"I also believe that parents, if they love you, will hold you up safely, above their swirling waters, and sometimes that means you'll never know what they endured, and you may treat them unkindly, in a way you otherwise wouldn't." Mitch Albom, For One More Day

---- 

XXVII. Joy to the World

Sophie couldn't believe her eyes as they drove through impossibly large wooden gates that were emblazoned with "Bentley Grange". The car seemed to continue down a long and winding road that was bordered on both sides by acres and acres of dormant grape vines.

The vines were planted in perfect rows for as far as the eye could see. Sophie didn't think she'd ever really seen a vineyard before, let alone known anyone to have owned one.

Noah was sitting beside her in the back seat of the large four-wheel drive, and was chatting animatedly to his elder sisters, Haley driving, while Casey was in the front seat. He was catching up with them and did not notice Sophie's astonishment.

The sheer size did make Sophie wonder if Noah's privilege was similar to hers growing up. Though it was clear in the man that he was, and in his relationship with his sisters, all of whom seemed to be the salt of the earth, that a proper family was not made with money.

The road finally ended when a great sandstone house came into view. It looked positively enormousand was covered by thick walls of ivy. There was a large, circular driveway before the house, with several expensive range rovers parked sporadically around a cherub fountain fixed in the centre. Beyond the driveway was a huge wrap-around porch that was decorated with Christmas lights and comfortable outdoor furniture.

"Look at the lights, Maddie. Can you see them?" Sophie pointed to the columns supporting the upper storey that were adored with colourful twinkle lights. Even though it was still daylight, they were on and flashing. Sophie was sure they would look ever so pretty at night.

Maddie pressed her face against the glass of the window as Haley parked the car. Her wide, brown eyes taking in all the new all at once. "Is it a castle?" she whispered.

The large stone that cladded the wall did make it look like a castle, but the huge windows and the light filled balconies and porches were a giveaway that this would indeed be a beautiful home.

No sooner had the engine shut off, a small woman shot out of the house like a bolt of lightning. She stood before the car, practically bouncing as they all climbed out.

Joy Bentley was a very short woman, probably no more than five foot one. Her hair, like two of her daughters, was coloured blonde, and she wore it in a short, tousled bob that suited her round face. Her eyes were blue, just like Noah's, but smaller, perhaps made so by her larger than life smile that was impossibly radiating off of her face.

She was wearing a red and white striped candy cane jumper and some acid wash jeans, which clung to her trim figure well.

Her smiles were directed at Sophie the minute Joy saw her, and an odd sense of calm filled her considering the seriousness of such a meeting.

Tally was the first to greet Joy, though. "Mommy!" she cried, dramatically throwing herself into Joy's arms.

Joy laughed and hugged Tally tightly. "I've missed you, baby!" She ran her hands up and down Tally's ribs and then immediately tutted, pulling away. "You're too thin!" she scolded. "Just imagine how I'm going to feel if you drop dead because you didn't eat a darn cheeseburger!"

Tally immediately craned her neck to look at her three siblings and Sophie. "Who had Mom lays on the guilt within thirty seconds?"

"I had two minutes. Rookie mistake," hissed Noah.

Casey laughed. "I had under a minute. You all can Venmo me." She winked.

Joy scoffed and rolled her eyes, before turning her attention back to Sophie. "Sophie," she said sweetly, her smile returning, "I'm assuming you're Sophie, as not one of my dear children has had the manners to introduce me. What am I? Oh, only the woman who endured a hundred and twenty hours of excruciating unmedicated labour collectively to bring them into the world." Joy eyed all four of them.

Noah rolled his eyes, in a way that showed Sophie he had inherited the trait from his mum. "Mom, please allow me to introduce you to Sophie. Sophie, this is my beloved birth giver, Joy."

Sophie felt Maddie hide behind her nervously, but Joy didn't bring attention to it if she noticed. Sophie held her arms behind her, holding onto Maddie's head as comfortingly as she could.

"Sophie, welcome," greeted Joy. "It is so wonderful to have you here with us."

"Thank you so much for letting us come," replied Sophie. "I sincerely hope we will not be an inconvenience. I'm sorry about ..." Sophie nodded behind her. "She's met a lot of people this week and I'm not sure if Noah's told you but ..."

Joy nodded understandingly, and winked, letting Sophie know that she knew exactly what was going on. "Not at all," Joy promised. "You can't imagine how long we've all waited for Noah to find someone nice to bring home. Although why you'd want to be with my son is beyond me. Did you know that he left the country without telling me?" she admonished, shaking her head.

Noah rolled his eyes again. "I'm here, and so are my kidneys," he groaned.

Sophie furrowed her eyebrows wondering what that meant.

"I'll get you when little miss is feeling a little more settled," Joy promised Sophie as she moved right past Noah and ran over to Vanessa with open arms. Joy cuddled her as tight as could be, and Vanessa smiled brilliantly. "Oh, how are you, beautiful girl?" asked Joy. "It's been far too long."

"I'm doing really good," replied Vanessa cheerfully. "We're doing really good. I'm so sorry about Thanksgiving," she apologised. "We won't miss next year, I promise."

