Unexpected
Chapter Twelve
It had been three weeks and Mark was going crazy. It took him about three days to admit to himself that he needed Stephanie, but in his stupidity he'd promised to give her space when she called that first night.
He knew his daughter had been having regular conversations with her, but much to Savannah's credit she always used her cell phone instead of the house phone so he couldn't even ear Steph's voice. 'You're going crazy,' he told himself for the millionth time since she left.
Savannah had just gotten home from school and couldn't help but laugh at her father. He was already mumbling to himself. She couldn't believe the two adults in this situation were acting more like a teenager than she usually did. She was still working on getting Stephanie to get an apartment in the Houston area and surprisingly enough it was actually beginning to work finally.
"Dad, I don't think she'd mind if you called her," Savannah said after watching him for a few more minutes. Had the situation not been so funny and she not knew that her father and Stephanie would end up together she would feel sorry for him.
"I'm not thinking about Stephanie," Mark denied.
"Then you're crazier than I thought because was it just the other day you were asking yourself when she would see the light?" Savannah teased. She knew that he was thinking about her; he wasn't thinking about a lot of other things aside from her. "By the way you need to do some grocery shopping tomorrow."
"Yeah I know," Mark said going back to what he was originally trying to concentrate on, which was making a list of things they needed.
Savannah ran upstairs to check on her baby sister who was still sleeping in he crib. She contemplated the idea of waking her up so she would actually go to sleep later, not that it would probably happen any earlier than it had the last few weeks. Sierra like the rest of the house was missing Stephanie.
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Stephanie was going crazy. There was so much going on in her head and she'd talked to Paul again, or at least tried to. He was still as stubborn as ever, and in one conversation, if it could be called that, he and been able to make her question what she saw in him to begin with. He'd made a total ass out of himself, not that that hadn't happened a lot in their marriage but last week was definitely the worst.
She'd told him she was pregnant and innocently asked him if he wanted to go with her to her doctors and all hell had pretty much broken loose. It wasn't supposed to be peachy dandy, but she hadn't expected him to be such an ass.
Shane could only watch, as his sister was slowly self-destructing because she was to stubborn to admit what he so clearly saw. Being around Mark made her happy. He wasn't sure why but it seemed to be the only thing that made sense to him. Now if only he could find someone, aside from Jaden, that made him happy the world would be set.
Stephanie was beginning to think that Savannah was right and she should go back to Houston, she'd been happy there before even though the circumstances were less than ideal. The only thing that was holding her back was that though she knew that she wanted Mark to be part of her life she still wasn't sure they could make something between them work. He was a lot older than she was, and there were other lives that their relationship would affect.
"You're over analyzing this," Shane told her. He knew what she was thinking about. He had gotten some sketchy details from her, but they were pretty fragmented at best, so he would have to guess her thoughts were. "If you analyze it to much you'll just talk yourself out of a good thing."
"Thanks Shane for everything," Stephanie said smiling for the first time he could remember since she arrived, except, of course, when Jaden was there the first week.
Shane could only imagine what was going through his sister's mind. She was probably the most unpredictable person that he could think of. Being as wise, or as stupid, as he was he left his sister to he won devices. Hoping that he wouldn't have to hurt anyone later.
Stephanie quickly called Savannah and asked if she thought Mark would mind her staying there for a couple of weeks while she found an apartment near by. As she expected answer was no, then she called the airport and booked a seat on the next flight to Houston. By tonight she would be there to surprise him. She only hoped that he wanted to see her.
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Mark noticed a grin on his daughter's face when she came back downstairs, and figured she'd just called Stephanie. He didn't ask what they talked about because Savannah always refused to tell him, claiming it was private. Mark was curious though.
"Okay Dad shopping," Savannah reminded him of what he was supposed to be doing. She noticed how easily distracted he had been lately. If only he knew what was coming.
"You still have a cheesy grin on your face," Mark pointed out. Now he really wanted to know what his daughter knew that he didn't.
