"I'll be right down!" Teddy called downstairs. She was running late and she was hyper aware of it. She hated being late. In fact the twins were three days past their due date and she had gone crazy trying to get them to come. Anyways this morning had been another busy one – of course she always had these when Alexander was coming for a visit.
Her morning sickness had finally lessened over the past couple days, but the twins needs increased. First Joey caught a cold from the local playgroup and just after she was coming down from it Charley got it. Then Charley's nightmares continued more than once and on two occasions Teddy needed to awaken to change the wet sheets. Finally, just to prove how tired Teddy clearly was she poured the orange juice into Joey's cereal rather than the milk.
Now the bell below signaled that Alexander and his wife had arrived. At least this time he wasn't extra early. Not that she was completely angry about the incident from the week before, but it was a little inconvenient. She had wanted to get herself better prepared and she had planned on mentioning the guest to the girls. But when someone comes two hours before they were invited – well the preparations simply never happened.
"Doorbell mommy!" Charley announced with a big smile. She was following after her mom yet again.
"Yes honey" Teddy smiled softly and ruffled her daughter's hair slightly. "I heard it. Now how about you go find Joey and play a little as I see to our guests."
The little girl nodded happily and skipped off to find her twin – who was most likely in their room playing with their batch of dolls.
Teddy sighed a little and went to the stairs. She carefully started to descend but paused when she heard the couple talking. Well aware that ease dropping was a terrible habit and one that she shouldn't partake in – especially considering she would reprehend her daughters for doing just this. However the words the couple was speaking were too much to pass up – more importantly what the women was saying.
"Who willingly lives in a town this small? Its basically the size of a prison" Stephanie said with a clear tone of annoyance. "What type of environment is this? There's no class, no growth opportunities, no anything! Imagine growing up in the city? What greatness it'll be. So many friends they could make, the programs that'll be offered and the possible school boards. Here everyone has to go to the same schools, get the same jobs and have the same friends. There will be no social status here."
"Well they are little girls Steph" Alec's voice joined into the conversation. "I doubt they are concerned about social status as you say."
"Just imagine if they were to live in the city Alexander" Stephanie argued back. Teddy needed to hold in a gasp. So that's where this woman was going with the conversation – to lobby for the twins to move to the city. Well jokes on her, Teddy would never leave her home for bigger and better chances in the city. Everyone was doing just fine here. "You could see them so much more often. They would come and stay with us half the time, you're their father after all so you're entitled to fifty percent."
"Yeah Steph, I would love to spend more time with the girls, but what I want more than anything is for them to be happy" Alec stated. "This is their home. I would never take them away from it."
"Some home," Teddy could nearly hear the eye roll in the other women's voice. "They live in a damn bookstore!"
"Stephanie" Alec hissed, "hush up, they could hear you. And they don't live in a bookstore. They live above it."
"But just look at how dusty and dirty this place is" Stephanie was not going down easily. "It can't be healthy for children to be breathing in so much filth. So what if they live above the store? It can't be very large. It is certainly smaller than our apartment. I would be surprised if it has even one bedroom."
"Relax. Stop being so judgmental about all this. Teddy has done the best she can for these sweet girls of hers" Alec stated.
"They aren't just her sweet girls anymore Alexander" Stephanie sighed out. "They're ours now too. And we are allowed to be concerned."
"You're the only one concerned Stephanie" Alec forced out again. "I'm not. I've seen these girls with their mom. And they are happy and healthy and well taken care of. You're worrying about things that aren't worth worrying about."
"But Alec" Steph cooed, hearing the footsteps on the ground she was walking towards him. "I only want what's best for the girls."
"I know baby" Alexander's voice had clearly softened "and we will ensure we give it to them. But right now I truly believe what's best for Joey and Charley would be to have a solid family environment. Lets just focus on giving that to them alright?"
