A/N:Thanks so much for the reviews! I am really trying to actually finish this fic in the next few weeks so I should be able to keep posting regularly. I don't have a beta any more so the last bit is still a little rough.
Julie - Thank you for the help on this chapter once upon a time. I'm sure it has evolved since you last saw it.
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A Change In Me
Chapter Twenty
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I had not spent a lot of time around Joe. He was always giving me such sad looks when Sophia wasn't paying attention. It made me want to slap him. I doubted that was the effect he was going for. His pity was the last thing I wanted. It just made me feel even more worthless. It was humiliating to have the man who first broke my heart trying to console me for yet another doing the same. They both had been selfish liars. They both had discarded me like trash. Well, I left Dickie, but it felt the same.
Mary Lou decided to make it her mission to get me out of the house and back into the dating game. We both knew it was entirely too soon for that, but we both had not been single together for a long time. And not at all since we were of the legal drinking age. She especially didn't want me to be at home on my would-be wedding night. I couldn't agree more and was ready to completely let loose. Luck was on my side since Joe's sister, Cathy, was keeping Sophia for the night for a slumber party. I think I was just starting to realize the benefit of a large extended family.
We went downtown where there were several bars and clubs that we could walk to. We wanted to hop around as the night wore on, and we both planned on getting plastered. So no driving until we ordered a cab back to Mare's house. The night started out promising when a couple guys in their thirties offered to buy us drinks. They were pretty cute, but I was not in the mood for an older man. I wanted to actually act my age. I wanted to party like I had never done before. So we gave them the slip and headed down the road to the loud dance club, packed with college students. That was more like it. I stood in the doorway and took in the scene before me. It was exactly what I needed.
We danced with so many people. Even a couple girls started to grind up against us at one point, causing Mary Lou to almost deck the taller girl. Then we noticed how much attention we were getting from all the guys. It was a little weird, but when the guys started joining in, I didn't mind as much. And the drinks were practically pouring themselves after that.
At one point, some guy with white blond hair pulled me up against him and suggested I join him in the back. I was starting to feel more than a little sloshed, and I think he realized I needed some more motivation. He smiled seductively and then leaned down to nibble at my neck. I suddenly realized that Dickie was the last person who had held me. Kissed me. Fucked me. I didn't even need to think beyond that as I grabbed his hand and yanked him off the floor. Once we entered the back hallway, I turned around to face him completely when Terry Grizzoli came waltzing straight up to us.
"Well, if it isn't my favorite reject," she said snidely.
"Oh, do you know her?" I asked blond dude, thinking I was being very funny.
"I think she means you, sweetie," he said with a raised brow. "You wanna join us?" He leered at her. "I don't mind."
"Ew, gross!" I yanked my hand from him and shoved Terry at him. "You can have him."
I stormed back into the club, searching for Mary Lou. She was still dancing with some guy who looked an awful lot like Lenny.
I squinted my eyes. Damn it. It was Lenny. What the hell?
"What the fucking hell!" a voice yelled from my side, echoing my exact thoughts.
"I know, right?" I turned and looked at Terry. God, she's like a freaking … my brain couldn't quite think clearly. "What do you want?"
She leaned into me so I could hear her over the loud music. "I want to remind you that I don't take your leftovers. You take mine."
It took me a moment to catch what she was saying and then …
I clocked her.
"Holy shit! That fucking hurts," I screamed, grabbing my hand and holding it to my chest. I started shaking it out when I felt two hands grab me from behind and pull me backwards.
"You crazy bitch!" Terry screamed, blood spilling from her lips, her nails digging into my skin.
She looked a bit terrifying at the moment so I kicked at her and then ran. I was almost to the front of the club when she caught up with me.
"I'm going to kill you!" She grabbed my hair and threw me to the floor. My hands immediately landed in something sticky. Oh God. I felt like I was ready to throw up.
The bouncer made his way over to us. "Ladies, get your asses out of this club or I will carry you out."
"But my frien–"
"Now," he commanded.
We both stumbled out to the sidewalk. There was a crowd, and they were watching us closely.
She sneered at me. "You're lucky there are witnesses right now."
