Chapter 75
"Geoff are you sure about this?" Aden asked him for the fifth time.
Geoff nodded and walked out to his car. Aden and Brett came to see him off followed slowly by Belle who had Amy-Belle in her arms.
"Aden I messed up and I can't stay around. I will be back in a few weeks." He said without his former easy smile.
Aden nodded.
"You call us mate and tell us where you are." Aden instructed.
Geoff grinned slowly.
"Yeah ok." he said. "Thanks for the last few nights Aden. Putting up with me and well… "he trailed off.
"That's what family does." Belle said softly. "Take care Geoff. "
"Bye unc G." Brett said to him.
"See you around B Boy." Geoff replied.
He waved at them and climbed behind the wheel and drove off.
Amy-belle looked up and said.
"Anti Nic didn't see me as a Princess."
"No sweetheart." Belle told her and kissed her cheek.
"Is that why Unc G cried last night." Brett asked.
Aden looked over at Belle.
"Maybe." Aden said. "Why don't we go have a game of Mario Kart." He suggested to his son.
Brett nodded excitedly.
"And what do you want to do young lady?" Belle asked her daughter.
"I wanna see Anti Nic and show her I would've been a pretty Princess because I don't want her sad too." Amy-Belle said.
"That's nice sweetheart but I think it might not be a good time to go see her." Belle said.
"Why?" Amy-belle asked quickly.
"Because they need to be alone."
Amy-belle nodded.
"ok." she lisped.
Belle took her in the house and she went upstairs on her own. Belle watched and then turned her attention to Brett and Aden playing.
Amy-belle came down after a few minutes dressed in her out she would have worn for the wedding.
"Amy–Belle." Belle said softly.
"I wanna be alone with Anit Nic cuase she is sad like Unc G." Amy-Belle said.
Aden shrugged.
"Might be good." He said.
"But what about Ella?" she asked.
"Amy-belle isn't a baby. She's a little girl." Aden said. "And if it gets too much bring her home."
Amy-belle walked over to her daddy and kicked him.
"What was that for?" he said quickly.
"I is not a lil' girl I is a princess." She muttered folding her arms across her chest.
"Ok sorry." He muttered quickly picking her up and giving her a cuddle.
Aden looked across at Belle who was trying not to giggle.
"Now that she gets from you." He said to her.
"Right Amy-Belle come on we'll go see Auntie Nic." Belle told her.
"K." she said.
Aden lowered her to the ground and she ran over to Belle.
"Did you do those bows by yourself?" Belle asked her daughter referring to the ribbon ties on the shoes.
Amy-belle nodded.
"I is grown up now." She said.
"You are Princess." Belle chuckled.
They got in the car and drove over to the house. Amy-belle climbed out of the car and ran to the door to knock on it, before Belle could.
Roman answered it and looked at Belle.
"Now really isn't a good time." he said softly.
"I have an insistent child here." Belle tried to explain and looked down to where Amy-Belle had been standing only to find she was over by the settee next to Nic.
Nic woke slowly and opened her eyes.
"Anti Nic." Amy-belle said. "Are you sad?" she asked her.
Nic sat up and pulled her dressing gown tighter around her.
"What?" she asked puzzled still more than half asleep. "Amy-Belle." Nic said finally dragging herself into a sitting position.
"I didn't want you sad like Unc G so I is wearing my princess dress." Amy-belle told her and did a twirl.
Nic started crying again.
"See mummy I said she would be sad," Amy-belle told her. "She needs cuddles like Unc G." Amy-Belle declared and put her arms around Nic and held her.
Nic started sobbing and Ella came over to them. She had been lying on the other sofa.
"Hey Amy-belle what a lovely Princess you are." She said softly. "Roman I think we could do with some drinks. Come on in Belle." Ella called to her.
Belle half smiled and walked into the lounge.
Nic looked up finally and wiped her eyes.
"Unc G was sad?" she said hopefully.
Amy-belle nodded solemnly.
"He cried too." She said.
Nic looked at Ella and chuckled.
"Hope." Ella said softly.
Nic nodded.
Amy-belle stood back and looked at the box of chocolates on the table, her eyes lighting up.
"Mummy." She said softly in the sweetest tone of voice.
Belle laughed at her daughter.
"I think they are only for the sad ladies in the room Amy-Belle."
Amy-belle scrambled on the sofa next to Nic and pulled the cover over her legs.
"I'm sad too Mummy." She said. "I needs chocolates. Unc G left and Nic sad."
Nic's eyes shot up to Belle who nodded slowly.
"Unc G has just gone for a little while Amy-Belle, because he didn't want Nic to bump into him and be sadder." Belle explained more for Nic's benefit that Amy-belle's.
Nic nodded to let Belle know she understood.
"Amy-belle would you like a chocolate?" Ella asked her.
Amy-belle's eye lit up.
Ella took the box and put it on Amy-Belle's lap to let her choose which one.