Teddy couldn't listen to anymore of this. She took the final steps down the stairs and marched through the door pasting on a large fake smile. "Hello there" she greeted folding her arms in front of her. Although she might have look similar to Stephanie in some form, their style couldn't be more different. Standing before her was a women in tight dress pants, designer blouse, a face full of makeup and her blonde hair curled to perfection. This was in comparison to Teddy's own style of old a jean, simple long sleeves t-shirt with paint stains on the sleeves, no makeup and hair pulled back into a messy ponytail. Typically this was as dressed up as Teddy could get. "I'm glad we were finally able to all get together. I'm sorry for all the previous cancellations."
"Not like it was an inconvenience or anything," Stephanie mumbled under her breath. Alexander glared towards his wife and shot her a look that said 'shut up.'
But the smile on Teddy's face didn't fade. "I do apologize for it. Joey had caught a cold and just as she was getting better Charley caught it. So you'll understand that it's been a little busy around here."
"They aren't sick anymore right?" Stephanie asked. "We can't afford to get sick now. Not with Alexander so busy with work and myself with my social gatherings."
"Your social gatherings will not be affected" Teddy stated. "Now how about I take you both upstairs. The girls are excited to see you again Alec."
Alec beamed "I've been counting down the days till I got to see them again." He eagerly followed after Teddy, but his wife trudged behind.
Teddy led the couple into the small but cozy apartment. The living room, kitchen and dinning room were all attached into one singular room. But that was the way Teddy preferred it. It allowed her to have eyes on the girls at all time. "Welcome to my home" she beamed.
"It's a little small don't you think?" Stephanie asked glancing around. She would rather the flooring be hardwood rather than the carpeting it was, or a more neutral colour instead of the sunny yellow.
"I think it's cozy" Alec answered instead. "Where are the girls?"
Teddy giggled and held up her hand to signal for him to wait. Within a minute there was the sound of footsteps coming running towards them. "They always come to greet me as though I've been away for months rather than just a couple minutes."
"Mommy!" both girls burst through the room and toddled towards their mother. Charley had glanced nervously towards the newly arrived couple and moved to hide behind her mother's legs. Joey however had spotted Alec and pranced right up to him. She glanced at him with a straight confident back. "You're here," she announced eyeing him carefully.
Alec chuckled a little and knelt down before the little girl. "I came back. I promised I would," he said reaching forward to ruffle the girl's hair slightly.
Charley having spotted Alec now had given him a small wave. Since the incident on the swings she had greatly warmed up to the man and had seemed more willing to spend time with him.
"Hello to you too" Alec answered with a playful wink. When Steph cleared her throat from behind him he bit his lip and stood back up.
Teddy rested her hands on each of the girl's heads. "Stephanie I'd like you to meet the girls. This is Charley and Joey" she nodded to each child as she introduced them. Charley had naturally been reserved towards her mother, but surprisingly so was Joey, she didn't move to greet or chat with Steph.
"This is Steph" Alec said smiling. "She's my wife. Which basically means she's my best friend."
"I'm much more than just a friend," Stephanie stated fighting back an eye roll. But she glanced down at the girls and pasted a smile on her face. "Hello there little ones. Charlotte and Josephine I believe you're names are. Am I correct?"
"I'm Charley."
Alexander hadn't expected Charlotte to be the one that argued. He hadn't anticipated her speaking much at all today.
"But Charlotte is such a pretty name" Steph argued.
"Charley" the girl answered sternly.
"Okay" Alexander stepped between his wife and his daughter. What was with Stephanie today? She was snippy at everything and was starting arguments with a three year old. "Lets just move on shall we?" he suggested. Glancing at Teddy he asked, "how about we get started on lunch?"
"Sure" Teddy nodded in agreement. "I'm sure you guys are hungry from your trip here and I did promise you a meal. I was thinking grilled cheese and tomato soup. How does that sound?"
"Yay!" Joey cheered. "I like grilled cheesy!"
"That's not really a meal," Stephanie said softly. "Shouldn't the girls receive a better diet than that?"
"They eat just fine" Teddy fought back. She patted her daughters on the back. "You girls go play with your dolls alright?" she said sending them in the direction of the living room.
