"Steph..." Lindsey whispered, entering the nursery. "You should get some sleep, while she's asleep." He placed his hand on Stevie's shoulder and pressed a kiss to her temple. "You're going to exhaust yourself."
"I know, but I just..." Stevie faced him, before casting her eyes down at their daughter again. "I can't stop looking at her. She's real, she's here."
"She's been here for three weeks, baby, she's not going anywhere." Lindsey smiled, kissing Stevie's cheek now, he pulled her in closer.
"Look how tiny her feet are." She pointed at baby Amelia's foot sticking out from under the blanket.
"Well, she's a baby." Lindsey was unsure of what else to say. It didn't mean that he though their daughter was the cutest any less. "But you were right, she's a little chunky monkey." He added with a quiet laugh.
"Mmm." Stevie agreed. "Just like her mother."
"Oh God, stop saying that." He sighed, rubbing at his tired eyes. "Come on." He turned her around to walk them out of the nursery and back into the bedroom. "Steph, you've got to give yourself a break."
"What do you mean?" She asked, getting in under the covers.
"Well, you keep saying these nasty things about yourself and I don't like hearing them." Lindsey lay down on his side and scooted over closer to her. "You gave birth three weeks ago, sweetheart. I don't think that you're any less beautiful or desirable. If it was allowed, I'd jump your bones right this second."
He couldn't see, but his words did achieve a small smile from Stevie. She laced her fingers through his and held their clasped hands against her chest. "You've been used to seeing me in a different way for years. I mean, my figure was nowhere near to what it was when I was 20 for a long time, but still, I was in good shape. Now... I don't know if I'm going to be able to shed those extra pounds quickly enough or at all."
"Quickly enough for what?" Lindsey gently gripped her shoulder and turned her onto her back, so they were face to face. "Before I decide that I don't love you anymore because you've given me another child? Stevie, that's crazy talk."
"You mean that?" Stevie lowered her eyes and ran a finger down the middle of his chest.
"Baby, of course, I do." He swore, leaning in to kiss her. He drew back only to capture her lips again several more times. "You mean the world to me. Just because you've gained a bit of weight due to being pregnant with my daughter, that's not going to change anything. Not after everything else we've been through."
"We've gone through a lot in the past year, haven't we." Stevie sighed, not really asking him, but saying to him.
"That's life." Lindsey shrugged, resting his head on her chest, mindful of her sore breasts. "And it ain't over yet. We're going to have to deal with a hell of a lot more in the future." He said, feeling a little emotional. "Adam is leaving soon. Ella is finishing high school in just a few years and she's going to flee the second she's 18." He lifted his head up and turned to lie on his front. "And now we've got Amelia, too. All the scraped knees we have ahead of us. Boys on the playground pulling her hair. First day at school. First time a boy breaks her heart..." He noticed her eyes got misty. "Do you see what I mean?"
"I do." Stevie managed, combing her fingers through his curls a few times in an attempt to tame them down.
"And we're going to get through all of that together." Lindsey promised. "You and I, babe."
She smiled tearfully. "You swear?"
"I swear." He crossed his heart and sealed it with kiss.
~
THE END
~
Thank you for reading a for your lovely feedback as always ♥ I'll still be writing Forget to Remember, but I might start another story, because I think, you and I need something more realistic as well. AU stories usually don't do so well...