"Sorry," Savannah said trying to take some of the happiness out of her face but not really succeeding.
Mark again turned his focus to the grocery list for the moment. He had been trying all afternoon to make the stupid list and he was finally almost done.
"Do you want to go with me or stay here with you sister?" Mark asked his daughter.
"I think I'll stay here," Savannah said. She wanted to be around if Stephanie called again. "Sierra's sleeping still anyway."
"Okay be back soon," Mark said kissing his daughter's forehead. He really didn't like the idea of leaving his daughters alone but if he wouldn't have asked Savannah would have been pretty upset. She'd already told him she didn't want to be treated like she was going to break any moment. If he treated her like that then he was pretty sure all hell would break loose, as Savannah had always been independent, more independent than he ever liked.
About an hour and a half later Mark returned with mountains of groceries. He hadn't realized that they needed so much stuff until he went through and made a list of all the things he needed.
When he returned home he heard the familiar sounds of Elmo coming from the TV room. He knew that Sierra was finally up. Maybe just maybe tonight she would sleep a little bit better than she had the previous two weeks, but he wasn't counting on it.
"Daddy I hungy," Sierra said when she saw him.
"Just a minute Princess," Mark said depositing the bags he'd brought in on the table. He looked through them for something that Sierra could snack on. He found what he was looking for in the box of Teddy Grahams, poured some in a bowl and gave them to Sierra before brining in the rest of the groceries.
When he was trying to get Sierra to sleep he heard the doorbell. "Savannah will you please get the door," Mark called.
"I'm just getting out of the shower," Savannah fibbed. She thought it was Stephanie and wanted him to get the door.
Mark just put Sierra in his crib, and headed downstairs. She was still wide awake and showed no signs of going to sleep. "I'll be right back," he told her. He expected some crazy sales person at the door.
He opened up the door and saw the last person that he expected to see. He didn't think that she would ever come back.
"Hi," Stephanie said with a small smile before she was engulfed in a big hug.
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You've read now if you review then I'll be happy.
Chapter Twelve
It had been three weeks and Mark was going crazy. It took him about three days to admit to himself that he needed Stephanie, but in his stupidity he'd promised to give her space when she called that first night.
He knew his daughter had been having regular conversations with her, but much to Savannah's credit she always used her cell phone instead of the house phone so he couldn't even ear Steph's voice. 'You're going crazy,' he told himself for the millionth time since she left.
Savannah had just gotten home from school and couldn't help but laugh at her father. He was already mumbling to himself. She couldn't believe the two adults in this situation were acting more like a teenager than she usually did. She was still working on getting Stephanie to get an apartment in the Houston area and surprisingly enough it was actually beginning to work finally.
"Dad, I don't think she'd mind if you called her," Savannah said after watching him for a few more minutes. Had the situation not been so funny and she not knew that her father and Stephanie would end up together she would feel sorry for him.
"I'm not thinking about Stephanie," Mark denied.
"Then you're crazier than I thought because was it just the other day you were asking yourself when she would see the light?" Savannah teased. She knew that he was thinking about her; he wasn't thinking about a lot of other things aside from her. "By the way you need to do some grocery shopping tomorrow."
"Yeah I know," Mark said going back to what he was originally trying to concentrate on, which was making a list of things they needed.
Savannah ran upstairs to check on her baby sister who was still sleeping in he crib. She contemplated the idea of waking her up so she would actually go to sleep later, not that it would probably happen any earlier than it had the last few weeks. Sierra like the rest of the house was missing Stephanie.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stephanie was going crazy. There was so much going on in her head and she'd talked to Paul again, or at least tried to. He was still as stubborn as ever, and in one conversation, if it could be called that, he and been able to make her question what she saw in him to begin with. He'd made a total ass out of himself, not that that hadn't happened a lot in their marriage but last week was definitely the worst.
She'd told him she was pregnant and innocently asked him if he wanted to go with her to her doctors and all hell had pretty much broken loose. It wasn't supposed to be peachy dandy, but she hadn't expected him to be such an ass.
