Thank you for the reviews! I'm so sorry it has taken so long for me to update but I've been really busy. I felt like I could have done better with this chapter but at the same time I like what I ended up with so I hope you enjoy it :)
Stephanie walked into the house and took her jacket off and sat down at the table to give herself a moment to calm down and warm up. She could hear Linda's voice coming from the living room probably asking Aiden more questions for all she knew because she couldn't quite make out what was being said.
"So how are you going to explain this to her?" Kelsi asked motioning to the living room.
"I'm going to tell her the truth"
"Really?" Kelsi asked her eyes widening in surprise as Stephanie nodded her head.
"It was only a matter of time before she found out. Besides I was going to tell my parents anyway, I was just hoping I could tell them both at the same time."
"Well I guess I'm going to get going so you can talk to her" Kelsi replied grabbing her jacket "unless you want me to stay here as support."
"No it's fine. I wish I could switch places with you so I wouldn't have to deal with it" Stephanie laughed "so I'm not going to make you sit here and feel uncomfortable."
"I'll just be a phone call away if you need me to come back."
"I know and thanks I really appreciate it" Stephanie smiled at Kelsi as she opened the door and pulled on her jacket.
"Any time. I'll talk you later and good luck" Kelsi replied walking out and shutting the door behind her. Stephanie took a deep breath as she heard footsteps heading her way.
"You're home" Linda said pulling out the chair in front of Stephanie and sitting down.
"Yes mom I'm home" Stephanie replied tried to resist the urge to roll her eyes. Instead she stared straight ahead at Linda as they sat in silence. She could tell her mother was upset from the way she was looking at her and from the silence that had now settled around them. It wouldn't be long before she started in with her questions but first her mother liked to try and make her squirm under her stare just as she did when Stephanie was a kid. To be honest it still worked on her too because she was starting to fidget. "What's Aiden doing?"
"He was falling asleep watching a movie when I left the room. He told me earlier that you went on a date" Linda said crossing her arms and Stephanie nodded her head. "With his father."
"I did" Stephanie swallowed and looked down at her hands to avoid Linda's stare. She was an adult but sitting here under her mother's stare was making her feel like a kid about to receive a huge punishment for doing something she shouldn't have done.
"What are you thinking Stephanie?" Linda asked her voice rising slightly. "This man left you because he didn't want the responsibility of a child. You can't seriously be thinking of letting this man around Aiden for him to get close to him. What if he decides once again he doesn't want the responsibility and he just gets up and leaves again? You're not just hurting yourself now, you have Aiden to think about."
"I know that mom. Aiden is the most important thing to me and I don't want to see him end up hurt but he does have a right to know- "
"Matt doesn't deserve anything though after he treated you two the way he did" Linda replied getting up from her chair as Stephanie shook her head feeling confused.
"Matt?"
"That's his name right?" Linda asked arching her brow as Stephanie finally realized that was the name she had made up to her family. She couldn't believe she had forgotten that but it didn't matter because she had to come clean and that meant pissing Linda off more than she already was.
"Actually mom that wasn't his name."
"It's been a long time since you've talked about him but I could have sworn that was what you said his name was. Or at least something that started with an M."
"I did tell you it was Matt but I made it up. The guy I told you about is a guy I made up" Stephanie replied as Linda just stood there looking shocked.
"Then…. " Linda trailed off shaking her head "Why..."
"Just sit back down mom and I'll tell you everything" Stephanie replied motioning to the chair in front of her and Linda slowly made her way back to her chair and sat down. "Do you remember the summer before I went to college?"
"Yes you were helping your father out over that summer."
"I met some of the wrestlers over the summer and that is actually how I first met Paul" Stephanie said shifting in her seat slightly "Paul and Joanie had broken up during that time and Paul and I would talk from time to time until somewhere along the way it turned into flirting- "
"Stephanie Marie McMahon are you trying to tell me that Paul is…" Linda trailed off while Stephanie nodded her head.
"Aiden's father" Stephanie finished Linda's sentence while Linda sat there silently staring off into space. This wasn't the reaction she had braced herself for. "Mom?"
"So everything was a lie?" Linda asked finally looking back at her. She could see the hurt in Linda's eyes and she instantly felt guilty all over again for lying to her family. "All of that story about how some guy named Matt was all bullshit so you could protect Paul?"
