Happy Hump Day! Happy Woody Wednesday! Just HAPPY Hello in general!
Thank you Amy (Stephfan6511) for your work and help on this! I reallly appreciate it!
When Stephanie walked into Tom's Happy Burger just after two in the morning, Crystal was one of the first to jump on her, "Girl, where the hell you been? I know you were off work just after one!"
Blushing, Stephanie sat down next to Cinnamon, "Sorry, I stayed after to talk to someone and lost track of the time."
Cinnamon wrapped her arm around Stephanie's shoulder and leaned in close, "Who is he, Angel? I won't tell anyone."
Stephanie laughed as she looked at Cinnamon, "Girl, you are the first person I'd tell something to that I wanted everyone to know."
Cinnamon tried to look shocked, "Somehow, I think I'm supposed to be offended by that comment, but I'm not."
"Seriously, Angel, who kept you tied up?" Crystal asked again.
Stephanie blushed as she thought of Woody tying her up. Just as she was about to say something, the door opened and Tank walked through. Stephanie tried to slink farther down under the table to hide herself, but knew it wouldn't work.
"Angel, get out here now," Tank bellowed.
Stephanie slid from the booth and cautiously walked over to Tank, "Hey Big Guy, what's up?" she asked trying to lighten the mood.
Tank folded his arms across his chest, "You want to tell me why your admirer is outside in the parking lot?"
"I have no idea. I told him good night at the club. I thought he was going home," she replied as she looked out the window.
"Well, he didn't. He's here. How does he even know about Friday night anyway?" Tank demanded.
"A few weeks ago, when we came here for lunch, Tom asked if I was still showing up that night. Woody asked what Friday night was and I told him." Stephanie looked at Tank and glared, "I didn't know it was a huge secret, anyway."
Tank stood there staring down at Stephanie; he knew he was being an ass, but he didn't care. She was his to protect; her and J.T. He felt he was the only one who could take care of her and keep her from harm. He didn't like it when Woody showed up and started interfering in Stephanie's life. Tank just knew that Woody was up to no good; after all, what young man wants to be tied down to a woman with a child? He knew Woody was only after Stephanie because she was a stripper.
Stephanie looked in Tank's eyes and saw some of what he was thinking. "You're wrong, you know," she told him. "He's not that shallow."
"Hm, we'll see," Tank told her and walked away.
OOO
Stephanie was getting ready for her date; Woody had asked her out to dinner and would be there any minute to pick her up. Walking into the living room, she turned her back to Lula, "Lu, can you zip me up?"
Lula looked at Stephanie wearing a midnight blue halter-top style dress and whistled, "Girl, you gonna kill him in this, you know that, right?"
Stephanie snorted, "Lu, if him seeing me in next to nothing hasn't killed him, this isn't going to do it."
Once she was zipped up, she strapped on her heels and checked her hair in the mirror. "Mommy boodiful," she heard from behind her. Turning around, she smiled at her son.
"Thank you, sweetie. Now, Mommy's going out for the night, so you be good for Lula, okay?"
J.T. nodded and took off running for his toys. Lula laughed, "Don't worry. I'll make sure he cleans up his room before bed."
Stephanie smiled and reached for her keys when there was a knock at the door. "I'll get it," Lula told her.
Lula opened the door to find Woody standing there in a pair of black jeans, a white button up shirt, and handful of pink tulips. Lula looked Woody up and down before smiling, "You must be the Woody Man."
Woody smiled and tried not to laugh, "Yes, Ma'am, I'm Woody. Is Stephanie ready?" he asked.
Lula stepped aside and allowed Woody to enter. When his eyes landed on Stephanie, he let out a low growl, "Holy Hell, Woman," he muttered under his breath.
"Yeah, she looks great, don't she?" Lula said letting him know she'd heard him.
Stephanie blushed as she walked back to J.T.'s room to tell him good night. Grabbing her purse, she told Lula that the numbers were on the fridge and to call if there were any problems. Even though Stephanie worked nights and was use to leaving J.T. with Lula, this was the first time she'd be leaving him while she went on a date.
Woody opened the passenger door of his F-150 and helped Stephanie in. After making sure she was comfortable, he shut the door and jogged to the driver side. Turning the key, he started the engine and looked over at his companion for the evening. "Are you sure you're ready to do this?"
"I am," she smiled.
Woody pulled out of the parking lot and headed down the street, "Anywhere particular you'd like to go?" he asked.
"Nope. I'm open for any place with decent food."
