Sitting on the sofa in the living room early the next morning, Stevie let a smile tug at the corners of her mouth as she watched Lindsey entertain Everleigh.
He was laying on his stomach on the fur rug, using one hand to rub the baby's temple gently.
She had slept all night long, tucked in safely between her grandparents to ensure she didn't roll out of bed. She was calm- so content and happy... They almost couldn't even believe she had been anything other than a total angel for her parents.
"I've missed you like this." Stevie bit down on her lower lip, a little laugh escaping her.
He grinned, giving his wife a playful wink. "We're good at this, aren't we?" Lindsey was teasing... kind of.
They knew how to work together when it came to taking care of children- they'd done it for a hundred years, after all. But it really did come naturally for them, more so when they were doing it together, of course.
Nodding her head softly, her deep brown eyes met his and she could have sworn, in that very moment that she fell in love with him all over again. "Isn't she magical?" She whispered, bringing her cup up to her lips to take a sip of coffee.
"She is." He agreed with a cheesy grin as he tickled her tummy gently.
Stevie sat there for a couple more minutes, taking in that perfect scene before her attention drifted towards the front door, where the lock was turning on the other side.
"Mom? Pops?" Crosby's voice caused her heart to sink into the pit of her stomach... That tone didn't sound too promising.
"Yes?" She tossed her throw blanket to the side, sitting up a little further with her cup in one hand and the remote control in the other.
"You alright, dude?" Lindsey creased a brow, rolling over on his back and resting his head on a throw pillow to see his son a little better.
"No..." He was standing in the doorway, still in his pajamas with a look of panic written across his face... he looked totally discombobulated. "She's gone." He stated, holding up two envelopes.
"Calm down, sweetie." Stevie tossed her legs over the edge of the couch, standing up quickly to try and be of some help... She wasn't exactly sure what to do, but sitting there didn't seem like the right thing. "What happened?" Her voice was soft and welcoming- she didn't want to freak him out more than he already was.
"Oh, jeez." Lindsey mumbled, looking over at the baby, who was staring up at the ceiling, watching the fan spin around.
Shaking his head, he handed his mother the notes. "I went back to Levy's last night, and she was already gone." He followed Stevie through the room, taking a seat in the accent chair as she sat back down in her spot on the couch.
"This is for me..." she lingered, brown eyes melting into her oldest sons from across the room.
"Read it aloud." Lindsey had shifted once again- now he had the baby tucked carefully under his arm as he kissed the side of her head.
Stevie slowly tore open the envelope, clearing her throat as her eyes scanned over the folded up piece of paper.
Stevie,
I hope, you of all people can understand where I'm coming from when I say that the gift of motherhood is unlike any other. It's exciting, incredible, but so terrifying and unpredictable at the same time.
When I first met you, the first moment I laid my eyes on you that afternoon, I knew you were the only person I could ever trust to carry this child. You're selfless, and the type woman that I can only dream of becoming.
I knew it wouldn't be easy seeing you do something I had wanted to do for such a long time, but when I seen you with Everleigh- the way you look at her, love her, understand her and make her happy, I knew I could never be the mother she deserves.
I didn't tell you enough, or maybe I haven't told you at all, but I will forever be grateful for the life you brought into this world. And I hope, with every ounce of me that you continue to love Everleigh as if she were your own.
Thank you... Thank you for everything.
~Lucy~
Stevie didn't take her eyes off the note for a long couple of minutes, even rereading it once in her head just to make sure she had processed it correctly.
"I can't raise this baby all alone." Crosby shook his head, almost certain that wasn't what his parents wanted to hear in that moment... but it was the truth.
"Oh, we know." Lindsey wasn't trying to be shitty- he was being serious.
Crosby couldn't keep a pet fish alive for longer than a couple of days- he would always forget to feed them, or feed them too much at once. Lindsey and Stevie wouldn't have been able to sleep at night if he was raising Everleigh without any help... Kids were a lot more needy than a betta fish.
Tears quickly filled Stevie's eyes as she watched that sweet, innocent little baby on the floor... She didn't ask to be brought into the world and her parents, both of them made it seem like parenthood was such a burden. "I told you both that this wasn't going to be easy." She whispered, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Baby, please."Lindsey let out a heavy sigh, trying to calm her down before she lost her cool.
"You were there the entire time, Crosby. How often did your father and I argue over you and your brothers?" She asked, ignoring her husband as best she could. "Huh?" Stevie's voice hadn't gotten harsh, or cold... it was natural, even though she was speaking to him in a very blunt manner. "The answer is a lot." She mumbled, once she realized he wasn't going to speak up. "It's about compromise." She whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks as she stared at him through blurry eyes.
She wasn't trying to upset him anymore than he already was, but she would have been damned if she allowed them to make that baby seem like she was a burden. Everleigh was a gift- a bright light that no one knew they needed. She was pure bliss, and if no one else in the entire world saw that, her grandparents did.
Lindsey let a second pass, taking in all of his wife's words before he finally spoke up. "Your mother and I can raise Everleigh."