"Yeaaah?" I rolled my eyes. I had nothing to say to that since I agreed.
"You know," she said with a smirk. "A lot of girls can't keep a man, but to lose one to Joyce Barnhardt? That's pretty pathetic."
"Well, you lost Joe to me. What does that make you then?"
I was mentally high-fiving myself when she flashed me a smug smile. "I don't know. Let's ask him."
I suddenly noticed that someone was standing right behind me. Nooooo! I covered my face with my hands and then gagged as I felt the mystery stuff sticking to my cheeks.
"I should take you both in," Joe stated in his totally pissed-off voice.
I cringed, but then I realized that she was the one picking on me. I looked over at Joe as he came between us. Holy crap! He was on duty. I hoped I wasn't drooling. I glanced at Terry and noticed she was also struggling with the impact of Joe in uniform.
"Terry, do you need a cab?" he asked seriously.
"No, I have a car and I hadn't started drinking yet when she attacked me!"
He leveled his dark eyes at me and I pulled back. What? And what? Why was he mad at me?
"I didn't attack her!" Well, I think I did actually, but I would never admit that.
"Are you sure you will be okay?" he asked her again, a bit less harshly than before.
She immediately latched onto his softened tone and whimpered. "I can't even kiss and make it better," she pouted, pointing to her fat lip.
He took a deep breath. "Get some ice on it. I'm sure those lips will be kissable very soon."
She flashed me a triumphant grin. "Maybe you can check on me later."
"Maybe." He gave her a panty-dropping smile and then watched her saunter away.
I felt even more like throwing up as I pictured Joe playing cop with Terry. Yuck.
"Stephanie, let's go."
"What? You're arresting me?" I shrieked.
"I should. The bouncer said you started the fight."
"I did not!"
"Come on." He pointed to his car parked down the street.
"And if I don't?"
He sighed loudly. "I'm not arresting you, Stephanie. I'm taking you home. Where you can sober up." Shaking his head, he left me as he stalked towards his car. "And grow up."
"I am grown up!" I retorted. He didn't respond so I followed him to the car. "I was only defending myself. You know that she gets off on being mean to me."
His brow relaxed a little. "I know." He got in the car and unlocked the doors, clearly waiting for me to join him.
"Are you sure you have time to take me home? Terry's lips looked pretty swollen," I stated with a giggle, slightly proud of myself for hitting her. And also morbidly curious about their relationship.
He rolled his eyes. "Maybe she'll keep them shut."
"Huh?"
"You do know I have no intention on seeing her, right?"
I made a face at him. "Like I care."
He started the engine and sighed heavily before pulling out.
"Are you still working?" I asked once we were moving.
"Yes."
"Will you get in trouble for taking me home?"
He gave me a confused look. "No."
I groaned. "Why are you making me go home?"
"Are you kidding me right now?"
"No, Joe. I'm not."
He glared at me and shook his head again. "I'm disappointed in you, Stephanie."
"Good for you. Is that supposed to make me feel bad? You're not my father."
"No. I'm Sophia's father. And her mother is being an immature little brat right now."
"Whatever."
He huffed. "Exactly."
"You're such an ass! I can't go out one time and have a little fun? Excuse me for actually trying to enjoy myself!"
"And do you enjoy random men these days?" he asked me pointedly.
"What?"
"I was called in to break up another fight, Stephanie. I was already there when you were kicked out. I saw you. Were you actually going to leave with that asshole?'
"No. I was going to let him fuck me in the bathroom," I answered smartly.
He gripped the steering wheel so hard; it looked like his knuckles were going to break through his skin. "So you're going to become some kind of slut now?"
"Stop the car!" I screamed. "Let me out right now, Joe!"
I couldn't let him see me cry. I reached for the handle, but Joe had it locked. I screamed in frustration, but Joe only sped up. Not knowing what else to do, I leaned my head against the window so he couldn't see me. Every time we drove past a street lamp, my make-up streaked face would appear in the reflection, coaxing another wave of humiliation to pass through me. We rode for several minutes in silence. I wasn't even paying attention to where we were going.
"We're here," he stated calmly.
