Reconsider Me

Part 21

Leaving Aimee was never easy. Even if it was just for a day or two, Stevie hated saying goodbye to her daughter. As she watched the girl play, she thought, how uncomplicated a child's life was. You sleep, you eat and you play with your favorite toys. You have parents, who love you so much, they would do anything for you. You have so many other people surrounding you, who absolutely adore you. As you sit your barbie doll in a small plastic car, you don't think about your mommy and how she's thinking about another man, who's not your daddy. You don't know that they kissed and that was not right. No, you make your doll drive on the carpet and your face lights up, because you're just, well, happy. Stevie wished she could still experience something like that. She wished, she didn't have to be worried about the next few days and how nervous she was about it.

"What's going through your mind?" Kyle asked, when Stevie hadn't said a word for a while.

"Nothing, just thinking." Stevie shrugged, squeezing out a small smile.

"You miss her already, don't you?" He hugged her around the shoulders and pulled in a little closer. 

"Oh, uh-" She nodded. "Yeah, of course."

Kyle grew quiet for a moment, before he turned his head to face Stevie and she looked back at him. "Do you ever... do you ever think about maybe having another one?"

"Anoth- you mean, a child?" She frowned, drawing back. "It doesn't matter, what I think, Kyle. It doesn't change the fact I'm almost fifty."

"I know that, but it also doesn't mean that it couldn't happen. We didn't even have to try with Aims." 

Taking a deep breath first, Stevie did her best to remain calm. It was easy for him to talk about having more kids, he didn't quite take into consideration that it was different for women.

"And it's a miracle that she's here." Stevie said. "I wasn't exactly at my prime then and my body's been through hell. I don't think, we should even be discussing this."

"Hey, I didn't want to upset you." Kyle reached for her hand, when she stood up and was about to walk away. "It was a stupid thing to say."

"Yes, it was." Stevie agreed. "Just so you know, it's not about wanting or thinking, it's about being able."

"Stevie-" The expression on her face let him know that he had upset her even if he didn't mean to. "Hey."

"No." She held her hands up, blocking him from coming closer. "I need to finish packing."

Kyle didn't need to be told not to follow Stevie. With only two hours left before he was supposed to take her to the airport, the last thing he wanted was to have an argument. He knew her well enough to know that they weren't going to talk it out either.

Stevie's things had already been packing, but she needed an excuse to get away from Kyle. Of course, she'd love to have more children, but it was just wishful thinking late at night. She had been a dreamer her whole life, but not when it came to that particular subject.

Having spent some time alone, