Chapter 26

I Prayed for You

I was going to post tomorrow but I can't. I just got an email for the treacherous, old boss lady. I have a meeting tomorrow AFTER work and I don't know how long it's supposed to last and I may not get home until late. If I can, I'll post another chapter on Tuesday. Here's your bonus chapter of the day. Let me know what you think. I'd love to know.

Here is the chapter that you've all been waiting to read. I hope that it's not disappointing. And I want to clarify that the story is not going to go where some people believe it will. You'll just have to keep reading to find out what's going to happen.

Kleannhouse: I meant to reply to you in the last chapter. I would have loved to have met up with you. I love meeting new people. Maybe the next time I return, if time permits, we can meet. There's no such thing as having too many friends.

Thank y'all for reading, reviewing, and making this story a favorite. The story idea is mine but the main characters belong to Charlaine Harris.

Enjoy!

"Today?" I asked.

"Today," he said. "I told you. I'm ending it. It's over with her. She knows that she's nothing more than an obligation. She will soon learn a lot more. As I told you, Niall is on it. Don't worry about Freyda. She is nothing to me. I have never hidden the fact that I loathe her. She knows."

Frowning, I asked, "What does that mean? Does that mean that you are divorcing her soon so that we can start our lives together? Or does it mean that you're telling her today that it's over?"

Eric took my hand into his as he sat up in bed. He said, "It means that I love you and not her. I've had to do things, Sookie and she's one of those things. As I said, this sham of a marriage will be annulled and she's never going to know what's hit her. I'm coming back to you and to our daughter. This is where I belong."

"Okay," I said. "I want you here where you belong but only if you are free. I'm not going to be the other woman. If we are to be together, I am going to be the only woman. I won't play second to anyone. I'm not a side piece. That's not me."

"Sookie," he began. "You've never been second. You'll never be second. You will forever come first in my life. I'd never treat you like the other woman. You are the only woman. You are my only lover." He placed my hand to his lips and kissed it. "Please, trust me. I can't do this without you standing by my side."

I nodded. "Whatever you need," I promised.

Relief was prevalent in his eyes and on his face. "We can do this."

"And we will," I said. "But until you leave her, until your obligation to your mother is done, we will be nothing more than parents to our daughter. We will only be friends. I mean it, Eric. We're not going to be adulterers. It is not a good look. We are better than that."

He nodded as he stood up. "Deal," he said.

"Where are you going?" I asked him as he walked towards the bedroom door.

"I told you," he said. "I'm cooking breakfast but before I can do that, I need to go to the grocery store. I need to buy the things to cook the breakfast but first I have a couple of other stops to make and a couple calls need to be made as well."

"At 4:00 in the morning?" I asked as I looked at the clock.

He looked at me and nodded. "I have to call Niall and if you know Niall, he never sleeps. The man is always working. I won't be long. Do you need anything back?"

"Just you," I whispered.

"You have me," he said as he walked back to the bed. "I swear. I'm yours, Sookie. I've always been yours." He leaned down to kiss me before walking away.

"Well, since you're coming back, you're going to need to be able to get in. The spare house keys are on the hook by the door," I said.

And with that, he was gone.

A few hours later, I rolled over in my sleep and I could hear Flynn walking around. She was in her bedroom and I could hear her singing. My baby was happier than I'd ever heard her. She had every reason to be. Her prayers were about to be answered but she'd woken up a lot sooner than I had expected her to.

And I expected that Eric would be back by now but I haven't seen hide nor hair of him. Eric asked if Flynn was an early riser. I told him that she would probably sleep late but she could get up early. I'd kind of figured that she'd sleep late since she was up late with me talking last night. I was wrong. With Flynn, it's always hard to tell what she'll do. She is never predictable.

I looked at my clock and it read 8:00.

She never disappoints.

While I covered my eyes with my hands, I heard her yelling "Good morning, Mom."

I sat up in bed and called out, "Good morning, sweetie. Flynn why are you awake so early? You should still be sleepy after the night that we had."

"Nah," she said. "I just couldn't sleep any longer. I know that you're not going to make me take a nap, are you? I'm way too old for that. My teacher's talking about skipping me to the sixth grade and you want me to take a nap. That's about crazy, don't you think, mom?" I heard her giggle. I can only imagine the look on her face when she said that.

With my feet skittering across my bedroom floor, I tried catching her before she'd gone to the kitchen to make her a bowl of cereal. Just as I'd left my room, I saw her cut the corner to go into the kitchen. I ran into the kitchen behind her and caught her just before she was able to pour the Apple Jacks.

I told her not to fix any cereal. "You can't eat that."

She stood there and looked at me as if I had an extra head. "Why? I love Apple Jacks. It's my most favorite cereal in the world. Gran'pa called it the breakfast of champions." She shrugged her shoulders and said, "He was right. Apple Jacks are quite nutritious."

I couldn't think of anything to say so I told her that only thing that I could tell her. "I have a huge surprise for you."

She frowned at me and cocked her little head to the side. "What is it?"

"You're going to love it," I sung to her.

She rolled her eyes as she began opening the fresh box of cereal. "Your surprises are always so bad, mom. Just let me eat my Apple Jacks."

Before I knew it, I'd revealed her surprise. "Your dad's coming over to cook us breakfast this morning." I looked at my watch and said, "He should've been back by now but he's running a little late but he's coming back so you can't eat Apple Jacks. If you eat the Apple Jacks, they may ruin your appetite. You don't want to ruin your appetite, do you?"

I then frowned. "I'm not quite sure how the food is going to taste. I've never tasted anything that he's ever cooked. I'd probably save the Apple Jacks for later if you want my opinion." I nodded my affirmation. "What do you think?"

She never answered me. She just looked at me with wide eyes and took off running down the hall; dropping the box of cereal onto the floor. I picked the box of cereal from the floor and placed it back on the cabinet. After I'd cleaned what spilled onto the floor, I looked down the hall just in time to see my daughter cut the corner to go into her bedroom. That was nearly an hour ago.

I haven't seen her since.

While I waited for my daughter's reappearance, I stood on the balcony off of my office and waited for Eric's. I'd been standing on the balcony since Flynn had gone into her room; enjoying the brisk November air with a nice hot cup of coffee. I wasn't as calm as I appeared to be. I was nervous and afraid. I felt almost sick but I knew that I was dealing with the inevitable. And it was a great thing.

When I heard the front door being opened, I ran from my office as if I was being chased. When I saw Eric, I ran to him and took the grocery bags and the manila envelope that was in his hand. I took everything to the kitchen and placed them on the counter. A few seconds later, I still found him standing in front of the still opened door.

Slamming the door behind him, I started running my fingers through his hair. Gripping both sides of his face, I looked at him to be sure that it was clean and it was. I could only guess that he'd showered while he was gone. I inspected his jeans to be sure that they were presentable. I wanted him to make an excellent first impression. He looked unquestionably impeccable and he smelled delicious. I took a step back and admired him; giving him an okay with a steady nod of my head. He looked down at me as if I'd lost the little bit of mind that I have left.

"Where have you been?" I asked. "It's almost 8:45"

A frown appeared on his face as he looked at me. "I went called Niall and went to the hotel. I had to grab a few things. After that, I went to the grocery store and came home. What's going on with you?" He placed his nose close to my mouth and sniffed. "You're not drunk. What gives?"

"About forty-five minutes ago, she took off running down the hall to her room. I haven't seen her since. You don't have time to cook breakfast. You have to look presentable when she sees you," I told him. "This is the moment that she's wanted for all of her life. It has to be perfect."

"You said ..."

I cut him off with the wave of my hand. "I know what I said. I was wrong. She woke up a lot sooner than I thought."

He walked blindly to the couch and sat down. He took the pictures from the still opened box and began flipping through them. The first pictures he looked at were the ones that showed my burgeoning belly. It was huge.

"I would have loved to have seen you like this. You've never been more beautiful." He smiled as he stared at the picture. "You are practically glowing."

"Really?" I said with my nose turned up. The only thing that surprised me was how young I looked … and pregnant. Beautifully pregnant. In my opinion, there's nothing more beautiful than a pregnant woman.