We were at my house. The lights were all off except the porch. It was the last place I wanted to be. I wouldn't even have my sweet little girl to cuddle up to. I looked over at Joe and wiped at my tears. I could see that he felt a little bad, but I didn't care anymore.
Getting out of the car, I remembered a moment so many years ago when Joe had driven me home. I should have never turned back to him. Telling him his eyes were beautiful? What a stupid, naïve little girl I had been!
I twisted around and leaned into the car. "You know today was my wedding day? I just wanted to forget – even for a little bit. I thought you would be a little more understanding." I sniffed back another sob. "Thanks for ruining that for me."
He leaned across the seats. "Oh, Steph, I'm sorry. I don't know –"
"Go to hell," I said in a low voice and slammed the door in his face.
I didn't look back once as I made my way to the house. I knew he was still sitting there; the car hadn't pulled away. I half-expected him to come get me, but he didn't. Of course he didn't. He didn't want me. No one did.
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oOo
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After our little showdown the last weekend, I was surprised Joe insisted on having me and Sophia over for Mother's Day. I barely wanted to acknowledge the holiday, feeling like it was not a title I deserved this year. But Joe had the whole day planned for us, and he had recruited Sophia to get me to cooperate. I really had no choice. We had all gone to Mass the night before, and while Sophia and I served Mom breakfast in bed, Joe went to Mass again with his mother. It was her only request for the day.
Joe and Sophia took me to the mall where I could pick out something I wanted. I chose a bracelet that wasn't too expensive. I was kind of disappointed that Joe didn't even bother to take the time and shop for me on his own. But why would he? We weren't actually together. He wasn't even required to get me anything. It was more for Sophia, who was delighted to get me something.
"Mommy, I love your bracelet!" She jumped up and down and pulled my arm up to look at it in the light. "And it can match Daddy's necklace!"
Joe coughed and gave me a funny look.
"Daddy's necklace?" I asked, peering at Joe's neck to see if he was wearing one.
"Yeah, the necklace that –"
"Sophia, I think we better get home so Bob can go for a walk. Maybe we can all go to the park? Would you like that?" he asked and scooped her up into his arms, turning away from me. "I wonder if I have any socks left? You know I think I left the laundry basket on the steps."
I watched them walk away, Sophia giggling about Bob and his latest feast. Apparently, Bob was a canine vacuum. Nothing was safe. He chewed on or swallowed anything that was left where he could get. Sophia had been almost inconsolable after he had devoured two of her Beanie Babies. But since Joe replaced them, she had soon learned to find humor in Bob's eating habits. Of course, we had to convince her that it was not a game and to not purposely leave things out for Bob.
Bob. Ugh. I still hated that name.
After the park and watching a rental, Sophia was pretty exhausted. We barely got her to finish her dinner before she passed out at the table. Joe smiled at me and went to pick her up from her seat.
"Ma's coming by to get her tonight."
"She is?"
"Yeah, she's keeping all the grandkids tonight. It's her mother's day gift to everyone."
"But you're not a mother," I pointed out.
"Well, yeah. She would have picked her up earlier, but I wanted to spend the rest of the evening with both of you."
"So she's coming to get her so she can sleep?"
Joe stopped at the bottom of the stairs, Sophia curled up against him. "True. I can just call her and tell her to come in the morning." He handed Sophia over to me and went to the phone.
"Why would she –"
"She's taking them to the zoo tomorrow."
He called her quickly and told her that he would have Sophia ready by nine in the morning. Once he hung up, he took our sleeping beauty back in his arms and carried her up to her room. I followed him quietly, wanting to give her one last kiss goodnight.
Once she was settled, Lady firmly in place under her arm and a softly hummed goodnight, we went back to the hall.
"So your mom is taking all the kids to the zoo?"
"Just Sophia, Tonya, Becky, Sara, Pauley, Frankie, and Giorgi." He nodded as he recounted them in his head.
I thought through the list as well. No babies or older kids. That was Sophia, Tony's youngest, Mary's two girls, Paul Jr. and Paul's other son, and Cathy's oldest. Wow. I was almost as impressed with myself as I was with Angie Morelli taking on so many little ones at once.
