Thanks for the reviews on this one so far! Here's ch 3!
Stephanie sat in her parents' hotel suite on the living room couch. Everyone was here; Linda, Vince, Shane, Andrew and the wedding planner. She found herself unable to concentrate because she had no idea how she got here. It was almost as if she had lost a chunk of time. But, that hadn't happened since she'd graduated college. And by the way that no one had questioned her words or actions, it was clear that no harm had been done.
So this must be different, she thought. It was one thing for her to lose control in college, but now that she was a full-fledged adult she had to maintain some semblance of professionalism and maturity all the time. She'd had to beg, plead and persuade her Mom and Dad to let her start traveling and appearing on screen like they had allowed Shane to. She wouldn't screw up that opportunity, lest she be returned to the corporate office doing grunt work.
Perhaps the hit to her head a month ago and the subsequent amnesia were screwing with her head. Her short-term memory had been awful for an entire month and she felt like she was living in some dreamlike state. But it was very interesting that as soon as the doctors informed her parents that there was no medical reason why she was having these problems, things had gone back to normal the very next day.
"What do you think, Steph?" Her mother asked, suddenly breaking her from her thoughts.
Quizzically, she leaned over and looked at the sheet of various napkin print styles in front of her. She pointed to a picture on the glossy paper. "I like the one with two hearts intertwined." The pattern was cute and was sort of designed like a Venn diagram.
Linda shook her head. "I like the diagonal ringlet of circles. It's simple and elegant. The hearts," her mother visibly cringed. "Well, it's just too juvenile looking for my taste."
Stephanie heaved out a sigh. "Whatever you want, Mom." She was getting tired of this crap. Why did her mother even bother asking what she wanted? Just to shoot the idea down? If she wanted to plan the entire wedding right down to the last detail that was fine. But, it was frustrating to have to go through the charade of pretending that she really had a say on anything.
Her mother gave an incredulous laugh as if her daughter was being utterly ridiculous. "Sweetheart, it's your wedding," Linda urged gently. "Pick what you like."
Thoughts of all the shopping trips where she ultimately didn't get a single thing she wanted, flashed through her mind. Everything she preferred, Linda haughtily dismissed it. It's not that the things Stephanie picked out weren't attractive or appropriate; they were. Her Mom simply just thought her wedding should be...extremely conservative, so to speak. If she was a fifty year old woman on her third or fourth marriage and wanted everything to be boring and formal, throwing romance and passion out of the window entirely, then Linda's ideas would be right up her alley. But, that wasn't the case at all. Unable to beat back her annoyance at this entire process, she arched a brow. "Is this my wedding, Mom? Every aspect has been hand-picked by you. My dress, the date, the location, the damn china for the reception!"
"Watch your tone, Stephanie Marie! And do not use that kind of language with your mother," Vince reprimanded from across the room.
She acknowledged her father's comments with a somber nod towards her mother. "I'm sorry I disrespected you, Mom. But, I don't see me in this wedding. It's all you."
Linda laughed loudly. "That's because you're a part of me. I halfway created you, Stephanie. If you made better choices on these details, I wouldn't have to intervene."
That's not the point! It's my wedding! It should be what I want, whether you think it's a bad decision or not! She drew her bottom lip in and bit down, waiting for the anger to pass.
"Mom knows what's best Steph," Shane threw in from beside their father. His wide, brown eyes made her feel just like a little girl again. Like he was trying to convince her to behave to keep them out of trouble.
The wedding planner, Lisa, remained totally silent at the family spat happening in front of her and busied herself by jotting down today's selections. It was always like this. But, seeing as it was Stephanie's parents signing her checks, she was in no position to argue with them. It was a saving grace that none of the McMahon family members ever asked what her personal opinion on anything she presented was. The fact of the matter was that she would often side with the bride-to-be. Though this account was bringing in big money for her, she couldn't be more happy that it was almost over. There was only a week left until the wedding.
Stephanie moved her gaze over to Andrew. As soon as their eyes locked, he suddenly rubbed the top of his head, crinkled his brow in confusion and looked up to the ceiling. His failure to back her up or at least pitch in an idea of his own during their entire engagement was already irritating enough. He had been such a coward and now it was being compounded by the fact that he couldn't even look her in the eyes while he left her to fend for herself. Instead, he was pretending as if something magically and randomly fell on his head from above.
At this moment, she wished she had the power to make him hear her thoughts. They were chanting that he was a jerk.
Her mother reached over and patted her knee affectionately. Linda cheerfully declared, "She'll go with the circle pattern, Lisa."
Another battle lost, Stephanie thought. But, she was determined not to sulk. She decided she'd force herself to eat her temper and go along with whatever they said. For now, at least. The sooner this ceremony was over, the sooner she could really start living her life.