"You look so happy," he said. "Both of you look so happy; you and Pam. I wish that I'd been there. More than anything, I wished that I had been there for you."

"I know," I said.

In the picture that we were looking at, Pam was standing behind me and her hands were rubbing my baby belly while her chin rested on my shoulder. Amelia was taking the picture. They both used to rest their heads or hands; whichever was closest at the time, on my stomach. Pam used to sing to Flynn. Amelia used to read to her. I think that is why Flynn is extremely smart. My belly used to wear headphones a lot. Those were the best days. Pam did so much research on educating the baby before it's born that anyone would have thought that she was the one that was pregnant.

As I looked at the pictures, I thought back to those times and I have to admit that I was happy. I was happier than I expected to be.

"I was happy. I wasn't at first because you couldn't be with me but over time, I was happy. Pam and Amelia have been a Godsend. They love her as if she is theirs. They've been with me since the beginning. Pam was with me at every appointment and in the delivery room. For a long time, the doctors and the nurses thought that Pam and I were lovers. Probably because she used to kiss me during the visits and call me her 'sweet thang'. I hated that but you know Pam. It didn't deter her in the least. It had gotten so bad that they would call me Mrs. Ravenscroft. As if Pam wouldn't take my name. That made me so mad," I fumed. "What's wrong with being a Stackhouse? We're good people. We've never been arrested or anything. Well, Jason was that one time but he was just a kid."

"You're ranting, Sookie," he said.

"I know," I pouted. "I still think that Pam could've been called Mrs. Stackhouse."

Eric ignored my rambling as he looked at the pictures. "I would have done anything to be here with you and our daughter; anything. I would've given up everything. I will never let them get away with what they've done. I'm so sorry, Sookie. I never …"

He looked at me and I could see that he felt bad about all that has happened. But none of it mattered now. We were being given a second chance. We were going to be fine. I didn't want him to feel guilty for something that wasn't his fault. It's okay now. He knows and we're going to be together.

I took his hands into mine as I scooted to the edge of my seat. "All that matters is that we know now. We both know the truth. But don't worry about that. We can take solace in the fact that we never stopped trying to stay in each other's lives. We can't keep blaming ourselves for what others have done to us."

Rebelliousness suddenly filled me. Why should I put my happiness and the happiness of our child on the back burner because of the deceitfulness of others? We deserve to be happy. We should be together. That's the way it should be and that's the way it will be. I want him and I will have him. He is mine and I will let no one take him away from us. This is our chance.

I looked at Eric and said, "Our daughter is going to have you. I am going to have you. This is where you belong and no one is going to get in our way. We will win this."

Guilt was still apparent in his eyes. "You've had to raise her without me. Thank you for telling her about me. You don't know how much that means to me. Thank you for telling me about her. Thanks for giving me a chance to be a father." He placed his hand behind my head and pulled me to him. He looked as if he was going to say something else but didn't.

I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Eric. Thank you so much."

"Why are you thanking me?"

"For just being you," I responded.

From behind us, I heard the nervous sounds of our daughter. "Ahem," she said. "I am here."

When we both turned to look at her, she had no expression on her face. Her hair was dried and straight as a pin. I almost passed out because she dried her hair after her shower! I always dry her hair. She acts as if she can't do it. She says that it will have knots in it when she does it; that little faker.

I pushed past Eric and stared down at my sneaky child. "You dried your own hair," I said. "You always have me drying your hair. Do you realize how much time I could save in the mornings if I didn't have to dry your hair? At least forty-five minutes," I proclaimed.

She rolled her eyes and said, "Mom, come on. You're embarrassing me. Let's talk about this later, okay?"

I sighed and said, "Okay but we will discuss this later."

She was wearing her favorite jeans and her favorite blue cashmere sweater. Pam bought it for her birthday. Her little feet were covered with her Hello Kitty bedroom slippers. She was adorable. She looked just as she did when she had her first dance recital.

Nervous.

I just hoped that she wouldn't throw-up this time.

