For those of you reading both of my stories ... New Beginnings is coming ... I was almost done with the new chapter when I hit a block ... which ultimately resulted in this chapter ...
It's a little dark and angsty, so don't say I didn't warn you ...
Thanks to Northwoman for being my beta and putting up with me inadvertently sending her this chapter without even running the spell check! Whoops! Oh ... and I swear ... She's got me hating the word "that" and I took a zillion "that's" out before I sent it to her, but she still found more ... So, with that all said ... she totally rocks!
Also thanks to all of you who've been reading and reviewing ... a lot of you have stuck with me, even with my lack of updates and I thank you ... It means a lot!
None of this is mine ... It's all Charlaine Harris's.
Eric's POV
I'd dodged Sookie's question for as long as I possibly could. She had a right to know Mom and Dad weren't happy with us, and since Mom was actually here, it wasn't like I could keep it from her anyway, even if it was justified to do so.
"Let's get you changed," I suggested, attempting to evade her question for just a minute longer. She just glared at me, waiting for an answer. "You puked on your shirt, Baby," I added pointing to the splatter of vomit on the front of it.
"Eric … damn it!" Sookie chided. "I know I threw up on my shirt and I'll change it after you tell me what the heck is going on!
I had to tell her. There was no way around it, so I led her into our bedroom, sat down on the edge of the bed, and motioned for her to do the same. As she took a seat, I took her hands in mine and informed her, "My mom's in the living room."
"Is that it?" she questioned, looking at me like I was nuts. She was obviously confused, but she didn't know the reason Mom was here, so that was to be expected. "Why are you so upset? That's not bad ... is it?"
She had no clue.
"Uh ... not exactly," I stammered nervously, not knowing how I could possibly explain the rest to her without hurting her, which was the last thing I wanted to do, but also something I felt was probably inevitable. I mean, I was basically going to have to tell her my parents didn't approve of her and I couldn't imagine how that could possibly feel; especially given how emotional she'd been lately.
Still puzzled, she added, "I mean, you invited her and I could tell you were disappointed when she told you she and your dad couldn't make it. I don't understand. If she's here then why are you so upset?"
The nerve of her showing up here like she did - putting me in this position of having to tell Sookie they weren't happy we were getting married or about the baby. It sucked, and I only hoped they'd come around before their grandchild was old enough to realize its grandparents didn't approve of it. I definitely didn't want to have to explain that.
"Sookie, I wanted them to come, but it's not the fact she is here that's got me upset, it's why she's here," I explained, not wanting to finish the rest of what I had to say.
Sookie looked so nervous and I didn't blame her. I was probably scaring and confusing the shit out of her, but I was just so full of conflicting emotions I couldn't help it. I was angry, sad, hurt, and nervous all at the same time. All thanks to my mom.
I forced myself to take a deep breath and to continue. "Sookie, Pam told her we were engaged. That's why she's here." I didn't want to go on, but I had to. "She came to tell me I shouldn't marry you," I muttered, dropping her hands and turning away from her, ashamed.
I fucking hated I was being made to feel this way. Not only was I hurting Sookie, but I was being made to feel like a child, and I wasn't a child. I was thirty-two. I was perfectly old enough to make my own decisions and it really pissed me off that Mom thought she could come into my home and try to be a mom now.
She was so fucking late!
"I want you to know I'd never listen to her. I won't not marry you, Sookie," I insisted, frantically turning back toward her and taking her hands back into my own, once more. "I love you and I don't care what they think and I just wish I didn't have to put you through this ... it's so fucked up," I rambled.
"Eric, Sweetie, it's okay." She reached out and touched my cheek with her hand. "I've got to admit it would be nice if everyone was happy for us, but we haven't been together very long, so I didn't think everyone would be a hundred percent supportive. I mean, they haven't even met me, yet, and here we are getting married. They probably think you're crazy right now, but I'm sure they'll come around once we've met and once they've learned about the baby," she insisted smiling.
She always thought the best of people and that was just one of the reasons I loved her so much, but it was also one of the reasons it absolutely killed me to tell her the rest, but I had to tell her.
"Mom knows about the baby, Sookie. It only made things worse," I declared.
"Oh," she said, looking slightly hurt. "Do you think it'll help if I talk to her?" she asked.
Would it help? Probably not, and besides, I didn't want to put Sookie through that. My mom could be a real bitch when she wanted to - that's no doubt where Pam had gotten it from.
