Part 44
Her release papers had been signed; she’d had a shower and was dressed; and now Chelsea was seated in a chair with her ankle propped up as she stared out the window. Absentmindedly, she played with the ring Alex had given her. It was a simple ring, a single stone in a gold setting but despite the simplicity, she cherished it because she knew it stood for a love that was honest and pure. So much had happened in the three short weeks they’d been together but she didn’t regret one second of it.
A knock interrupted her thoughts and as she looked up, Dianne stuck her head in. “Can I come in?”
“Is Kevin with you?” asked Chelsea dubiously.
“No, I’m alone.” Dianne saw the look of doubt and said, “I just want….to talk.”
“Okay.”
Chelsea’s guard was up. What could Dianne want to talk about? Things last night had been less strained but that didn’t mean things were fine between them either.
Closing the door, Dianne turned to face Chelsea. “Where’s AJ?”
“He said he need to go run some errands,” answered Chelsea cautiously then added hoping to avoid any conversation, “He should be back any minute.”
Taking a seat, Dianne looked at her hands for an agonizingly long minute before she finally looked up at Chelsea, “You and I are going to be seeing a great deal of each other in the future and I think for Kevin and Annie’s sake, we need to talk and clear the air so that we can at least be civil.”
“I told you the other night, I’m deeply in love with Alex….not Kevin. I’ll….”
“Please, just listen to me. I heard what you said the other night and I’ve seen how AJ looks at you and I’ve heard the whole story from Kevin. I also know that MY husband is still very much in love with you.”
The emphasis on ‘my’ didn’t escape Chelsea as she watched the emotions playing out in Dianne’s face. She also wondered if Kevin had any clue that she was here.
“And you can try to deny your love for Kevin all you want but I’ve seen the way you both look at each other. I guess it’s a good thing though…for Annie’s sake. I promised Kevin that I would never use your past against you and…..”
Chelsea felt like her whole world was about to come crashing down around her. How could this be happening? As her tears started to fall, she tried to speak. “Dianne….”
“I’m going to stick to that promise,” continued Dianne ignoring Chelsea. “On one condition.”
“Condition? You’re going to put a condition on NOT using my past against me?” Disbelief stopped the tears and her anger started to build. “What would this condition be?”
“Leave Kevin alone.”
“What do you mean ‘leave Kevin alone’?”
“Don’t be alone with him; don’t share memories with him or remind him of some meaningful night you two shared; don’t hug or kiss him.”
“That’s going to be difficult since Kevin IS Annie’s father and Alex’s best friend.”
“You’ll figure it out…if you don’t want the world to know about ‘Snappers’. It could hurt AJ’s reputation and ruin Annie’s standing at school.”
“I doubt very seriously that Alex dating an EX-stripper would surprise anyone but exposing my past would hurt Kevin’s daughter which would in turn hurt Kevin. This is NOT a smart move on your part. Does Kevin know you’re here?”
“No, he doesn’t and you aren’t going to tell him. Chelsea, I know the reality of the situation. The only reason Kevin and I are together is because you didn’t tell him about Annie.” Seeing Chelsea about to speak, Dianne cut her off. “I know Kevin loves me and that’s why I’m going to fight for my husband.”
“I thought you wanted to clear the air so that we could be civil to each other. This is just making things between us even more strained, not to mention what it’s going to do to my relationship with Kevin. How DARE you come in here and TELL me to stay away from the father of my child!”
“I’m making my feelings known.”
“Believe me, I KNOW full well how you feel about it all!” hissed Chelsea and as she was about to say more, AJ entered the room and she stopped.
“Hey, Dianne,” greeted AJ before realizing the two were not having a pleasant conversation. Moving to Chelsea, he leaned to kiss her as he greeted, “Hey, ‘Beautiful’.”
Taking his hand, she gave a gentle squeeze, “Hey, baby,” she greeted trying to smile.
“Do I need to leave?” he asked softly.
“No, I want you here.”
AJ cupped her cheek. “What’s going on?”
“Just listen, okay?”
“Okay,” he agreed as he took a seat on the arm of the chair with his arm around her.
