Never Far Away (The Never #2)(28)

“Me too, Sis.” She leaned over and kissed Porter loudly on the mouth.

“Oh, god, is he there with you right now? Did I just hear you kiss him? You two are probably going to go off the grid for weeks now, huh? Making up for lost time? Well, remember to tell Mom and Dad this time. They deserve to know.”

“I will call them tonight.”

“Ok, well, I will let you get back to your man. I love you, Sister.”

“I love you too and thank you for always trying to do what you feel is best. You’re an amazing sister and I’m lucky to have you.”

“Ditto!” Megan laughed as she hung up the phone.

“So,” Porter started, “Your sister gave away your nickname that you so cruelly withheld from me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Fella?” He raised his eyebrows at her. She laughed and threw her head back, resting it against the back of her seat.

“I guess she did. Well, now you know. Does it change the way you look at me?” She asked sarcastically.

“Sadly, not really. Yours really isn’t that bad.”

“Yeah, yours is way worse,” she leaned over and kissed him. “Let’s go, Portly.” She laughed and he rolled his eyes at her. As they walked towards the bar, Porter linked his hands with Ella’s and lifted her hand to kiss the back of it. It had been less than twenty-four hours since she’d shown up on his doorstep and he was still trying to get use to the idea of being able to just hold her hand – something he might have taken for granted eight weeks ago. Just before they went inside, he pulled her into him and kissed her softly.

“I love you, Ella,” he whispered to her, running a hand smoothly down her cheek.

“I love you too,” she answered wistfully, placing her hand over his and moving to her mouth to place a small kiss on his palm.

“Are you ready for this? My mom is going to lose her mind when she sees you.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” she smiled. He pulled the door open for her and she led the way in. It took roughly about four seconds until Porter heard his mother’s shrill and high pitched scream from behind the bar.

“Ella!” His mother said her name over and over again, running from behind the bar all the way to the front with her arms open wide, waiting for Ella to fill them. When Tilly made it to them, Ella dropped Porter’s hand and let herself be enveloped in Tilly’s arms. He couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face or the warm feeling that spread through his chest at the sight of his mother hugging her. Nothing compared to having the two most important women in his life together, with him, happy and healthy.

“What does this mean?” Tilly asked as she pulled away from Ella, but not letting go of her. Her eyes were darting back and forth between him and Ella.

“Last night my memory came back,” Ella said, wiping a tear off of her cheek, obviously affected by the overwhelming welcome Tilly had given her. “I got in my car and immediately drove here to see Porter. And today, this was the first place I wanted to come. To see you.”

Tilly pulled her back into her arms.

“I am so happy you’re back, Ella. We’ve missed you so much.” When his mother finally let her go she moved over to Porter and wrapped her arms around him as well. He bent down and took his mother’s small frame in his arms and felt a little more of the tension he’d been carrying around with him melt away.

“She’s really here, Porter. She came back to you. Don’t let her go,” she whispered in his ear so quietly, even he had a hard time hearing her. His mother pulled away from him and turned around quickly to wipe her eyes, trying to hide that she’d started to cry over Ella’s return.

“Why don’t you both go grab a booth and I will be over in a minute to get you some dinner.”

“Ok, Mom,” he said as he laid a small kiss on the top of her head. He knew that seeing Ella would affect his mom, but he wasn’t prepared for her to be so emotional about it. The fact that his mother cared so much about Ella only reaffirmed the feelings he’d had for her all along.

They chose a booth towards the back of the restaurant. He let her slide in first and then slid in next to her, enjoying the idea of having such open access to her. He took his hand, placed it on her thigh, and gave a gentle squeeze. Every touch and every look he gave her was not only exhilarating, but also relieving; she was still here. He wasn’t dreaming. She remembered.

“How are you feeling?” He looked over to her and asked. She rubbed her hand over his which was still comfortably resting on her thigh.

“I feel fine, Baby. Great even.”

“No headaches?”

“None. I feel wonderful,” she said as she leaned over and placed a kiss on his lips.

“Well, I think we should call Dr. Andrews and make an appointment to see him. I’m sure he’d have something to say about your memory coming back.”

“I’ll call him tomorrow morning, promise. But please, don’t worry about me. I’m fine.”

It wouldn’t do any good to tell her that he would likely spend a lot of time worrying about her. At least for the foreseeable future, he couldn’t imagine his mind not being consumed by fears that she would forget, that she would disappear from his life again, and he would be left circling the proverbial drain. If Ella had another setback, if she lost her memory, he would have no rights, just like last time. The only way it was guaranteed that he would have access to her is if she were his wife.