"God, I fucking hate this!" I barked unconsciously, in frustration as I ran my fingers through my hair. I'd only meant to think it. "Look, I don't know if that's a good idea, Sookie. Why don't you just hang out in here for a while and I'll get her to leave. It's really not a good time for any of this. I don't want you getting stressed and upset, especially today with company coming in a few hours. I'll just tell her and Pam you're sick, and then get rid of her."
"Eric, I'm not going to stay in here and hide and you aren't getting rid of her. She's your mother! And she came here all the way from Chicago!" she insisted as she stood up and headed over to the closet. She took off her old shirt then picked a new one, and put it on and added, "I'm going out there with you and we're going to talk this out."
I didn't think it was the greatest idea because I really didn't want Sookie hurt and I was fairly certain that would be the outcome, knowing Mom, but aside from that, trying to talk it out certainly wouldn't make things any worse in my opinion, besides, I knew there was no changing Sookie's mind once she had it set on something, so I agreed, "Alright. Let's do this."
"Wait! I'm a mess!" she exclaimed, standing in front of the full length mirror on her closet door. "Let me just brush my teeth and fix my hair ... it'll only take a minute," she said, heading toward the bathroom.
Pam's POV
Eric was pissed when he went to check on Sookie, and I was guessing I had royally fucked up by running into the room screaming about his unborn child Mom knew nothing about, although in my defense, I had no clue she was even here.
I still wasn't sure if I should be concerned about calling her here in the first place. Judging by Eric's tone with her and her tone with him, I was betting they weren't exchanging pleasantries when I'd burst in to the room, so it wasn't looking good on that front, either.
He was so going to kill me! But, before I was going to give him the chance, I was going to at least try to make it right.
"Mommy, it's good to see you. Why don't you have a seat?" I gestured toward the recliner as I took a seat on the couch.
"Cut the crap, Young Lady," she seethed, walking over to the recliner. "You knew about all of this and you didn't tell me she was pregnant. I can't believe either of you!" Mom remarked pretentiously as she sat down. "You've both disappointed me. Your brother for this whole stunt he's pulling and you for not telling me about it all sooner."
Damn, she wasn't pissed, she was disappointed, which was ten times worse, especially when it came from a parent - even ours, but regardless of how it hurt to hear her say that, I couldn't help but giggle a little because parents usually got disappointed at their children for things like this when they were in high school and college - not when they were grown, responsible adults. She sure had things skewed in her mind if she thought she could act like a mom, now, that we were grown, especially since she never acted like our mom when we were kids.
She was so fucking late!
"Mom, Eric and I are adults!" I said snarkily. "We don't answer to you and Daddy anymore, not that you were ever around to answer to in the first place when we were younger. Eric is successful and responsible. He's the youngest principal in the state of Louisiana and that should tell you something about him and his character. He's smart and you should trust him to make his own decisions," I insisted.
"And as for me not telling you about this ... you're damn lucky I told you what I did, because it wasn't my place to tell you anything. It was Eric's. And don't forget he did invite you and Daddy here tonight. He wanted you here so he could tell you."
"Pamela, I have no doubt your brother is smart and good at his job. Your father and I are very proud of him and of his achievements, even though he chose a career as far away from the family business as he could, but none of that changes the fact he barely knows this girl and now he's stuck," she preached.
"It's bad enough she already has one child, but now, she's having another and in effect cementing herself into our family forever. We don't know her, Pamela … and neither does he ... not well enough to marry her and have a child with her," she stressed. "Did he even think about our money for one minute before he gave her an inadvertent open ended invitation into our family?"
"Mom, would you listen to yourself?" I commanded. "You always find a way to bring it back to the money. I seriously doubt Sookie is in this for the money and as for how many children she has ... why does that matter?" I questioned, then added, "For your information, Mother, Hunter isn't her child, but it's not my place to tell you about that either."
"Pamela, how was I to know any of this? You and your brother never tell me anything, but that doesn't change the fact that they barely know each other," Mom asserted.
We never tell her anything! Ha! That's fucking hilarious! It's not like she ever listened when we tried.
"Mom, I know they haven't known each other long, but trust me when I say they are doing the right thing. They are as in love as two people can be and even though it's moving fast, it's right," I insisted. "At least give her a chance and get to know her. He loves her and frankly, so do I. She's perfect for him."
"Pamela, although I'm not happy about this I do want what's best for him, and for you, even though the two of you don't believe that. You are my children and I love both of you very much," she retorted.