Charley took her sisters hand and they went to the carpet. Opening the lid of the ottoman the two girls proceeded to pull out a pack of dolls. Stephanie went to watch them and Alec stepped into the kitchen area with Teddy. "Is there anything I can help you with?" he asked helpfully.
"Actually I think I've got everything handled in here. A can of soup and a few grilled cheeses don't take too long. And they are pretty simple."
Alec shrugged slightly "I wouldn't know. I'm not much of a cook myself."
"Ah" Teddy nodded "Stephanie does most of your cooking I'm guessing?"
"Restaurants do. Usually we survive on Uber Eats and other delivery services," Alec explained. "I suppose that'll have to change with the girls around. Not that they're going to be around I mean. They're staying here of course. But I mean when I'm around I can't be encouraging them to eat healthy if I don't follow the same rules."
"One of the many struggles to parenthood" Teddy laughed a little to her. "All those times I need to force myself to eat broccoli in hopes of setting and example for the girls. Turns out none of us can stand the food. So I simply gave up on forcing. At least broccoli that is."
Alexander's chuckle joined in with her own. "What are we laughing about over here?" Stephanie asked walking towards the adults "am I missing an inside joke?"
"We were just talking about parenthood" Alec's eyes twinkled happily.
"And I'm sure I wouldn't understand anything about that, am I right?" Stephanie asked with her Barbie like smile on her face still.
"That's not what I meant -"
But Steph cut him off and waved away the comment "doesn't matter. Now when is lunch going to be ready?"
"In a couple short minutes" Teddy reassured her. She turned swiftly to the stove and turned up the temperature of the soup. Grabbing the bread from the fridge she was set to start the sandwiches.
"I thought you were with the girls getting to know them?" Alexander asked softly.
"They are simply ignoring me" Stephanie shrugged slightly "they wish only to focus on those dolls."
"Have you tried joining in with them?" Alec asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well shouldn't they ask me?" Steph frowned slightly.
"They're little kids. They assume you'd join in naturally."
"Seems like a lack of manners to me" Stephanie argued.
Alec rolled his eyes slightly "okay Steph, come on I'll join you and the girls." He stepped around her and went to the little living room. "Hey girls. Can I join in?" he asked already taking a seat. When the girls eagerly nodded Joey held out a doll for him.
Stephanie sighed gently and followed after him.
Teddy worked in simple silence as she prepared the meal. She listened to the girls chatting with Alec, but she noted that Stephanie didn't seem even slightly interested in getting involved. Flipping the sandwiches off she set them in a pile on plates, carrying it to the centre of the table. Then she filled five bowls of soup and organized those across. "Girls come wash up for lunch," she said sweetly with a smile. When the girls came running to her, one by one she helped them to wash their hands and got them settled at the table.
Alec came over and pulled a chair out for Stephanie, right next to Charley. He smiled reassuringly, encouraging her to sit with the girls. The women started to eat the soup but refused a sandwich because of the process cheese. Alec on the other hand clearly enjoyed dipping his sandwich in the soup and taking a bite.
Joey, having watched the man, took a piece of her own sandwich and dipped it into the soup. Taking another glance at him she took a little bite. She seemed to shrug a little to herself and take another taste. Alec locking eyes with her flashed her a wink.
The lunch had been moving forward in awkward silence. Teddy had no idea what to say. This wasn't exactly her ideal lunch. And things only became worse. Charley reached across the table to grab another sandwich. But her little elbow knocked into the bowl of soup, spilling the liquid across the table and landing in puddles across Stephanie's lap.
The women jumped up with a large squeal "oh my god!" she hissed trying to dust the soup off, but only making it worse. She shot a glance at the girl "why didn't you just ask someone to pass it? Look what you did now."
Alec stood quickly and passed his wife a napkin. "She didn't mean it. It was an accident."
"It's ruined Alexander!" Stephanie hissed dabbing at the blouse. "This was over a hundred dollars. It is genuine silk. And now it's ruined!"
