I Think I'm in Trouble {Reimagined}

LXVI.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, the singer sat like an adolecent in trouble, watching as her dad paced back and forth slowly while lecturing her about her actions.

Jess Nicks was a lenient man, but a faithful one nonetheless; he spoiled his daughter, but he also taught her values and even though he was happy to hear the truth, he definitely had an opinion about her affair and the long term effect it would have on his grandchildren.

"All I want to know is, do you have a plan?" he spun around, crossing his arms as he looked at her.

"Telling the truth was part of it..." she looked up from twiddling her thumbs. "You taught me to be honest, daddy, I was just being honest."

He sighed.

"This has been a really big mess and it only got worse. Shannon isn't here, have you noticed?" she wondered.

"Of course, she went back to Arizona to wrap up some things for school," he assured.

"No, she's avoiding me. Daddy, I know you can't be that in the dark about what's going on, I know mom told you about the situation between Shannon and Lindsey. I know that is a big reason you're so upset."

"I'm not upset, I'm just confused. All Shannon talked about was Lindsey, Lindsey, Lindsey. And suddenly she left just days before she knew you were to come home... I knew something was wrong, but I didn't think it was anything like this."

She sighed.

"Then Robert mentioned you were pregnant and things seemed fine, but to know now you've not even been stable with your husband and you're having a baby from somebody else, telling the kids everything..."

"I couldn't keep lying to my children," she shook her head. "I was saying nothing but the truth; Robert and I haven't been together in a very long time. I withdrew so far back after rehab and because I was timid, he thought I had changed and he wanted me to be something I wasn't. It's taken time to develop who I really am, and the one person who knows me better than I know myself is Lindsey. I called him to help me with music and suddenly, our friendship found us and we had each other emotionally again..." she stood up, facing the corner of the room as she described such things.

He simply listened.

"It's really all it was. But when Jeffrey left, I couldn't function. My son joining the army was not in my cards and Robert was just as upset that he stayed away from me. He didn't hug me and tell me everything was going to be okay. He told me to just be proud, it is what it is because he didn't know how to cope and then he went to work. I went to work. Lindsey was the one who told me it would all be okay."

"I understand that, I'm not mad at you," he mentioned, settling his hand on her shoulder as he gently pulled her to face him.

She looked at him, tears in her eyes as she chewed her bottom lip.

"I just needed to be clear on what was going on..."

She nodded.

"So, in that case... Where does Shannon fit?"

She sighed and mentioned the brief argument that she and Lindsey had had prior to the guitarist meeting Shannon that evening without recognizing her. She then explained how she lied, but how it turned into so much more later down the line, to that point in time.

"What I don't get is why she is so upset? She went on two more dates, with two other men amid this whole thing?"

"Beats me, daddy, I don't know. I..." she sighed. "I'm just trying not to stress out so much, mom told me she would talk to her. But the reason I am being so open about everything now is that Ruth knows."