Chapter 6- Naked Sleepover!

I walked back into the house, stunned at what had just happened. I could feel the bruise forming on my cheek. It wasn’t until the next morning, after a fitful night’s sleep, that I noticed the damage he had caused. That discovery led to a not-so-pleasant interaction between Pam and me after the girls had left for school. “Is the bruise on your face from the fall down the stairs? Because it didn’t look that bad when Mercedes sent me the picture last night,” Pam said, standing across the counter where I was sitting, eating a bowl of yogurt. “No, Ryan caused a scene wanting me back, and when I laughed at him, he told me to end the nonsense of a relationship with you, and when I refused, he hit me. A cop came up on us as it happened and forced him to leave,” I said, not lying to her. “What are you going to do about it?” she said, staring at me in shock. “I’m getting the police report and filing an order of protection on him. With that, and how little he’s seen the girls in the last 3 months, I hope I can petition to strip him of his rights,” I said, being honest. She looked angry. “You know, an order of protection is just a piece of paper. It’s not going to stop him from causing issues in not only your life, but the girls’ lives, and mine,” she said, very un-Pam-like. She had never raised her voice at me.
I cringed at the tone of her speaking, which caused me to tear up, and I wanted to shut down. Trying to keep the conversation moving, I said, “You and I need to talk anyway,” echoing her message from two days ago. Pam’s tone softened as she replied, “Oh yeah, about that.” I anticipated she’d want to break things off, but instead she shared something that shifted the mood. “I got called into the office on Thursday—they want me to do a three-week tour in the UK to promote WrestleMania,” she said with a half-smile. The news was a surprise, a sharp contrast to the tense morning that had preceded it. “Oh, so you got a great opportunity. I’m happy for you, babe,” I said, though I felt a bit of dread, since other than her being away a few days a week, we hadn’t honestly spent more than that apart since our relationship became serious five months ago.

The girls came home from their grandparents, and life went on. A few days later, Pam came home and let me know the dates she would be gone—March 15 to April 1. When she told us, I immediately saw Cici’s face drop; Pam noticed too. “Cici, it’s only three weeks, and I will FaceTime you every day, and mom can live stream your softball games so I won’t miss them,” Pam said, noticing her absence was upsetting Cici. “What about my birthday?” Cici asked, sounding a little hurt. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Cici, it slipped my mind. We’ll plan something when I come home, just the two of us, I promise,” Pam said, trying her best to smooth things over. Cici stood up, not with a dramatic scene, but quietly exited the living room for her bedroom.

As February ended and March began, we saw a change in her. She stopped wanting to go to the gym with Pam and spent more time at her friend’s house while Pam was home, which made Pam seem hurt. The girls went to their grandparents’ on the first weekend in March. With a new weekend upon us, Pam and I were sitting on the couch watching a movie. “How do I fix things with her? I don’t want to miss her birthday intentionally. It slipped my mind, and I hope she doesn’t hate me for it,” Pam said, tearing up. “She’s always been my emotional child. She loves you too much to hate you. Just give her time. Oh, and bring her back some good souvenirs,” I said, running my fingers through Pam’s hair as she lay across my lap.

Just then, the doorbell rang, signaling another shift in our day. Pam and I looked at each other in surprise. “Were you expecting company tonight?” she asked, knowing it would be our last weekend alone before she left for Germany. I shook my head, checked the doorbell app, and gestured for quiet before showing her the screen. The app showed all the girls on our front doorstep. “Do we want to let them in, or make a break for the back staircase and hide out in our room for the night?” I whispered. She grinned—back staircase it was. “Go. I’ll grab us some snacks and a few movies, and meet you in our bedroom,” she said, smiling the smile I’d fallen in love with.

I woke up around 7:30 and saw someone standing in the doorway of my bedroom. My first thought was to scream. Pam shot up from her spot next to me and screamed as well. Sydney screamed, too, then her jaw dropped. “Girls, they don’t have any clothes on! They were having a naked slumber party! I see Tiggles.” I heard her yell as she raced down the stairs. Pam and I just stared at each other in shock. I wrapped my blanket around myself before getting up to grab one of Pam’s t-shirts, a sports bra, and a pair of her shorts. Then I went into the bathroom. When I returned, Pam hadn’t moved. She was back to snoring, still clearly naked under the bedding. I stood there, debating whether to crawl back into bed next to Pam, knowing what the following week would bring for our little family of four. I heard chatter from the living room. I kissed Pam on the side of the head, grabbed my robe, and headed down the back stairs into the kitchen to make coffee. When I entered the kitchen, I noticed my coffee pot already brewing. I made myself a cup and began gathering ingredients to make breakfast.
I pulled the first round of bacon and placed it on a plate to drain. Then I set it on the counter. I turned on my oven and made a batch of biscuits before starting scrambled eggs. I turned and saw Daria munching on a piece of bacon. “The biscuits are almost done. Please don’t eat all the bacon, miss bacon hog,” I said, taking the plate and adding the last pieces to the rest.