Winter's Role, page 25
Stephanie looked at Jessie, who was standing there looking for all the world like a lost puppy. Suddenly afraid that they had scared her, she asked, “Are you okay, Jess?”
Jessie nodded, pulling her into a hug. For some reason, she felt like she needed the connection at the moment. “I’m fine, Sweetheart. Your brother’s fun. He always tease you like that?”
“Yeah, he’s always liked to pick on me. Vince does the same thing, only not quite as bad,” she answered, wrapping her arms around Jessie’s neck. “But watch out when they get together. When Rachel shows up, it’ll be boys against girls.”
“Should I be worried?” she asked, smiling.
“Nah. You’re included, though. No one gets left out when they get going.” She let go and pushed away. “We should get down there before they come looking for us again.”
Jessie cringed. “I’m afraid to hear what they’d say, then.”
“You should be.”
As they got downstairs, Steve’s kids attacked Stephanie again. Unable to withstand them calling her name and begging to be hugged, she got down on her knees and let them jump on her. When she finally emerged from the pile a few minutes later, she was looking decidedly the worse for wear, but smiling all the same.
“Whew! You guys are getting so big, you’re wearing me out!” Stephanie said, picking herself off the floor.
“Who’s this, Aunt Stephanie?” her nephew David asked, pointing at Jessie, who was standing to the side watching the melee and laughing.
Stephanie looked at Jessie. Reaching over and grasping her hand, she pulled her over to stand next to her. “This is my friend, Jessie,” she said, introducing each of the kids to her.
“Is she your wife?” Katherine, the youngest asked, her green eyes all innocence, looking up at her.
Stephanie shook her head. “No, not my wife.”
“She’s her girlfriend, silly,” Danny piped up, poking his sister.
“I’m not silly!” Katherine protested.
“Okay, you two,” Gina, the kids mother said, gathering them up. “If you’re going to argue, you can go in the other room and leave your Aunt Stephanie and Jessie alone.”
“But Mom!” Danny protested. “Aunt Stephanie isn’t around much. We have to drive her crazy when we can!”
Stephanie rolled her eyes. “Oh, my God! You’re just like your dad.”
Jessie was laughing, taking it all in. Her own brother and his family weren’t so open and friendly, and she was enjoying this immensely. Suddenly she felt a tug on the leg of her pants and looked down to find Katherine looking up at her. Smiling at the little girl, she bent down and asked, “Katherine? Did you want to ask me something?”
The little girl nodded, her curly auburn hair, the color of Stephanie’s bobbing up and down. “You love my Aunt Steph’nie?”
“Very much so,” she answered almost shyly, nodding.
“You going to marry her?”
“Katherine!” Gina interrupted, embarrassed. “We don’t ask people things like that! I’m so sorry, Jessie,” she said, her face coloring.
“It’s okay, I don’t mind,” Jessie assured Gina, and smiled at the girl. She looked directly into Katherine’s big green eyes and answered her as honestly as she could. “If I could spend the rest of my life with your Aunt Stephanie, I would love to marry her. It’s the one thing I’d like more than anything in the world.”
Katherine’s face split into a huge grin. Throwing her arms around Jessie, who was still down on her knees facing her, she yelled, “I like you, Jessie!”
Jessie laughed, trying to keep her balance. “I like you, too,” she said, hugging the little girl. When she felt Stephanie’s hand on the back of her head, she looked up into green eyes and noticed a single tear rolling down her cheek.
“All right, everybody!” Nancy yelled, getting everyone’s attention. “Get in the dining room and let’s eat!”
Jessie stood up, releasing Katherine and watched her join her brothers in the dining room. Turning to Stephanie, she wiped the tear off her cheek with her thumb. “Crying?”
Stephanie shrugged. “Just happy.”
Lacing her fingers with Stephanie’s, she let her lead the way into the dining room and took a seat at the huge table between Stephanie and Katherine. She smiled, when Stephanie leaned over and whispered in her ear, “I think you have a fan,” referring to Katherine, who was happily attacking her dinner and chatting to Jessie like old friends.