"Don't Pauley and Becky have school?"
"Paul is calling him out. He said there was nothin' in one day of second grade worth the two boys fighting for the rest of the week."
"Hm. I guess I can see that."
"And then Mary agreed about the girls so she is doing the same."
"Must be nice. My parents – well, my mom – would never let me miss school for something fun."
"Yeah, the Morellis are such a fun-loving bunch." He lifted his brows and gave me a small smile.
"Sorry. I know it wasn't like that for you either."
"Yeah, well, we did miss school when we had noticeable bruises." He frowned. "I hate him sometimes."
I closed my eyes for a moment, thankful for the thousandth time that Joe was not like his father. "You don't need to hate him, Joe. You are so far above anything he could even have imagined."
He looked over at Sophia's door. "She makes me want to be … everything."
"To her, you are." I took his hand to give it a squeeze, but he didn't let go. This was getting intimate. Like we used to be. I wasn't sure what to think about that.
"You want to watch another movie?" he asked lightly, obviously not ready for us to return to our former friendship.
And as soon as our eyes met, I knew exactly what I wanted. To finish what I had started last weekend.
"No," I said simply.
"No?"
"I think we can come up with something more interesting than a movie." I quirked my brows at him and gave him a playful smile.
Joe slowly withdrew his hand, a look of confusion on his face. "I need to clear the table."
I shrugged. "Okay."
He was a fool to think I would be so easily swayed. As far as I was concerned, Joe owed me. If it weren't for him, I would have not spent last Saturday night crying my eyes out and vomiting up my dinner from being so upset. Plus, the more I thought about it, the more I was determined to replace Dickie in my mind with someone else. Even if it were just the idea that he wasn't the last person I had been with. Maybe I wasn't really wanting to hook up with a random stranger, but I had no qualms about using Joe. No. One way or the other, Joe would be paying up tonight. It was time to begin Operation Seduction.
I grabbed the bottle of wine we had opened and took it to the living room.
Step one: Get Joe drunk.
I felt the tiniest bit bad about that, but then I figured Joe would never pass up sex. After all, didn't he tell me how much he loved it?
Joe sat noticeably far from me on the other end of the couch. He turned on the TV and gave me a smile.
"You want some?" I asked innocently, purposely leaving any hint of flirtation out of my voice.
He started to shake his head no.
"Joe, it's almost gone. We may as well finish it. I kind of want to stay with Sophia tonight anyway if that's okay. It is Mother's Day."
It was not almost gone. It was barely half gone, but I just handed him my full glass and took a swig from the bottle. He scratched his head, and I could tell he was still trying to read me.
"Is there a game on?" I asked and reached for the remote. I shifted back against the couch, away from him, and began flipping through the channels. "Oh, I love this show!"
I stopped it at a game show – that had to be the least sexy thing on television.
Step two: Create a sense of comfort.
Joe chuckled and started drinking his wine. I did a mental cheer. Yay!
We watched the game show, competing against each other. I continually refilled his glass as we laughed together at the stupid contestants, scooting a little closer to him each time I leaned forward to get his glass.
Step three: Initiate physical contact.
By the time we were watching reruns of Cheers, I knew Joe was ready. I had leaned against him during the last commercial break, and just handed him the bottle. "Finish this last bit."
"Are you trying to get me drunk?" he asked with a chuckle.
"No, I just drank a lot already. And you're a man – you have more tolerance than me."
"Sure," he said, humoring me. "We've only been trying to finish this off for an hour." He gave me a look like he knew what I was doing, but then drank the last of the wine anyway.
"So …" I said slowly. "I think I might just sleep on you. You're pretty comfortable." I snuggled into him, placing my hand on his stomach.
Joe shifted a little, and I was glad he couldn't see the grin spreading across my face.
"Can we turn off the TV? We can just talk for a little while."
He didn't answer, but he did click the television off, leaving us in a darkened room. "What should we talk about?" he asked quietly.
I could see that he was holding the bottle against his knee, rocking it back and forth. A nervous tick. Good.