Eric and I both knew that she and Daddy loved us - even though they had a strange way of showing it, but in this case she needed to prove it, as far as I was concerned. Besides, I found it hard to believe she wasn't at least a little excited at the prospect of having a baby in the family and being a grandma.
"Then prove it, Mommy," I begged smiling. "Give them a chance and try to be excited that you're going to be a grandma. For crying out loud, Mom, Eric's going to have a baby! How can you not be excited?"
Sookie's POV
"You sure you want to do this?" Eric asked before opening our bedroom door.
Actually, this was the last thing I wanted to be doing and I was terrified. I would have been nervous anyway to meet Eric's mom for the first time, but meeting her under these circumstances just made it all worse, but I knew it was something that had to be done, so I nodded.
We had to talk things out because I couldn't allow myself to be the obstacle that came between Eric and his parents. Plus, since I didn't have much family left of my own it was important to me that our baby have Eric's family in its life. That meant that we had to make this all work.
We'd barely taken one step out into the hall when he stopped moving, effectively halting me since we were holding hands, and assured, "It's not too late. I can still just tell her to leave."
"You will do no such thing, Eric. We've got to work this out," I stressed, moving myself right in front of him. Trying to remain positive and hide the fact that I was nervous as hell, although it was getting harder to do every second that passed; especially with Eric being so damn negative, I declared, "I don't have any real family left aside from Hunter and Jason, and I want our baby to have what I don't and that means none of us have a choice in this … understand?"
He reached out and placed his hands on my shoulders. "Sookie, I do understand and I desperately want that, too, and if it were up to me, we would work it out, but I can't promise that this can be worked out. You don't know my parents," he warned, rubbing his palms up and down my arms, soothingly, then he pulled me into his arms.
As he held me tight, he murmured, "I just don't want Mom upsetting you and I know she's capable of doing just that, and I also don't want you getting your hopes up because like I said, I can't be sure things are going to go our way."
Eric's POV
"Mom," I called out, leading Sookie into the living room where Mom was waiting.
Mom nodded at me and rose up off the recliner where she'd been sitting, apparently finishing up a call with Dad, of all people.
"Jim, Eric just walked in. I'll call you back a little later," I heard her say tensely just before she shut her phone and tucked it back into her purse.
"Sorry to interrupt," I apologized.
I somehow doubted that call was about simply checking in to let him know she'd arrived safely or business, for that matter - no - I had no doubt in my mind that they'd been talking about us, given the afternoon's events - and as for those events, Pam, really needed to quit her meddling.
Once Sookie and I talked with Mom, I was going to have a little chat with my twin. I seriously wanted to kick her ass. She was the reason all this had gone down the way it had, and she really needed to learn to keep her fucking mouth shut about my business, as far as I was concerned.
"It's fine. I was just informing your father of ... your situation," she said, shifting her eyes back and forth between Sookie and myself, not looking happy at all.
We all just stood there for a moment, none of us saying anything. Hell, I didn't know what to say or even where to start. The tension in the room was so fucking thick you could cut it with a knife and I was pretty sure, at the very least, we could all agree that none of us really wanted to be having this conversation.
Sookie surprised me. Being the first to attempt to lighten up the mood in the room, she smiled, extended her hand to Mom, and said, "Hi Mrs. Northman. I'm Sookie. It's really nice to finally meet you. Can I get you anything - something to eat or drink?"
She was laying on her southern charm big time and for a minute, I actually thought it might work when Mom started to crack a smile, but then I realized I thought wrong when Mom dismissed her, not even shaking her hand, and coldly requested, "Sookie, do you mind giving my son and I a moment alone?"
Sookie turned and looked up at me, questioning me with her eyes. She looked like she was about to cry, but I could tell she was calling upon every bit of her stubbornness and strength to hold herself together.
I grabbed her hand and led her over to the couch as I insisted, "Mom, I think Sookie should stay, if that's what she wants."
As I said it I made sure Sookie knew this was her call, although, I really didn't want her to stay because going by how Mom had already treated her, I was one hundred percent positive this was going to upset her and end with her in tears, and I hated to see her that way, but I knew better than to disallow her to take part in this conversation. I mean, this was all just as much about her as it was about me or my family, as far as I was concerned and she had a right to be here if she wanted to be.
Mom sat back down and sighed, "Fine," rolling her eyes, then started in. "Eric, would you mind explaining to me what you were thinking? You apparently barely knew her and you got her pregnant," she spat, shooting a hateful glare at Sookie, and then focusing her attention back on me. "From your sister, I would expect a stunt like this, but not from you. You've always been the responsible one ... the one that always thought things through. This is completely unlike you!" she exclaimed.
