"It's done," Zola announces as he enters the living room hours later. Becky's genuinely surprised to see him and completely confused by his words.
"What're you talking about," Becky questions anxiously. She's not sure whether he means their relationship or something else entirely. She hadn't been able to give anything much thought between dealing with Ella, taking care of Virginia, and explaining to Heather what happened.
"I did a thing," Zola starts nervously. He sits on a chair opposite of Becky, but he can't quite meet her eyes yet. "It just needs your signature if your willing, but it'll make me a legal guardian of Ella. Only if you want that, though," Zola continues, starring intensely at the papers in his hands.
"How did you manage this," Becky asks dumbfounded. Her hands tremble as she takes the paperwork from him. She's unsure of how to feel at the moment.
"I went to your attorney and asked about revoking parental rights. It turns out Shawn was supposed to have lost them a while ago so she sent the motion to a judge who quickly approved it. I was honestly surprised how smoothly it went," Zola explains, meeting Becky's eyes for the first time. It kills him that he can't make out the emotions that are swimming in her eyes.
"I,...sorry I need a minute," Becky apologizes. Her hand raises to quickly swipe away the tears that are beginning to fall. Zola immediately moves to sit next to her. As he attempts to comfort her, she stops him. "I'm ok,...really, Zo. I'm just really relieved. As much as I want to sign this, I can't do it. I think you need to ask Ella if this is something she wants," Becky decides. She squeezes Zola's hand reassuringly when she tells him. Becky truly wants to do this, but Ella deserves the choice especially after all that she's been through.
Zola merely nods his head and kisses Becky on the cheek before standing. He cautiously makes his way upstairs to find Ella. She may be a tougher sell than her mother.
"Hey, El, can we talk," Zola asks softly as he knocks on her door frame. Ella briefly looks up from her book before returning her gaze to the paperback. At her response, Zola lets out a sigh. 'Well, atleast it's not a no,' he thinks to himself before walking into the room. He settles down on the edge of her bed before trying to engage the seven year old again. "I want you to know that I would never hurt you, your mom, or your sister. You three are my whole world. I've made some mistakes and there's no excuse for that, but I did them because I was terrified of not being able to help or protect you. I care about you so much, Ella. If your willing, I was wondering if I could be your dad. Would you let me be your dad," Zola finishes hopefully. During the speech Ella's gaze had risen to meet his. Her lip curls inward as she contemplates the words spoken to her.
"Ok," Ella answers quietly before everything actually sinks in. Once it does, she launches herself into Zola, squeezing him as tightly as she can.
"I love you, El," Zola manages to verbalize as he fights back tears. The relief and joy he saw on Ella's face did him in. It's his mission to keep her stress free and happy.
"I love you too, Dad," Ella croaks out as her body melts further into her newly declared parent. Zola's heart stops at her words. He'd never imagine that a simple word could mean so much until now. A clearing of a throat causes his head to whip towards the door. There he finds a very emotional Becky. Zola can't tell how long she'd been there but he knows she heard Ella's declaration.
"Hey, what's going on here," Becky asks, feigning ignorance. She wants to give Ella the chance to tell her the decision.
"Momma, Zola's going to be my dad too," Ella informs proudly. She's still clutching Zola as though he'll disappear if she let's go.
"I'm so glad, El," Becky responds while maintaining eye contact with Zola. She needs him to know that she truly means those words. No matter what, he's the one that has made things better for them. Becky is going to make sure that he knows that.
I'm not sure where I want to go with the story from here, any suggestions are welcome. Thank you for reading!
