With a promise from Seth that he’ll bring Mary Beth out to the island soon, I head outside and take a cab to the ferry that will take me back to the island.
I know Lucy will be busy with all of the Fourth of July events coming up, but maybe I can convince her to give me a little of her time. It’s way past time for me to come clean with her.
About everything.
Chapter 29
Lucy
Present Day
“You are NOT playing in that softball game today!”
“You can’t tell me what to do, asshole. GO AWAY!”
I glance up from my paperwork when I hear shouting coming from the porch to watch as Ellie flies through the front door with Bobby charging in right behind her.
“I most certainly CAN tell you what to do, and you’re damn well going to listen!” Bobby argues.
I’ve never seen Bobby so fired up before and it gives me pause. Where Bobby isn’t what I would call hot, like Fisher, he’s boyish and cute with his curly head of brown hair, twinkling blue eyes and easy smile. He stands even with Ellie’s five-foot-ten frame and he’s lucky she’s not wearing heals right now or she’d be towering over him and most likely pummeling him to the ground going by the furious look on her face.
“You are not the fucking boss of me! I knew it was a bad idea to tell you!” Ellie yells, stomping right past me, not even glancing in my direction.
Bobby races behind her and I toss down my pen and follow him, wondering what in the hell is going on. Thank God all of the guests are already down on Main Street waiting for the parade to begin and aren’t getting front row seats to this shouting match.
Bobby finally catches up with Ellie in the kitchen, wrapping his arms around her from behind when she tries to leave through the sliding glass doors.
“Will you stop trying to run away from me?!” he argues, lifting her up and moving her away from the door.
She kicks and claws at his arms until he lets go and moves away, putting himself between Ellie and the door so she can’t try and escape again.
“Will you stop following me? Jesus, just go away!”
“I’m not going anywhere until you agree to marry me!” Bobby shouts at her.
My mouth drops open and my eyes widen in shock. What in the actual fuck is happening right now?
“Oh, my God, will you stop?! I am NOT going to marry you, I don’t even like you!” Ellie argues.
“Bullshit! You’re in love with me, dammit, you’re just too scared to admit it!”
Ellie stomps her foot like a toddler and crosses her arms in front of her. I should probably say something, try and get them to stop arguing and tell me what the hell is going on, but I’m too stunned to do anything other than stand here in the doorway.
“You are SUCH an asshole!” Ellie screams.
“You’re right, I’m a huge asshole. That’s one thing we agree on. I’m also not going to let you do this alone,” Bobby adds.
“I am perfectly capable of doing this on my own. I’ve been taking care of myself since I was nineteen years old and I don’t need some guy thinking he needs to marry me just because I’m pregnant!”
Whoa. What the hell?!
“Ellie?” I whisper, finally making my presence known.
She jumps a little at the sound of my voice, her tear-filled eyes finding mine across the room. I look at her questioningly and she just shrugs, swiping angrily at the tears that have started to fall down her face.
Finding out that Ellie is pregnant has thrown me completely, but finding out that she was actually dating someone is even more shocking. Ellie has been alone since her husband of only a year, Daniel, was killed in action. They were high school sweethearts just like Fisher and I, and when he received orders that sent him from South Carolina to Texas, they got married as soon as Ellie graduated from high school so she could go with him. She’s told me countless times after a few glasses of wine that she knows she’ll never love someone as much as she loved her husband. The tragic way she lost him scarred her heart worse than anything I could ever imagine, and she’s kept that heart under lock and key for all of these years. I’m protective of her whenever I see a guy try to hit on her or ask her out on a date, but I also recognize that she needs to move on.
Bobby wraps his hands around her upper arms and turns her body to face him. I stand silently in the corner and let him say what he needs to say, hoping he knows what the hell he’s doing. If he hurts my best friend, I will kick his ass.
“I know I’m not Daniel. I would never try to take his place in your heart or your life, but I hope that you can make a little room for me in there and give me a chance. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m completely in love with you, Ellie. I’ve been in love with you since the first day I met you and you told me to fuck off when I asked you out on a date,” Bobby chuckles. “I want to marry you because I love you and I can’t imagine spending the rest of my life arguing with anyone else but you. I’m not asking you to marry me because of the baby, I’m asking you to marry me because of ME. Because I want this, more than I’ve ever wanted anything else in my life.”
He drops his hands from Ellie’s arms and leans forward, pressing a kiss to her forehead before backing away.
“Don’t say no. At least, not right away. Just think about it. You know where to find me.”
Bobby gives me a nod before turning away and leaving through the sliding doors. As soon as he’s gone, I rush over to Ellie and wrap my arms around her while she sobs into my shoulder. I’ve never seen Ellie cry, EVER, and it tears me apart to hear the anguish in her voice as she cries.