With one leg crossed over the other and her hand resting in her lap, Stevie used the other to cradle her glass of red wine. "How's the chicken?" She wondered, having spent a moment eyeing the way Lola had pushed her food around her plate.
Glancing up at her mother, those blue eyes met the brown orbs that had been burning a hole into her. "It's dry." Lola mentioned, tossing her fork down on the glass dish ware to lean back in her seat.
She hadn't said two words to anyone that entire day- she didn't even say goodbye to her husband on the way out the door that morning. It was odd, but it wasn't unusual for her when she was going through something...
"I think it tastes pretty good, Stevie." Karen piped in, creasing a brow at the younger woman.
"Yeah, I think it's really good." Vivian had been quiet most of the day as well- it was pretty obvious that there was a thick tension in the air.
After a hectic morning with all three guys and Clancy leaving for the city, this awkward feeling washed over the remaining women, who spent most of the afternoon doing their own thing.
Lola, the baby and Cassidy all went back down to the beach, while Karen disappeared into town and Vivian helped Stevie make dinner, which was a highlight for both of them.
"Thank you," the blonde let off a subtle, but very weak smile.
"I can hardly swallow it." Lola added. "It's like eating a loaf of bread without water." Her eyes were still locked with her moms as she pushed herself out from under the long table, grabbing her plate once she was standing.
Stevie nodded her head softly, bringing her glass up to her lips to take a sip of the wine. "My sweet Lola." She chuckled lightly, using her free hand to shove her chair out as well.
Carrying her plate and her cup, Lola led the way into the kitchen, Stevie not far behind, unfortunately.
"Let's talk about it." She said in a low tone as soon as they were alone.
Setting the plate in the sink, Lola glanced back. "Talk about what?" She wondered with a really faint smirk.
She wanted her to say it out loud...
And suddenly, Stevie was looking into the eyes of her sixteen year old- the rebellious, harsh, strong and independent girl that she loved more than anything. "You're so smart..." she announced with a gentle nod. "So smart and so strong- willed." If there was one thing she adored about her oldest it was how tough she could be.
There was no one that got away with anything around Lola. She didn't tolerate much, and sometimes that didn't work in her parents advantage- that had been proven, but that didn't mean it wasn't a characteristic that she shouldn't be proud of.
"You've been lying to us for weeks, mom." Her voice was equally as quiet- she didn't want anyone in the dining room to hear either.
She would have never, ever- no matter how upset she was, make Vivian feel out of place in their family... Not on purpose.
After all, she didn't ask for this life, either.
"I was going to tell you." Stevie really was, she just didn't know when or how.
"It's not your responsibility to tell us..." she argued. "It's his." She emphasized, far more annoyed with her father than she'd ever been before. "You're not the one that-"
"I know." She cut her off mid-sentence, holding up a hand to silently tell her to lower her voice once more. "This has not been easy for us..." she admitted, brown eyes growing incredibly sad.
Pursing her lips to one side, she raised a brow lightly. "You're a stronger woman than I could ever be." She admitted with a light shrug and a simple shake of her head. "I would have left..." it was easier said than done, she knew that, but still.
"I've already forgiven him for what he did." She held a hand to her chest, voice a little shaky. "This is just one of the repercussions and..." she didn't want to say anything else, because she didn't want it to sound like she was saying that Vivian was an inconvenience in their life. "And I would really appreciate it if you wouldn't say anything to your sister, or-"
"Of course." Lola scoffed, shaking her head now in disbelief. "Always so worried about Clancy." She was annoyed, but she wasn't surprised... Stevie shielded her from everything bad in life.
"No, it's not like that." She was trying to defend herself, but her daughter wasn't having it.
"What about Crew?" She wondered. "It's okay for us to know, but it's not okay for Clancy to find out that her parents aren't the ideal mom and dad, with the perfect forty year marriage?" She could think of a lot more things to call them, but she was being kind, truly.
"Lola..." she let out a deep sigh, heart sinking into the pit of her stomach.
"Don't, mom." She pointed her index finger at her. "Don't pretend like it's not true that you're constantly protecting her and always throwing us to the wolves." That was truly how she had felt her entire life... Well, most of it, anyway.
"I've never meant to make you feel that way, honey." Stevie's heart was beating a mile a minute as thick tears filled the brims of her eyes.
Lola chuckled, turning back around to pour the rest of her drink down the drain. "It's kind of ironic, actually..." she lingered, knowing that she was about to really hit a nerve. "Just a replacement for Alli."
Stevie could have sworn she'd gotten the wind knocked out of her when those words left Lola's mouth. "Never." She mumbled as she brought a hand up to her face to hide how upset that had made her. "Don't say that." She added, looking at her with such a shocked expression written across her face.
Nodding softly, she shrugged. "Do you want me to cut this?" She asked causally as she motioned towards the strawberry cheesecake on the counter. "This actually looks pretty good." She added.
