Bea laughed and paused to kiss him before she linked her arm through his and they walked up the stone steps to the front door where Marcus stood, holding it open for them.
"C'mon in here, Ellen," he called as he shut the door behind them. "We've got some guests that you need to say hello to."
A red haired woman appeared from within the kitchen, dressed in a plaid flannel and jeans just as Marcus was with a dish towel in her hands. She looked at Marcus, then at Eli and her eyes finally settled in on Bea before growing wide.
"Beatrix!" she said on a gasp then ran forward to hug Bea. Bea, being quite a bit taller than the other woman, stooped appropriately so that her breasts wouldn't squish her face. "Ellen," Bea replied, hugging the woman tight. A long time ago before she had other things to worry about, she'd resented Ellen because her grandfather had married her after her grandma died. But Ellen had always been perfectly lovely to Bea, and Bea regretted sometimes not treating her in a similar fashion, especially when she pulled back a bit and saw that Ellen was crying.
"Aww, Ellen," Bea said and pulled her close again. "It's so good to see you."
"Good to see you too, sweetie," Ellen said as she squeezed Bea again. She also seemed to remember Eli that time around and she looked at him, eyes arlready softening in the way women's often did around genuinely cute boys. "And who is this handsome fella?"
"This is my boyfriend Eli," Bea said with a pround smile. "Eli, this is my step-grandmother Ellen."