Reconsider Me

Part 5

"Right, so, I've packed everything you might need." Stevie said and began putting a finger down with every item she crossed off her mental list. "There are a couple of outfit changes, there's her shampoo and body wash, her toothbrush, toys, her favorite books-"

"Stevie." Kyle interrupted, sandwiching her hands in between his. "I'm sure, you haven't forgotten a single thing. If we need something, I'll get it."

"Okay." She nodded, exhaling heavily. "And call me as soon as you get there, yeah?"

"Of course." Kyle promised, watching as she knelt down in front of Aimee and squished her in a tight hug. 

"I'm going to miss you so much!" 

"Miss you, mama." Aimee pressed her little palms against Stevie's cheeks and gave her a big kiss. 

"I love you, baby. Be good to your dad and your grandparents." Stevie gave Aimee a pointed look, but she was a well-behaved child anyway. Well, most of the time. "Don't let your mother spoil her too much." She stood up and addressed Kyle. "Otherwise, you won't get any sleep."

"We'll be fine." Kyle insisted and pulled her in for a quick hug. He didn't know, why he did that, maybe it just felt natural at the moment, but he definitely didn't mean to kiss her as well. "Uh..." He gulped and stepped back. "We're just... going to go."

"Yeah. Yeah." Stevie repeated. "Have a safe trip." She nodded and stood in the doorway for a minute, watching them walk towards Kyle's car.

Once they were out of the driveway, Stevie closed the door and leaned up against it. She shut her eyes tightly and traced her lips with the tips of her fingers. Kyle caught her by surprise, she thought, he was surprised too. Though their post-breakup relationship was good and they might even be entertaining the idea of getting back together, they had never slipped once; they hadn't slept together, they hadn't kissed, they hadn't even let a hand wander. So, what the hell was that?

Shaking herself mentally, Stevie pushed herself forward and headed for the staircase. She had made plans after all and they involved Lindsey. He didn't hesitate to say, yes, when she called him and asked if he wanted to do something together. They agreed on dinner. Stevie told him straight away that she wasn't going to cook because that was all of her nights. Lindsey couldn't cook, which meant that they were going out.

Entering her bedroom, Stevie went to the walk-in closet first. She wasn't going out as much anymore, so she wanted to dress up in something she hadn't worn in a long time. It took her about half an hour to pick and she laid her outfit on the bed, before she went to take a shower. She allowed herself to enjoy it too as she normally would have to do it either when Aimee was asleep or in a rush. With her hair wrapped in a towel and another one around her, secured with a knot, Stevie sat down at the vanity. Her look now mostly consisted of light brown eyeshadow and nude or lightly pink lip gloss, so of course, she didn't go for them tonight. 

Checking the time, Stevie picked out a pair of shoes and stepped into them, while trying to put a bracelet on her wrist. Almost as soon as she was done, the doorbell rang. Suddenly a little nervous, she descended the stairs and headed towards the front door.

"Hey!" Stevie took a step backwards to let Lindsey in. "I'm just going to grab a purse, I'll be right back."

"O-okay." Lindsey nodded as his eyes followed her. She looked fantastic. It was going to be a long night.