194 I'd Be Grateful

The back garden was every bit as well kept as the front yard. It was too cold for any flowers to still be in bloom but there were plenty of trees and bushes to keep the scenery alive. A grassy stone path wove throughout the garden to create a walking path.

Mrs. Hayes looked up at the sky and let out a soft sigh. "What a beautiful night." She commented.

Elle followed her gaze and looked up at the stars herself. "It is. It's a perfectly clear night. The stars are shinning brightly."

They continued to walk together while admiring the night view around them.

"You seem like a very capable girl." Mrs. Hayes commented after a moment.

Elle was surprised by the remark. "I try to be." She answered honestly. "Though I'm no where near your son's level."

"I don't think anyone could match Adam or his father." Mrs. Hayes agreed with a smile. "But I think you're still quite impressive. I wasn't capable at all when I was your age."

"It's hard to imagine that." Elle said encouragingly.

"I'm not sure if you knew this, but I'm the daughter of a very old and well-off family. I was born as the second daughter, and the third child, so I was doted on but even then my parents had very high expectations of me when I was growing up."

Elle wasn't sure what to say so she simply glanced at Mrs. Hayes and listened intently.

"I was bad at a lot of things when I was younger." Adam's mother confessed. "My grades weren't so bad but they were terribly average. I was bad at the arts, and bad at business. I was absolutely horrible at cooking and all the finer things a young lady was expected to do."

"Was it hard for you growing up?"

"A bit. There were a lot of lectures, and tutors, and disappointment when I was younger but once I got to high school there weren't many expectations of me to do well. As long as my grades weren't too bad I was left to my own devices."

"I see." Elle replied, not knowing what more to say.

"I met Adam's father when I was in university. He's a few years older than me so he had already graduated and had been working at MK by then. I happened to run into him at a cafe that was close to my campus."

"Who was interested in whom first?" Elle asked with a grin. She couldn't tell if the redness that crept into Adam's mother's ears were from the cold or from embarrassment.

"I'm not sure." She confessed. "At first we met by chance and talked for a bit. Then we slowly started meeting there more and more often. He's a very quiet man but he's also very attentive. As someone who was mostly left alone I guess it was his attentiveness towards me that led me to fall in love."

"How did he propose?" Elle asked, her smile growing wider. She couldn't imagine it at all.

"It wasn't very romantic." Mrs. Hayes replied. Her words seemed regretful but her smile told Elle otherwise. "We were on a vacation together and we were having dinner in our hotel room when he simply said 'let's get married'. When I asked him if he was serious he gave me the ring which was still in it's box."

Elle couldn't help the light laugh that came out of her. Even Mrs.Hayes had an amused grin on her face.

"It wasn't romantic at all but it was just like him." She said happily. "He was someone that it was so easy to be married to. He's quiet and severe but he didn't care what I did as long as I was beside him. He took care of everything and let me handle what I was comfortable handling. Even things like my cooking gradually improved because he ate everything I made without a word of either complaint or praise."

"You must be very happy."

"We had our bumps and fights of course, but nothing shook us." Mrs. Hayes grew silent. Her eyes seemed to be looking at something far in the past. "I was surprised when Adam's father proposed to me and I remember I was so worried when I became pregnant. You see, I thought I would be bad at those things too. But somehow I have a peaceful marriage and I've raised a good son."

"You raised an excellent son." Elle said, more serious now.

"After all these years I see, for everything I was bad at, it seems that I was somehow good at love." Mrs. Hayes smiled to herself. "It's rare that I get to see such a relaxed smile on Adam's face. You know, I love my son above all else in this world. That's how I know you truly love him."

"I do." Elle said, looking at his mother meaningfully so that she might see how much she meant it.

"Then I'd be very grateful if you continued to stay by his side."

"Of course." Elle said, fighting back the tears that threatened to build up in her eyes.

His mother led them over to a bench where she sat the young girl down and held her hand between both of her's. "You must bring Adam home for dinner more often. In the past few years he's hardly ever come home."

"Yes, of course."

"Ah, but you should also come over whenever you want. Even if you come without Adam."

"Okay."

"And you must make time to come to our family's Christmas party this year. I know you both don't plan on announcing your relationship and that's fine. You don't need to tell anyone about it but I absolutely must show you off to everyone."

"Yes." Elle squeaked.

His mother laughed. "Why are you tearing up?" She asked as she wiped a tear that was building in Elle's eyes.

When was the last time Elle had felt this? It was something she had lost long ago. After so many years Elle had accepted that she would never feel it again. She certainly didn't expect that she would find it here. The warmth of a parent.

After a moment Adam came out to them. He carried two heavy, woollen wraps in his hand.

"Why are you both out in the cold." He asked before he spotted Elle's red and watering eyes. "Why is she crying?" He asked his mother, almost angrily.

His mother laughed and wrapped one of the woollen shawls tightly around herself. "Come in and have some hot tea once you've comforted her." She said to Adam as she headed back to the house first.

"Why are you crying?" Adam asked more softly once his mother was out of sight.

"I'm not crying." Elle insisted, wiping at her eyes stubbornly.

"You are." Adam insisted in turn as he wrapped the woollen shawl around her tightly.

"Your mother is just like you." Elle whimpered, burying her face in Adam's chest. "I just didn't expect it to feel so warm."

Adam held her tightly in his arms for a long time before they eventually returned to the bright and warm house together.