Joy scoffed. "Oh, don't give that a second thought. At least you had the decency to call," she said passive aggressively. "Now, I've been using that skin cream you sent me, but I have absolutely no idea what to do with the serum so you're going to have to teach me."

"Of course, I will," Vanessa assured her, before nodding to Noah. "Noah is really sorry, Joy," she urged.

Joy dramatically sighed before conceding and walking over to her son before standing up on her toes to pull him down to her level for a hug. Noah chuckled and returned his mum's gesture. Joy cupped Noah's face and kissed his cheek. "Oh, you're too handsome to stay mad at," she decided, before she tapped his tummy.

"Thanks, Mom," said Noah, shaking his head. He went over to the boot of the car and pulled out Sophie's suitcase, before saying, "Maddie, do you want to come inside and see my piano from when I was your age?"

Maddie's ears pricked up at the mention, and she nodded. She let go of Sophie and flitted over to Noah's side, walking inside the house with him.

Joy watched them walk together, and Sophie watched as she brushed a tear aside. She was not the only one who loved the sight.

The moment they were inside, Joy turned back to Sophie for the third time. "I told you, I'd get you!" Sophie was soon enveloped in one of the oddest hugs that she had ever experienced.

And not odd in an uncomfortable way, but quite the opposite. She had never felt this sort of security from another woman before. It was ... maternal.

"I am so thankful that Noah managed to find you," Joy whispered in Sophie's ear.

"I could be an axe murderer or something," murmured Sophie thoughtlessly, wondering why she had come out with something so weird in return of something so kind.

But thankfully, Joy chuckled. "But you're not," she said confidently. "I think I have a special sort of ESP when it comes to the partners my kids bring home. Tally in high school, yikes!" she shuddered.

"Hey!" cried Tally.

"Was I, or was a I not, lovely the minute you brought Vanessa to meet us?" challenged Joy, and Tally reluctantly nodded. "See, I know when you four have got a good one."

Haley, Casey, Vanessa and Tally all began to move the luggage into the house, and Sophie lingered behind with Joy. She felt bad that she wasn't helping, but she could tell that Joy still wanted to chat. And she had some things to say as well.

"Noah is so good with Maddie," Sophie told Joy. "He was honestly a saving grace when he came into our lives. Maddie was still undiagnosed, and I was honestly at my wit's end. And then we found Noah, and she found the piano."

Joy smiled. "I can't know what it's like to have a child with autism, but I do know what it's like to raise a child who is incredibly different. I don't know what Noah's told you, but his life wasn't always very easy. And I'm ashamed to say that his life at home was much the same. We're moms, we're born to worry, born to bleed for our kids if it saves them from pain."

"I was worried you might think differently of me for having a child out of wedlock," Sophie felt terribly old fashioned for even saying the term. "You would judge me for being so irresponsible."

Joy frowned. "Oh, Sophie. Guilt, you'll get, passive aggression, nagging, yelling, shouting ... but never judgement."

Sophie shakily nodded at hearing those blessed words.

"Oh, sweetheart," Joy said softly, her blue eyes scanning Sophie's face. "I can see you've had a hard run, too. Come on," she urged. "Let me show you around, show you where you'll be staying, and then I'll guilt you for something. It's my special talent. You'll feel right at home."

Joy led Sophie inside the house and her jaw unwittingly dropped. She was standing in anenormous foyer, which was completely open to the floor above. Light filled the space, streaming in from the huge skylights above them. The walls were white, accented with dark, timber beams framing each doorway, ceiling and skirting board.

There was a huge banner that hung from the landing above that read: Welcome to the family, Sophie & Maddie!

Every available surface was draped in Christmas garlands and lights, and there was a beautiful scent of baking in the air. A Christmas tree stood perfectly decorated by the dark, timber staircase, with not an ornament out of place.

A formal sitting room was off to Sophie's right, while a formal dining room was situated in the opposite direction. Everything was pristine and decorated to perfection.

Another thing that Sophie noticed as there was not an empty wall in sight. Framed pictures of Noah and his sisters hung everywhere. Starting from when they were babies, and right up to adulthood. It also did not escape her attention that pictures of Vanessa were among the group, too, as well as a man in military uniform.

"You didn't have to make a banner," said Sophie bashfully.

Joy laughed. "I just wish I'd seen Noah's face when he walked in. That's the reward. But the sentiment is sincere. You are so welcome."

Joy led Sophie upstairs to the open landing. Up and out of sight was a less formal lounge, with a television set, and a coffee table, which held a vase filled with pinecones and Christmas baubles.

There were several doors off of the this room, and Joy selected the room closest to the stairs.

Inside was a neat and cosy bedroom. A large, white bed with matching bedside tables rested against the far wall. A huge window let in the afternoon sun, and a trundle bed was set up on the floor.

"I'm not old fashioned or anything," clarified Joy, "but I just assumed that you would prefer to sleep in with Maddie. If I'm wrong, then please don't hesitate –"

"No, this is wonderful, thank you," interjected Sophie. "I don't know if Maddie would cope by herself in a new place."

