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Post by heroicmuse on Aug 19, 2015 18:01:24 GMT -5
Awww yay for the sweet Magic scene!
I really really liked Philip's conversation with Victor. Their relationship here is pretty similar to how I envision it.
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Post by Kpatch on Aug 19, 2015 19:25:58 GMT -5
I felt bad for Philip not getting to formally meet Ava like they planned. Stephanie must be disappointed too after all the build up. I guess seeing a family made Philip wistful and that's why he called Victor. If they do go to Thanksgiving, it will be awkward with Philip and Daniel and Parker — and Stephanie after she is the one who revealed the double switch.
Philip is taking mass transportation??? I'm going to faint.
Great interactions! I love this story.
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Post by unavitasegreta on Aug 20, 2015 18:43:48 GMT -5
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Where’d Grandma’s friend go?” Ava asked.
“He had to go home,” Kayla told her.
“Why?”
“He had other plans.”
“Why didn’t he say good-bye?” Ava asked.
“Maybe he forgot,” Kayla suggested.
“Is he Mommy’s friend too?” she asked.
“He is,” Kayla told her before changing the subject. “I hear you went to the American Girl store. Did you find the Samantha doll?” Ava nodded. “Did you know your mom had that same one when she was your age?”
“‘Cause she’s old?”
Kayla laughed. The idea of her daughter being old was hard to imagine. But she certainly wasn’t a little girl anymore. She was now a mother herself. It seemed like only yesterday she was holding her own daughter in her lap and now here she was with a grandchild who was growing up just as fast as her mother had.
“Mom, you okay?” Stephanie asked, sitting down next to them. She then looked at Ava, “and I’m not old!”
“Did Mommy tell you I’m gonna be a big sister?” Ava asked.
Kayla’s eyes widened. “What? Mommy is having a baby?”
“No, no, no! Not now. Later. Way later. Way, way later!”
Ava frowned. “If I have a sister, she can be Elsa! And you said I can have a brother!”
“I did not!” Stephanie argued with her.
“Did too!” Ava retorted.
“No, I didn’t! Stop saying that I did!”
“You did,” Ava insisted. “You said he likes Frozen!”
Kayla laughed, amused by their banter.
“It’s going to be a long time before you have a sister,” Stephanie stated.
“Why?” Ava asked.
“Because Mommy isn’t married and you have to get married before you can have a baby.”
Ava looked from her mother to her grandmother for confirmation. “You do?”
Kayla nodded.
“That’s what my daddy told me,” Stephanie added.
“Is Grandpa coming?” Ava asked.
“Not this time,” Kayla replied.
“Tomorrow?” she asked.
“No, not tomorrow either,” Kayla answered, laughing at Ava’s persistence.
“Can we do face talk?” Ava suggested.
Kayla looked at Stephanie. “Your father does video chat?”
Stephanie shrugged. “He’s started calling Ava once a week.”
“Wow,” Kayla mused. “When was this?”
“Not too long ago,” Stephanie guessed. “It makes her happy that someone calls to talk to her.”
Kayla looked back at Ava. “Well, aren’t you a lucky girl!”
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Post by heroicmuse on Aug 20, 2015 19:23:35 GMT -5
Awww what a sweet scene! I am a sucker for all things Ava even if she does act like a brat sometimes. LOL. Wonder what Kayla feels about the fact that Steve has a FaceTime relationship with Ava and Stephanie that she doesn't seem to know about.
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Post by Kpatch on Aug 20, 2015 20:25:46 GMT -5
LOL at the Face Talk. And Kayla's reaction to hearing that Ava and Steve video chat.
Ava is so single minded. She's okay with mom having a guy friend as long as it gets her a sibling or too. I loved Stephanie's explanation that you have to be married first. I was amused by the banter, just like Kayla. You write Stephanie so well!
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Post by phloeforever on Aug 21, 2015 13:26:14 GMT -5
while i like kpatch stories about phloe, you also write well would you consider writing a story for phloe.