Woody smiled and decided they'd go to one of the local steak houses. One the drive, Woody began telling her about his day, "Andeo, I talked to my Ma today."
Hearing a little hesitation in his voice, Stephanie looked over, "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, everyone is doing well." Woody took a deep breath, "Ma is coming to visit me in two weeks. Says she misses me and needs a break from the Ranch."
"Oh, Woody, that's wonderful news. I'm sure she'll be happy with the choices you've made since you came back from overseas."
Woody smile at Stephanie, "I'd like for you to meet her while she's here."
Stephanie sucked in a breath, "I'm not sure about that."
"Why not?"
"Seriously? Come on, Woody. No mother in their right mind wants their young son tied down to a woman with a child that isn't even his. She's going to hate me; I'll be considered a slut or whore in her mind and she'll tell you to stay away from me."
Woody pulled into the parking lot of the steakhouse and killed the engine. Turning to face Stephanie, he reached for her hand, "Steph, listen to me. I talk to my ma on the phone at least two times a week; we e-mail each other every day. Do you honestly think I've not told her about you already? The first time I talked to her after I met you that first night, I told her about you. She knows about your job. She knows about J.T. She knows that I'm…"
He stopped when he saw the expression on her face, "What's wrong?"
"You've really told her about my job and son?" Woody nodded. "And you're still talking to me?" Another nod. "And she's okay with that?"
"Andeo, she asks about you every time I talk with her," he smiled. Opening the door, Woody walked to the passenger side and opened the door. After helping Stephanie out of the vehicle, he wrapped his arms around her waist. "I don't want to pressure you, but I'd be honored if you'd meet her. If you're not ready, just tell me and I won't push it."
Stephanie nodded and hugged him back. "I'll let you know before she gets here."
Woody and Stephanie walked through the door and were immediately shown to a table. After ordering their dinner, Woody and Stephanie talked about their week and tried to find a time to hit the park for a picnic. Just as the food was delivered, Stephanie's phone rang.
Looking at Woody, Stephanie reached for her phone, "I'm sorry, but I need to take this," she told him. "Hello?"
"Steph, I'm sorry to call, but J Man is sick," she heard Lula say on the other end.
"What's wrong?"
"I don't know. We were outside playin' and all the sudden he told me he didn't feel too well. We came inside and he threw up on the couch. I got him cleaned up and went to change his clothes when I felt him burning up."
"Okay, Lula. We're on the way. There is children's Tylenol in the cabinet, give him one teaspoon and have him lie down," Stephanie told her as she saw Woody motion for the waitress.
Hanging up the phone, she looked at Woody, "I'm so sorry. J.T.'s sick and I need to get back home to him."
"Don't worry about it, Darlin'. We'll get this boxed up and take it back to your place and check on your son."
Woody paid the bill and walked Stephanie to the truck. After she was buckled, he took off for her place. He knew she was worried about her son and he wanted to get her there quickly, but safely. When Woody pulled into her parking lot, she shot out of the truck before he even had it in park.
Woody would have laughed if it weren't for the fact her son was sick and she was worried. After turning off the engine, Woody grabbed the bag of food and headed to her apartment. Knocking on the door, he smiled when Lula answered.
"She forgot about you, huh?" she asked.
"She has more important things on her mind," Woody told her as he stepped inside. "How is he?"
"He burnin' up. I done gave him some Tylenol, but it ain't touched his fever. He got sick again after I gave it to him, though, so I don't know if it'll help." Lula pointed to the hall, "She in the bathroom with him if you want to go see."
Woody nodded, placed the bag on the table, and walked down the hall. As he stood outside the bathroom door, he could hear the little boy crying, "It cold, mommy."
"Shhh, I know sweetie. The water feels cold, but it's not really. You're just so hot that it feels that way. We need to get your fever down and then you'll feel better."
Woody knocked on the door and waited for Stephanie to grant him permission to enter. Sitting on the toilet lid, he looked in at J.T., "Hey there buddy. I hear you're not feeling too good."
"Me sick," he said before whispering, "Sowwie."
"Sorry? What for?" Woody asked him.
"Mommy said she going out but I getted sick and made her tome home," J.T. said as tears welled up in his eyes.
"Sweetie, you didn't do this on purpose. Don't worry about it, Mommy's not upset with you," Stephanie told him as she pulled him from the tub. Wrapping a towel around him, she carried him to his room. Woody followed and turned on the light as Stephanie sat J.T. on the floor.