I gave Flynn two thumbs up. She swallowed deeply and put her hand to her mouth. I almost ran to her but she quickly shook her head no. Her hands were soon by her side. She nodded at me but I didn't trust it. Her eyes were telling me that she was okay but her body language was scaring the hell out of me. I didn't want her to throw up on him. Having a nine-year-old throw up on you is way different than having a nine-month old throw up on you. So doing what I do best, I stayed on mom alert.

Eric stood up and started fiddling with his shirt and running his fingers through his hair. "You look great, baby" I whispered to him. I nudged him a little and said, "Go on. She hasn't bitten anyone since kindergarten."

He laughed extremely loud and his hand was covering his mouth before he got any louder. I couldn't help but to laugh with him.

The extremely tall Viking looked down at his daughter and smiled at her. "I'm Eric and I'm your father. And you're my daughter. You're so beautiful."

She said nothing. Her inquisitive eyes searched his face. Her face broke my heart. Every emotion she'd ever felt when it came to her daddy was on the surface.

He squatted down in front of her and cleared his throat. "I've been so anxious to meet you."

Flynn still didn't speak.

Eric looked back at me and I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes. He looked worried. He almost looked afraid. He was silent for a long time. I could only imagine the thoughts that were going through his head. I nodded for him to keep going. He couldn't stop. Not now. He had to keep talking. She was nervous and all he had to do was keep talking. She'd come around. She always does.

He turned back to Flynn and said, "I hear that you're a very smart, young lady. Your mom told me that you love art and that you've been learning Spanish and Swedish. She also said that you know French. She said that your Aunt Pam is your favorite teacher. She told me that you may even get the chance to be skipped to the sixth grade. I'm very proud of you. You're smarter than any nine-year old I've ever met."

She looked at him for a moment and said, "Thanks and Pam, she's great. So is Amelia. They said that I need a big brain. In today's society, you have to be able to hold your own, you know? My second moms, Pam and Amelia, always tell me that a person has to be smart to make it; especially when you're a woman but you wouldn't know that."

Eric laughed as he shook his head no. "You are exactly right. I would have no clue."

"Yeah," she said. "Pam once said that slackers have no place in this world." She smashed her fist into her hand as she continued. "She said that the world would swallow them whole. I don't want to be swallowed so that's why I'm not a slacker."

I started laughing. I'll never understand why she talks like an old lady.

She looked at me as if was crazy. "It's true. Mrs. Bellefleur said it too. She's my piano teacher. You'll meet her one day. You know," she said as she looked at Eric with her head cocked to the side. "You have my eyes and my nose. Mom has always said that you and I look alike and I can see that in the pictures but now that I see you up close, I can really tell that we do. She was right. We do look alike." She used her little finger to trace along his nose. Her little hands were soon cupping his face. She stared deeply into his eyes. I knew what was coming. I could see the tears starting to pool in her baby blues.

Eric's eyes never left Flynn's. They looked at each other and I knew that they could see what I've always seen. She sees herself in him and he sees himself in her. "You are exactly …"

Before he could finish, she cut him off. "I prayed for you," she said as she stared at him. "I prayed for you every night. I knew that you were coming." She then threw her arms around his neck and started crying. She buried her face into his neck as she held onto him for dear life.

Eric smoothed her hair down and rocked her from side to side. He stood up with her in his arms and cried with her. "I'm here now," he said softly in her ear. "And I'm never leaving you or your mom ever again. I promise. I'm here to stay."

I rested my head in my hand and breathed a sigh of relief. It was finally over. I looked down at my leg and realized that I was trembling. I didn't know that I was as just as nervous as they were.

While they consoled each other, I mouthed to Eric that I would leave them alone. I stood up from the couch and walked over to Flynn and Eric. I kissed the top of her head and touched his back as I went to my room.

As I lay in my bed, I listened to them. I heard giggling and talking come from the living room. My heart melted at those glorious sounds. They deserved this time together and I was more than willing to give it to them. I then heard running footsteps coming in my direction but they stopped in front of Flynn's bedroom door. About two seconds later, I heard her door slam and then there was more running.

