Beyond the Broken Angel

CHAPTER FORTY

— blessings —

April 28th, 2019

GISELLE STOOD AT the front window of Hester's house, peering through the foggy windowpanes at the driveway. Her stomach was in knots and sweat was gathering at her lower back—telltale signs that she was nervous.

"Ellie, quit worrying yourself," Selene said, moving to pull the curtain closed. She gently grasped Giselle's arm. "Come on, let's go sit and find something to watch on T.V, yeah?"

Giselle let her cousin guide her away from the window, but that wasn't enough to squash her worrisome thoughts. "I'm so nervous, Selene," she revealed. "What if they freak out? What if they don't give their blessing? Ugh, I don't know what I'll do if they don't approve!"

Selene stopped walking, turning to face Giselle. "Giselle, you getting married is your decision alone, not your parents'. It doesn't matter if they approve, it only matters if you approve, alright? And," she gently cupped Giselle's shoulders, "if they really don't approve, I'm sure they'll come to accept it when they see how happy Will makes you."

Giselle breathed out in relief, feeling her spirits lift at the words. "Yeah, you're right." She moved to sit at the couch, trying to focus on the television so that she wouldn't dwell on her parents any longer, but the relief drained out of her body the second she heard their car pull up.

"Oh gosh," she breathed out, looking to Selene. "They're here."

"I know," Selene said, moving towards the front door. She looked over her shoulder towards Giselle before opening it. "Take deep breaths and try to be calm. You look frightened half to death."

Giselle did as she said, standing up once she felt she had herself mostly under control and followed Selene outside.

Her mother attacked her with a hug before she could fully exit the house. Giselle returned her hug with ease, a few tears leaking from her eyes. She hadn't seen her parents since they visited for Christmas, and didn't realize how much she had truly missed them until that moment.

Her mother pulled back just in time for her father to swoop in, lifting his daughter up and spinning her around like he used to do when she was a little girl.

"Dad!" she yelled out, laughing as he kept spinning. Eventually her feet found the ground and he gave her a proper hug.

"My baby girl," he breathed out. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, Dad." She caught her mothers eyes over his shoulder. "And you, too, Mama."

Giselle completely forgot about her worries from there, too focused on catching up with her parents to remember why she had been so stressed out.

It wasn't until they all sat down for tea in the dining room did she remember.

"So, how's the Dare family been doing?" her father had asked. "You ever knock some sense into Will?"

Giselle gulped. The last update she had given her parents regarding her situation with Will had been a few days before they had gotten together.

She had always been very close with her parents, and told them everything, even the woes of her love life. They knew all about her feelings for Will, and had been a part of her support team throughout the six months she had spent away from him.