Geoff would understand.
He grinned at her and nodded.
She chuckled and lent over to give him another kiss.
Ella grinned over at them and went into the kitchen to make some drinks for them all. She heard Geoff and Roman bringing Nic large drawing board in.
Nic came in behind her and took one of the cups of coffee.
"Thank you Ella." She said.
"You're welcome." Ella told her and pulled the kitchen blind down so that Geoff wouldn't notice that they had cleared most of the garden and planted a very special tree. Many years before Geoff had handed Nic a cutting from a tree at the farm where he had grown up. She had nurtured this and it had grown in a pot. Her dad had been ordered to take care of it when she went away on pain of death or dismemberment or both.
"Good thinking." Nic said grinning.
"So we're picking up Mike tomorrow. Your Mum arrives Thursday. Yannis will be here on Friday. He wants to take some informal shots of everybody as well as the wedding photos." Ella said.
Nic nodded.
"Laura will be bringing the flowers and everything over early Saturday morning. she'll be collecting the candles and the ribbons to change the floral displays at the church. The cake is being delivered to the hotel on Friday. Colleen is bringing her section to the house on Saturday. The dresses are finished. Place cards are all done. Wedding favours done. Everything is ready. Annie and Ruby will be comeing over to get changed Sturday morning, and Belle willl be bringing Amy-Belle and Brett over too. The cars are booked to take us to the Church." She said with a grin. "I'm sure I've forgotten something though."
Ella laughed.
"See, you should have done it my way and just pitched up at a registry office." Ella said. "Much less work."
Nic chuckled.
"Maybe next time." she said.
"Next time Princess?" Geoff asked. "You mean when we have a blessing on our 50th wedding anniversary?"
Nic laughed happily.
"Now there is a thought." She moved into Geoff's embrace and kissed him. "I never thought I could be this happy." She told him.
He looked down on her and smiled.
"I knew I could be as long as I had you." He told her.
"Ah that is sweet but we still have stuff to do." Roman interrupted.
"You have no romance in your soul Roman Harris." Ella told him.
She handed him a coffee and he put his arm around her.
"I do. Would you like to get married again in a big meringue dress with Harry and everyone." He murmured to her.
Without looking she could see that Nic's eyes had lit up.
"NO!" she exclaimed.
Nic laughed.
"You seriously don't want a wedding." She asked Ella.
Ella shook her head.
"No I have everything I want right here. No need to do anything more I've made my commitment." She said. "A different dress would have been nice but for me the dress isn't the important thing it was saying those words."
"I did see the dress you were eyeing up in that boutique we went to." Nic grinned at her.
Ella laughed.
She looked at Roman and he smiled back at her.
"Why don't you think about it." he suggested.
She shook her head but grinned at him.
"Back to work everyone otherwise we'll never get Nic to move out." Ella said bossily.
"You can go off people step mama!" Nic said.
Ella laughed at her.
"I hope you realise we bought you a house within walking distance of ours." She pointed out.
Nic smiled.
"I did notice that and thank you." Nic said. "It means when we run out of food we can come to yours."
Ella nodded.
"I don't care your Dad pays for the food. Just don't touch…"
"Yes, we know, your Vodka." Geoff and Nic said together, having had to sit thought a very long lecture about it.
"I'm glad you're learning." Ella said with a grin.
Geoff and Nic chuckled.