"I don't know. We don't have to talk," I said softly, the whole time tracing my finger along his t-shirt, enjoying the feel of his hard abs underneath the thin fabric.
"Okay," he almost whispered. "What then?"
I sat up enough to look into his eyes, but not enough to lift my body from his side. I slowly walked my fingers over his abs and then reached and took the bottle from his hand, smiling mischievously. I sat it on the end table, having to practically crawl over him to set it down. Shifting back, I let my hair brush against his face. Lust filled his dark eyes when I turned to look at him, and I rejoiced silently.
"We could …" I breathed against him, and I felt his hand ghost across the small of my back. I quickly leaned in and kissed him.
Joe practically froze the moment our lips touched. The only indication that he enjoyed it was his hand gripping my shirt. I licked my lips and closed in again, stopping when our lips were just barely grazing each other. "Don't make me do everything, Joe."
Joe studied me for a moment, clearly debating about where this was going to lead. I don't think he trusted that I really wanted things to go all the way so I shifted my body, allowing my breasts to brush against him. That's all it took for Joe because he quickly pulled my face to him and kissed me. It wasn't gentle at all, and I loved every second of it. My heart was beating faster and faster, and the ache between my legs started to cloud all my thoughts. All I wanted was to be closer to him. Without even breaking the dance our tongues were tangled in, I hoisted my leg up and over him. Joe groaned into my mouth as I settled onto his lap. I gasped loudly once I felt him rubbing against me.
We continued our little make out session for quite some time before Joe began trying to undress me. As much as I wanted to never stop what we were doing, I also wanted to have the freedom of a locked door.
"Joe, we need to move this upstairs," I pleaded to him, sucking on his earlobe and earning a forceful squeeze on my butt.
He pulled back quickly and shook his head. Blinking his eyes a few times, he slowly started straightening my shirt.
Absolutely not. He was not going to stop this. "Please, Joe," I whispered against his throat. Slowly, I traced my tongue from his Adam's Apple up to his jaw.
"Oh, God," he moaned and then quickly picked me up and started towards the stairs.
I continued my kisses all the way to the room, not wanting him to be distracted for one moment.
He pushed me against the door once it was closed. "You feel so good," he mumbled into my neck.
"Lock the door."
"Mm-hmm." He continued to grind against me, but I noticed he also reached down and locked the door.
Joe didn't waste any time once we were on the bed. He practically ripped his shirt off and kicked off his jeans. I simply lay back on my elbows and enjoyed the show. He was so beautiful. So so beautiful. If anything, he was better than I remembered. His time in the military had taken him to a whole new level. And clearly he had become a man, his shoulders broader, his torso thicker. His chest inked with a tattoo? Unfortunately, I would have to save that for later. I couldn't afford to stop this again.
I sat up and slowly removed my shirt and pants, enjoying every second of the happily dazed look on Joe's face.
He stalked over to me and smiled. "You are so beautiful."
"Kiss me."
He slowly pulled me to my knees and leaned down to give me the sweetest kiss. But somewhere in the back of my mind this was starting to feel like something else. This was supposed to be just a way for me to get some closure. That's it.
I fell back onto the bed and pulled him down with me. Joe's warm hands began exploring my body, removing my bra and panties. I returned the favor, happy that things were progressing again. It felt so good to have his hard body pressing against me. His skin was smooth and tan, making my own look so pale in comparison. I reveled in his touch, his mouth moving slowly down my body. But he was taking so much time, I just wanted him in me.
"Joe, I need you now!"
He chuckled, but only continued his languid and tortuous path.
"Joe, get your ass up here and fu-"
"Steph, shut up," he interrupted with a sexy smirk. "Let me do what I do best. We have plenty of time for that. I promise you won't regret it later."
Well, he did have a point. But I just wanted to get laid. "Please," I begged him.
He suddenly sat up on his knees and gave me a frown. "What does this mean, Stephanie?"
"What does what mean?" I knew exactly what he was talking about, but I didn't know if I wanted him to know.
He sighed. "It's too soon."
"What?"
Did he actually think I was the one being taken advantage of?
I moved to my knees so that we were directly facing each other. "Joe, I know what I am doing."
"Do you?"