"What was I thinking?" I repeated, allowing her words to sink in.
Well, not that I remembered exactly, but when I was getting Sookie pregnant I was pretty sure I was thinking about how good it felt to finally be inside her, how hot she was when she came, and how much I wanted to fuck her again and again, seeing as how all of those things had practically consumed my thoughts for nearly a month prior - not exactly romantic and probably not the answer Mom was looking for, but that was the truth. The absolute last thing I was thinking was that she would end up pregnant.
At the time we both thought it was never going to happen again - a one night stand sort of thing, but things had turned out to be completely different, hadn't they?
Thinking back, I realized Mom was right about a couple of things, we'd been grossly irresponsible in our actions and between Pam and me, I was the responsible one. Drunk or not, we should have used protection, but we didn't and now we were living with the consequences, but regardless, I did love her and baby or no baby, marrying her was right for me.
Sookie's POV
His mom was right, we had been irresponsible and Eric was usually very responsible, as was I. We'd really dropped the ball on Halloween when we didn't use a condom, but we couldn't go back. It's not like we could change the past and honestly, I didn't want to. It was done and I was pregnant, and now we were making a life together, and I couldn't have been happier.
Eric was being really quiet and I was beginning to wonder if I should say something when he finally spoke. "I love Sookie and I want to spend the rest of my life with her, Mom. I realize we were very irresponsible and we both know because of that things have moved a little fast for us, but we're happy," he insisted, giving my hand a quick squeeze and shooting me a quick glance and smile.
"I know it's hard for you to understand because of the timing, but we aren't getting married because she's pregnant. We're getting married because we love each other."
"Eric," his mom pleaded, "I know you think you're in love, but you've only known her for a few months ... and now she's pregnant and you're stuck."
"I'm not stuck, Mom!" he shouted, shaking his head in disgust and pulling his hand away from mine. "If I wanted to leave I could! Sookie and I don't have to be together to have a child together! I want to be with her! I want to marry her, Mom! Why can't you just accept that?"
"You are stuck, Eric! Why can't you see that?" she retorted pointing and waving her finger at both of us. "She's having your baby, Eric. Even if you didn't want to marry her she's attached to you and our family forever, now! We don't know her ... you don't know her!"
Their talking had quickly become nothing more than a screaming match and their bickering back and forth was getting us nowhere. It wasn't accomplishing anything other than making us all more upset; especially me, and it was giving me an awful headache.
"I do know her and if you'd give her a chance you'd know her, too!" He barked pointing his finger at her. "I'm marrying her. I don't care what you or Dad have to say about it! You can't stop me!"
It was taking everything I had in me to stifle the tears that so desperately wanted to start flowing partly due to the throbbing in my head, but also due to the horrid scene playing out in my living room.
"Think about it for a minute, Eric! Think about our money! You think you know her, but how well can you really know someone after a few months? Your father and I only want what's best for you," she pleaded.
Both of them were making valid points, but neither of them was willing to actually consider any of what the other was saying and it was getting out of control. Not to mention the fact that Eric's mom had brought their money into it, which was understandable, but at the same time slightly hurtful to me.
I was with Eric because I loved him, not because of their money. Hell, I hadn't even known about their money until last night.
"What's best for me?" he seethed. "What's best for me? How. The. Hell. Do either of you even think you know what's best for me? I'm thirty-two and neither of you have been present in my life since I was eighteen and you were barely around before that! If you want what's best for me, then you need to realize I'm an adult! I can make my own decisions in regard to what's best for me," he barked.
I couldn't take it anymore. They weren't even really fighting about us anymore, and I could no longer hold back my crazy, whacked-out emotions.
"STOP IT!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.
As soon as I shouted, Eric and his mom both became eerily silent, and then directed their attention to me.
More quietly, as tears began to seep from the corners of my eyes, I begged, "Please just stop it, both of you."
Eric had been so concerned his mother would upset me and hurt my feelings, and I guess he realized he had actually assisted her in doing just that, because he immediately covered his mouth, and apologized, "Oh, Baby, I'm so sorry," then wrapped his arms around me and begged, "Please, let me take you outside with Pam, Hunter, and Killer?" He'd asked Pam to take Hunter and Killer outside so he, his mom, and I could talk privately, earlier while I had been brushing my teeth. "There's no reason for you to go through this."