I could hear the mumbling of their voices as they got to know each other. For quite some time, they talked and laughed. I heard a few gasps from Flynn and I heard some from Eric. It tickled me pink to hear them getting along with each other. As not to eavesdrop any more than I already have, I called Cori's mom and then I went to take my shower.

Just as I'd pulled my panties on, my bedroom door flew open. "Mom, we put the groceries up and dad wants to go to the museum after he takes us out for brunch." Her eyes were brighter than sapphires. I couldn't help but notice the tall, blond Viking that she was dragging behind her with eyes and a smile that was just as bright as Flynn's.

I snatched my bra from the bed and began sliding into it. "Erica Flynn, you scared the daylights out of me! Don't you ever do that to me again, young lady! And don't just barge into my bedroom like that. You know that you're supposed to knock."

I looked over her head and saw Eric ogling me. I turned my back to him as I put on my bra.

"Sorry, mom," she said. "Do you want to come with us?"

"I'd love to go but I can't."

Flynn was no longer smiling. "Why? Dad's going to take us out to eat. We can all eat together."

Eric continued to claim me with his eyes.

After I was properly covered, I motioned for Flynn to come to me. When she stood in front of me, I took Flynn's hands in mine and stooped down in front of her. "Look, you and your daddy need some alone time. Ya'll go and do your own thing. I'll do what I usually do on Sunday mornings." I looked at my watch and said, "I'm already late."

I could see the pout about to come on. "But I want you to come with us," she begged. "We'll have fun. We can go to Busy's and have brunch. You really like Busy's. I'll bet you that Holly's going to be there. She's always there on Sunday morning."

"Yes, Sookie," Eric said. "Come with us."

"I can't," I said. "I have a previous engagement that I cannot cancel."

She stomped her foot. "You can call Alcide and tell him that you can't make it. You don't have to go to the gym with him this morning. It's not fair, mom."

I looked up as Eric stood behind Flynn and looked down at me. "No, it's not fair. Call him and cancel," he ordered.

I stood up and looked at both Flynn and Eric. "I cannot and will not do that. I gave him my word and I'm going. And I really love working out with him. He's a great trainer. He helped me tighten up this gut," I said as I slapped my 'thanks to Alcide' toned belly.

Still in my underwear, I went to my chest of drawers and pulled out my yoga pants and my NYU sweatshirt. I could feel two pairs of eyes burning a hole into my face as I grabbed some socks and my NB sneakers. The room was silent as I got dressed. No one said a word. I grabbed my gym bag from the bottom of my closet and turned to walk past them so that I could go and enjoy my Sunday morning workout. Needless to say, I didn't get very far. Eric and Flynn blocked to doorway so that I couldn't get out.

"Excuse me," I said.

Eric placed his hand on Flynn's shoulder and said, "Give me a minute to talk with your mom, okay?"

Flynn shook her head. As she looked at him over her shoulder, she said, "It's not going to do any good. She's not going to change her mind. She's very stubborn. Gran'pa used to call her Stubborn Sookie. Once she gets a hold on to something, she won't let go. She's not coming with us."

"Just give me a shot," he said as he winked at her.

She turned around and looked up at him. "Don't say that I didn't warn ya, dad." She patted his arm as she left the room.

When she was gone, Eric closed the door behind her. "What are you doing, Sookie? Are you doing this to make me jealous? Do you want me to beat the shit out of this guy?"

"No and you're not going to beat him up," I said. "I wouldn't try and make you jealous. I'm not that petty. I'm only doing it because it's what I usually do on Sunday mornings as well as three times a week. I always do this with Alcide."

Eric growled down at me as he moved in closer to me. "What else do you usually do with Alcide?"

I wanted to cuss him out but I refused to go there with Eric. I would not do it. "I'm not going to argue with you, Eric. I'm going to work out so that you can enjoy some time alone with your daughter. I'll be here when you guys get back."

"You're not being fair."

I looked at my watch and said, "I don't have time for this. He's waiting for me." I tried to walk around him but he stepped in front of me. "Eric, why are doing …?"

He pulled me into his arms and kissed me. I tried resisting him. I even tried pulling away from him but I couldn't get away. No matter how hard I tried, my lips wouldn't let go of his. "Don't go," he said into my mouth.