A part of me actually considered his question. Was having sex with another man really going to make me get over Dickie? Maybe not, but I just couldn't bear the thought of Dickie being the last person I had been intimate with. I needed to do this. And as soon as possible.
"Make me forget. Erase him from me."
He traced a finger down my cheek, a sad smile on his face. "If only I could."
I am a terrible person, I thought to myself - even though I had no intentions of stopping.
"Joe," I said softly. "I think only you can."
His eyes met mine, a fierce look of determination in them. "I can't make you forget, but I can make you remember."
Before I could process just what that meant, Joe had done exactly what I had wanted. He attacked my mouth before shamelessly manipulating my body to face away from him and onto my knees. His fingers quickly prepped me before he slid home, gaining a deep groan from both of us. He pulled my body up against his, his hands roaming from my breasts to where we were joined, his mouth worshipping my neck and shoulders. He was rough and demanding, but not to the point where I didn't like it. He made me scream out, only to cover my mouth with his hand, whispering the dirty things he would be doing to me all through the night.
Just when I was sure he would be joining me in my euphoric high, he gently laid me down. He smirked at me once again before reaching over to the nightstand and grabbing a condom.
"We have a bad habit."
I laughed, completely blissed out and not even upset by the fact that we had once again forgotten to use a condom. Joe leaned over and kissed me as he rolled the condom on. I closed my eyes and just enjoyed the magic of his mouth as he mapped his way up my body. When he finally pushed into me, I was beyond sensitive and moaned loudly. He was already taking me over the edge again, without even trying. I looked up at his face, briefly remembering how much I loved the way he looked during sex. He lowered his face to mine once more and stared into my eyes. Smiling softly, he slowed his pace and waited for me to relax.
"Tu sei il mio cuore. Tu sei la mia casa." He kissed me gently, and stilled completely. "Ricordati di me. Ricordati di questo. Ricordo il nostro amore." He slowly began rocking into me, picking up the pace as he shifted my hips to a better angle. His kisses started on my face before trailing down my neck and chest.
He groaned loudly, pushing his forehead into my chest, then suddenly shifted back up to my face. Our eyes locked once more, and I knew Joe was ready to take us both all the way. I had no idea what he had said, but the look in his eyes spoke volumes. They were shining with such pure adoration. I couldn't remember the last time I felt so loved.
Oh God. Love? This is not what I wanted to happen!
While my mind began racing, my body jumped into overdrive, forcing all thoughts about love out of my mind. Joe never broke his steady gaze as he masterfully worked me over. I was completely at his mercy. Within minutes I once again came undone, and he followed me almost immediately.
Joe snuggled up behind me, pulling me to his chest. He nuzzled into my neck and kissed me gently.
Part of me wanted to leave. But a very small part of me was enjoying the illusion of us actually being happily together. I glanced over at the clock and realized that Sophia would be up in just a few more hours. Without putting too much thought into it, I decided to stay.
"Sophia will be up early," I said softly, suddenly aware that my curious little girl probably could have heard all the moaning from a few minutes before.
"I know. I'll set the alarm early. She never bothers me before 8 when she stays over." He leaned away, turning to his alarm. "Is 7 okay?"
"I should just go –"
"No, don't. I want you to stay." I could hear him fussing with the clock. The little buttons clicking away as he set the alarm. He quickly rolled back over to me and pulled the comforter up over us. "Let's just enjoy this a little longer, okay?"
I wanted to argue, but as he wrapped his arms around me and stroked my arms, I just couldn't end it. This was a nice little fantasy, and I was exhausted.
.
The next thing I knew, the sun was shining through the curtains and Joe was kissing my neck again.
"That was a one-time deal, Joe," I said lightly.
He laughed softly. "Are you sure about that?"
"Um … yeah."
And yes, I was very sure. I couldn't wait to get away. In the light of day, I was already regretting my choice to sleep with Joe. He was dangerous – even if he didn't mean to be anymore. I knew that I was weak when it came to him – never mind that I just ended my engagement a month before!
I started to sit up, when he pulled me back.
"Wait. I'm almost done."