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Post by fluffysmom on Aug 21, 2015 21:14:12 GMT -5
I didn't realize I was several days behind in reading.
I'm glad Philip called Victor. I enjoyed Kayla and Philip's conversation. Ava is very focused on getting a couple of siblings. I liked her telling Kayla that Stephanie is going to have a baby.
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Post by unavitasegreta on Aug 21, 2015 21:15:34 GMT -5
I didn't realize I was several days behind in reading. I'm so tired I forgot to post tonight, lol! You just made me realize that. Oops. I'll go do that now... |
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Post by unavitasegreta on Aug 21, 2015 21:19:20 GMT -5
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“I can’t believe you watched that movie with her twice,” Stephanie mused, swiping one of Ava’s toys off the couch and tossing it into an armchair so that she could sit down next to her mother.
Kayla scooted over and moved her feet to the ottoman. “It’s cute listening to her recite the dialog.”
“Yeah, until you’ve heard it so much you can repeat the lines with her,” she sighed.
“I bet she loves that.”
Stephanie pointed her finger at her mother. “Don’t you dare tell her! If she knew that, I’d have to watch it with her every time. I only get like 2 hours of peace a night when she’s watching the movie.”
“You were like that with Mary Poppins,” Kayla remembered.
“I don’t remember,” Stephanie stated, playing with the buttons on her blouse.
“Are we going to talk about Philip or dance around the subject?” Kayla asked, cutting to the chase.
Stephanie looked over at her mother. “What about him?”
“I don’t know. You tell me.”
“What do you want me to tell you?” she countered.
“Well, it seems like everyone knows about your relationship but me.”
“Seriously, Mom…”
Kayla ignored her tone. “Maggie and Victor came to Chicago for lunch. Ivy knew you were dating him again before I did. And Ava would have met him today had I not came over.”
“Mom, you’ve met Philip before,” Stephanie reminded her. “You’re friends with his step-mother. Your brother is his-.”
“I know how I’m connected to Philip,” she replied. “But that’s not what I’m talking about.”
“What are you talking about then?” Stephanie asked.
“Is it serious? If he’s going to meet Ava, then you must have thought about what a big event this is going to be for her.”
“Of course I did,” Stephanie defended herself.
“Ava’s never had a father figure in her life. You don’t want her to get attached to him unnecessarily.”
“So you think it’s not going to work out with Philip and I’m going to hurt Ava?”
“I didn’t say that!”
“That’s what you are implying…”
“Not at all,” Kayla told her. “I want you to be happy. If that’s with Philip, then I’m glad.”
“You are?”
“Yes.”
“You really mean that?” Stephanie pushed.
“Of course I do.”
“But you think it’s a bad idea for him to meet Ava right now?”
Kayla shook her head. “Only you know the answer to that.”
“Well, what do you think?”
“What I think doesn’t matter. Only you and Philip know. If you both thought today was a good idea, then I’m sure you’ve thought it through.”
“I kinda just sprang it on him,” Stephanie admitted. “Maybe it’s a good thing you came today.”
“Stop second-guessing yourself,” Kayla told her. “You’ve been a wonderful mother to Ava. Trust your instincts.”
Stephanie sighed, “it’s so hard, Mom. I have to make all the decisions and there’s no one to turn to when I don’t know what to do. I know I have you and Ivy and Grandma and everyone, but it’s not the same. You guys aren’t here with me every day for the little stuff that I don’t know what to do or how to answer. Or sometimes I think I know, but it’d just be nice to have someone else’s input. This isn’t how my life was supposed to go.”
“No one plans to lose a husband and be left to raise their child alone.”
Stephanie nodded, “it was just so … sudden. I wasn’t even with him when it happened, Mom. I never got to say good-bye or anything. And Ava doesn’t remember him at all. Philip is great and if our relationship lasts, I know he’ll be wonderful with Ava. But…”
“You’re afraid that she might lose him too?”
“Yeah, that’s definitely part of it,” Stephanie nodded.
