Page 255 of Love Unwritten
“Almost but…” He pulls an envelope from his back pocket and tucks it underneath a flower he handpicked from my garden. “There. All good.”
My heart tightens at the handwritten “Mom.” Seeing Nico love Ellie enough to call her his mom makes me ecstatic, while another part of me aches, knowing my son will always struggle with his relationship with his biological mother.
Although Hillary sees Nico a few times a year without any last-minute cancellations, her involvement in my son’s life is minimal at best. Despite my efforts to help them connect, I can’t force Hillary into being the mother Nico deserves, but thankfully, I don’t have to. Ellie stepped into the role long before we ever got married, and she has proven time and time again that she will always put my son first.
Slowly, Nico has come to accept his strained relationship with his mother through family therapy. My requests for Hillary to join our sessions have been declined, which while not surprising, still upset Nico.
I think that was the moment he accepted that his relationship with his mother will never compare to the one he has with me…and now Ellie.
Hillary always had an excuse as to why she couldn’t make it to the sessions, ranging from her being overwhelmed with planning her wedding to having to join her new husband while he traveled for work, but I know the truth.
She is too blinded by pride and her strong dislike of Ellie’s place in Nico’s life to see reason, and like I predicted, Nico eventually stopped reaching out.
Nico’s voice yanks me back into the present. “Ready?”
I clear my tight throat with a cough. “Yup.”
He smiles before throwing open the door. “Happy Mother’s Day!”
Ellie startles awake at the sound of Nico’s voice. She looks so damn confused as she sits up against the headboard and brushes her fingers through her messy hair. “Mother’s Day?”
His grin grows wider. “Did you forget?”
She blinks.
And blinks some more.
I shake my head with a laugh before placing the tray over her lap. “Happy Mother’s Day.” My lips brush against the top of her head right before Nico shoves me out of the way and wraps his arms around Ellie.
“I love you!” he shouts for all of us to hear.
Her face softens as she melts into his embrace. “I love you too.”
“More than my dad?”
She laughs to herself. “It’s not a competition.”
But if it were, I wouldn’t mind losing to my son. If anyone deserves Ellie’s love most, it’s him.
He waggles his brows. “No, but you loved me first. Right?”
She glances up at me. “Mm. He’s got you there.”
“She can love both of us.” I pull my son into a headlock and ruffle his perfectly styled hair.
“¡Para!” He groans while pushing me away.
Ellie’s eyes twinkle as they swing between the two of us before landing on the tray full of food. She picks up the glass of orange juice and takes a small sip before piercing a piece of fruit with her fork and popping it into her mouth.
Her gaze drops to the envelope tucked by the plate, and her stare goes wide as she checks out the writing on the front. Placing her fork back on the tray, she grabs the pink envelope and tears through the sticker sealing the flap.
The card shakes as she pulls it out, and her throat visibly tightens as she flips it open. Her eyes dart from side to side as she reads Nico’s note, and they have a sheen to them by the time she reaches the bottom.
She shuts the card and places it upright on her nightstand, right beside a photo of the three of us that was taken at our wedding a year ago.
“Are you sure?” she asks Nico.
He nods.