Chapter Eleven
Stacey turned her car onto Beachwood Street. Her creative writing class invigorated her. It was the second Thursday of the class and she had begun teaching the students one of her favorite parts of writing. Story plotting. She loved that process in her own writing, and seeing all the students’ creative juices flowing was fun. She was eager to get home and spend some time working on her new novel.
Still a good two hours before Ren got home from work.
It had been five blissful days since she’d agreed to give them a chance.
He’d stuck to his guns about the no sex rule despite her efforts to derail him. Truth be told, she enjoyed it. She’d relish the sex, too, but talking to him, laughing, and just being themselves was fun. Taking the physical aspect of their relationship out of the equation allowed her to feel more confident about her decision to move forward and reassured her about his reasoning for wanting to move forward. He was a lot smarter on relationships than he gave himself credit for.
He hadn’t spent the night with her. Tempting fate, that’s what he called it. But he stopped over every night after work eager to tell her about the newest project he worked on and how much he learned that day. His enthusiasm was contagious. He reciprocated with a listening ear for her day and played an integral part in crafting the main character to her new romance novel. She was having more fun than she’d thought possible. Unlike her ex, he respected her career and showed genuine interest in what she did. This dating thing wasn’t so bad after all.
She turned into her driveway, threw the car into park, and climbed out. Her mind had been so consumed with how good things had been going that she hadn’t noticed Shannon sitting on the front porch steps. Apprehension percolated through her and her heart dropped into her belly. She hadn’t seen Shannon or Jay since before she’d agreed to give her relationship with Ren a-go. Stacey had no idea what their reaction would be.
“Hi Shannon,” Stacey said in almost a whisper, walking the pathway to where she sat. Stacey’s purse and attaché swung from her shoulder.
“Hi. I thought maybe we should talk.” Shannon scooted over on the stairs to make room.
“Did you want to come in?” She climbed the three steps to the front door. “I’d like to set my stuff down inside.” She pushed the door open. Shannon rose from her spot and walked in behind Stacey.
She placed her things on the floor near her desk in the den and led the way into the kitchen.
“Can I get you something to drink?” She opened the fridge and pulled out a pitcher of iced tea. “It’s not sweetened, but I do have sugar.” She set the pitcher on the island countertop and grabbed two tall glasses for the tea.
Her mind raced a mile a minute. This was the same place she and Ren christened on their first sexual encounter. Her face flushed. She was nervous about this conversation to begin with, particularly since the last time they came face-to-face she’d received a slap. Knowing she was sharing a drink with Shannon in the same place she and Ren had sex had uncomfortable written all over.
“Sure. I’ll have tea. Sugar not necessary.” Shannon’s voice was strained but light.
Stacey dropped ice in each glass and poured the tea. She slid one of them across the granite island.
“I owe you an apology,” Shannon said. She slid her fingers through her hair and tucked it behind her ear “I had a suspicion Ren had a crush on you for some time. Whenever he was home, he’d talk about you constantly. And I knew if he wasn’t out with Tyler and the guys, I’d find him over here. It never dawned on me it could be more than a crush.”
“No apology necessary. Your surprise was normal.” She lifted her glass and took a sip of the slightly bitter tea. She would even go as far to say that Shannon’s reaction was normal. She’d learned her twenty-three-year-old son was sleeping with her neighbor. A little surprise and anger was expected. Stacey would have been shocked if she hadn’t been upset.
“I was upset when I suspected there was something going on between you two. He’d come home that one afternoon practically floating on air with a smile plastered on his face. And then you were high-tailing it to your sister’s. I hadn’t put two-and-two together right away.” Shannon smiled tightly. “That night, Jay found him hanging outside on your porch waiting for you. He was on edge the next couple days. I couldn’t figure out why, but I caught him looking out the front windows constantly in what I now know was in search of you.”
Stacey sipped her iced tea. Guilt fluttered through her. She’d left without a single word to Ren that day. Though she’d suspected her leaving caused him some distress, Ren had never told her that he sat on her porch waiting. Her chest restricted on hearing these revelations. Looking back, her reaction had been unfair.
“A couple days later, I saw him park his Jeep in our driveway and wander over here,” Shannon continued. “I rolled around in bed all night, waiting for him to come home. When he didn’t, I knew for sure.” She inhaled deeply and released the breath in a whoosh. “He will always be my baby. Over the years, I kind of looked at you as more like me, forgetting our age difference. So, it caught me off guard.” She gulped her iced tea as if parched, then set the glass on the counter. “I shouldn’t have slapped you.” The words burst from her lips. Obvious this wasn’t an easy conversation for Shannon, either.
“I understand your reaction.”
“I appreciate that.” Shannon twisted her glass on the counter before looking at Stacey. “I understand you and Ren are seeing each other. I’ve never seen him happier.”
“He’s amazing.” Stacey tilted her head in recognition of Shannon’s assistance in making Ren that way. “He’s kind. Respectful. Considerate. Loving. I thought our age difference was insurmountable. I thought I’d never be able to trust a man again after being so duped by Randy. Ren never gave up on me.”
Shannon rimmed her glass with the tip of her finger.
“I didn’t fall in love with Ren to get back at Randy. Or to try to anger or upset you or Jay. It was just as big of a surprise to me. I kept telling myself this can’t happen. But it did.”
“I want him happy. He’s my son and he means the world to me. You make him happy. I’ve never seen him this way. Is this how I pictured things? No. But life never seems to let you imagine things too long before snapping you out of the thought that you might actually be in control.” She tucked a few wisps of hair out of her face behind her ear. “You’re a wonderful person, Stacey. My feelings about the situation had nothing to do with you as a person. I hope you know that. It’s hard for me to let go of him. Sometimes I look at him and still see that little eight-year-old boy asking me to help him build Legos.”
“I want him happy, too.” Stacey smiled. “I can’t begin to imagine what it feels like to raise a child knowing at some point you have to let them go and just hope you’ve done your best work.” She fidgeted with her glass, turning it in a circle on the counter. Her chest tightened with emotion. She didn’t know the feeling of being a mother, but she wanted to. At some point, maybe she’d have the opportunity with Ren. “I’m sure it’s a mix of emotion. If it helps at all, you and Jay have done a remarkable job with him.”
Shannon nodded in acknowledgment. “I know it’s taken me a while to work through all this. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel awkward about it, but for the sake of everyone’s happiness, I want to make it work. Over time I think we’ll all adjust.”
“That means a lot. It really does.” Agreeing to a relationship with Ren meant agreeing to be part of his life, which included his family. If Shannon didn’t want her around, refused to talk to her or Ren, how would things ever work out between them? She and Ren already had enough obstacles to work through. His mother disliking her or refusing to speak to her would be one of the toughest. Her chest warmed with the effort Shannon displayed today.
Shannon sipped the last of her tea, then walked over to the sink to set the glass in the basin.
“I’m glad we had this talk.” She turned on her heels and smiled. “I hope you and Ren will come to dinner on Sunday. Talk with him and let me know. Enjoy your evening.” Shannon fluttered out of the kitchen and out the front door.
Contentment filled her. Though she and Ren had their obstacles and there would be trying times like any relationship, things were beginning to fall into place and she couldn’t be happier.