As Stephanie got J.T. dressed, Woody read him Where the Wild Things Are. Stephanie smiled at Woody when he finished the book and saw J.T. was asleep in her arms. Woody stood up and took J.T. from her so she could rise from the floor. After tucking her son in bed, she pulled the door to a little and followed Woody to the kitchen.
"I'm sorry," she said.
Woody stopped, turned around, took her in his arms, and made sure she was looking up at him. "Darlin' there's nothing for you to be sorry about. He became sick and we rushed back here to take care of him. I have no problem with that."
"But, he's not yours to take care of. I'm sorry that you had to be here for that."
"Andeo, I didn't have to stick around, I chose to stay here and help. I'll stay as long as you allow me to stay." Woody began unpacking the food from the bag and setting it on the table, "Here, let's eat while he sleeps for a little bit and then we can check on him after we're done eating to make sure his fever stays down."
Stephanie smiled, nodded, and grabbed some plates from the cabinet to heat the food back up. She saw a note from Lula on the counter, Knew yo man would stay and help, so I took off. Call me later and let me know how J. Man is doin'. Lu.
Stephanie smiled and tucked the note in her purse as Woody heated up the food. Looking towards the hall, she told him, "I'm going to go change real quick, if that's okay."
Woody nodded and watched her walk down the hall towards her bedroom. While he'd been a little disappointed that they had to leave the restaurant, he was happy that she'd allowed him to stay and help take care of J.T.
When Stephanie returned from changing into a pair of shorts and a tank top, Woody sat the plates on the table and pulled her chair out for her. "Thank you," she replied with a smile.
Stephanie and Woody ate their dinner in companionable silence. When the food was gone and the kitchen was cleaned up, they made their way to the living room. Sitting on the end of the couch, Woody waited until Stephanie returned from checking on J.T.
"How is he?" he asked as she sat down.
"He's getting warm again, but I can't give him anything yet." Pulling her feet up under her, Stephanie sighed, "I hate when he's sick."
"Does he get sick often?"
"No, but when he does get sick, he's sick for about three days. And those are three days I have to take off work since I have no family around to help take care of him."
"Have you talked to any of your family since he was born?" Woody asked as he reached for her hand.
Staring at the wall, Stephanie nodded. "I called home the day after he was born. Told my father he had a grandson."
Woody tugged on her hand and pulled her closer to him. Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, he asked, "What did he say?"
Stephanie leaned her head on Woody's shoulder and closed her eyes, "He said, No I don't. My only daughter has three girls."
Woody felt her body shake and he knew she was silently crying. He held her tight and allowed her to get it out of her system. When she was done crying, he tipped her chin so he could see her face. "Steph, I'm so sorry for all that you and your son have been through. But, I promise you this. You will not be alone any more. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."
"For now," she whispered.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.
"I just don't want to come between you and your family."
"Look at me and know I'm telling you the truth," he told her. When her eyes locked with his, he smiled, "My family is going to love you. They aren't going to care that you have a son. They aren't going to care that you are a dancer. You are doing what you need to do in order to provide for your son. THAT is what they are going to see."
"As for you being a young mother, I should tell you something about my family. Something that isn't hidden, but just not talked about simply because we don't view it as something that needs to be discussed."
Stephanie looked at him and wondered what he was talking about.
"One of my younger brothers, Eric, has a son. He's only seventeen."
"That's different. It's always different for the guy," Stephanie started to say.
"Hold on, I've not told you the whole story. See, Eric is raising his son. Alone. Chelsea, the mother, was sixteen when she got pregnant. When the baby was born, she refused to have anything to do with him. She didn't want to get up in the middle of the night and feed him, she didn't want to change him. She wanted to be able to go out with her friends and not be a mother."
"How can someone be like that?" Stephanie wondered aloud.
"Well, Eric, he wanted the baby. So, he talked to Ma and fought for custody of Brady. He took Chelsea to court, won custody, and has been raising that boy all on his own. Sure, Ma helps out while he's at school and work, but when he steps through that door he's Dad. He gave up his social life to raise his son."
"At seventeen?" Stephanie asked.
"At seventeen. No one in our family thinks poorly of him," Woody tried telling her.
"Yeah, but it's still different for a woman," she told him.
"Steph, please. Just meet my ma when she comes to town and you'll see that what I'm telling you is the truth. Please?" Woody begged her.
Looking in his eyes and seeing that he really wanted it, she sighed, "Okay. I'll meet her, but promise me that if she doesn't like me, you'll not do anything to ruin your relationship with her!"
Woody leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips, "I promise, but there is no need to worry. She'll love you."
It's gonna be a happy day!