"Where are we going?" Rocky asked, looking out of the car window at the
cliffs that sloped down toward the Atlantic Ocean.
"You'll see," Stephanie said. She looked back in the backseat at Brandon. He was sleeping peacefully.
"There's barely anything out here Stephanie," Rocky said after a few moments. "Did you decide to get me in the middle of nowhere and kill me?"
"Something like that," Stephanie said, smiling over at him.
"You're really not going to tell me, are you?" Rocky asked.
"I want to show you," Stephanie said.
"Show me what?" Rocky asked impatiently/
"That," Stephanie said, pointing directly in front of her. Perched high atop the cliffs of the Maine coast, sat a solitary lighthouse. "That's it."
"A lighthouse?" Rocky asked.
"My lighthouse," Stephanie said. She pulled up to the side of the building that had been her home for years.
"You bought a lighthouse?" Rocky asked. "Are you leaving the WWE again?"
"No," Stephanie said, shaking her head as she got out of the car. She went to the backseat and pulled Brandon out of his seat.
"Then what?" Rocky asked, feeling confused.
"This was my home while I was married to Kurt," Stephanie said, walking to the door and fishing for her keys in her purse, while holding Brandon.
"Let me take him," Rocky said, pulling Stephanie's six-month old son out of her arms.
"Thanks," Stephanie said, flashing Rocky a brilliant smile. "I had to bring Brandon here at least once, because I was happy with his father here. He might not remember it. But I'll give it to him someday."
"That's nice," Rocky said, holding Brandon close to his chest. "But why did you bring me here?"
"I wanted you to see it," Stephanie said.
"Why?" Rocky asked.
"Only three people knew about this place," Stephanie said. "And Shane only vaguely knew about it, he didn't know where it was. Kurt and my dad were the only people who knew where it was. They were the only two people who had been here."
"Wow," Rocky said.
"And I wanted to share it with you," Stephanie said.
"Thank you," Rocky said, leaning down to press a kiss on Stephanie's forehead. "It means a lot to know you hold me in such high company."
"Most people wouldn't count Daddy and Kurt as high company," Stephanie said.
"And I don't generally speaking," Rocky said. "But I know what they meant to you. And I'm so happy that you felt even somewhat similarly about me."
"I love you," Stephanie said to him, softly as if she was afraid for him to hear it.
Rocky looked at her, hardly believing his ears. He had been telling her for nine months that he loved her and she meant the world to him. She had never returned the words, but he had waited. The words sounded better than he ever could have imagined.
"I love you too," Rocky said.
"I know," Stephanie said. "It's what got me to this point."
"What point?" Rocky said.
"I was so afraid of loving you Rocky," Stephanie said, her blue eyes looking out towards the tumultuous ocean.
"Why?" he asked.
"Look at what happens to people I love," Stephanie said. "They get hurt. I didn't want that to happen to you."
"Stephanie, you couldn't have changed what happened to them," Rocky said, stepping closer to her.
"I know that now," Stephanie said. "And I know that no matter how much I tell myself that loving you could only bring you pain, I can't keep myself from loving you."
"Thank God," Rocky said. He set Brandon down on the ground and pulled Stephanie into his arms for a soft kiss.
"You're too good for me," Stephanie said.
"That's ridiculous," Rocky said. "You're better than you think you are."
"You say that and I almost believe it," Stephanie said, leaning down to pick up her son.
"I'll just have to keep saying it until you believe it," Rocky said. "I'll say it for ever."
"That sounds like a promise," Stephanie said.
"It is," Rocky said.
"I might take you up on it," Stephanie said, letting him wrap his arm around her waist and lead her into the lighthouse. She had to face her past before she could jump into her future. She saw that now.
"You'll see," Stephanie said. She looked back in the backseat at Brandon. He was sleeping peacefully.
"There's barely anything out here Stephanie," Rocky said after a few moments. "Did you decide to get me in the middle of nowhere and kill me?"
"Something like that," Stephanie said, smiling over at him.
"You're really not going to tell me, are you?" Rocky asked.
"I want to show you," Stephanie said.
"Show me what?" Rocky asked impatiently/
"That," Stephanie said, pointing directly in front of her. Perched high atop the cliffs of the Maine coast, sat a solitary lighthouse. "That's it."
"A lighthouse?" Rocky asked.
"My lighthouse," Stephanie said. She pulled up to the side of the building that had been her home for years.
"You bought a lighthouse?" Rocky asked. "Are you leaving the WWE again?"
"No," Stephanie said, shaking her head as she got out of the car. She went to the backseat and pulled Brandon out of his seat.
"Then what?" Rocky asked, feeling confused.
"This was my home while I was married to Kurt," Stephanie said, walking to the door and fishing for her keys in her purse, while holding Brandon.
"Let me take him," Rocky said, pulling Stephanie's six-month old son out of her arms.
"Thanks," Stephanie said, flashing Rocky a brilliant smile. "I had to bring Brandon here at least once, because I was happy with his father here. He might not remember it. But I'll give it to him someday."
"That's nice," Rocky said, holding Brandon close to his chest. "But why did you bring me here?"
"I wanted you to see it," Stephanie said.
"Why?" Rocky asked.
"Only three people knew about this place," Stephanie said. "And Shane only vaguely knew about it, he didn't know where it was. Kurt and my dad were the only people who knew where it was. They were the only two people who had been here."
"Wow," Rocky said.
"And I wanted to share it with you," Stephanie said.
"Thank you," Rocky said, leaning down to press a kiss on Stephanie's forehead. "It means a lot to know you hold me in such high company."
"Most people wouldn't count Daddy and Kurt as high company," Stephanie said.
"And I don't generally speaking," Rocky said. "But I know what they meant to you. And I'm so happy that you felt even somewhat similarly about me."
"I love you," Stephanie said to him, softly as if she was afraid for him to hear it.
Rocky looked at her, hardly believing his ears. He had been telling her for nine months that he loved her and she meant the world to him. She had never returned the words, but he had waited. The words sounded better than he ever could have imagined.
"I love you too," Rocky said.
"I know," Stephanie said. "It's what got me to this point."
"What point?" Rocky said.
"I was so afraid of loving you Rocky," Stephanie said, her blue eyes looking out towards the tumultuous ocean.
"Why?" he asked.
"Look at what happens to people I love," Stephanie said. "They get hurt. I didn't want that to happen to you."
"Stephanie, you couldn't have changed what happened to them," Rocky said, stepping closer to her.
"I know that now," Stephanie said. "And I know that no matter how much I tell myself that loving you could only bring you pain, I can't keep myself from loving you."
"Thank God," Rocky said. He set Brandon down on the ground and pulled Stephanie into his arms for a soft kiss.
"You're too good for me," Stephanie said.
"That's ridiculous," Rocky said. "You're better than you think you are."
"You say that and I almost believe it," Stephanie said, leaning down to pick up her son.
"I'll just have to keep saying it until you believe it," Rocky said. "I'll say it for ever."
"That sounds like a promise," Stephanie said.
"It is," Rocky said.
"I might take you up on it," Stephanie said, letting him wrap his arm around her waist and lead her into the lighthouse. She had to face her past before she could jump into her future. She saw that now.