By the time dinner was over, Jessie was feeling really good about her decision to come to New York with Steph for Christmas. This was definitely more fun than hanging out with her mom and her brother’s family. It also afforded her and Stephanie a chance to stop worrying about the strange phone calls and break-in. The more she thought about it, the more Jessie was convinced that her recent bout of misplacing things was actually someone entering her house while she was gone. She also believed that her music files had been purposely moved by an intruder and not just a product of her inattention. So far, the police hadn’t been able to find any evidence as to who the intruder might be and that worried her. Her attention was drawn back to the table as Stephanie’s nephew David told another joke and she found herself laughing along with everyone else.
Eventually, they moved into the living room, where Bill had already lit the fireplace. The kids were sent downstairs to play, except for Katherine, who absolutely refused to leave Jessie’s lap. By eight, she had fallen asleep with her head on Jessie’s shoulder and Steve took her off Jessie’s hands to carry her upstairs to bed.
“Sorry about that, Jessie,” he said when he came back into the room.
Jessie shrugged. “It’s all right. She seemed pretty content.”
“Well,” Steve said, looking over at Stephanie, who was sitting next to Jessie on the couch and holding her hand, “she has Katherine’s approval, Sis. And I can’t argue with that. Jessie, welcome to the family.”
Jessie beamed. “Thanks, Steve.”
* * * *
Stephanie woke up around one. Unable to get back to sleep, she slid out of bed, careful not to wake Jessie. She mumbled a bit as Stephanie pulled the blankets back up to cover her, but otherwise didn’t wake up. Grabbing a pair of slippers, she slid them on and left the room, closing the door quietly behind her.
Making her way downstairs, she headed for the kitchen. The light was on when she opened the door, and she saw Steve and Rachel both sitting at the table. They had a plate of cookies between them and each had a glass of milk.
“Hey, Sis,” Steve said, watching her walk through the door.
“Hi Steph!” Rachel said brightly, obviously just getting in from work at the local pizza place.
“Hey guys,” she answered them both, reaching into a cabinet and taking out a glass. Walking over to the fridge, she took out the gallon of milk and filled it to the brim.
“Couldn’t sleep?” Rachel asked, watching her sister moving sleepily around the kitchen. When Stephanie was still living at home, this had been a familiar scenario for the younger girl.
Stephanie shook her head as she pulled out a chair and took a seat next to her. “I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep.”
“Mmm. So…where’s Jessie? I thought she came with you?” Rachel asked innocently, grabbing another chocolate chip cookie and breaking it in half. In truth, she was dying to meet Steph’s new girlfriend. She’d heard so much about her from both, her sister and her mother, that she almost couldn’t contain herself.
“She did. She’s still asleep.” She grabbed a cookie and took a bite.
“I think Katherine wore her out,” Steve said, smiling at the way his daughter had clung to Jessie.
“Yeah, she’s Jessie’s fan club of one,” Stephanie said, laughing at the way her niece had latched onto Jessie. It made her feel good…the way Jessie had fit right in with her family. She’d been worried at first, knowing that Jessie’s family wasn’t as close as her own. But she’d opened right up to them like she’d known them all her life.
Rachel leaned over and bumped into her with her shoulder. “Steve said she’s really hot. So…how’d you get her?” The question dripped sarcasm, and Rachel couldn’t contain the smirk that crossed her face. They’d all seen the pictures that Stephanie had sent via e-mail, and in the magazines, so she was already aware of just how hot Jessie was. They’d also seen the TV interviews and video clips. Still, seeing a picture wasn’t the same as meeting her in person. And, she couldn’t resist teasing Stephanie.
Stephanie looked at her, feigning a lack of amusement. She knew Rachel was teasing. It was par for the course in their family. Deciding to tease them both back, she smiled sweetly and said, “When I saw her on stage for the first time, I ripped off my shirt and bra and waved them in the air.”
“Oh? And…you really think Jessie hadn’t seen those before?” Rachel asked seriously, referring to Stephanie’s breasts. The entire family loved to tease Stephanie about the topless scenes in her films. It didn’t bother her though, she was used to it.