Shane could only watch, as his sister was slowly self-destructing because she was to stubborn to admit what he so clearly saw. Being around Mark made her happy. He wasn't sure why but it seemed to be the only thing that made sense to him. Now if only he could find someone, aside from Jaden, that made him happy the world would be set.
Stephanie was beginning to think that Savannah was right and she should go back to Houston, she'd been happy there before even though the circumstances were less than ideal. The only thing that was holding her back was that though she knew that she wanted Mark to be part of her life she still wasn't sure they could make something between them work. He was a lot older than she was, and there were other lives that their relationship would affect.
"You're over analyzing this," Shane told her. He knew what she was thinking about. He had gotten some sketchy details from her, but they were pretty fragmented at best, so he would have to guess her thoughts were. "If you analyze it to much you'll just talk yourself out of a good thing."
"Thanks Shane for everything," Stephanie said smiling for the first time he could remember since she arrived, except, of course, when Jaden was there the first week.
Shane could only imagine what was going through his sister's mind. She was probably the most unpredictable person that he could think of. Being as wise, or as stupid, as he was he left his sister to he won devices. Hoping that he wouldn't have to hurt anyone later.
Stephanie quickly called Savannah and asked if she thought Mark would mind her staying there for a couple of weeks while she found an apartment near by. As she expected answer was no, then she called the airport and booked a seat on the next flight to Houston. By tonight she would be there to surprise him. She only hoped that he wanted to see her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mark noticed a grin on his daughter's face when she came back downstairs, and figured she'd just called Stephanie. He didn't ask what they talked about because Savannah always refused to tell him, claiming it was private. Mark was curious though.
"Okay Dad shopping," Savannah reminded him of what he was supposed to be doing. She noticed how easily distracted he had been lately. If only he knew what was coming.
"You still have a cheesy grin on your face," Mark pointed out. Now he really wanted to know what his daughter knew that he didn't.
"Sorry," Savannah said trying to take some of the happiness out of her face but not really succeeding.
Mark again turned his focus to the grocery list for the moment. He had been trying all afternoon to make the stupid list and he was finally almost done.
"Do you want to go with me or stay here with you sister?" Mark asked his daughter.
"I think I'll stay here," Savannah said. She wanted to be around if Stephanie called again. "Sierra's sleeping still anyway."
"Okay be back soon," Mark said kissing his daughter's forehead. He really didn't like the idea of leaving his daughters alone but if he wouldn't have asked Savannah would have been pretty upset. She'd already told him she didn't want to be treated like she was going to break any moment. If he treated her like that then he was pretty sure all hell would break loose, as Savannah had always been independent, more independent than he ever liked.
About an hour and a half later Mark returned with mountains of groceries. He hadn't realized that they needed so much stuff until he went through and made a list of all the things he needed.
When he returned home he heard the familiar sounds of Elmo coming from the TV room. He knew that Sierra was finally up. Maybe just maybe tonight she would sleep a little bit better than she had the previous two weeks, but he wasn't counting on it.
"Daddy I hungy," Sierra said when she saw him.
"Just a minute Princess," Mark said depositing the bags he'd brought in on the table. He looked through them for something that Sierra could snack on. He found what he was looking for in the box of Teddy Grahams, poured some in a bowl and gave them to Sierra before brining in the rest of the groceries.
When he was trying to get Sierra to sleep he heard the doorbell. "Savannah will you please get the door," Mark called.
"I'm just getting out of the shower," Savannah fibbed. She thought it was Stephanie and wanted him to get the door.
Mark just put Sierra in his crib, and headed downstairs. She was still wide awake and showed no signs of going to sleep. "I'll be right back," he told her. He expected some crazy sales person at the door.
He opened up the door and saw the last person that he expected to see. He didn't think that she would ever come back.
"Hi," Stephanie said with a small smile before she was engulfed in a big hug.
______________________________________________________________________________
You've read now if you review then I'll be happy.