"Nic why don't you go put some clothes on." Ella suggested.
Nic nodded and gave Amy-belle a quick kiss on the top of her head.
"Don't eat those ones they are my favouritest." Nic told her.
Amy-belle nodded.
Nic stood up and went upstairs.
Ella sat back on the sofa with a grimace.
She patted the seat next to her and Belle sat down.
"What do you know?" she asked her.
"Ella I'm sorry." Belle began and nodded towards Amy-belle.
"It's ok. Well it's not but it is." Ella said.
"What can I get you to drink?" Roman asked.
"Coffee." Ella answered immediately and heard him chuckle.
"Amy-Belle?" he bent down and asked her.
"Milkshake." She said.
Roman and Ella looked quickly at each other.
Ella nodded sadly.
Belle took hold of Ella's hand.
"I drank a lot of them when.." she trailed off and bit her lip.
"Can I get a coffee too Roman." Belle asked and watched as he went into the kitchen.
Ella sniffed and pinned a smile on her face.
"Amy-belle do you want a Dvd on?" she asked her.
Amy-belle nodded a ring of chocolate around her mouth.
"They are over there if you want to choose one" Amy-belle struggled off the sofa and went over to the dvd's making sure she held on to the chocolates.
"What can I say she is my daughter." Belle chuckled before going over and helping her.
Roman brought the drinks through.
Ella caught hold of his hand and gave it a squeeze. He grinned at her.
Belle grimaced. And held up Amy-belle choice for inspection.
"I love that one." Ella said smiling.
Roman sat down next to her and kissed the top of her head. She grinned at him and moved so he could put his arm around her. She winced slightly as she lent back on his arm. He flinched but she caught hold of his free hand and held it.
Nic came downstairs dressed in jeans and a t shirt She had taken a shower too but hadn't done anything with her hair except pull it back into a band. She looked in horror at the tv.
"Finding Nemo." She said. "Again?"
Belle looked at Ella who blushed.
"I like it ok." she said defensively.
Amy-Belle and her Mum settled onto the sofa next to Nic.
Amy-belle handed over the chocolates. Everyone had been eaten except the one Nic said was her favourite. She grinned and kissed her.
"Step mama." Nic said grabbed the remote and paused the film. "I think you should go get dressed too. And we should freshen up the house, open some windows."
Roman chuckled at the look on Ella's face.
"Ok." she conceded after glaring at him.
She stood slowly and went upstairs.
Nic hit the play button and restarted the film.
"Don't you want to wait for her?" Belle asked.
Roman cleared the table.
"She's watched it like 50 times since she came home form the hospital." He said.
"Amy-Belle do you want to help me make some cookies?" Roman tempted her.
Amy-belle looked at the movie and then her mum. She climbed off the sofa and followed him into the kitchen.
"Ok." Nic began.
"He stayed with us for the past three days. He's heartbroken Nic. He just doesn't know how to talk to you without hurting you."
Nic looked down and blinked back tears.
"He spent all night talking to Aden. He never doubted you Nic it was himself. He's got this thing inside of him that tells him maybe he isn't good enough for you." Belle blurted and covered her mouth with her hand.
"Aden told you that and you weren't supposed to tell me?" Nic asked.
Belle kept the hand over her mouth but she nodded.
"That's why he does all the romantic stuff for me isn't it?" Nic asked.
Belle nodded again.
"The idiot." Nic groaned and started crying again.
"You still love him Nic?" Belle asked.
She nodded and dashed the tears from her cheeks.
"I need to do something romantic back." She said suddenly. "And I need to speak to Aden."
She pulled out her phone and texted him to get his butt over to hers.
Ella came downstairs, dressed for the first time since she came home. She left Belle and Nic together and went into the kitchen where she saw Amy-belle and Roman making cookies. Roman looked up and caught her in his arms as she began to cry.
"Are you sad too Ella?" Amy-belle asked.
Ella nodded.
Amy-belle went over to her and put her arms around her legs.
"Do we need Pizza?" Amy-Belle asked wisely.
Ella sank down to Amy-belle's level.
"Ok, young lady, who's been talking?" she asked.
Amy-belle smiled.
"Daddy said you were a Pizza queen. Thank makes Nic a princess cuz you are her Mummy."
She said with her logic.
Nic came over to them and grinned.
"That's right she's my best Mummy."
Ella tried to smile but more tears fell down her face.
Amy-Belle threw her arms around her neck and squeezed.
"Don't be sad Ella." She said stroking her hair.
"I'm sorry Amy-belle. I'm just sad because I wanted a little girl like you." She tried to explain.
"I is sorry too." Amy-belle said. "But when mummy isn't around you can be my pretend mummy." She told her.
Ella looked up and saw that Belle was crying too.
"Enough tears," Ella said to them and looked at Roman. He smiled sadly at her. she smiled back bravely.
"Pizza?" Amy-belle asked hopefully.