Spark Into a Flame

Pippa

Joey was home at her curfew Friday night thankfully so we didn't have to worry about hounding her or lecturing her. Hopefully now that she understood Lin and I supported her relationship with Elliott but just didn't want her sleeping over she'd play by the rules. She slept in on Saturday and had a game in the afternoon.

After breakfast I went back into my bedroom to finish getting ready and heard some rustling in my closet. I furrowed my eyebrows and opened the door. There I found Alex, climbing the shelves, trying to get to her dress box.

"Alex!" I called to her, gripping under her armpits to get her down. She held on.

"I want to try on my dress again!" she told me. I sighed.

"Then you need to ask," I told her. "You don't just barge in and climb the shelves. They could break."

"I wanna show Daddy!"

She finally let go and I set her on the floor. "You may try it on one more time before we go to the seamstress, but that's it. I do not want it getting ruined. Understand?"

She nodded and beamed as I got the box down from the top shelf. The kid was obsessed with this dress. It was funny because she wasn't a big wearer of dresses, like Joey. Both were somewhat tomboys. She clapped as I walked it to the bed and opened it. I helped her into it and then she ran down the hallway to find Lin.

I sighed and walked down the hall to join them, hearing Lin compliment her.

"It's beautiful," he told her. "And you've got to take good care of it, right?"

"Uh-huh," she agreed, swishing her dress from side to side.

"Alright, kid," I told her. "Let's go take it off and put it away."

"No!" she told me. I sighed and looked at Lin. Lately she'd been picking all kinds of battles and it was getting exhausting.

"Alexandra," Lin had a warning tone to his voice. "Listen to your mother."

"She's not my mom," she said, hands on her hips. That hurt. I opened then closed my mouth, not sure what to say as Lin looked at me sympathetically. I just turned and walked back to my room to let Lin handle it.

I went into the bathroom and began to brush my teeth. It was never a secret that the younger two kids weren't ours. We were always open with them about their parents and how much they were loved. Lin and I wanted to keep their memories alive. Alex called us Mommy and Daddy now, so to hear her say I wasn't her mother was a slap in the face.

I heard Lin coaxing Alex to take the dress back off in our bedroom and then the rustle of it being placed in the box. Alex ran off and I heard Lin approach the bathroom as I rinsed my mouth. As I stood up he came to stand behind me, hands on my hips.

"Don't take it personally," he told me, meeting my eyes in the mirror. "She's trying to push your buttons."

"Well, she's succeeding," I told him, shoving my toothbrush back in the holder. "I don't get what's up with her lately."

Lin pressed a kiss to my shoulder. "I don't know," he agreed. "But I think it's just a phase. This family tree project has brought feelings up and we need to help her deal with them."

"I think we should send her to a therapist," I told him, turning around. His eyes searched my face, patiently listening. "Her behavior's been worse lately too. The arguing, the running away. This can't continue."

"I agree," he said, his hands snaking around me to rest at my back. "I think it could help."

I nodded and he kissed me. "I'll call Monday," I decided. "I'll ask around for recommendations."