Chelsea looked Dianne in the eye and, with a little more calm that she had originally felt, she said, “Okay, I’ve heard your feelings, now you’re going to hear mine. One reason I didn’t tell Kevin about Annie was because I wanted him to choose me because he loved me…not because he felt an obligation to his child….and he MADE his choice….YOU. I will ALWAYS care for Kevin and in my way, love him, and NO ONE, including you, will change that. I’ll be honest…up until I met Alex, if Kevin had come to me and said he’d made a mistake and wanted me back, I’d have taken him back BUT….Alex IS in my life and I am DEEPLY in love with him. I intend to raise Annie with Kevin and Alex’s help….her father and step-father…because they both love her and will give her the kind of guidance a father should give her. I have NO intentions of abiding by YOUR condition either. You need to accept the fact that I WILL be a part of Kevin’s life because he is Annie’s father and because we have feelings for each other. You also need to accept that Kevin chose YOU; he wants to make a life with YOU; and have more children with YOU.”
Dianne looked down at her hands, silent, as Chelsea’s words sank in.
AJ leaned to Dianne and took her hand. “Dianne, I know all of this is a surprise…a shock…but Chelsea is not a threat to you and Kevin.” Looking back at Chelsea, he said, “Chelsea is being honest in what she’s telling you.”
Looking up, she asked, “How can you be so sure? Doesn’t it scare you that Kevin still has feelings for her, that they share a child?”
“It did at first but the night we met and Kevin found out about Annie, so much happened that convinced me that I didn’t have anything to be concerned about.”
“Like what?”
“Well, at the wreck, Chelsea called me. She had Kevin’s number too and she should have called him first because of Annie….but she didn’t. She called me and asked me to help her. Then, in the ER, Kevin was the only one of us to be allowed to see Chelsea because of Annie and he got it cleared for me to come back with her. When he told me that I could go back, he also told me to tell her to open her eyes and when I did, it was amazing. Dianne, in her eyes, I was THE ONLY man. If that hadn’t been enough, when she proposed to me before she was out of the anesthesia, would have been.”
Dianne gave a soft smile. “I know you’re in love with her too. I’ve never seen you this happy.”
“Dianne, I’m not asking you to be my best friend,” said Chelsea. “I’m just asking you to not feel threatened by me and my past with Kevin and to be a good step-mother to Annie when she’s with Kevin. Let her decide what to call you too.” Chelsea stopped for a minute seeing that Dianne was listening. “You know, Annie is extremely blessed to have two sets of parents who love her a great deal and it would be even better if we can be civil to each other when she’s around.”
“I think I can do that.”
AJ leaned back and Chelsea put her head on his shoulder as she smiled and said, “NOW the air is clear. Dianne, I’m sorry this happened this way but I really don’t regret telling Kevin and I think you’re going to be a wonderful step-mother.”
“I guess this is where I should apologize too.”
“No need to. Honestly, if I’d been in your shoes, I’m not at all sure I’d have stayed calm,” replied Chelsea.
“What are your plans now that you’re free to leave…you are free to go, aren’t you?”
“Discharge papers have been signed. I was just waiting for Alex to get back. I guess we’re headed home.”
“Actually, I am about to take my beautiful woman home where she is going to be pampered,” smiled AJ and he pressed a kiss into Chelsea’s hair.
“I guess I’d better get back to work,” said Dianne as she stood. “When will you be coming to the house?”
“I’m coming to get Annie’s stuff this afternoon after I pick her up from school.”
“I’ll have it ready for you. If you need anything this weekend, just call. I’m sure Kevin is going to want to check on Chelsea.”
“Thanks, Dianne.” As the door closed behind her, AJ put his finger under Chelsea’s chin and tilted her face up to him. Gazing into her eyes, he asked, “Are you ready, ‘Beautiful’?”
“Yes! I am soooo sick of hospitals.”
AJ laughed, “It will be nice to finally have you settled into our home.”
Chelsea leaned to kiss him. “When are you going to tell me what you were doing this morning?”
Grinning slyly, AJ said, “In my own good time. Now, push that ‘call’ button and let the nurse know you’re ready to go.”
Chelsea did just that and minutes later, a nurse appeared with a wheelchair. AJ helped her get in and they were off.