"Yes and no."
"What does that mean? Stop making me guess" Linda snapped and Stephanie flinched at the anger in her voice.
"Yes I lied about who Aiden's father was but it wasn't to protect Paul, not at first anyway. I didn't want Paul knowing about Aiden and I just wanted to move on with my life. It hurt when he suddenly disappeared from my life and then suddenly I found out he was back with Joanie…" Stephanie trailed off taking a breath. She hadn't meant for all that to come rushing out the way it had and now Linda looked beyond pissed.
"So the part of you being left alone while pregnant was true."
"Yes I was alone but Paul had no idea I was even pregnant. If he had known things would have been different" Stephanie explained putting her head in her hands. She felt like she was making things worse, if that was possible.
"If we would have known things would have been different. You would have never had to deal with him again."
"You would have fired him and that wouldn't have been fair to him because he had no idea."
"Fair to him?" Linda asked raising her voice "are you seriously taking up for him Stephanie? He left you with no word- "
"But he didn't know" Stephanie replied trying to get Linda to understand what she was trying to say but it was like she wasn't even listening.
"I understand that he didn't know about Aiden but I'm trying to point out Stephanie that he just left you with no word. How are you supposed to know he won't do it again? This time he doesn't just leave a heartbroken girl behind when he leaves, he also leaves behind a little boy who is going to be completely heartbroken. A little boy who knows him this time and isn't going to understand why."
"He isn't going to leave" Stephanie shook her head fighting the tears that were forming. Everything Linda was saying was her exact fears and hearing her say them just made it worse. "Even if I can't make a relationship work with Paul he said he would still be here for Aiden."
"That's what he says now. What do you think he's going to do once his job is in jeopardy? Your father isn't going to take this news well" Linda replied getting up from her chair.
"Please don't tell dad" Stephanie pleaded as Linda headed to the living room and Stephanie got up from her chair and followed. Stephanie walked into the living room and noticed Aiden bundled up in a blanket fast asleep as Linda grabbed her jacket from the back of the couch.
"I can't keep this from him Stephanie" Linda said keeping her voice low.
"I'm not asking you to keep it from him. I'm just asking you not to tell him because I want to be the one to tell him so I can explain everything."
"You can explain all you want but I don't think it's going to change the outcome. I'll let you tell Vince and I won't say anything but I'm warning you Stephanie that I don't think Paul is going to stick around. Just try not to let Aiden get too used to him being here. I've got to go it's getting late and your father is going to be wondering where I am" Linda replied pulling on her jacket and started heading to the door. "We'll talk about this later."
"Mom please don't leave angry" Stephanie said following her to the door and Linda turned around to stare straight into her eyes.
"I'm more hurt and disappointed from all the lies than anything right now" Linda replied and opened the door and left without another word. As soon as Linda was out of the door Stephanie slumped down in her chair at the table and started crying. What if her mom was right about everything?
Paul got of his car and headed up to Stephanie's house and knocked on the door. He had been sitting on his couch with his phone in his hand just waiting for her to call. He wished he had just stayed with her instead of leaving and he wished that he would have even more when she had finally called and he heard her voice. He instantly got up from the couch and told her he was on his way and he drove as fast and careful as he could to her house. Now he was standing here waiting for her to answer the door.
"Hey" Stephanie said when the door finally opened. The makeup from earlier was now gone and her eyes were red from crying. He walked into the house and immediately wrapped her in his arms.
"I shouldn't have left you" Paul said kicking the door closed as she buried her head into his chest.
"It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."
"What all did she have to say?" Paul asked as Stephanie pulled out of his arms and wiped her eyes.
"She said when dad finds out things aren't going to be good which I already know anyway. She didn't have very much to say except that she was hurt and disappointed and that she basically thinks you're going to leave again. Which has been my fear all along and now with my mom saying she believes that it's hard not to be scared."
"I know and I've told you over and over that I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to prove to you that I'm not so whatever doubts you are having right now, please try not to let them take over" Paul said cupping her face in his hands and stared into her eyes. "Please don't push me away. Try to believe in me, try to trust me."
