Oh Baby

I'm So Afraid

A few weeks later, Stevie was playing with Ginny on her living room floor when she heard a knock at the door.

"Mom! Daddy!" she shrieked, scaring Lindsey in the next room.

Well I guess Barbara and Jess are here he thought to himself while noodling on his guitar. Lindsey set his guitar down and found the happy family entering the house. His face lit up when he saw how happy Stevie looked.

"Lindsey, my boy! How are you?" Jess struck a strong, yet slightly menacing pat on Lindsey's shoulder in classic protective Jess Nicks fashion. 

"I'm doing great, Mr. Nicks, I'm so glad you're here." Lindsey responded while sticking his hand out for a gentlemanly handshake.

"Seriously, honey? You know that you don't have to be so formal with us. We've known you since what? You were 17?" Barbara joked as she swatted his hand down, embraced him in a motherly hug, and shot Jess a look.

Lindsey and Jess went out to the taxi to retrieve the luggage and bring it inside while the women began catching up.

"Stephanie Lynn Nicks, what is that man doing here? I know you two cannot just be friends. Tell me what's going on."

"Well," Stevie began to pick at her nail, inadvertently drawing Barbara's attention to the gold band. 

She gasped and said "Teedee, wha-"

Lindsey stumbled into the house carrying nearly all of the older couple's luggage, still for some reason feeling as if he needed to prove himself to Jess.

"Well, she definitely is your daughter!" Lindsey jokingly tells Barbara as he carries her multiple bags packed to the brim for a weekend trip, just like he'd seen Stevie do time and time again. 

Jess soon followed and instructed Lindsey where to set the bags down in the room. 

"Mommy, we'll tell you later" Stevie said quietly to her mother as she sauntered into the kitchen. 

A few hours later, the family was finishing up their dinner of steak and potatoes, lovingly prepared by Stevie. 

"Sweetie, this was delicious! I'm always so impressed by your cooking every time I come here!" Barbara gushed to her daughter. "Let me tell you, it's improved a lot since '68, I can tell you that much" Lindsey responded and winked at Stevie. "Ya know Lindsey, I was skinny like you once, until I met Barbara and she fattened me up real quick with all her cooking!" The family all laughed around the distinguished wooden table. 

"Well, thank you, Mama. Now, you Lindsey, I will be having a word with you later." Stevie joked while she nervously picked at her finger, her heart beginning to race ever so slightly. "Alright, so the reason I wanted you guys to come here was because we-"

Lindsey shot up from his seat at the table. "Mr. Ni, uh I mean Jess, can I please talk to you in private for a minute?" Jess gave Stevie a disapproving and confused look, and reluctantly agreed to speak with Lindsey. 

"Well, what is it? What did you do now?" Lindsey was almost shaking with nerves as the man seemed to tower over him although he wasn't much larger. 

"Um, well" Lindsey's hands got instantly clammy and he cleared his throat, "well, I love your daughter. A lot. More than anything in the world. And I know that I haven't always been the best for her, but I promise, I will never hurt her ever again. If my father taught me one thing it was always stay true to your word, so I won't break this promise. Well, what I'm trying to say is..." Lindsey gulped, "can I have your blessing to ask Stephanie to marry me?"

Jess' face had scrunched up into one of the scariest visions that Lindsey had ever seen. His face soon scrunched into a smile and he simply said, "Lindsey, my boy, welcome to the family!" Jess gave Lindsey a handshake-- a little too firm, sending the message to not hurt his daughter.

As the two men sauntered back into the dining room, Lindsey looked a little too excited. Barbara and Stevie begun to clean up dinner, Stevie looking a little sad, knowing that the moment to tell her parents the biggest news of her life was ruined.