When Steven came back he was mentally tired and just wanted to rest his mind, but when he walked through the door and noticed that Alice, Lily and Abby had banded together in the sitting room and had sided against him, he blew out a harsh breath.
"Daddy you own mommy an apology!" Stephan called out, as soon as his eyes fell on his father.
Steven ignored him and walked into the kitchen to get himself an aspirin and a glass of water. He was getting a severe headache and knew that if he didn't hurry he would end up suffering the rest of the day and there was no time to waste like that when he had a million and one things he needed to do on his computer.
John nodded to the woman, as he passed them by and followed Steven into the kitchen, "Can I get you anything boss?"
Steven shook his head, swallowed two aspirins and drank the entire glass of water.
"Daddy you promised yesterday to take me to the zoo today but you lied!" Stephan pouted.
Closing his eyes, Steven leaned against the counter and tried to relax his mind. His sons chattering made the headache worse.
"We will go when I return from California."
"You lied to me!" Stephan yelled.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean too, I promise to...."
"You're a liar!" Stephan screamed.
"Stop it!" Steven yelled, "don't you ever disrespect me like that again!"
"I hate you!" Stephan cried, before he ran out of the kitchen and went crying to his room.
The headache got worse, it felt as if a hammer was smashing him on the head.
"Are you alright?" John asked, "you don't look too well."
Ignoring him, Steven walked away, and headed to the sitting room where the ladies sat together and seemed to be plotting against him. "Abby come with me please I need to talk to you."
Lifting herself to her feet, she followed after Steven to the bedroom where he closed the door and turned to face her, "I'm leaving tomorrow for California instead of Thursday, I can get more work done if I go early, I also have to stop to check out a few houses that I have been looking at."
"Yes. right" Abby said ironically.
And that was the final straw that broke the camels back, "Stop it!" He warned.
"Why so you can leave when ever it suits you while I stay behind trying to raise your kids?" Abby snapped, "so you can explore Carmel by the sea without me, is Victoria going to come with you?"
Steven closed his eyes, he was not in the mood to listen to Abby's jealous outburst, his head was pounding with pain and he needed her for once to be understanding.
"I'm doing this for you and the kids." He told her.
Abby laughed, "of course you are."
Grabbing her by the shoulders he shook her gently, "Why can't you just trust me Abby."
"How can I trust you, you're leaving me to be with Victoria!"
"Stop it!" He yelled, and then he let her go, "you do this to yourself!" He told her when he saw her tears, "you always find something to accuse me of, get a grip of yourself!"
Crazy out of her mind with jealousy and hurt by his words, she slapped him really hard across his face.
Anger gripped Steven and when Abby saw the rage in his eyes she tried to run, but he grabbed her and lifted her off her feet and threw her on the bed. When she tried to scramble away, he fell on top of her and trapped her underneath him. Taking her hands he pinned them above her head and looked down at her angrily.
"I have been patient with you because I love you, I have bent over backwards for you because I want you to be happy. I have been a fool for you because I can't live without you, I have begged for your trust and loyalty from the day I have met you, but all you can do is demean me at every turn!" He told her hoarsely, "what the hell do I have to do to win your trust, haven't I given you my all? What else do you want Abby, tell me and I will bring it to you!"
Abby stared into his deep, blue, angry eyes and swallowed, he was right, everything he had said was true, but she needed more validation that he loved her, until they married she would never feel satisfied and she would live in fear of losing him.
"Tell me Abby!" He demanded, "what the fuck else do you want me to do for you to make you happy!"
Closing her eyes, she allowed the tears to flow down her face, she was terrified that he was disgusted of her behavior and she was afraid to speak.
"Speak!" He roared, "tell me what else I can do to make you trust me!"
"I'm sorry." She cried, "I'm just scared."
Narrowing his eyes at her, Steven pulled his head back and stared down at her, God she's beautiful, he thought, as fear of one day losing her gripped him. "I'm scared too Abby." He told her in a broken voice.
Confused, Abby stared up at him, "Why?"
"Because I love you, because I worship you, because I can't live without you and all this that we have is too good to be true and that scares the hell out of me!" He told her hoarsely.
And suddenly they were back in Wisconsin dells, in their hotel room. Abby's heart pounded wildly against her chest, this is her Steven, the boy who she had fallen in love with six years ago, the boy that had grown into a man. A man she couldn't live without, a man that she loved with all her heart and all her soul.
He looked at her look at him, and the sudden realization that she would never change claimed him. But the truth was he didn't want her to change, he didn't want to change anything about her. He adored her just as she was. His Abby, his woman, the mother of his children.
His true soulmate.
He crashed his lips over hers, it was a bold, breathless kiss that shook Abby's world, and when he finally tore his lips away from hers, without saying another word, he dropped his face to the swell of her breasts and closed his eyes.
The two of them lay there for the next two hours without speaking or moving, no words were necessary, no explanations needed. Their world revolved around the love they had for each other and nothing else mattered.
**************
"Someone needs to speak to my brother," Lily crossed her legs, "he needs to understand her feelings, and be more sympathetic with her."
"Your brother is very sympathetic with Abby, I know it doesn't seem like that to you, but I know Steven very well and I know their love story and he adores her." Alice said, "I've never met another man who loves like that." As soon as the words rushed out of her mouth, Alice turned fifty shades of red. She had forgotten that John was sitting with them and when she stole a look at him, he was looking in her direction.
