“I did!” Elena protested. “More than I did in Seattle.”
“Well, make the most of it now. Oh, Lars is going to be back late, but he said he would bring back some Chinese for you if you’re hungry. If not, you can have it tomorrow.”
“He’s a star.” Elena laughed as her stomach growled. “Although I could do with it now.”
“Tough. You’re going to have to make do with my lasagna.”
“Your lasagna is pretty delicious as well.”
Fleur grunted. Then she held up an envelope that she had been holding onto. “By the way, Jason sent the tickets.”
“Tickets?”
“There’s a game in Everett a week before Christmas. He texted me and asked if I could bring you to watch the guys and see everyone. They’re all asking for you.”
Elena faltered. She had been missing her job, and while she was in contact with Carl, it wasn’t the same as seeing everyone. And being away from Jason made her realize what she was missing, and that included him despite his actions. She was tempted to call him, just to hear his voice, but she wasn’t sure what she should say, or where the conversation would go. Elena didn’t think she was ready for that yet.
“If you don’t want to go, I can tell him that it’s not a good idea,” Fleur went on. “That won’t be a problem…”
“No, I’ll go. I want to see how they’re doing, anyway.” Elena shrugged. “And while the doctor told me to rest, I do need to get a bit of exercise. Sitting in the bleachers isn’t going to be a problem for me.”
“Okay.” Fleur didn’t look convinced. “Well, you don’t need to do anything you’re not comfortable with.”
“It’s fine. I’ll go. The least I can do is support them.” Elena paused. “Can you come with me, though? I would like you to be there.”
“I was going to come with you, anyway. Besides, we’re going to be spending Christmas with Dad and Cherie, aren’t we? I got the week off to see him, so we can just extend our holiday.”
That sounded like a good idea. Elena was looking forward to the cooking her dad’s partner would be fixing up for them. Cherie was a wizard in the kitchen, and Elena loved her food. She could feel herself beginning to salivate at the thought of that Christmas dinner.
She was jerked out of her thoughts when she heard the doorbell.
Fleur gasped and clasped her chest. “Fucking hell!”
Elena laughed. “It’s your doorbell. Aren’t you used to it by now?”
“It doesn’t mean I’m used to getting a heart attack each time it goes off!” Shaking her head, Fleur left the room. “I’ll be right back.”
Elena flung the blanket aside and got to her feet. She was really hungry now after Fleur had talked about Chinese food. Maybe she could find out if there were any of her snacks left to nibble on until dinner was ready.
Who knew that being pregnant just made you hungry all the time as well as forcing you to go to the bathroom at awkward moments? Babies caused a lot of trouble, and they weren’t even born yet.
Elena was heading towards the bathroom when she heard shouting coming from the front door. Fleur sounded agitated, and then Elena heard her mother’s voice. She stopped. What was Jessica doing here? Elena thought she wasn’t meant to know where Fleur lived.
“Just go away, Mom!” Fleur snapped as Elena came into the hall. “It’s bad enough you’re stalking me without you coming to my door.”
“I’m not stalking you!” Jessica looked affronted. “And aren’t your parents meant to know where their children live? It’s only reasonable.”
“There is a reason why you don’t know where I live, Mom.”
“Well, I’m here now. Aren’t you going to let us in?”
Us? Elena was confused. Who was ‘us’?
She moved into Jessica’s eyesight, seeing her mother straining to look over Fleur’s shoulder. Jessica saw Elena and her expression brightened.
“Elena! Perfect! I was looking for you!”
“Well, don’t look for me, Mom.” Elena walked over to join Fleur, keeping just out of reach of her mother’s arms. “What do you want with us? And who’s with you right now?”