Even though I wanted to let him escort me right out the door and as far away from this situation as I could get, I couldn't, not without attempting to put a stop to this nonsense, so I pulled out of his arms and declared, "There's no reason for any of us to be going through this! Listen to yourselves! You both just keep repeating yourselves and neither of you are listening to anything the other is saying! All I want is for us all to get along. I want what's best for the baby, and all this arguing isn't it!"
And with that, I stood up and ran to our bedroom, locking myself in, in tears.
Eric's POV
"Sookie, can I come in?" I begged, knocking on our bedroom door.
"Go away," she blubbered.
This was the exact reason I didn't want her to have to deal with any of this today, or any day for that matter, but especially today. We had guests coming in about two hours, everything felt like chaos, and Sookie was locked in our bedroom.
We didn't have time for this, at all.
We both needed to get ready, and there were still the matters of Mom and Pam, that I needed to deal with. I knew I could deal with Pam later, but I had to contain the whole Mom situation. There was no way around that, for Sookie's sake and my own. I wanted us all to get along just as much as Sookie did and I hoped somehow, I could get Mom to want that, too and give Sookie a chance.
I'd really let things get out of control between us before, and I needed to find a way we could really talk this out, without getting angry or upset. Sookie had been right. All of this arguing wasn't getting us anywhere and it wasn't good for the baby.
With my palm flat on the wood of the door, I assured, "Sookie, I'll give you some time. I'm going to go talk to Mom, again. This time, I promise I'll keep my cool. I love you, Baby and I'm sorry."
I could hear her sobbing on the other side of the door and I felt helpless, being unable to go in there, pull her into my arms, and comfort her, but I knew she needed me to fix this whole mess with Mom more than anything else right now, so as much as it hurt, I turned and walked away.
"Is she okay?" Mom asked, actually looking worried, which surprised me as I walked back into the living room.
That was the million dollar question. I had no idea if she was okay because she wouldn't let me in or talk to me, other than to tell me to go away. It could just be her hormones causing her to get upset, and if that was the case, she'd be fine, but I also knew this all had to be stressful for her - the way she blew up, proved that, so I couldn't be positive she was okay.
I sat back down on the couch, shook my head and answered, "I don't know, Mom."
Solemnly, she apologized, "Eric, I'm deeply sorry about all of this. I never meant for this to turn out this way."
My mom could be a lot of things, but a liar wasn't one of them, so I knew she sincerely meant her apology and it really meant a lot. It gave me hope that maybe we could work this out and maybe even get a closer relationship out of the whole deal.
"Please, just understand that your father and I are worried about you. We really do only want what's best for you. We just want you to be sure you're making the right decision. Everything's just happening so fast for you ... and it worries us," she insisted.
"Mom, you don't have to worry about me. I'm an adult and if there's one thing you and Dad taught me, it was to take care of myself. Like I said earlier, we were irresponsible which did speed thing up for us, but really, that doesn't matter, Mom," I insisted.
I chuckled nervously, not sure how she'd take what I had to tell her next, then continued, "Honestly, you're probably going to think I'm even crazier, but I think I loved her the moment I saw her, Mom. Although I didn't realize it then, I think deep down, I knew she was the one for me. There was just something about her that drew me to her," I murmured dreamily. "I want to spend the rest of my life with her, Mom and I'd feel that way even if she wasn't pregnant. I'm sure of it ... I really am."
God, I hoped I was convincing her. She definitely seemed a little more receptive after seeing how our arguing had upset Sookie. I guess it really was sort of a reality check for us both, seeing how our actions had affected her.
As for Sookie, I hated that she was upset, and I loathed that I'd played a part in making her that way. I was also worried about her, but there was still hope that maybe something good could come of it all, and then at least it all wouldn't have been for nothing.
"Eric, you being sure is only part of what we're worried about. We still don't know her, so you can't expect us to just welcome her in and stop worrying. There's too much at stake. I know you hate it when I bring it up, but our money is a valid concern. I believe you - that you love her, but do you know that she really loves you? Is there any chance she could be in this for our money?"
Mom was really treading on thin ice, bringing money back into it. I was fine with her objections in regard to whether we truly loved each other and if we knew each other well enough - hell, any good parent would have those concerns, but her fixation on money, really pissed me off. Mainly, because I knew how unfounded her worries were.
