An Imperfect Love Story - Book 8

New Mornings

STEF POV

Breakfast was a different thing nowadays since Lena and I had split up. In fact, all meals were, and in the beginning it felt very strange with her absence and the kids barely spoke. Callie always did, of course, but Corey pushed his food around his plate, and Frankie refused to come to the table. It was often a fight to just get her to sit with us, and sweet little Jude sat there oblivious to it all eating his current favorite meal, a waffle, and at times smiling.

Dinner was pretty much the same, and I had changed my hours to make sure I was home to eat with my children when they got home from school, and sometimes I'd have to ask Callie to start something or my mother did since she absolutely refused to leave which was something I wanted her to do. But if I was honest maybe I didn't want her to leave early on because I was so damn lonely, depressed and just feeling like the world had collapsed on me that it took everything in me to get out of bed and everything in me not to drink, even to the point my mother took the mouthwash and dumped it.

I had not taken one sip of alcohol, but I'd lie if I didn't say I didn't have a few breakdowns about my marriage being over. As embarrassing as it was I had one at work in the car with Mike, I had one in the middle of the grocery store, I had one in front of Stefanie where my mother grabbed me and took me in the bathroom and held me for what felt like hours. I even had one over a roast I burnt because Lena was such an amazing cook and never let that happen. I had one when I saw how the closet only had my clothes in it, and how the bathroom had no more lotions, shampoos, makeup and hair products. It had hit me like a ton of bricks at some point, and I had been grateful to sell that damn house. Very, as I head into the kitchen fully dressed for work seeing Stefanie making some toast as Jude sits at the table coloring.

"Morning, babies!" I kiss Jude on the top of his head as he looks up me smiling and I wink at him as Stefanie hands me a cup of coffee.

"Morning, Godmommy. I put coffee in your thermos too and with extra honey. I heard that honey was better for you than all that sugar. It's local," She smiles as I return it.

"Ahh thank you, love." I kiss the side of her head as I see her making some eggs and I grab the griddle tossing some bacon on it and pouring the kids some juice. "Everyone getting up?"

"Yeah. I woke Callie who woke Frankie who woke Corey. Jude and I got up together." She smiles as I set the table now and I see Callie sleepily walk in the kitchen for she was working at the bakery during the summertime along with Frankie and Corey.

Julius was still doing very well, both he and Philip, and I was grateful for him allowing our kids to continue to work there still, for it was a great help.

Jude was in a nice camp that Lena and I found a few weeks ago, and we know that he is loving it since last week was his first week attending. Friday afternoon he had come home with all of his drawings and grinned really big when he showed us the dog he drew which looked exactly like the dog at Gary and Marty's. That alone made Lena and I wonder if we should get him a dog and split it between our houses.

"Oh Godmom, can you give me a ride to work? I need to supervise with the ice cream the team is making," Stefanie asks as I place the bacon on a plate and sip my coffee.

"Sweets, I'd normally have no issue, but I need to be at work at 7:30 today. I can't take you, baby, but I can give you money for a cab."

"That's okay. I can walk," she says placing the eggs in the middle of the table as she smiles at me, and I ignore my mothers advice about the car for maybe right now wasn't the right time, and I glance at the clock seeing it is almost 7.

"Frankie, Corey, let's go! Move it!" I yell as I walk over to Callie and kiss the side of her head as she smiles at me and I hear the two of them head into the kitchen.