Joy smiled. "Well, there's a bathroom in there." She pointed to a panelled door off the bedroom. "I've been shopping and put in a load of toiletries but if there's anything I've forgotten, please let me know."

Joy showed Sophie around the rest of the floor, before leading her back downstairs to the main part of the house. She was brought into a huge open space, which featured an enormous chef's kitchen with a granite island, a comfortable dining room, and a sunken lounge with a plush sectional sofa.

The rest of the family were gathered in here, and Sophie quickly realised why.

Noah was playing the guitar with Maddie sitting beside him, watching intently. She was studying his fingers, learning, and committing what he was doing to memory. On Noah's other side was an older man, with grey, curly hair. He wore a flannel shirt and jeans, and his tanned skin was a little weathered from the sun, but he was grinning at Noah from ear to ear. He, too, strummed his guitar with ease and experience, jamming along with his son.

Sophie heard a yelp get stuck in Joy's throat as she clapped her hands together over her mouth. Sophie knew how special Noah's father was to him. He had told her about it. She wondered if those thoughts were passing through Joy's mind at that moment.

She didn't have to wonder for long.

"That's my husband, John," Joy said quietly. "He's the strong, masculine type, you know. He doesn't say much, but what he does means something. I talk enough for the both of us. Well, anyway, you can imagine that after two girls, when he found out that one of our twins was going to be a boy he was just over the darn moon. He was so excited to have a son, and oh, good God, did John love on Noah when he was little. Parents aren't supposed to have favourites, but John was so darn smitten with Noah when he was a baby," Joy recalled. "But when Noah started to get bigger, started to show his personality, and his interests, John realised that Noah wasn't the boy he wanted. John got him into football and baseball. He even built a basketball court in the backyard to play with him. But Noah wasn't interested. He hated everything, and John was just heartbroken.

"What broke my heart was seeing Noah not understand why his daddy pulled away from him. At some point, John just gave up on him," Joy admitted. "You bet John and I have some vicious fights about that, but John really had no idea what to do with Noah. They had nothing in common." Joy nodded toward Noah. "You can see what finding music did for Noah. He found his passion, and he never looked back. John still couldn't see it. He'd see kids in letterman jackets and think that Noah was missing out on something. I could count on one hand the number of conversations that John and Noah had up until Noah was sixteen. I nearly divorced him when he asked if we could try for another son. I told him right then and there that if he didn't make an effort, that Noah was going to leave this house and never come back.

"Something clicked. I don't know what, but something did. And John did try. He bought himself a guitar, and he took lessons from the music teacher at the high school. When he was ready, he bought a guitar for Noah as well, and he changed.They changed. They've been close ever since, and John loves his boy."

Sophie had heard the story from Noah but hearing it from Joy hit her a little differently. Just hearing the change in a father, the effort in changing to meet the needs of a child, made her heart ache for Maddie.

But then all she had to do was look at who she was sitting beside to have hope.

Noah's sisters and Vanessa were all seated on the sofa listening, tapping their feet and nodding their heads along to the tune.

When John and Noah strummed the final note, John laughed and wrapped his arm affectionately around Noah, pulling him to his side, and placing a kiss on the top of his head.

"Just you wait to see what I bought you for Christmas, son," John said excitedly.

"Oh, God, John is itching to give the damn thing to Noah," uttered Joy. "Honey, didn't you see who'd joined us?" asked Joy to the room.

All eyes went to Joy and Sophie, with Sophie nervously smiling at John. Noah jumped off of the sofa, settling his guitar with Maddie, as he came over to take Sophie's hand. He squeezed it reassuringly.

"Dad, this is Sophie," he introduced. "Sophie, this is my dad, John Bentley."

John, too, climbed off of the sofa, and came over to shake Sophie hand. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Sophie," John said kindly.

"Noah has told me so much about all of you," replied Sophie. "So, it is lovely to meet you as well."

"God, the British have a way of making the simplest words sound fancy," commented John.

But no sooner had he said the words, the sound of the guitar sounded again, only this time it was coming from Maddie. She had the guitar laying flat on her lap. Her hands were too small to fit around the neck of the instrument, and her arm was too short to fit over the top of the body, so she played by pressing down on the frets and plucking at the strings over the sound hole.

It was slow, but it was a tune, and Sophie's mouth once again fell agape.

"Only one kid I've ever known to be able to do that," murmured John.

----

Hope you enjoyed it!! 

One more week of school until holidays and then I'll have two weeks off wahoooo!! I'm usually pretty good a daily updates over the holidays, so we'll see how I go about finishing this book and getting started on my next one. 

There's still a little but to go with this one .................. lol, you think it's going to be smooth sailing? It's almost like you guys don't know me at all! XD

In other news, a player from my football team tested positive to bloody covid. Luckily he was asymptomatic but it means my whole team is in quarantine and our match tomorrow has been postponed. Football was finally back and now I don't know when it will be normal again. 

I hope you are all safe and are getting through things as well as can be! 

Vote and comment xxx