I rested my forehead to his. "God, I want you. I want you more than I've ever wanted anyone or anything in my life. Why do you have this influence over me?" I chuckled as I shook my head in disbelief.

"Then don't go," he repeated. "Come with us."

"I can't," I said. "I have to go because I told him that I'd be there. I meant what I said to you earlier, Eric. I am not going to let you go. You're home now and I am your woman but I have to do this. I have to see Alcide and when I do, I'm going to tell him that you're back. I'm going to tell him that I want to give us another try. Just let me do this. Do you believe me?"

He nodded.

That wasn't good enough. "Tell me that you believe me."

Reminiscent of this morning's conversation, he smiled and said, "I believe you."

I kissed him one last time and walked around him and out of the room.

When we walked out of my bedroom, I walked down the hall and called for Flynn. "I'm getting ready to go," I said as I walked to the living room with my gym bag thrown over my shoulder.

My daughter leaned her head back onto the arm of the sofa and asked, "I guess he couldn't talk you out of it?"

I shook my head no. I rested on the back of the couch and said, "He tried but you know how I love my workouts. While you were out talking with your dad earlier, I called Cori's mom and told her that I wasn't dropping you off this morning so that they wouldn't be waiting on you. Cori was mighty sad. She said that she wasn't going to eat happy face pancakes without you. She said that it's just not the same without her best buddy. She said that she hopes that you go to church with her next Sunday."

Flynn nodded. "I figured she would be sad; poor thing. What can I say? She needs me. We're like peas and carrots." She looked up to see her dad standing in the hall. "I told ya that you weren't going to change her mind. I'll bet you'll listen to me next time."

"You did and I will," he said. He came over and stood beside me. "Where is this gym that you and Alcide go to?"

Flynn didn't give me a chance to answer. She answered for me. "It's downstairs. They have a yoga class at 12:00." She looked at the clock and said, "You'd better get going. It's 11:45. Alcide's probably down there waiting. You know how important warm ups are. Pam said that if you don't warm up, your muscles will be really tight and sore. She said that sore muscles keep you from doing the fun things that you like to do afterwards … such as walking. Pam was limping this one time when she didn't do her stretches," she added as she shrugged her shoulders. "And they make you cranky. Don't they, mom?"

My heart stopped. I had no intentions of telling Eric where Alcide and I go to work out. He's not going to behave himself. He never does. I can't have him meeting Alcide. I wasn't even dating Bill and he treated him like crap. "You're right, sweetie. Well, I have to go," I said hurriedly. I kissed Flynn's cheek and nodded at Eric.

"Flynn, run and go get your shoes on," Eric said. "We're going to leave when your mom does."

"Okay, daddy," she said. She took off running down the hall.

I turned to face Eric and said, "Don't do this. You said that you were going to let me ease into it."

"Do what?" he asked as innocently as he could. He wrapped his arms around me and said, "I'm not going to do anything."

I didn't believe him for one second. "You're lying. You're going to go down there acting like a big jerk and you're going to make matters worse."

"Who? Me?"

Eric's gaze held mine as I burst out laughing and shook my head. As I got over my giggle fit, I begged him to behave. "Please, don't go down there causing problems, Eric. You have to promise me that you're going to let me handle Alcide my way."

He sneered at me.

"Eric," I warned.

"I will do my best to behave," he said.

This time, I definitely didn't believe him. I know him and I know that he's not going handle being around Alcide very well at all. Before I could go any further with my concerns, Flynn came bounding down the hall.

"Ready, dad," Flynn called out.

Eric took his arms from around my waist and instantly held my hand. "We're going to have a ball today. We're going to have brunch and then we're going to the museum. We'll probably do a lot of other things but first we're going to walk with your mom to the gym. Is that okay with you?"

She nodded her head rapidly. "Sure is."

I just stood there and looked at him.

He just stood there and smiled at me as he took my gym bag from me.

"Well," he said. "What are you waiting on? You're already running behind. Let's go, lady!"

Flynn giggled. "Yeah, lady," she said. "Let's go!"

This was the first Sunday that I didn't want to work out.