Kayla scooted closer to her and wrapped her arm around her daughter. “You have no way of knowing what might or might not happen, sweetheart. You can’t live life afraid of the future.”
“You know what really scares me, Mom?”
“What is it, honey?”
“Part of me thinks that maybe this is what was meant to be for me. Philip and I just instantly hit it off. It’s like we left off where we stopped before. But this time we’re older and more mature.”
“Why are you afraid of that?” Kayla asked.
“What if I’m wrong?”
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Post by heroicmuse on Aug 21, 2015 22:49:51 GMT -5
I really loved this conversation. It was so authentic. Kayla was doing a tricky balancing act, trying to give her opinion without taking over making the decisions in Stephanie's relationship, and Stephanie is dealing with a lot of deep feelings and considerations. I was right there with them this whole chapter. Will there be previews unavitasegreta? (I hope the answer is YES) |
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Post by Kpatch on Aug 22, 2015 13:58:48 GMT -5
Very bittersweet chapter, especially because, when Stephanie was talking about having to make all the decisions alone, I was thinking of my friend who just lost her husband and will have to raise her 4 young children alone.
It was nice having a chapter to read on a Saturday. I'd love some previews too.
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Post by fluffysmom on Aug 23, 2015 9:52:40 GMT -5
I really enjoyed the mother and daughter conversation. I'm glad Stephanie opened up about her fears. I liked Kayla reminding her that she can't live her life fearing what might happen in the future.
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Post by unavitasegreta on Aug 23, 2015 20:54:13 GMT -5
I am late with previews, so instead I will be benevolent and post a chapter tonight.
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Post by unavitasegreta on Aug 23, 2015 20:58:35 GMT -5
Chapter Thirty
“So what do you think?” Maggie asked, sliding into the booth across from Kayla at the pub.
“I don’t know,” Kayla sighed, shaking half of a sugar packet into her coffee.
“They're happy together,” Maggie pointed out.
Kayla nodded. “Yeah, they do seem like it.” She picked up a swivel stick and stirred the coffee. “Well, I only saw them together for about sixty seconds, but Stephanie is happier in general than she’s been in a long time.”
“You seem apprehensive about this relationship…”
“To be honest, I’m not sure how I feel,” Kayla admitted.
“Are you unhappy that she’s dating Philip again?” Maggie asked.
“No.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“I just …” Kayla sighed. “I know he’s your step-son, but Philip has a track record when it comes to relationships. I don’t have to remind you what ended his marriage to Melanie. And it wasn’t all that different when he and Stephanie broke up. But Stephanie finally got her act together after she left Salem. She grew up.”
“You’re worried that they’ll break up again,” Maggie noted.
Kayla nodded. “I think she’s afraid of that too. I know Stephanie isn’t your favorite person, but Philip did move on to Melanie pretty quickly after he and Stephanie broke up. It’s clearly easier for him than her.”
“Stephanie moved on pretty quickly after she and Nathan broke up,” Maggie pointed out. “But they were kids back then, Kayla. Victor once told me that though they look like babies to us, they’re grown adults. He’s right. We have to let them make their own mistakes and just be there if things fall apart. But, for what it’s worth, I don’t think Philip and Stephanie are making a mistake this time.”
“It does seem different, doesn’t it?” Kayla noted.
Maggie nodded. “Victor said the same thing.”
Kayla looked across the table at her, holding her coffee mug in both hands. “He did?”
Maggie nodded again.
Kayla took a sip from her mug, then put it down on the table. “Well, I hope it’s true then. Ava has lost enough in her short life.”
“I’ve only seen a picture of her, but she looks cute.”
“I took a lot of pictures this past weekend…” Kayla smiled, pulling out her phone.
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Post by fluffysmom on Aug 23, 2015 21:22:05 GMT -5
Maggie seems to be putting Kayla more at ease with Stephanie and Philip's relationship. Thanks for the Sunday chapter unavitasegreta. |
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