Inside Out - Lauren Dane [108]
“I’m a lucky man.”
“Alexander is a great name, honey.” Ella knew that Annalee’s father had been named Alexander; it was a good, strong name. Annalee moved to her son and hugged him. Ella stepped out of the way but not before catching the snort of derision from Billy Copeland, who still stood near the elevators.
Ella cut her eyes to him. She caught his gaze and narrowed hers, warning him to shut the fuck up. This was not the time or place for any nonsense, and she had had enough tiptoeing around his behavior.
He continued to look at her until she cocked her head and crossed her arms over her chest.
“Go on back, Brody. I told them to expect you.”
Elise told him to send Erin their love, and the big man left the room, looking ten kinds of worried. Rennie was a good kid, better than most she knew, but there was no way Rennie would be able to hang out in a hospital waiting room all night long
Ella interrupted. “Elise, it’s Friday night, and I don’t have to be anywhere tomorrow morning. Why don’t Rennie and I grab some pizza and DVDs and crash at my place for the night? You can call me in the morning, and I can bring her home or to your parents’ house.” She made sure to say it quietly enough that Rennie, who squealed with delight and ran to Adrian as he got off the elevators, couldn’t hear.
Cope moved around his father and over to Adrian, clearly explaining the situation.
Ben looked down at Elise. “Elise, they’re not going to allow anyone else in to visit with her at this point. There are restrictions to keep everyone safer from the flu, she’s in the high-risk pregnancy rooms and only immediate family is allowed. Hell, they tried to stop me the first time we came by.”
Annalee’s brows flew up, clearly outraged on her son’s behalf. “They did?”
“Mom, people treat us like that all the time. Heck, it took you about six months to come around.”
To her credit, his mother smiled up at him and patted his cheek. “I was a fool. But my grandbaby is going to be here soon, and that’s what matters. You happy is what matters. Erin makes you happy. Todd makes you happy. It’s not what I imagined for you”—she laughed—“but it’s yours, and because it’s yours, it’s mine too.”
“Could have made better choices with the right head.”
Ella marched up to Billy Copeland and took his arm, drawing him into an elevator that had opened up. She punched the down button and turned to face him, just as she caught sight of everyone’s shocked expression before the doors slid closed.
“Okay, you, I’m not related to you, nor am I married to someone related to you, so I’m just going to say what everyone else has nicely tried to tell you for years now. Shut up. You’re an asshole, and that’s your prerogative. This is America after all.”
They arrived on the bottom floor, and she led him, still shocked, out and into the parking area foyer.
“Oh no.” She shook her head, putting her fingertips over his mouth. “You’ve said enough. And then some. It’s my turn now. You’re a cancer in your family. Why, I don’t know. Oh what? You think you’re the first guy on the planet who didn’t like who his son or daughter ended up with? You think you’re special? What you are is a coldhearted prick who seems to get off on abusing his family for kicks. Maybe you didn’t get enough hugs as a child, maybe your pea brain is too small to see how ridiculously and totally in love your son is with the people he’s made his life with. Maybe you’re one of those ignoramuses who thinks his opinions are facts. Frankly, at this stage, I don’t care.”
“Just who do you think you are?” His stance shifted, got more aggressive, but she was filled with so much righteous indignation and anger for her friends and for the man she loved, she held her ground despite the tiny frisson of fear deep in her belly.
“I think I’ve been friends with Erin Brown for longer than you’ve known her. I think I’m a person who watched her fall in love with your son every day. A person who watched your son fall