Stephanie gave her ‘the look.’ Reaching for another cookie herself, she said, “At least I get paid to take my clothes off.”
“Ooh, a war of wits between two unarmed women,” Steve said, breaking up the banter before they got carried away.
Both women looked at their oldest brother then back at each other. Silently deciding that it wasn’t worth waking everyone in the house, they let his comment go. Instead, Rachel ignored him and turned to Stephanie. “So, I want to hear everything about Jessie. What she does for a living, where she lives, who her friends are…everything.” She’d heard it all before, of course, but she’d missed talking to Steph and wanted to hear it all face to face.
Behind her, she heard Steve say sarcastically, “Geez, do you want to know her shoe size and what she’s like in bed, too?”
“I’ll reserve those questions for when you’re not around,” she answered, hushing him. Then, turning back to Stephanie, she grabbed her hand and waited expectantly for the answers to her questions.
At that moment, Stephanie was so glad she’d decided to come home for the holidays. The last two years, she’d had to stay in LA for work, and she realized now what she’d missed. Smiling at both of them, because Steve was paying attention, even though he pretended to ignore them, she answered all of Rachel’s questions.
Eventually, Steve got tired of listening to all the girl talk and went back downstairs to bed, leaving Stephanie alone with Rachel. When she was sure he was gone, Rachel turned back to her. “Okay, now…what is she like in bed?”
Stephanie blushed. When they were younger, she and Rachel had talked about everything. She couldn’t count how many hours they’d spent over the years talking about their boyfriends, and later, girlfriends. Rachel had been the first person she’d told when she realized she preferred women, and her biggest supporter. Still, Rachel’s boldness took her by surprise. Or, maybe she just missed having someone to share this stuff with. She had friends in LA, but no one as close as Rachel. The blush didn’t prevent her from telling Rachel everything, though. She started with meeting Jessie for the first time, and went on from there. Nancy apparently hadn’t mentioned to her younger daughter that Stephanie had been attacked while she was in Ohio, and that surprised her somewhat. Then again, her mother probably didn’t think that Rachel needed to know. Or, maybe she thought Stephanie wouldn’t want her to know?
By the time Stephanie finished her tale, Rachel was hanging on every word. “I can’t believe Mom and Dad are actually letting you two share a bed,” she said, slightly jealous. Their parents had never let any of her boyfriends spend the night, much less sleep in the same bed with her.
“Well, I am a little older than you,” Stephanie said, referring to the fact that she was 31 to Rachel’s 23 years. “Besides, Mom stayed at Jessie’s when she was there and I was sleeping with Jessie then. It’s not like it’s a secret or anything.”
“Yeah, but still…” Rachel shrugged. “Oh well. I’m happy for you, Steph. You seem really happy with her.”
“I am,” Stephanie agreed. “I’ve never felt like this with anyone, before.”
“Is she planning on moving to LA with you anytime soon? It’s got to be hard…the long distance thing,” the younger woman said, flipping an errant strand of dark brown hair over her shoulder.
Stephanie licked her lips and ducked her head. When she looked back up at her sister, she said, “We’ve talked about it off and on…sort of. Jessie has her own life, and I’ve been…kind of afraid to ask her for more.”
Rachel raised an eyebrow. “Steph…if you love her and she loves you…”
“I know,” she said miserably. Looking at Rachel, she asked, “Did you hear what Katherine asked her?”
“About marrying you? Yeah,” she nodded. “Steve told me. He also told me what Jessie said. It was really sweet.” Watching Stephanie as she ducked her head again, she asked, “What? You don’t think she meant it?”
“Jessie never says anything she doesn’t mean,” Stephanie answered adamantly. “So yes, she meant it.”
“You bet your beautiful ass I do,” Jessie’s voice said quietly from behind them. There was no recrimination in her voice, just a matter of fact tone that let Stephanie know how much she really did mean what she’d said. Standing in the doorway, she had her arms crossed and had obviously been standing there for the last few minutes. Smiling, she dropped her arms and crossed over to stand behind Stephanie, automatically reaching out and massaging her shoulders.
