Chapter 11
Cath opened the front door Steve was standing there with a young girl. For her age she looked quite tall. She had long brown hair that hung over her shoulders; she had Steve's brown eyes. She looked a little nervous. She stood close to Steve. Steve was stood wearing jeans and a t-shirt smiling as she opened the door,
"Hi, come in." She said moving out the way of the door to let them come in. Evie walked past first, as soon as Steve came past she gave him a quick kiss before shutting the door.
"Cath this is Evie, Evie this is my girlfriend Cath." Steve said.
"Hi it's nice to meet you; my kids are in the kitchen if you would like to go through." Cath said, pointing towards the kitchen.
Steve moved first towards the kitchen, closely followed by Evie. When they walked into the kitchen they saw two teenagers sitting at the table. They both had magazines in their hands, but put them down when they saw them enter the room.
"Chelsea, Jay, this is Evie and Steve." Cath said walking over so she was standing by her kids. They both stood up next to their mother.
"Hi." They both said in unison.
"Hi." Steve said back. Evie just stood close to her dad.
A silence fell on them for a couple of minutes. It was awkward but no-one knew what to say. It was Cath who finally broke the silence. "How about you three go on the beach and we will get some drinks and meet you out there in a minute." Cath said, hoping her kids would just go and take Evie, and give her and Steve sometime to talk.
"Okay." Jay said.
Chelsea followed Jay but it took a little nudge from Steve to make Evie follow. When the kids had gone out of ear shot they started to speak.
"So that went well." Steve said, he knew things didn't go well, but there had been no arguments and no strops, so he classed it as well.
"Yeah, well if we leave them for a while they might start taking. Come on you can help me get the drinks together." Cath said pointing to the glass cupboard behind her.
Outside, the kids had sat on the floor halfway down the beach. They sat inside their in silence for the first few minutes.
"How long you have lived in Hawaii?" Chelsea asked breaking the silence.
"For about a week. My mum sent me to live with my dad, I used to live in LA before." Evie replied.
"So you haven't seen much of Hawaii yet?" Chelsea said. She didn't know anything about this girl. All she was told, was that she was 10 and was Steve's daughter.
"I haven't seen much yet. The last time I was here I was 2." Evie said. She didn't know much about these kids but she was starting to like Chelsea already. Jay hadn't really said much yet.
"Well, I am sure living here you will see them all." Chelsea said. She was going to say she would take her to see some of them however; she could only do so if things with her mom and Steve went well.
"Did you bring your swimming things?" Chelsea asked.
"Yeah I left them on the side in the living room." Evie said.
"Would you like to go in the sea or pool?" Chelsea asked. She knew that if things went the way her mom wanted them, they would probably be step-sisters within two years, maybe less, so she was trying to be friends with this little girl.
"Yeah." Evie smiled.
"Come with me and we can get changed." Chelsea said as she got up. "You two Jay." Chelsea said looking back over towards Jay who hadn't moved.
Steve and Cath has took the chance of being alone to move on from talking and start kissing. As soon as they heard the kids voices getting closer they stopped and broke apart.
"I thought you kids were meant to be waiting out there for us." Steve said.
"We decided to go swimming so we came to get change." Chelsea replied. Jay and Evie carried on walking. "By the way if you two wanted to spend the whole time making out then you shouldn't have involved your kids." Chelsea said as she followed Jay and Evie.
"How did she know that?" Steve asked. He felt like a naughty school boy getting told off by his mother.
"She does that a lot. I don't understand how she does it but she still does it." Cath said smiling. "I am thinking if the kids are going to get changed to go swimming, me and you should too commander."
"I think so too Lieutenant." Steve said.
Cath walked out of the kitchen and headed up the stairs. Steve followed her grabbing his bag on the way past.
When they got upstairs, Steve followed Cath into her room. She got her bikini and walked towards her en-suite.
"Where are you going?" Steve asked.
"To get changed. Remember our kids are in the house. We have been caught once, me and you said we are starting again and it would involve our kids." Cath said trying to accept the change was going to happen to their relationship.
"I know, it's not my fault you are so sexy." Steve replied.
"Control yourself." Cath said walking into the bathroom to get changed.
Meanwhile...
"Your room is really pretty. Is pink your favourite colour?" Evie said looking around. All she saw was pink, everything matched and she had an En –suite. This room was amazing, something she could only dream off.
"Thank you. Yeah pink is my favourite colour. What's yours?" Chelsea asked.
"Pink as well." Evie replied.
"You can get changed in the bathroom if you would like." Chelsea said.
"Okay." Evie said walking towards the bathroom.
Chelsea got changed and sat on her bed waiting for Evie to come out. She heard a knock on her door, followed by Jay walking in.
"You ready?" he asked.
"Yeah just waiting for Evie, sit down if you want." Chelsea said.
They both sat their waiting for Evie to come out, just before she did they heard Steve and Cath come upstairs. When Evie came out they didn't bother knocking to see if Cath and Steve were coming, however, after what had happened they walked straight past and downstairs.
When they got to the beach, Jay rain straight towards the sea. Chelsea was close behind him until she turned around to see that Evie had stopped on the beach.
"Are you coming Evie?" Chelsea asked.
"I am going to wait for my dad. I have never really been in the sea." Evie replied.
"Come on, come in with me and Jay and you will be fine."Chelsea said holding out her hand. Jay had heard this and come back too. He stood next to Chelsea and waited for a few seconds before he walked over to Evie. He remembered Chelsea when she was a little younger wouldn't go in the sea without her mom or nan, and remembered what he promised her.
"Evie, how about I tell you something. Chelsea never used to like the sea. But one day I made her a promise, that if she went in the water with me I would look after her and also we could go to a public beach and get ice cream another time. I promise if you come in with me I promise you will be okay." Jay said, he knew this little girl didn't like the sea and he if his mom and Steve got together properly they could become step brother and sister.
"Okay." Evie said. She took hold of Jay's hand that he held out for her.
Evie took Jay's hand and they went towards the water, and Chelsea followed them.
They stood by the water before Chelsea was the first to go in. She walked in and turned around so she was facing Evie and Jay.
"Come on then." Chelsea said. Jay was the first to move and she headed towards Chelsea with Evie closely followed.
"Can you swim?" Jay asked. He did want to be patronising but if she could all it meant was she needed confidence to go in the water, if she didn't it would be harder.
"Yeah. I can swim in a pool." Evie said.
"Okay then it's the same as that." Jay said.
"Stay close to us and you will be okay." Chelsea said.
A little while later Cath and Steve had come down stairs, and outside, carrying the drinks they said they were going to get when Steve and Evie had first come.
"Evie's in the sea?" Steve asked. He had never seen Evie in the sea she didn't like it.
"Yeah why?" Cath said. Steve was a little over protective of all his friends and family but not about swimming in the sea.
"She doesn't really like the sea. She has never properly been in it before." Steve said.
"She seems fine Steve." Cath said placing a hand on Steve's arm.
Steve and Cath were going to go and join the kids in the sea however, they were quite happy watching the kids play and get along. Evie looked to be enjoying herself and having fun.
After a while the kids came out of the water and walked towards Cath and Steve, who were sitting on the beach.
"Daddy, Jay and Chelsea taught me to swim in the sea." Evie said smiling. This was the happiest Steve had seen his daughter since she had got here.
"That's good." Steve said taking a sip of his drink.
"Don't forget the bit about ice cream." Chelsea said looking at Jay.
"Ice cream?" Cath asked looking a little confused.
"Yeah, Jay said he would take us out for ice cream at the beach, if Evie could swim in the sea." Chelsea said. Jay just looked at her. He hoped Evie had forgot, because, although he liked this kid, taking her to the beach wasn't something he really wanted to do.
"Well don't forget then Jay." Cath said facing son. This hadn't gone as bad as she had planned in her head. The kids were getting on. The only thing left was for Evie to like her and Chelsea and Jay to get on with Steve. The kids had spent time together but the kids and adults hadn't spent much time together.
"Chelsea..." Jay said, once she had turned around Jay picked up over his shoulder and ran towards their swimming pool. "This is me thanking you for reminding me about ice cream." He said dropping Chelsea in the swimming pool. He jumped in soon after so Chelsea couldn't chase him to push him in.
Evie soon followed and got in the pool. Steve and Cath looked at the pool and decided to follow.
When they were in the pool, they looked like a family.
They were interrupted a while later by Chelsea's phone that she had left on the beach. It was text off her friend, reminding her not to be late to go out later.
"Jay we need to get ready, we are going out in an hour." Chelsea said when she saw the time on her phone.
"Oh god yeah." Jay said as he hoped out of the pool and grabbed his towel. They both quickly walked into the house leaving Cath, Steve and Evie in the pool.
"I promised they could go out with their friends." Cath said as she stood looking at Steve.
"That's okay." Steve said. He had enjoyed the time he spent with them. He hoped that as today went well Steve and Cath could move on with their relationship.
"How about we go and get dry and dressed and I can make us some dinner?" Cath asked. Although her kids were going out she wanted today with Steve to last longer. She was enjoying the day, and didn't want it to end.
"Yeah that sounds good." Steve said as he hoped out of the pool.
Evie and Cath followed Steve out of the pool. They all walked into the house to get changed. They went upstairs and it took Steve a lot of effort not to drag Cath into her bed. He had to remember that Evie, Chelsea and Jay were down the hall and would hear everything that happened.
A little while later, Evie was downstairs sitting on the sofa when Chelsea and Jay walked down.
"You can put the telly on." Chelsea said passing the remotes to Evie, who took them off her and turned the telly on.
"Thanks." Evie replied.
Steve and Cath walked down the stairs as Jay and Chelsea were getting ready to go out. "We will be back by 7." Chelsea said giving her mum and kiss goodbye.
"Okay, have fun." Cath replied.
"See you later." Jay and Chelsea said before walking out the door.
As Steve and Cath started to make dinner they left Evie watching the TV in the front room. When Steve came in to get her for dinner she curled up on the sofa asleep. She had been up early, and Steve couldn't help but smile.
"Well it looks like it is just the two of us for dinner." Steve said walking back to the kitchen.
Cath turned and gave him a questioning look.
"Evie's asleep on the sofa." Steve said taking a seat at the table.
"Well looks like dinner might become our thing. Twice in two dates we actually made it dinner." Cath said jokingly.
"We have made it to dinner before." Steve said, trying to make their relationship sound less like friends with benefits, but he knew he couldn't. But that was going to change from now.
"No we made reservations for dinner." Cath corrected him. They had only ever made it for dinner once that she could remember in her time knowing Steve and that was on their first date. Even that dinner didn't last long.
"Looks like the kids get on." Steve said, he had hoped they would and know he wanted to find out were that left them.
"Yeah, it didn't go as disastrously wrong as I thought it would in my head." Cath said. She had imagined this day many times and every one of them had gone wrong, each time she had thought about it, she had imagined it getting worse.
"Where does that leave us?" Steve asked.
"The kids have met one time, we are both assuming it went well Steve, and definitely for me I think I need to talk to my kids later, see what they think and let us get to know each other. I know you and you know but, my kids don't know you and Evie well, and you and Evie don't know my kids well either." Cath said. This was hard for her to say. She sort of wanted to move in together and become a proper family straight away but she knew she had to wait, and make sure her kids were okay with it.
"Okay. I know this is a little soon but I have next weekend off and I believe you do too, we take the kids camping for 2 nights?" Steve asked. He knew Cath enjoyed camping and the outdoors, he thought her kids would bound well through being together constantly for 48 hours and having nothing to distract them.
"I know Chelsea will probably kill me for saying this but yes, it sounds like fun."
"Why would Chelsea kill you?" Steve was interested to know.
"She doesn't like the outdoors. She is not like me or Jay. She would rather spend the day getting her nails and hair done, than going to a football game or going hiking or sleeping in tent. I blame my mother in law, she always took Chelsea to do things like that, she never made her do any sports or be involved in any teams, I wish she had just because she would learn to work in a team." Cath said, she knew that she loved her daughter, weather she was adventurous or girly, but sometimes she wished she had raised her daughter, to involve her in team sports and not make her worry about appearance.
"Well I'm sure she will enjoy camping once we have been." Steve said. He felt confident that one weekend would change this girl's mind, however, he didn't have much experience on teenage girls but through Evie and Chelsea, he would find out that one weekend would not change anything.