"You're my little secret
And that's how we should keep it
It's on everybody's mind
About you and I
They think so
But they don't really never want to know
That you're my little secret
And that's how we should keep it
We should never let em' know
Never let it show
If you know
Like I know
We should never let it go"
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"Honey what's bothering you?"
"What makes you think something is bothering me, mom?"
"Stephanie, I've been a mother for thirty-two long years and I've been your mother for twenty-five long observing years. I think I would know when something is bothering one of my children."
Stephanie laughed in response at her mother's comment. She was never able to hide her feelings from her mother. It was always easy to pull the wool over her father's eyes, but that never worked with her mother. The older woman could always sense when something was wrong with the brunette or her brother. She figured that was the result of mother's intuition… maybe she would get a chance to inherit that one day when she was a mother. These thoughts lead her to another chain of thoughts about her and Paul having kids one day and being married. That would never happen… not in a million years.
"Stephanie, honey you're beginning to scare me now. What is going on with you?" Linda asked her youngest child.
"Mom I'm just really stressed out with work lately. This new work load that dad has given me is killing me. I just need to get more rest that's all."
The blonde woman studied her daughter adamantly from across the kitchen table. She knew her daughter all too well. As much as Stephanie was like her father, she was even more so like her mother. This is something that Linda had realized about Stephanie quite early on. The young woman was a replica of her mother in more ways than anyone had ever noticed. Linda noticed, however, as she sat and studied her only daughter. The way that Stephanie looked right then was exactly how Linda recalled looking when she first realized that she had fallen in love with one Vincent Kennedy McMahon some odd years ago. She was lost and scared and her mind would never let her rest. The matriarch of the McMahon family smiled softly to herself. The glow on the young brunette's face and the way her eyes dazzled and sparkled in spite of her mood said something about the young heiress' true feelings. She was in love.
"So how are you and Michael doing these days?"
Stephanie looked up at her mother and slightly wondered if her mother knew something about what was really going on in her life at that moment, "We're fine. I just talked to him yesterday. He wanted me to go home this weekend, but I told him that I was going to stay home this weekend with my parents and unwind. He was a little upset since he knows that I was here on Monday to have dinner with you, dad, and Shane. But I just needed an escape from life this weekend."
Linda nodded at her daughter's explanation. She could sense some confliction in her daughter's tone when she spoke about her boyfriend. A thought entered her mind, but she quickly shook the thought from her head. There was no way that what she was thinking could be true. Then again this was her daughter Stephanie Marie McMahon, a young woman who did what she wanted and never gave a damn about consequences unless those consequences were going to hurt someone she loved. She wondered idly if she was at all right about her presumption. There was only one way to find out.
"So what have you been up to these last few months?" Linda asked, breaking the lengthy silence that had fallen over the two McMahon women, "I know I saw you on Monday, but we never really got to sit and catch up since you, Shane, and your father had an early flight to catch to Houston the following Tuesday."
"Nothing much really. I've just been working and hanging out with Paul…" Stephanie trailed off and Linda took note of this. She also noted the lost and anguished look in her daughter's eyes when she mentioned Paul.
"So where is Paul spending his weekend?" Linda inquired cautiously, "Is he and Joanie spending some time together."
The brunette grimaced and winced at the assumption that her mother had made, "I honestly don't know mom."
That thought killed her to think about. Was Paul with Joanie this weekend?
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"What am I suppose to do Lynn?"
"What do you want to do Paul?" the blonde woman asked her younger brother.
"I don't know… that's why I'm coming to you," Paul said indignantly.
Lynn laughed at her brother's frustration. He was such a drama queen at times. He had more love problems than she ever had. She knew her brother was conflicted at the moment and as much as she didn't like his taste in women over the years, it was not her place to tell him what to do.
"Well, how do you feel about Joanie Paul?"
"I love Joanie, but I don't think that I'm in love with her anymore."
"Is there someone else?"
"No."
