AN: As always, many thanks goes to out my faithful readers. To my "Guest" reviewer and "honu59": Yes, Steve will be very sore after his altercation and I will ensure he is tended to in the next chapter. For now, this is a slower update...with a teeny weeny cliffie ;-)
Tanith
Chapter 24
Jeannie felt like she was trapped in a very bad dream. What should be a happy and exciting time for all of them was turning into a nightmare and she couldn't understand why. Why must happiness always be ripped away from her? Like the rising tide the tears she had kept at bay started to spill over her lashes and roll down her cheeks. "Mike, can we not go to the library? I think I just need to..."
Mike had stopped at the lights and was now able to really take a good look at his daughter. "Sweetheart, I know where we can go and talk."
Jeannie nodded and sucked in a deep breath then swiped at her eyes.
Mike fished his handkerchief out of his pocket and passed it to Jeannie.
The lights changed and Mike took a turn that led to the park.
"Let's go for a walk and get some fresh air. What do you say?" Mike asked with a small smile. He found himself wishing that Helen was in his place right now. She would know what to say. She would ask the right questions. Truth be told, Mike felt that he was in unchartered territory. Sure, Jeannie had dated before but what she had with Whitney was serious and Mike just wasn't sure if he was equipped to give her the right advice. He pulled into a parking space and reached across, giving Jeannie's hand a reassuring squeeze, feeling nervous as hell. "Jeannie…." Mike's vocal chords suddenly seized up and he cursed himself. This wasn't working. Maybe he should've swapped places with Irene. She would know what to say.
Jeannie's tear streaked face looked up at Mike expectantly.
"I wish your mother were here. She'd be proud of you but disappointed in me," Mike began.
"Why would she, Mike?"
Mike cupped Jeannie's face in his hand. "Because you've grown up so fast and I'm still…I'm still right where I was when you were fourteen."
"Ten," Jeannie corrected with a cheeky grin then she said more seriously, "Mike, you're doing great. You're the best father anyone could ask for," More tears flowed down Jeannie's cheeks and her voice grew thick with emotion, "And I don't know what I'd do without you in my life!" Her anger toward her father for talking about her and Whitney's relationship behind her back dissipated. She knew Mike was trying to be the type of father that her mother would have wanted him to be and she had to admit he was much more than anyone could expect.
Mike leaned in and pulled Jeannie into a warm hug and held her until her shoulders stopped quaking and her tears were spent.
"I'm sorry, the last couple of weeks has just been one crazy ride!" Jeannie said.
"You have nothing to be sorry for. I should be the one apologising."
"Okay, how about we make a deal?" Jeannie wiped her eyes with the sodden handkerchief.
"I'm listening."
"Neither of us owes the other any more apologies. Deal?"
"You got it."
"Maybe we should head back to the house? I'm a little worried about Irene. I mean, do you think she'll be alright on her own?"
Mike couldn't contain a genuinely amused chuckle. "Oh I wouldn't worry about Irene. I'd be more concerned about the boys if they tried to cross her. She didn't win that all State Shooting Range Champion trophy three years running for nothing!"
Jeannie was in awe. "Impressive! Now I can see why you are attracted to her."
"Attracted? Me? No, we've already gone down that road, remember? No, Irene and I just…"
"Friends, right," Jeannie finished. "Let's get some air?"
Together Mike and Jeannie took a stroll through the serene park, breathing in the crisp San Francisco breeze.
"Anyway, let's talk about you, Sweetheart. Are you happy? I don't mean after what happened today but I mean you and Whitney?"
Jeannie took a moment to think her answer through, and she was surprised with herself that she wasn't able to answer straight away. "Yes, I am, Mike."
"That's…that's good," Mike said hesitantly.
"You don't like him do you?" Jeannie asked quietly, her eyes were suddenly more interested in at the brown leaves that swirled around their feet.
"What makes you say that?"
"I overheard you and Steve talking at the hospital."
"Oh," Mike sheepishly replied. What did I say? For a moment Mike had to think hard then the conversation started coming back to him.
"I'd like to know why? You said you thought Whitney was manipulating me."
"Jeannie, you know that I only want the very best for you."
"Well, sometimes what you want isn't necessarily what I want. You gotta let me make my own choices. Even if they don't turn out to be the right one, I think I deserve to make that call, don't you?"
"I know, I know! But we're not talking about adopting a dog or choosing between going to Disneyland and Alaska for a vacation. We're talking about the rest of your life! Marriage is a big deal. At least it is for me and it was for your mother. It would break my heart if I let you walk down the aisle with someone not worthy to have you as his bride. What I said…I never meant to hurt you. I was scared and I needed someone to talk to."
Jeannie nodded in understanding. Her father's admission of fear caught her by surprise. She held his arm and rested her head against his shoulder. Who would ever have thought her father was afraid of anything? "And here I thought this was about me moving in with Whitney but it's more than that isn't it?"
"It's a lot more. Call me old fashion but moving in with someone is just a shortcut to marriage and that's not how it should be. Your wedding day should be the most special moment of your life. I'm not saying this because it's what I want but it's what you deserve. You're an adult now and I gotta get used to you making decisions of your own but if I can protect you from making the wrong ones then I will. I'm your father and it comes with the territory. I'm sorry I can't change that and I won't."
"And I don't want you to change. I just want you to give Whitney a chance. It's not like this is some whirlwind romance. I've known Whitney since junior high. He was there for me when mom died. He was there for me whenever something bad happened to you. I'm going back to school soon. I won't get to spend nearly as much time with him as I'd like."
"But after your wedding day, you'll have the rest of your lives! Why the rush?"
"Because I'm afraid!" Jeannie admitted. She thought about how she and Whitney had lost touch for some time and then there was Steve. School and work just always seemed to get in the way of her finding happiness. She had lost Whitney once back when it was still a school crush then Steve ignited something within her. Was it love? Whatever it was had hurt when she felt it sucked away from her. Whitney's return had healed that wound and reminded her that everything happens for a reason. Maybe the reason why things didn't pan out between her and Steve was because she wasn't meant to be with him. It had been Whitney all along. This time she was determined to make sure that distance and time apart wasn't going to ruin things for her.
"Of what?" Mike prodded gently.
"Of being forgotten," Jeannie finished softly. "If I move in with Whitney now, a part of me will always be with him to remind him that we're together. Whether it be my toothbrush, photographs, my pillow, closet, you know what I mean?"
"Sweetheart, how can anyone forget you?" Mike was beside himself. What could have made Jeannie's self-confidence sink so low?
Jeannie wanted so badly to answer that but to do so would open up another can of worms.
Mike's gut told him Jeannie was hiding a painful experience which had nothing to do with Whitney but it was unlikely she was ready to open up to him anytime soon. He needed to stall her before she made any hasty decisions but he was running out of options and words to express his concerns. "Look, tell you what? Just think about this for a few more days, okay?"
"I have thought about it, Mike, and I've made my decision. Now, I don't know what happened between Steve and Whitney today but I do know where my place is. It's obvious how Steve feels about my fiancé and to be honest with you I don't want to hear an explanation from either of them."
