Stevie and Lindsey spent the next couple of weeks just like normal, just they had been for the thirty- something years prior. He spent time in the studio, she was back at the restaurant, but this time around, they had their kids over every evening for dinner, and sometimes a movie... every single night. It was perfect, it really was.
It was exactly what Stevie had always dreamt of with grown children- they came over to visit, but then went back to their own, reserved spaces at night. She was happy, even though, deep down, she felt bad for Crosby.
Lucy hadn't been out to Santa Monica at all, and Stevie had even started to question Lindsey to find out if she was evening calling their son... He didn't talk about her, not even when Stevie asked about baby names- he just said, he didn't know.
She was thirty- three weeks pregnant... They definitely should've started to figure that one out together.
Also, even though three weeks had come and gone, Lindsey never talked to the boys about their crazy thoughts on their parents marriage. He was waiting for one of them to bring up something odd like that again, but it didn't happen- not even Kash with his unbelievable tale of having a girlfriend on the side. But of course, since they were just as stubborn as the two people who gave them life, their sons hadn't forgotten... No, of course not- they just needed to figure out another way to approach the situation at hand.
Other than that, things were great. Stevie was measuring in perfectly with the baby- healthy and happy. And Lindsey's follow up doctors appointments were going well... well enough that he had decided to start cheating his diet when his wife wasn't looking.
~
It was early in the morning, just a little after ten when Stevie had found herself sitting in the basement, listening to Lindsey strum the cords of his guitar. They had been up for awhile, though they were both still in their pajamas and half asleep.
"That sounds good." She was in the accent chair, sitting on her knees as she cradled a cup of coffee in one hand, while the other held her bump.
He smirked as he glanced up at her for a moment. "I think it needs some vocals from my favorite debut buddy."
"Oh?" She raised a brow playfully, a sweet smile trailing across her face. "And who would that be?" She asked as she brought her cup up to her lips to take a sip.
"The most beautiful woman in the world." He liked to make her blush, even after a million years... Nothing made him smile more than the sound of her giggles.
Tossing her head back against the chair softly, she let a little laugh escape her. "You're funny." She grinned, eyes melting back into his a moment later. "You're just trying to sweet talk me, because your five week sentence is almost up..." She teased, even though she was certain that even when the doctors "okay" came, she wasn't going to be interested in anything other than sleeping at night.
"I do like a little hanky panky." He shrugged, a little wink following his words.
"Oh, woah!" Crosby's voice caused them both to jump when he slipped through the studio door.
"Jeez," Stevie mumbled, looking down at her nightgown to make sure she didn't spill any coffee on herself.
"Did I interrupt something? Cause I can come back in about an hour." He chuckled, leaning into the doorframe as he slid a hand into his pocket.
Rolling her eyes, Stevie shook her head as she motioned for him to sit down on the leather couch. "Your father was just being... your father." She gave her husband a little smirk before she looked back up at Crosby, who was heading through the room.
"Have you been having a good morning?" He sat down, tossing one arm on the back of the couch as he eyes fell right on his mother.
"We've been good, honey." She assured with a little nod. "I made coffee, we went for a little walk, and then we came down here... Dad needed a muse." Stevie was kidding, but it wasn't totally untrue.
"Oh, nice." He grinned. "I was wondering, if you weren't busy this afternoon, maybe you wanted to go grab lunch with me and then maybe, do some shopping?" It wasn't that Crosby didn't want his father to tag along, but he was really hoping to just get a minute alone with his mother... He just needed to talk to her.
"Of course," she didn't hesitate, simply because she worried that if she did, he'd take his offer back. "I would love that." She added, tossing her legs over the edge of the accent chair to stand up.
"Perfect." He watched her trail through the room and slip up the stairs to go get around.
Lindsey waited until he heard her feet hitting the hard wood floor before he turned his attention towards his oldest. "I'm proud of you." He admitted.
Nodding his head, Crosby let off a smile. "I want her to know how much I appreciate her, and love her."
~
"Look, look, look!" Stevie grabbed ahold of Crosby's arm as they ventured through the baby store in the mall. "Isn't it cute?!" She held up the little yellow duck outfit, which made him smile in return.
"It is cute." He repeated the same exact thing he'd said about a hundred times that afternoon... She liked all the baby clothes, and she bought even more.
Stevie wasn't exactly sure what to expect when that baby came. She was almost certain that they'd run back to Chicago and she'd see it every three or four years, though she really hoped for a different outcome. However, since the future was so unpredictable, she wanted to be there for the baby while she could- while she was still very much attached to the sweet angel. So she wasn't holding anything back... if she thought an outfit was cute, she bought it.
She swore to herself, no matter what, she would try to be there. She wanted to be in that child's life more than she had ever wanted anything.
It wasn't until a little later, after Stevie's feet had really started to bother her, and her stomach started to growl when they finally found themselves sitting across from another in a booth at a little Italy restaurant.
"Mom?" He waited until they had already gotten their drinks before he finally jumped into the conversation he'd been waiting to bring up.
Looking up from her menu, she looked right into his deep, gorgeous blue eyes... he had eyes just like Lindsey. "Yes, dear?" Her heart was pounding as her nerves completely took over.
It had been a long time since he'd said her "name" like that... the last time was probably when he was in high school and he told her he was failing another class.
"I think I'm going to move back out here permanently." He had been thinking about it, really seriously for almost two weeks.
He missed home... He missed his parents.
"Honey, you know your father and I would just love it if you and Lucy moved out here." She assured, a gentle smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
"I'm not talking about Lucy and I..." he lingered, shaking his head softly. "I mean, just me."