"Even so," Lily said, "Abby is pregnant and her hormones are jumping all over the place, and Steven needs to check his emotions at least until she gives birth!"
"You may be right, but I'm sure they will work it out, they always do!" Alice concluded.
"As in make up sex?" John laughed.
Both Alice and Lily looked at each other and burst into laughter, "Yes, something like that." Alice agreed, "those two always look for reason to argue just so they can have make up sex
More laughter.
"I would never want a boyfriend or a husband like my brother, I mean, he is overly possessive, overly demanding and much too serious!" Lily complained, "I just don't know how she can stand him at times!"
"It called love my dear," Alice explained, "love is strange like that."
"Remind me not to ever fall in love!" John said, as he lifted himself to his feet and walked away, "it's just too complicated!"
Alice watched him go and sighed, and Lily smiled from ear to ear, "Is there something you would like to talk about Alice?"
"Who me?" Alice asked innocently, and she shook her head.
*************
"Can you please grab Lexi!" Claire yelled from the kitchen, while she stirred the pot of beef stew, and when Lexi continued to cry, Claire dropped the wooden spoon and marched into the sitting room angrily, "Jeff!"
Wearing his headphones, Jeff was searching for a good love song to play when they finished dinner and were having their nightcap.
"Jeff!" Claire called out again, and when Jeff ignored her again, she grabbed the headphones off his head and threw them on the couch.
"What the hell!" He yelled, and stood up to his six feet two inches height, "what is wrong with you!"
"The baby is crying her heart out while you waste your time here with that!" She pointed to the stereo, "are you heartless?"
"Calm down Claire," he said gently, "I didn't hear her I was wearing the headphones!"
"Oh yes father of the year!" Claire said sarcastically, over her shoulders as she went marching back to the kitchen.
"What the hell does that mean!" Jeff yelled and followed after her.
"It means you're an awful father!" Claire explained angrily, "can't you hear her crying?"
Jeff turned around and hurried to Lexi's room, placing the pacifier back into Lexi's mouth, he tip toed out of the baby's room and closed the door softly.
"You can't speak to me that way!" Jeff complained, when he returned to the kitchen and sat down at the table.
"You need to be motivated when you come home Jeff, I'm tired and feel stuck in this house all day long slaving away cooking, cleaning and watching our daughter, I'm exhausted!" Claire complained and she too sat down in the opposite side of the table. "I feel tired, I feel ugly, and I feel very unloved!"
Knowing how pregnant women have hormones that bounce off the wall during their pregnancy, Jeff kept quiet while she talked. He tried to stay calm, and allowed her to say her peace, but it was always hard for him to watch her cry her heart out.
"Steven and I spoke and decided to start a business together, Jacob will join us too and if that happens Claire I will have more time to be with you and help you around the house and with Lexi. In the meantime I want to hire a nanny to help you. I know it's not fair that you are stuck doing it all by yourself."
"I don't feel stuck Jeff, I love my child and would do the world for her!" Claire exploded, "it is you I have a problem with, I do not need a fucking nanny, I need for my husband to be more attentive to Lexi and to me!"
Jeff kept telling himself to remain calm, stay calm, stay calm, stay calm, he kept reminding himself. When Claire seemed to be finished complaining he tried to get a word in edgewise, but she started screaming again and took the argument to another level.
"You think you know everything, we'll you don't know anything!" Claire screamed, and she broke down and started to cry.
Jeff waited patiently for her to stop her whining. He had gone through these tantrums during her other pregnancy too, and although he had to muster up all his patience until her hormones were back in tact, because he loved her very much, he didn't know how long he could endure it this time around because of everything going on in his life with his personal problems back home.
"You don't love me." She finally said, after all the tears had dried up.
Jeff blinked, but said nothing. He was too scared to talk knowing that anything he said could be taken out of contexts and then she would start all over again with the bitching. Sighing, he raked his fingers through his hair and remained silent.
"Are you hungry?" She asked him nicely, as if she hadn't a minute ago gone through a bitchy, crazy, lunatic, psycho scene.
He wanted to laugh, he wanted to cry, he wanted to pull his hair out knowing that for the next eight months he would have to endure her crazy mood swings. "Why don't I serve you my love," he told her, as he jumped quickly off his seat and walked to the stove, "I'll serve our dinner, I know you're tired."
They ate in silence, Claire was a very good cook and the stew was delicious, Jeff was very proud of her. She seemed like she had calmed down and he released a sigh of relief.
"We leave tomorrow for Illinois, did you need help packing?" Jeff held his breath for her next outburst, but was surprised when she smiled at him sweetly.
"I'm already packed and ready," she told him, "what time is the flight?"
"They only had a seven o' clock available." He replied.
"What!"
And here we go again Jeff thought, as he watched the love of his life jump from her seat and point a finger at him, "Are you crazy, how in the world am I supposed to be ready so early!"
Jeff just looked at her and reminded himself that for the millionth time that this is the woman he fell in love with and if her hormones were bouncing off the wall throughout the entire pregnancy then so be it.
"We can go to sleep early tonight and set the alarm clock for five o' clock." Jeff smiled, and waited for the second outburst which was sure to follow.
When Claire opened her mouth to speak, she quickly snapped it shut again and then just simply smiled.
Psycho bitch.
Jeff smiled back at her.