Chapter 1: Stephanie

October 15, 2009, Thursday
8:27 PM
Hartford, Connecticut

Lunch tomorrow?

Can't. Working lunch meeting

Early breakfast?

Driving Aurora to school

Ok

Is everything okay?

Yeah

What are you not telling me?

Why should there be something that I'm not telling you?

Why do we need to meet tomorrow?

Don't NEED to. Just wondered if I could see you

Awe, you miss me.

Not really

Shane

What?

What is it?

Still holding her phone in one hand, Stephanie scratched her head in confusion with the other. Something didn't seem right with the conversation she's having with her only brother. It's not that Shane can't meet her for a meal for no specific reason other than to just catch up. Her gut feel just told her something was up—something unpleasant. She's had a long day at work and she's in no mood for guessing games tonight.

"What's up?" She jumped a bit from where she sat on the kitchen stool upon hearing her husband's voice. She was waiting for the coffee to brew when she received that first text message from her brother while Paul was upstairs packing for a series of shows which begins tomorrow. Before she could answer, the coffee maker let out a sound which signaled that it was done. Making her way to the machine, Steph only had two words as a response. "It's Shane…"

Noticing his wife's hesitation to continue, Paul just stared back, one eyebrow raised, encouraging her to continue. "He wants to meet for breakfast tomorrow."

Paul shrugged. "Then meet him."

"I can't. I'm driving Aurora to school tomorrow."

"Do lunch."

"I have a lunch meeting."

"Dinner?" Paul offered one last time.

Steph wondered how they didn't consider dinner as an option. "He didn't ask…", she said softly, as if talking to only herself. That's when she realized how she immediately jumped to conclusion that something was up with Shane and she tried to get into it at once before even trying to see if they could do dinner instead. Feeling bad for being typical her, she picked up the phone to send him another message. No more than thirty seconds later, her phone beeped again. Unfortunately, dinner was negative.

"He can't. He's up to something and he's not telling me."

"Why does he have to tell you anything?" Not that Paul is questioning the closeness of the siblings. He's known the whole family for more than a decade now, has witnessed how, despite their onscreen persona, the McMahons are a tight, solid unit in real life. And as of October 25, 2003, he's been a part of that—birthdays, anniversaries, overnight sleepovers, weekend staycations and even their family group chat. He doesn't need any more proof how close his wife is to her brother, despite both leading extremely busy respective lives.

Stephanie looked to him with a frown on her face, as if questioning back his question. Paul simply stared back. Suddenly realizing a plan, Stephanie picked up her phone as if looking for something. Curious about the twinkle in the woman's eyes, Paul approached her to peek at her phone by looking over her shoulder. She's in her contacts, somewhere in the K's, then starting to slow down with her swiping, as if she was near her goal. Seeing Steph suddenly stop at the beginning of the M's, Paul just knew whom his wife was going to call. There's no one else.

"Are you seriously going to harass a pregnant woman who's probably resting right now just because you THINK her husband is keeping something from you?" Paul knew Stephanie was crazy. It is part of what he loves about her. But this was just too much, wasn't it?

"Yes, especially if said woman loves me more than she does her own husband." Steph responded confidently. Not that it was an exaggeration. Steph has known Marissa for as long as Shane has known the girl who eventually became his wife. They all grew up together as neighbors in Greenwich. Stephanie can swear that there have been moments (A LOT) when Shane was jealous of the attention his own sister got from his then girlfriend. Marissa may have been Stephanie's sister-in-law for more than a decade now, but they've already ignored the "in-law" part a long time ago.

Before Paul had any chance to respond, he had already heard the woman engage in another conversation. "Hey! How are you?", Steph began.

"And the boys?", referring to Shane's 2 sons, Declan and Kenyon, whom, Steph realized, she hasn't seen since school started after the summer break.

"And the little one inside you?" Marissa, to the whole family's delight, was almost 6 months along with her latest pregnancy, something that came as a surprise to the couple. Everyone is excited with the arrival of the latest addition, albeit it being (still) another boy for Shane. Stephanie remembered teasing Marissa about having made boys cry growing up and paying for it now with having just sons.

"When's your next check-up? Is Shane going with you?" Paul's got to give his wife credit. That was smooth. "How is Shane anyway?"

"Really?" Steph's voice suddenly became half an octave higher, which Paul had to admit, made him curious. "I didn't notice him when I left."

Then the two ladies went on to catch-up with whatever happened wherever since the last time they conversed with each other, which, Paul was sure was just last week at most. He left the kitchen to give the women "privacy", but not before Paul gave his wife a silent nod towards the living room, where he was headed off to.

It wasn't long before Steph joined her husband there, with a cup of coffee in hand for her and a bottle of water in the other for her man. Taking a seat beside him, Steph placed the cup on the table while handing the bottle to him. Immediately, she laid down on the couch, head on his lap, to update him on the "gossip" she got from Marissa.

"Shane's still in the office. Something's really up.", she declared confidently. If she had just a gut feel earlier, she was definitely sure of it now. Shane didn't like not being home long especially with Marissa pregnant. Even Paul can't deny that Steph was probably right and he, too, was intrigued on what was really going on. If anyone asks, he was simply concerned. It's his only brother-in-law who's involved here.

"Do breakfast tomorrow", he offered. The big eyes, slightly opened mouth of his wife told him she was surprised with it. Before she got to argue with him, he proceeded, "I'll take Aurora to school after the nanny arrives for Murphy."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Go."

Reaching for her phone once more, Steph typed a quick message to her brother. Hopefully, he wasn't on the road yet so he could reply quickly.

When and where for breakfast tomorrow?

Pick you up at 7

Steph sighed, saying a silent prayer hoping she was wrong about something going on.