Cherished (Adam & Ella) by Emily Jane Trent

might be the only time she’d reach out to Ella. Maybe it was just too late. For her mother to treat her as an inconvenience for most of her life, and then expect her to act as if nothing had happened, was too much to ask.
    “Are you okay?”
    “I’m staying with Margie. You remember her. We were friends even while you were growing up. I still have some income from investments on the money your dad left me. But my financial advisor says I may need to supplement my income.”
    Ella could not imagine her mother working. Attaching herself to a man who would take care of her had been her way of life. Things were coming unglued, and not just in Rio. Ella’s old life wasn’t the same either, it would seem. There was no way to harden her heart. Jeanne was her mother. Trying to act like she didn’t care would be a lie. Despite the hurt of the years, she didn’t want her mother to suffer.
    “Well, we will talk about it when I get home, okay?”
    “Yes,” Jeanne said, sounding more like a dejected child than the accusing mother she’d been moments before.
    And that was it. Kaiyla took the phone and said goodbye, letting Ella know she’d call later. Clearly, they couldn’t talk about anything with Ella’s mother listening. Quietly sitting in the chair, holding the phone in her hand, it occurred to her how little her mother knew about her. Flying off to Brazil was dramatic but there was so much more; things that were important to her.
    She held her feelings for Adam close, and was hesitant to share her heart with her mother, who’d always been so cold. What would her mother know about love? Had she even loved Carlton Walker, the man she married, Ella’s father? Honestly, Ella wasn’t sure. Adam was so important to her; he was her life . That was the sort of thing a daughter should be able to share with her mother.
    But Ella wasn’t sure how Jeanne would react. And if she maligned the relationship in any way, or treated Adam like she’d always treated Ella, then it would be very bad. It was one thing for Ella to tolerate a relationship devoid of love. It was entirely different for Adam to have to deal with it. He’d had his share of parental affection going off the rails. Ella had no intention of letting anyone mistreat him, even if only emotionally.
    Yet, Ella sensed a change in her mother. In the past, Jeanne’s icy exterior had made her seem invulnerable. When she’d said she was alone, there was something in her voice, and Ella became aware of a chink in her armor. It was sad, really. No woman keeps her looks forever, although Kaiyla had mentioned Jeanne still looked good. For her age , Ella thought. Uncertainty followed, not knowing what would become of her mother when men no longer followed her like puppy dogs, and provided for her.
    It wasn’t so much the providing part, because Ella knew she’d take care of her. Feelings aside, Jeanne was her mother and she’d never let her be destitute. The emotional side of the issue was harder. As her mother aged, with no man in her life that really cared about her, no one to share her future with, she might finally reach out to her daughters. Or maybe she’d find another man, which was a lot more likely.
    Later in the day, Ella got an email from Julianna. It seemed Jeanne had contacted her too, wanting to come to her school to visit. Julianna thought it was a bit strange and wondered if Ella had heard from her. The reply she sent was cheerier that she felt. Since she hadn’t been close to her sister in so long, and they’d only recently been talking more frequently, Ella didn’t feel it was right to voice her concerns. She replied that she’d spoken to Jeanne, and was glad she planned to visit Julianna, leaving it at that.
    Family pressures burdened her; between her mother pulling at her heartstrings and Adam’s father hounding them mercilessly, Ella felt like exploding. She couldn’t focus, and didn’t feel like writing in her diary, as she did so often to