“But you said –”
“It’s not that,” I reassure her. “This is just until we’re on our feet.”
With trembling fingers, she unwraps the silver paper so slowly that I almost want to take it from her and do it myself. Once she gets to the velvet box underneath, Desiree gasps and lets loose a hushed, “No way.”
“It’s not that,” I repeat, now worried that Ellie’s going to be disappointed.
“It better not be that,” Ellie says gravely. “Because we decided together.” She cracks open the box and her gaze flashes to mine.
“I wanna see!” Daniela exclaims, coming around the table, while Carmen and Rosa strain their necks to see. “It’s a ring!”
I don’t know who calls it out, because I’m focused on Ellie, trying to gauge her reaction.
“Oh, Scott,” she says on a shaky exhale, turning to hide her face in my neck. I barely hear her with all the surprise and delight that’s erupted around us.
I pull her close and kiss the top of her head. “Does that mean you like it?”
“Of course I like it. I love it,” she says tearfully, the words brushing my collarbone.
Urging her to sit up, I take the ring from the box and slide it onto her ring finger. She holds it up to the light to get a better look at the white gold filigree engagement band. Giving me a watery smile that’s so full of love, she kisses me on the cheek. “I love it so much.”
With pride, I lift my head and announce what everyone has already figured out. “Ellie and I are getting married.”
Another round of happy exclamations fills the air, this time with hugs and kisses and even a few tears on the part of my grandmother.
“Is Ellie coming to live with us?” Daniela asks excitedly.
“No, chaparra,” I laugh, pulling her in for another hug. “We’re going to move to a new house.”
“We are?” Her eyes widen as if such an outrageous idea has never occurred to her.
“We are. But not for a while yet. You guys need to finish the school year first.”
“But what about Abuela?” Rosa asks from Ellie’s lap.
“Abuela’s still going to live here,” I say. “But we’ll visit her all the time.”
Rosa looks unsure, but Daniela is excited and moves on to what she considers pertinent information. “Will I have my own room?”
“Probably not.”
“A Can we get a dog?”
“What?” I shake my head. “That’s a lot of responsibility.”
“A cat then?” she negotiates. “Cats take care of themselves.”
I’m about to tell her no when I notice Ellie appears more than a little interested in the idea. “We’ll see,” I hedge. “Maybe a goldfish.”
Daniela makes a noise of complete scorn. “A goldfish? I’d rather have no pet.”
“That can be arranged,” I tell her drolly.
I swear I watch her calculate her next words, but never could I have predicted them. “Can I call Ellie Mom?” I don’t know if she asks for the shock value or if she really means it seriously, but I don’t let it faze me. She may only be eight years old, but she already tests my resolve on a very regular basis.
“You’ll have to ask her.”
Her face lights up. “Ellie?” We both turn to her, actually everyone in the kitchen turns to her. “Can I call you Mom?”
Like a deer caught in the headlights, she’s frozen one second, then the next, her lips pull into one of her mega-watt, signature smiles. “If that’s what you want, I’d be honored.”
“Me too?” Rosa squawks from Ellie’s lap, turning to face her. “Me too, right Ellie?”
“Of course. You guys can call me anything you’d like.”
“Can I try the ring on?” Daniela asks, pulling the spotlight back to herself.
The not on your life that’s about to come out of my mouth is pre-empted by Ellie’s, “Of course you can.” Inside, I cringe, sensing this is our future; me being a hard-ass, Ellie being accommodating. Hopefully we’ll balance each other out in the end.
“When’s the wedding?” Mari asks as I watch Ellie supervise Daniela and Rosa’s turns with the ring that only fits on their thumbs.
“We haven’t decided yet,” I tell her. “It’s more of just an idea right now.”
“An idea?” Desiree says doubtfully. “I’d say a ring means it’s way more than just an idea.”
The slight edge to my sister’s tone has me eyeing her warily, but Ellie distracts me by getting to her feet. Placing Rosa in her vacated chair, she whispers, “Be right back.”
As soon as she’s left the room, my sisters come at me with some very thorny questions about how I see things playing out once I’m no longer living here. Their alarm tells me I probably shouldn’t have sprung this on them like I did. These aren’t only big changes for the girls, but for all of us.
Under their onslaught, it takes me a while to register that Ellie hasn’t come back yet and that none of the girls are in the kitchen with us.
Ellie
I only make it halfway down the hall before I have to stop and stare at it.
There wasn’t supposed to be an engagement ring – with or without a diamond. We agreed. Not only that, it’s his birthday, not mine. And isn’t it just like him to ignore his own moratorium on expenditures? Except as I study the delicate braided coils that make up the white gold band, there’s not a single outraged bone in my body. In fact, even if I’m suspicious he was partly motivated to buy the ring to satisfy his possessive streak, I couldn’t be happier.
The muffled sound of movement coming from the girls’ bedroom reminds me that I didn’t come down here to admire my new ring in private. The door is partially open, but I tap lightly.
“Carmen? Are you okay?”
Her only answer is a quiet sniffle, which sends a frisson of worry up my spine. Is she crying? I noticed her reaction when Scott mentioned the move, but I wasn’t expecting this.
Nudging the door farther open, I find Carmen lying on the bottom bunk, facing the wall. I perch on the mattress and touch her shoulder gently. “What’s wrong, honey?”
I get another sniffle in response.
“Is it because we’re moving?”
Her next breath comes out as an actual sob, taking me completely by surprise. Yes, Scott and I knew this would be a lot of change for the girls, but I don’t think either of us thought it would be upsetting enough to bring on tears.
“Would you rather talk to . . .” It’s always so hard when I’m addressing Carmen, because Scott isn’t her Papá and he isn’t her Tío, he’s just Scotty, a name that I’ve never once heard her use. “Would you rather talk to Scott?”
Under my touch, she turns and then buries her head in my lap, crying openly now. “Oh, honey, what is it?” I ask, curling my arms around her. “Are you unhappy that we’re getting married?” Her small chest heaves with another mournful exhale. “Tell me what’s wrong so I can fix it.”
“I don’t think you can fix this, Ellie,” she says, peering up at me through her tears. More worry inundates me.