Sookie definitely wasn't with me for any reason having to do with money. Not only had she refused to quit her job when I'd suggested we could afford it, insisting to me 'she would not be a kept woman', but I hadn't even told her about the family business or the money until just last night.
But, the one thing I'd never really taken into consideration was that Mom and Dad had no clue about any of that, so, their concern over the money was legitimate, as much as I hated it and knew different.
"Mom, I know Sookie loves me. I'm sure of it, and the money is so not an issue," I assured. "Sookie didn't even know about it until last night," I revealed.
"How could she not know until last night, Eric?" she questioned, looking confused, which tickled me because it was almost the same reaction Pam had last night when I'd told her I hadn't told Sookie, yet.
The look on Mom's face was that of total shock as I filled her in on how I hadn't told Sookie anything about the family business or our money until last night when Pam had told me to -and I was sure to tell her everything; even how Sookie had refused to quit her job, just so she'd know I was being serious, not making it up, and also, so she'd truly understand how independent Sookie was and how little she cared about money.
"So the money's no issue, Mom," I reiterated, once I'd finished my explanation.
Mom really smiled for the first time since she'd been her and said, "Well, I guess knowing that, I'm not quite as worried for you, but I still worry this is all too fast and before you start in again on how you are grown and can take care of yourself, just stop," she commanded as she stood up and walked over to where I was sitting on the couch.
Sitting down beside me and placing her hand on my arm, she continued, "I know your father and I haven't been around for you as we should have, and maybe our justification wasn't right, but we did what we felt we had to do to carry on your Grandfather's legacy and to give you, your sister, your children and their children better lives. We do love the two of you more than anything and you'll always be my baby boy. I'm always going to worry about you, and even if you don't realize it; I always have worried about you."
This was actually turning around and I was so freaking happy about it, but I knew that Mom still wasn't completely convinced, so I stood up and walked over to the bookshelf in the corner. I got the scrapbook I'd made Sookie for Christmas and took it to Mom.
"Pam and I both know you love us, Mom," I assured and then I handed her the scrapbook. "Here ... I think you should look at this … it won't take long. There are only like three or four pages." Sookie and I had added some pictures we'd taken Christmas morning and a couple of other random photos to it.
While Mom flipped through the scrapbook, I explained each of the pictures, hoping they'd help her to see how happy we were and it would make her just as happy for us, as opposed to worried and disappointed. Plus, I was hoping when she got to the ultra-sound it would get her at least a little excited about being a grandma.
As she reached it, I couldn't have been happier with her reaction - she stared at it for a moment, then running the tips of her fingers over it lightly, she sighed, "Oh, Eric," and then looked up at me smiling and questioned, "Is this …?" But before she could finish her question, she became a little choked up and unable to finish.
It was pretty obvious what she was going to ask, so I nodded and answered, "Yeah, it is. Isn't it incredible?"
She continued smiling and nodded, then studied it a little more. That's when there was a knock at the door. I had thought we still had a little over an hour until our guests were supposed to arrive, and I was really hoping I wasn't wrong because if our guests starting showing up, this night would surely be a complete disaster.
Walking over to the door, I realized it was Amelia, which made sense. I remembered Sookie had said something about Amelia coming over early - something about wanting to tell her before telling everyone else.
"Hey, Eric," Amelia said. "I just saw Pam. She told me to be sure to knock and that was wierd. What's going on?" She asked looking perplexed as I let her inside the house.
"It's just been a rough day around here, Amelia," I insisted as I ushered her quickly through the living room and into the hall. I didn't want her to notice what my mom was looking at, or for Mom to mention the baby, seeing as how she didn't know Sookie was pregnant, yet.
Once in front of our bedroom door, I grabbed Amelia's arm, halting her before she could reach for the doorknob. "It's locked, Amelia ... and she won't let me in."
"What's going on around here, Eric ... and who's that lady in there?" she asked quizzically, shaking her head and pointing toward the living room. "First, Pam telling me to knock, then you saying it's been a rough day, and now, you're telling me Sookie locked herself in her room and that strange woman's out there?" Amelia rambled, looking as if she was trying to piece together a bunch of clues.
Smiling nervously, I said, "The lady's my mom, Amelia, as for the rest, I think it's best if Sookie fills you in, but I think you're exactly what she needs right now."
"Uh ... okay," she answered nodding, as I turned and walked away.
So, next chapter we will actually be getting to the dinner. Overall, the chapter will be lighter, but I'm not promising it will stay that way ...
***Runs and hides, just after quickly reminding everyone to review and tell me what you think***