You Loved Me Once

93: Even If It Is Him

“You’re sure that you don’t want to wait until I am there to tell them?”

Alba, who was sat on the couch, eyeing her laptop, shook her head, her teeth gently gnawing on her lip. It had been a while, since the New Year had arrived, almost 3 weeks had past, and with the news of their engagement having made it around all of their friends, Alba had decided that the time was right to tell her parents, something she had been dreading since Lionel had popped the question.

She knew that she had to tell them, with Calista in regular contact with their parents, it was only a matter of time before the younger girl slipped up, and Alba wanted to avoid the risk, knowing that her parents, who were likely to be irked anyway, would be more than irate to find out about her engagement via her sister.

“You think that they will be nicer with you here?” Alba countered.

“Not even slightly” Lionel noted “In fact, I imagine it will be worse if I was there, but I don’t want them to upset you without me around, Alba. The last thing I want is you to call me later in tears” he argued gently. He understood why she wanted to do it alone, despite the repairs that had been made to her relationship with her parents, it was no secret that David and Annabella were still not fond of him, but he wanted to be there. Chances were that her parents, or more specifically her father, would say something which upset her and he wanted to be there when he did. He didn’t like the idea of Alba being upset without him around.

“I can handle it, Leo” Alba mused.

“Are you sure?” Lionel pressed gently.

“They’re my parents” Alba pointed out “And this isn’t the first time I have called them with news I know that they’re likely to hate. I will be fine. Good luck tonight” she mused.

Lionel smiled. “I could say the same to you” he teased gently.

Alba rolled her eyes a little.

“I will call after the match” Lionel noted “Will you wish Bella goodnight for me?” he posed.

Alba nodded. “I always do” she enthused “Adios, Leo” he added, blowing a kiss at the screen of her laptop.

Lionel offered her a small smile before he said his goodbye, ending the video call.

Alba glanced at the blank screen for a moment before she leant back into the couch, her fingers twisting the engagement ring she wore around her finger. She knew that she had to tell them, even if they reacted poorly, they had every right to know, but idea of them reacting as poorly as they had to the news of her pregnancy scared her. She didn’t quite know that she had it in her to listen to her father in particular insist that she was making a mistake.

Glancing at the screen once more, she contemplated the idea of ducking out of telling them before she shook her head, moving to start a video call with her mother. Listening to the soft sound of the dial tone, she tucked a piece of blonde hair behind her ear before her mother’s face appeared on the screen, a warm smile on her face. “Alba, sweetheart” she greeted.

“Hola, mama. How are you?” she posed, messing with her hair shyly.

“I am good, Alba” Annabella enthused “And you? How is that beautiful little granddaughter of mine?” she fussed.

“She’s fine” Alba smiled “And I am fine. Is papa with you?” she posed gently.

“He’s just in from work” Annabella mused “You need to talk to us both?” she posed.

Alba nodded. “I do” she noted gently.

Annabella offered her a slightly odd look before she picked up her laptop, carrying it through to the living room where David sat, flicking happily through the newspaper. “David, Alba wants to speak with us” Annabella quipped, pulling her husband’s attention to the screen of the computer which she had moved to rest on the coffee table.

“She does?” David posed.

“I do” Alba mused “I am just going to get it over with and then you can hang up on me like I know you’re going to. When Leo and I were away for the holidays, he asked me to marry him again and I agreed to it” she revealed quickly, not wanting to beat around the bush.

David, who was trying to keep pace with Alba’s words, blinked a little, a small frown on his face.

“I know you’re not going to like it” Alba babbled, not offering her parents the chance to respond “And I know what you’re going to say. You’re going to tell me that he hurt me before, that he broke my heart, and I just want to say, I don’t want to hear it. I know what I am doing, mama, papa” she insisted softly.

“Are you done?” David posed, his dark eyes glancing at the camera.

Alba frowned, but nodded her head, something which made Davis quirk a half smile. “You’ve always rambled when you’re nervous” he teased softly.

“Papa” Alba whined.

“We’re not happy, Alba” David murmured.

“I didn’t expect that you would be” Alba murmured, fiddling with the hem of her shirt.

“But I accept it” David added.

Alba tilted her head, her eyes glancing at the screen.

“I don’t like the man, Alba, and I don’t know that I ever will, but I am not going to miss out on your wedding day, providing that this is where it ends up. I don’t want it to end like last time, I want you to be happy, and if a wedding is to come at the end of this engagement, then I want to be the one giving you away. I don’t like it, Alba, the idea that you could get hurt all over again, but I know that I am not going to change your mind and I am not going to miss out. If you’re getting married, we’re going to be there” he insisted gently.

He didn’t like it, the idea that Lionel had proposed again to his daughter irked him slightly, but he knew that he wouldn’t change Alba’s mind. Whether he liked it or not, Alba was in love with the man and he wasn’t going to persuade her not to be.

Alba blinked a little. “You will be?” she posed gently.

“Of course” Annabella enthused “Alba, you’re our little girl, and we’d not miss it for the world, even if it is Leo. We’re going to be there for you” she added, offering her daughter a soft smile.

Alba quirked a soft smile. “You have no idea how much that means” she fussed softly.

“We love you” David smiled gently.

“And you should call more” Annabella added “We’d love to see more of you and Isabella” she enthused.

Alba nodded, promising her mother that she would call more before she ended the call, insisting that she loved her parents too. Closing the laptop down, she rested back against the couch and smiled a little, pleased with how the call had gone. She knew it wasn’t perfect, her father had made it more than clear that their feelings towards Lionel and their engagement were still negative, but she was pleased that their reaction had been calm. The last thing she had wanted was to hear her parents insist that she was making a mistake.
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Thanks to Jayme112234 and FootieJo for the comments :)