Finding Love Again

Chapter 33

On Thanksgiving Day, Wanda arrived at Steve's house early in the morning to start baking the turkey. Since she had a key, she didn't need to wake up Steve. She made sure to be as quiet as possible so that she wouldn't wake Livy or him up. In addition to the turkey, she also had plans on making them breakfast. Later on in the day, she would make the stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn on the cob, and green bean casserole. Allison would be baking the pumpkin, apple, and pecan pies, cornbread, and buttermilk biscuits in addition to making the cranberry sauce. For anyone, this would be enough food for a party, but with Steve, Bucky, and Pietro's appetite, this would suffice.

Steve woke up to the smell of blueberry pancakes, bacon, and coffee. He was a bit confused at first as to why, but it didn't take long for him to remember that Wanda was most likely making breakfast. On an ordinary day, he would go do his morning workout, but today, he took a shower instead. After showering, he padded down the stairs making sure not to make too much noise so that Livy wouldn't wake up. He wanted her to sleep in today. Upon entering the kitchen, he went to the coffee machine and started pouring himself a cup. "Morning," he greeted Wanda.

"Good morning, Steve. How did you sleep?" she asked as she poured more batter into the pan.

"Better than most nights."

Wanda smiled. "That's good to hear. Uh, I know I probably should have asked this like last week, but I forgot. Who all is coming tonight?"

Steve's brows furrowed. "I thought I told you already."

"Yeah, you were about to, but I think you got a call from one of your clients."

"Right. It's only going to be Pietro, Allison, Bucky, Sam, Livy, you, and me this year."

Wanda nodded. "Thor isn't coming?"

Steve shook his head. "He's going to celebrate with Jane, Darcy, and Erik."

"Um, how about Sharon? Or is she still in Italy?"

Steve stayed silent just leaning against the counter with his coffee in his hand.

Wanda looked up. She noticed his face had gone from relaxed to tense. "Steve? What's wrong?"

He gazed at the coffee cup in his hands. "She won't be coming...ever again."

Wanda was a bit shocked, to say the least. "What do you mean, 'ever again'?"

He directed his gaze to meet Wanda's. "I, uh, I broke up with her a couple of weeks ago."

If Wanda hadn't been choosing her words carefully she would have probably said something like 'Thank goodness,' but she knew better than to say that. "Oh, Steve, I-I don't know what to say."

"You should probably be saying something along the lines of 'Finally! About time! What took you so long?' You can rub it in my face telling me you were right all along and that I should have listened to you."

"Steve, you know I'm not like that. Though, I do want to know what made you do it."

"After your talk with me, I started to ponder everything you told me. With that and Sharon becoming a bit more distant, it gave me some insight. It wasn't until Livy's incident that I finally realized that she didn't care. I broke up over the phone with her, and later on, she came to the hospital for our date I canceled. I found out then that she had been cheating on me and that her 'business trip' to Italy was actually a vacation."

"Oh, Steve! I can't imagine the betrayal you felt! I'm so sorry that happened," she tried to sympathize.

"Don't say something you don't mean. Besides, I think it was for the best. I actually feel free again. With Sharon, I felt like I always had to act sophisticated. I mean, she never liked going to regular restaurants. They had to be in Manhattan and elegant. I really don't know what I saw in her."