"Well you shouldn't have worn an expensive blouse when coming to play with children," Teddy said softly. She glanced towards her daughters. Tears were running down Charley's face and Joey's eyes were red as she held back her own.
"What? I should dress like you?" Steph teased. "Some people have better style."
"And some people are mothers" Teddy answered. It was probably a lot meaner than she had intended it to be – especially considering she was aware of how difficult it has been for Stephanie to become a mom. But these women had made her daughters cry. And she couldn't stand for that. "When you're with children, spills and stains are natural. They are bound to happen. You need to dress accordingly."
"Well the nerve" Stephanie started to shake her head disapprovingly.
"Stephanie" Alexander said strangely calm. "Let it go. Teddy is right. If you cared so much about the shirt you shouldn't have worn it. And it was accident, so stop being the one to make little girls cry. You're bullying is over."
"My bullying?" Stephanie gasped. "My god you've changed Alexander. We will talk more about this at home. I know when I'm not wanted somewhere. I'm leaving." She spun on her heels and marched out of the room.
"I better go after her" Alec sighed and went behind her.
With a sigh Teddy dropped to her knees between Charley and Joey's seats. "Hey no need to cry my sweethearts" she said resting her hands gently on the little girls backs. She gave them a gentle back massage and smiled softly. "Nobody is upset. Everything is fine. No need for any tears."
Joey sniffled "that women was mean" she sniffled.
"I know honey" Teddy whispered softly. "She just doesn't know you. But she'll get better" she tried to reassure the girls. But truth is told she found Steph very mean to her daughters and she wasn't a fan of how they were treated in one short hour. "She's gone now though" she wrapped her arms around her daughters and gave them a warm hug just as the door to their apartment opened again.
"Steph is gone. She called a cab to take her all the way to Toronto" Alec stated before he caught sight of the sad little girls. He walked over and took the seat next to Charley. "Don't be sad little one" he whispered reaching out and wiping her tears away "I don't like when little girls cry."
Teddy stood and went to grab some paper towel "here let me clean this up and then we can go outside to play okay girls?" she said grabbing the bowls.
Alec took the plates from the table and followed after her "hey I'm really sorry about Stephanie. I know it's no excuse, but she's been really stressed out about this. Being unable to have babies of her own and see it come so easily for you. It clearly hit her harder than expected."
"You're right" Teddy said sternly as she firmly placed the dishes in the sink. "It isn't an excuse. It's something that needs to be fixed. I had never wanted a man in my life, a father to randomly appear in the girl's life that could tear some apart. Seems I didn't need to worry about the father but rather the women he brings along with him."
"No don't think that badly of Steph" Alec tried to argue.
"No. I will think however I want" Teddy snatched the plates from him. "Because this is my family. These are my children. My babies. I have taken care of them for years. And I am not going to allow someone into their lives that will tare them apart. Your wife, regardless of how stressed out she was, made two little girls cry today. That is her fault. And I will not stand for it. She has one last chance. If she makes those girls even remotely sad or unwelcomed again, she is out." Teddy stepped around Alec and shoved her shoulder against his as she passed by.
Alexander thankfully had kept his mouth shut as she followed the girls out of the apartment. He allowed Teddy to dress the girls she rather than interfering. And he silently watched Teddy get the girls settled out back. The back yard was small, but Teddy had used the space wise. With only a small conversation set as the seated area, the rest of the yard was given to the girls to play. She had tied two swings to the large tree in the corner and the remaining grass was currently acting as a soccer field for the girls.
Joey was laughing as she was chasing after her sister for the rubber ball. Charley was running quickly ahead of the girl kicking the ball between her feet the best she could.
Taking a seat next to Teddy at the wicker loveseat, Alec glanced her way. "I promise that'll never happen again," he said softly. "I'll talk with Steph and get this all sorted out okay? You are right Theodora; this isn't how I want the girl to grow up. I don't want them to be crying when they need to be around Steph, or fearing spending time with me. I want them to associate me with family. And I can't do that with her attitude. So I promise I'll fix it."