I gave him a funny look. "Whatever it is that you are doing … well, lets just say you've missed your mark."
He tilted his head back and shook his head, flashing me a bright white smile. "I don't miss my mark, Cupcake. I think I found it a few times last night."
Oh yeah. He did.
He tapped my chest. "I meant your gift."
I tried to look down to his finger when I felt him pull on something around my neck. I quickly placed my hand on top of his and felt the cool metal of a locket. "What is this?"
"The rest of your Mother's Day gift." He smiled sweetly and then leaned in to kiss me.
I pulled away before he could deepen the kiss. "I'm going downstairs. I don't want to confuse her."
He slowly nodded, but I could see the gears already turning in his mind. I gave him a smile, but I could barely fake it.
"Thank you, for the locket," I mumbled through my shirt as I slid it over my head. I yanked my pants on so fast I almost fell over. I looked over at Joe, who was sitting on the bed with his arms crossed. "I'll see you in a little while."
He gave me a small smile. "Okay."
Less than two hours later and breakfast was mostly filled with Sophia babbling excitedly about her favorite zoo animals. Until she noticed my necklace.
"Oh, Mommy! That's the necklace Daddy got you."
"Oh yeah." I placed my hand at my throat again and gave her a cheesy smile. "Isn't it pretty?" I had looked at it in the bathroom mirror. It was a simple gold and silver locket with an intricate "S" engraved on the front of it. It actually was exactly what I would have picked. It also had a picture of Sophia on the inside.
"Why didn't you give it to her with me, Daddy?"
"Well," Joe hesitated. "You fell asleep and I had to give it to her before Mother's Day was over."
"Oh yeah. I was really sleepy last night." She shrugged and then turned back to her pancakes.
.
Once Sophia was happily on her way to the zoo with the Morelli gang, I did my best to leave as well.
"Stephanie, we need to talk."
"About what?"
"About what?" he said to himself softly, followed by a sigh. "Did I make a mistake last night?"
"Well, I'm not complaining," I said saucily. "You have no need to worry, Joe. Your reputation in bed is still very much intact."
"Don't start with me, Stephanie."
"Don't start what? The truth?" I threw my hands up and jutted my hip for added effect. "I thought you considered me a friend?" His frown softened briefly, but I wasn't done. "Isn't that what you do with your friends?"
"My God! Will you ever let me live down that conversation?" He stormed across the room, pacing back and forth in front of his T.V. "That's me – just looking for a good time."
"Well –"
"I couldn't possibly want more from someone. I am a fucking Morelli after all."
"You're the one who likes to sleep around, Joe." He turned abruptly, eyes narrowed and nostrils flared. "Why shouldn't I get to enjoy your skills when everyone else does?"
I knew the moment I said it that it was a mistake. First the color drained from his face only to come back in full force. He strode across the living room and stood right in front of me.
"That's all I'm good for, right, Stephanie? A good fuck?" His eyes were like black marbles as he leaned over me.
I don't know what possessed me, but I stood up straight and very calmly replied. "Yes."
For a split second, I wanted to take it back. It was probably the second biggest lie I had ever told in my life – the first obviously being the one about Rick being Sophia's father. Joe practically staggered back from me. He looked so hurt, and I realized that it was the first time I had seen him like that. All those years of wishing I could make him hurt like I had, and I didn't feel at all better. In fact, I felt disgusted. With myself. For just everything.
"I still plan on having Sophia on Wednesday night," he said steadily. "I will talk to you later."
He practically pointed to the front door, and I didn't need to be told twice so I left.
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First, I have no idea if the lemon is any good. I've not written a ton of them.
I spent a ridiculous amount of time researching one of the Italian phrases so see if the meaning would translate correctly. Yet, I still probably didn't get it all right. So if you are fluent in Italian and want to shoot me the corrections, I will fix it. And Thanks! Here is roughly what Joe said:
You are my heart. You are my home. Remember me. Remember this. Remember our love.
What did you think of the morning after? Did it go how you expected? I'm considering a short Joe POV about this next part of the story. Let me know if you are interested. I haven't quite fleshed it all out but it is started. It would probably appear after the next chapter.
Reviews please!