The blonde woman raised an eyebrow at how quickly her brother shot down her accusation. That was a dead giveaway. She had known her brother for thirty-two years now and whenever he was lying, he always got nervous and quickly shot down any accusations that would get him caught in his lies. She smirked to herself.
"Who is she?"
"Who is who?" Paul asked nervously. He prayed she didn't over think this, because otherwise, she would guess that there was someone else and she would undoubtedly guess who that someone else was, "I told you that there was no one else."
"Yeah and you answered to quickly, much like you always do when you are about to be caught doing something wrong."
Damn… he would have to work on his lying tactics. He could not tell his sister about this, otherwise his parents would know and then the shit would hit the fan, because his family made it no secret that they had ill feelings for Joanie, and they would delight in telling her of his affair. They felt that she was too possessive and controlling over him. He agreed, but he ignored those things about her. However with Stephanie, she was not the jealous type. Well true she had issues with seeing him with Joanie when they were together, but she was not the type to blow a gasket over seeing him dealing with other women. Joanie didn't like other women even looking in his direction, much less talking to him. Although this was only one small difference of many differences between Stephanie and Joanie, and so far he liked what Stephanie was offering a lot more than what Joanie was offering.
"There is no one else, Lynn. I just don't feel that spark that I once shared with Joanie. It's like there is nothing to hold on to anymore."
"So leave her," Lynn retorted simply, "Everyone deserves happiness at some point and on some level… and little brother you are no exception to the rule. I don't care for the bitch anyway. Not to mention that it would only hurt more and be even more unfair to stay with Joanie when you're obviously in love with someone else."
Paul turned sharply to his sister and glared at her. What was it about him that was arousing her suspicions of there being someone else and now she was accusing him of being in love with that someone else.
"I told you there is no one else. What makes you think that I'm in love with someone else?"
"Because you have that glow about you that you always get when you're in love and since you said you're not in love with Joanie anymore, it has to be someone else."
Paul fell silent. He had a glow? He never knew that. He always noticed Stephanie's glow however. Her face always lit up when she would see him and it always made him proud and made his heart and stomach flutter. She would beam with excitement and glee whenever he was around and it happened all the time, not just when they had sex. Those little things about her made him wonder how deep her feelings really ran for him. Though it could always just be lust. There was a such thing as being in lust with someone and mistaking it for love. Was that what was going on with him and Stephanie?
"Look at your face now. What are you thinking about?"
"Why do you want to know?" Paul asked sarcastically.
"Because whatever it is has your face lit up like a Christmas tree and has your eyes twinkling and dancing," Lynn teased.
Paul picked up a pillow from the couch that they were sitting on and threw it at his sister. She was always being a bully. Now she was trying to make him seem like some chick with all of this nonsense about his face lighting up and his eyes twinkling and dancing. Ugh.
"Shut up Lynn."
"Whatever Paul. All I know is that love is hard to find. True love is even harder to find… and if you ever get the inclination that you've found it… you grab it and hold on as tight as you can, no matter what. That's the best advice that I can ever give you."
"Thanks Lynnie. I really appreciate the advice."
"No problem, that's what big sisters are for," Lynn said standing up to leave the room.
"Really?" Paul asked feigning shock, "I always thought it was to be a pain in the ass."
Lynn playfully punched her brother in the arm before leaving the living room altogether.
Paul fell silent and allowed his thoughts to wander wherever they wanted and whatever they landed on that is what he was going to deal with first. He smiled involuntarily as his thoughts found their way back to a certain blue-eyed brunette with great legs. His thoughts always seemed to wander onto her. He still had no idea how he felt about the heiress. He knew he didn't want to end whatever their little arrangement was and he was positive that he wouldn't be doing that anytime soon. However, there was more than sex to their… relationship… if that's what you wanted to call it. One thing was certain… he wanted her and only her at that moment. No one else would do… not even Joanie.
A decision had to be made… and he would without a doubt be making one the next time that he could get Stephanie and Joanie in the same room together. He was going to confront them both at once. That was his plan for straightening out this mess that he called feelings. To say that he was in for a ride would be an understatement.