I Think I'm In Trouble

LXIX.

"Look, Jess!" Barbara exclaimed when he entered the foyer. "Isn't she perfect?" she stood up to meet her husband.

"Perfect!" he rolled his eyes as he tossed a bag down. "Yes," he turned to his daughter, "she is beautiful, Stephanie," he told his daughter subtly and softly.

"Thank you, daddy," Stevie smiled.

"So where is everyone?" her mother asked now reconnecting with reality.

"The boys are out. And Shannon is... I don't know. She is not under this roof anymore," she chuckled.

"She moved?" Jess asked. He was proud of that—he'd known his oldest granddaughter to want to do better so that made him happy.

"Yeah, she moved out about four months or so ago. She's happy and you know what I'll give her a ring," she patted her dad on the back. She wanted Shannon to come over, since she didn't want to be interrogated by her mother about anything since the last she saw her. The last time she had seen her was last August—when her husband died almost a year ago. She didn't want to be taken down past roads and memories. And she knew her mother had a tendency to bring up things—not always happy, even if she didn't mean to. She also did not wish to be questioned about Lindsey. She hadn't really told her parents that they were together. She had mentioned he was staying with them, but she never went into detail and she knew the following weeks were going to be catching up. Stevie was also happy that her parents were down since they would be taking over the house and watching out for things.

"Where are you going, TeeDee? The phone is there," her mother pointed out as her daughter was traveling the stairs.

"Mm, that phone isnt working," she lied. "I have to use the one in my room." She did not want her parents hearing her whine about them to her daughter. Making her way she raced to the phone and dialed Michael's cell phone, since she knew that was always on her daughter's person.

"Hello?" Shannon answered.

"Hey, what are you doing?" she asked in a haste.

Shannon looked at Michael by her side and didn't know what to say and she sure as hell wasn't going to say what she was doing with him prior. He was asleep beside her and she was in her own world with him even before that. "Uh, just chilling. Why?"

"Well, I need you here. Your grandparents are here—way early than they should have, in my opinion and I need to finish cleaning the guest room and all that shit."

"Where are the boys?" she asked, not really ready to part with the king size bed.

"They're out. I sent them out so I could clean up. I still have to clean Lily's room—there are toys everywhere."

"She's a baby," Shannon responded sympathetically.

"Yes—I know that, you know that—your grandmother doesn't care."

"Okay. But yeah, I'll be over," she assured. She knew exactly how the 'mother' thing went. Her mother was the same as her grandmother.

"Thank you, doll. Michael is off?" she asked.

"Yeah..." she trailed off in confusion.

"Good, bring him with you—so you don't get bored."

"Okay," she chuckled. "See ya later," she hung up the phone. Pulling the sheets off of herself she made her way to the restroom to shower and get cleaned up. She would wake Michael after getting out of the shower.

After some time, she turned the water off and made her way out of the batbroom. She had scrunch dried her hair and done most of her makeup.

"Hey?" Michael's voice caught her attention.