"I'll believe it when I see it" Teddy said. She glanced over at him. "Those girls are my life. They always have been. I would rather hurt myself than to see them cry. And if there is any way to protect them, than I will do it. No more hurting."
"I don't want to see them hurting either" Alec agreed. "I know I've just appeared in their lives. But those girls mean the world to me too. My heart already feels so much bigger now that they are in my life. And I will do anything for them. You have to believe me Teddy."
"I do" Teddy answered softly. "But it was never you I was worried about."
"You have nothing to worry about from here on out" Alec reassured her.
Charley came running over to the couple tightly holding the ball in her arms. "Momma come play."
Joey came toddling up behind her sister and nodded eagerly. "Yes come play."
Teddy chuckled a little and nodded. She pushed herself off the loveseat and with a smile said to the girls "alright lets play."
"Alec plays too?" Charley asked.
Alexander was touched to be invited, especially by the more quiet of the two. After seeing how sad his wife made the little girl he feared Charley and Joey might reject him. But it seemed they held no ill will towards him for Stephanie's actions.
"Of course" the man agreed getting up as well. He glanced at Teddy, "how about boys versus girls?"
"Oh I don't know" Teddy said with a smirk. "That doesn't seem very fair to you now does it?"
"I was the captain of my high school soccer team. I think I can manage" Alec said with a playful shrug.
"Lets go girls!" Teddy cheered.
Happily Charley set the ball on the ground and ran ahead of them. Joey came up close behind her and Charley passed it to her sister. Soon Alec was on their heels. He was purposefully going slowly and making a big point of groaning when he lost the ball.
"You girls are just too good!" Alexander cheered heading after them again. The twins were giggling as they kicked the ball between them. Joey passed the ball to their momma and she started to make her way across the yard. But Alec was quick to cut her off with a smirk. "Got you," he teased.
"Not yet" Teddy giggled passing the ball back to Joey.
Try as Joey might to get away from the man she wasn't quick enough. Alec moved towards her and wrapped his big arms around her small body. She let out a squeal and kicked the ball to her sister. Alec lifted her into the air so that her feet were dangling and he spun her around playfully.
Joey's laughter filled the air. She squealed and giggled as he spun her around. She was smiling wide when the man set her down.
"Who has the ball now?" Alec asked glancing around and spotting the ball between Charley's feet. He laughed as he approached the other girl. She was already giggling excitedly. Rather than putting up a fight, Charley eagerly raised her arms into the air for him.
"Up!" she cheered happily.
Alec chuckled a little and lifted the girl into his arms. Happily he spun around with the little one. Again the giggled filled the air as Charley held onto the man. Her hair was blow out behind her as he went in circles. After a couple seconds he set her down.
Joey had come running to his side. "Momma turn!" she cheered happily.
Charley joined in and soon the two girls were chanting together. "Momma's turn! Momma's turn! Momma's turn!"
"Yes little misses" Alexander chuckled and approached the mom. He held his arms out to her.
"Oh no" Teddy held up her arms to fend him off. That trick was nice and all for the girls but not for her. She was a grown woman. She didn't need to be spun around like she was a little girl.
"Oh yes" Alec stated. He finally reached her. He wrapped his arms around her in a hug and pulled the women close to his chest. For a moment Teddy grew concerned. She wore baggy shirts intending to hide the baby bump. But what if he felt it pressing against him.
He didn't seem to notice anything wrong as he scoped her up bridal style. He held his arm under her legs as he slowly started to spin. Without any control the women released a fit of her own laughter. She wrapped her arms around his neck and enjoyed the feeling of the cool air against her skin. And she couldn't help the thoughts that creep up on her. Seeing her daughters laughing and watching the couple she started to wonder what it would have been like with a man around. Maybe her initial thoughts were wrong, maybe she didn't have much to worry about. Having a man around, a father in her daughter's lives might not have been so bad after all – as long as that man was Alexander Daddario.
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Chapter Question: What do you think of Stephanie' behaviour?