"I'm trying" Stephanie replied and he leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. As long as she was trying to believe that he wasn't going to leave her and Aiden behind then he didn't care what Linda thought. He would prove everyone wrong who thinks he'll leave his family behind. Stephanie and Aiden's opinion of him was the only ones he was worried about. "I'm just worried what's going to happen when I tell dad now after the way mom reacted. She's not done talking about it either she just left because of how late it was and I think because of how hurt she was for lying to her all these years."
"So she's not going to tell Vince herself?"
"No she said she would let me do it. I'm just terrified about it more now."
"Well I'll be there for it. I'm not letting you deal with it alone this time."
"Paul- "
"I let you tell your mother by yourself because you wanted to even though I wanted to be there. After seeing you hurt by what happened with Linda I'm not letting you tell Vince alone."
"He's probably just going to get mad and blow up at you instead of me" Stephanie replied and Paul shrugged his shoulders. He didn't care what Vince wanted to yell at him as long as he didn't do it at Stephanie.
"I'm going to be there for you Steph and he can say whatever he wants to me."
"I'm not going to be able to talk you out of this am I?"
"Nope" Paul replied shaking his head with a small smile. "Now let's put this behind us for the night and go watch those movies we rented to take your mind off of all of this."
"I'm not sure if it will but I'll try not to think about it at least for tonight."
"Good. I'm guessing Aiden is asleep right?"
"Yeah he fell asleep when I got home. He must have been exhausted" Stephanie chuckled "I carried him to his bed."
"I told him before we left I would spend time with him just me and him so I guess I'll have to make that up to him tomorrow."
"He'll love that" Stephanie replied going over to the table and picking up the movies they had rented and then handed them to Paul. "Pick one and put it on. I'm going to pour a glass of wine because I really need it after all of that with my mom. Do you want anything?"
"No I'm good" Paul replied before walking into the living room and putting one of the movies on and settled down on the couch. He really hoped that watching these movies would keep her mind off of what Linda had said and for whatever would happen when she told her dad. There was no need for her to worry about all of that tonight, there was nothing they could do to change whatever was going to happen. So they might as well try to enjoy the time without drama from her family while they could.
As Paul got comfortable on the couch Stephanie came into the room with her glass of wine and flipped the light off before sitting down on the couch next to him. She took a drink of her wine and then put it down on the coffee table in front of them and then snuggled up next to Paul who wrapped his arm around her in return and kissed the top of her head.
"So we are watching Pretty Woman first" Stephanie said and then let out a small yawn.
"I suppose so. To be honest I just picked the movie on top and put it in" Paul laughed as Stephanie yawned again. "Are you even going to stay awake to watch this movie?"
"Of course I am. I'm just a little tired."
"If you fall asleep on me and make me watch this movie by myself then next time you have to watch a movie of my choosing."
"Deal. I'm not going to fall asleep though so you will be suffering as you call it through all of the movies we rented for tonight" Stephanie replied raising up from her position and grabbing her glass of wine and taking a drink. After she was done she put it back in its place and returned to her cuddling position with Paul.
They made it halfway through the movie when Paul noticed that Stephanie had fallen asleep just as he had predicted and couldn't help but chuckle to himself. There was no way he was watching the rest of it by himself so he eased himself out of the cuddling position she had him in and got up from the couch. He grabbed the glass of wine she hadn't finished and took it to the kitchen and poured it out. Then he went back into the living room and picked her up off the couch as gently as he could without waking her and carried her to her bedroom.
He laid her down in her bed and pulled her blanket over her and kissed her on the forehead then turned to leave when he felt her reach out and grab his hand.
"Paul" Stephanie whispered "I know tonight was our first date and I don't want to rush anything but will you stay with me? I just don't want to be alone tonight."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah I'm sure."
"Okay" Paul replied as she let go of his hand and went over to the other side of the bed and pulled his shirt off and then his jeans. Then he got into the bed next to her and laid down on his back as she moved closer to him and laid her head down on his chest. He wrapped his arm around her and held her close as she drifted off back to sleep. He laid there for a while just enjoying the feel of having her sleeping in his arms and hoping that somehow everything would go good when they told Vince. He hoped nothing would come between Stephanie and him because tonight had kind of scared him when it looked like Stephanie might actually believe Linda about him leaving her again. If Stephanie started to believe that then he knew she would pull away from him and end things and that was something he was completely terrified of. He knew without a doubt he was in love with her and she had all the power to break his heart this time around. He wasn't sure how he would get through it if she did.