Love Will Keep Us - Book 5

Mea Culpa

As the days pass, Stefanie was feeling terrible in regards to Callie choosing to live with Mike. She really was and it was really hard for her to understand why Stef had kicked her out. Maybe she didn't mean it like the other kids suggested and even though she had spoken to the blonde briefly over the phone a few times where Stef had made it clear that Callie was always welcome back, she still didn't see Callie moving back anytime soon. Especially not with the latest blowup Callie told her about.

Also based on the conversations she had with Callie over the past few days, the girl gave no indication that she was interested in moving back home either. Callie said she felt free, that she could breathe and was happy she no longer had to deal with her mother. Stefanie didn't fully buy it all but she had to admit she held back all that she was feeling inside, and she lacked the confidence to confide in her god mom as she once had.

It had been months since she confided in Stef the way she had before everything went to hell in New York. Yes, therapy had helped her, even the sessions her godmother attended with her. It seemed to be going ok but in Stefanie's mind it never was the same. It just wasn't. She knew she avoided her, and she knew she didn't talk to her like she once did. She knew all that, yet did she miss her? Yes, she did and maybe it was guilt for continuing to mess up, or the unresolved guilt from how she treated her back in New York , or maybe it was fear that Stef's anger would be directed towards her. That was never ever a fun thing which she had learned the hard way for she never thought she would be on the receiving end of that. But she was and it seemed she always would be now.

It was possible that Stefanie's diagnosed anxiety was a major part of it all, and she knew she needed to somehow fix this. But she just wasn't sure so she continued to dodge the blonde like crazy. Even with Tess encouragement to go out with her godmother, Stefanie found reasons not to every time.

As promised, Stef had reached out to the young girl to take her for ice cream cones and to talk which they needed to so badly. But once again Stefanie declined this time using the excuse of being punished for lying and sneaking. Stef of course knew that was a lie for she had spoken to Tess and Jerry who always gave her the okay to take the girl out. The blonde knew she would need to simply show up one day, since Stefanie would not stop dodging her for anything, and she was going to somehow put a stop to it, once and for all, even if it was a tricky thing. Stef didn't want to make Stefanie do anything she didn't wish to do, and she didn't want to force a relationship either.

Stefanie however would see Callie in school and feel even worse now that the girl stopped coming to the bakery since Frankie was icing her out. Big time and she was consumed with so much guilt for messing up this family that she took it upon herself to do every chore possible at Stef and Lena's home but only when Stef was not home. She also made sure that Lena wasn't home, but if she was, she'd choose chores where Lena wouldn't suspect a thing.

"I can iron Godmom's uniforms, Frankie. I don't mind seriously! If you need to catch up on homework or other chores." The girl offers as Frankie is slowly ironing one of Stef's uniform shirts. She didn't mind doing it but she was rather slow ironing one uniform a day even if Stef owned more then ten.

"I'm fine I can do it! It's my job and I like doing it!" Frankie smiles as Stefanie folds her arms over her chest.

"I know but I don't mind this once. Seriously. Let me, Franks."

"WElllll I do have other chores to do. So I guess you could finish this one. BUT! I iron Mama Dukes stuff a certain way on low heat! So don't mess it up or she will have me run more!"

"I won't. I swear."

Stefanie gladly took over the ironing, and by the time Frankie had come back from mopping the kitchen and the bathrooms, she was finished with all five uniforms and had them fully starched to perfection. "How do you do it? I don't get it!" Frankie admires all of the uniforms hung neatly in a row in Stef's closet.