An Imperfect Love Story - Book 8

The Parade

LENA POV

As I drive up to Stef's little home I was actually excited to head to the 4th of July parade. Well, part of me was anyway, considering it was just a date that always stuck out in my head considering it was almost my birthday and around the time that I had asked Stef to marry me. In a sense it also really brought me back to our life in New York City one that at times I tended to miss and I knew Frankie still did as well.

Even if our apartment was tiny for the amount of people that lived in it, it in some sense was a reminder of a different time in our lives. A time when Stef and I started to lived together and began our lives as a couple. A time when she took me out to eat even if it was just simple take out, a time when she loved on me and supported my career by taking me to museums and buying me art books and a few supplies.

It was just a different time in our relationship but even then it wasn't perfect, and I knew Stef had a problem with alcohol but I didn't want to admit it.

Nowadays things were just so different that in some sense it felt like that time of our lives in New York City was lead by different people. But that wasn't the case and well I personally felt like a different person.

After having another amazing date with Denni where she took me to another wonderful restaurant in Pacific Beach, we had gone back to her place and made out a bit more and it was then I decided to head to LA with her for the big gallery show. I had no idea how I was going to ask Stef if she could sit with the kids a few extra days because if I was honest I didn't know how that was going to go over, plus me being me I had waited until the last minute.

I knew our talk had not been easy and I think the fact that we had really, really ended things at this point, that decision nearly ripped the both of us in half to some degree. I had cried in the car for at least an hour after leaving her home and I wasn't even sure how I was going to face the kids after that conversation where Stef and I agreed to just be friends and leave it at that. I did face them though and plastered on a happy smile while my insides were crying.

Was the whole dating idea a bad idea? Probably so, and I'm sure it might have blown up in my face and actually made my relationship with Stef even worse because it was apparent she didn't like Denni and was, well, jealous of her. I can't even fault her for that because obviously I had my own stints with jealousy and it's never been a pleasant thing. Ever.

As I exit my car I head up the small walkway seeing the front screen door open. I step inside as I see Sharon throw her hands up in the air heading towards me with a sense of relief on her face.

"Lord, you are the person we need. Please go help my stubborn daughter, because Lord knows she won't listen to ANYONE! Not even her children. She's all in a tizzy about this parade! Girl set off the smoke detector from all that smoking! Jesus Lord! She is going to kill her lungs and us at the same time!" Sharon waves her hands as she shakes her head and wipes her brow.

"Really?" I laugh softly as I kick off my sandals and walk towards her room as I hear music being played loudly from the girl's room.

"Everything okay in here?" I smile as I see Stefanie, Callie and Frankie doing their makeup and hair and sometimes I forgot how grown up these girls are. Goodness are they ever as I see Jude happily sitting beside Stefanie playing with a puzzle.

"Hi, Mama!" Callie jumps up to hug me as Frankie is sitting at the girls little vanity table putting on mascara as Stefanie is tying her red converse.

"How are you, honey? It's nice to see you baby." I smile as I run my fingers down her long french braid.

"Good! BUT! You probably better go see Mom. She's a mess in her room and told us to leave her the hell alone even after she burnt her parade uniform shirt with the iron. We tried to help her but you know how she is. She's not having it." Callie laughs as she sits back on her bed and picks up her makeup bag.