At her touch, Stephanie let her head relax back, enjoying the feel of Jessie’s strong hands on her shoulders. “Mmm, that feels so good, Jess.”
Jessie leaned down and kissed her on top of the head. Looking over at the younger woman next to her, she said, “You must be Rachel?”
Rachel nodded, suddenly feeling shy. “Yeah, I’m Stephanie’s sister.” She frowned to herself, hearing how nervous she sounded.
“It’s good to meet you. Steph told me all about you before we got here,” Jessie said, smiling at her even as she continued to massage Stephanie’s shoulders.
“She’s been telling me about you, too,” Rachel said in answer. As she studied Jessie, she thought to herself, ‘Steve was right. Her pictures don’t do her justice.’
“Yeah, I kinda caught on to that,” Jessie said, finishing the massage and sitting down on Stephanie’s other side. As she sat down, she pulled Stephanie to her, wrapping her in her arms and nuzzling her hair. “Couldn’t sleep?”
As Jessie’s breath ghosted over her ear, Stephanie shook her head, leaning into her. “Too excited about being home. I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep, so I came down here for something to munch on. Steve was down here talking to Rachel and I got caught up. You?”
“Actually, I woke up to find we had a small visitor,” Jessie said, smiling as Stephanie turned a questioning look her way.
“A mouse?” Stephanie asked quizzically.
In explanation, she said, “Of the two legged, no-tail variety. Katherine found her way into our room. I woke up when I realized I was either being attacked by a midget with really cold feet, or your feet had shrunk. One of the two.” When both sisters laughed at her description, she went on. “I didn’t think I should be with her alone, so I surrounded her with pillows so she wouldn’t fall out of bed, and came looking for you.”
Stephanie laughed. “She really likes you, Jess.”
“So I gathered,” Jessie replied wryly.
Glancing at the clock on the stove, Stephanie stood up. Taking Jessie’s hand, she pulled her up as well. “Come on. I’ll get her and take her back to her room.”
Rachel got up too. It was getting late and she still needed to get ready for bed. “I’m heading up, too. Why don’t I get Katherine for you?”
“You don’t have to do that,” Stephanie protested. “I can do it.”
Rachel waved a hand to dismiss the suggestion. “I’m gonna be up for a bit, yet. If she won’t go back to her bed, she can stay with me for a while.”
Stephanie gave in. It was late, and she was getting really tired. “Okay, let’s go.”
When the three of them made their way back to Stephanie’s old room, Katherine was still lying in the middle of the bed, surrounded by pillows just like Jessie had left her. Stephanie rolled her eyes and sighed, as Rachel went over and picked the little girl up.
“I’ll see you guys in the morning,” she said, backing out of the room, the sleeping Katherine in her arms.
“Night, Rach,” Stephanie said, shutting the door behind her sister as she carried their niece back to her own room for the night. Turning back to Jessie, she sighed again. “Well, shall we try this again?” As Jessie kicked off her own slippers and crawled into bed, she flipped out the light and joined her.
Turning over onto her left side, Stephanie snuggled up to Jessie. Resting her head on her shoulder, she threw her arm over her stomach and tucked her head under Jessie’s chin. Finally relaxed, she closed her eyes. It was almost three, and the excitement of seeing her family again was beginning to wear off, leaving her feeling decidedly exhausted.
Wrapping her right arm around Stephanie, Jessie pulled her in tight. There was nothing better than holding Stephanie in her arms, and she reveled in the feeling of doing so, now. Still, she could tell that Stephanie had yet to fall asleep, and she couldn’t help but wonder about the conversation she’d overheard between the two sisters. It mirrored the conversation she’d had with Theresa right before Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, life had gotten in the way, and the conversation she’d wanted to have with Stephanie about a change in their arrangement never happened. She’d meant it when she told Katherine she’d be happy to marry her Aunt Stephanie. In fact, she already had the ring. Hearing her tell Rachel that she was afraid to ask Jessie for more, almost broke her heart. She didn’t want Stephanie to be afraid to ask her for anything. But then again, wasn’t she afraid of the same thing? She’d been putting this off, not wanting to rush things for months.
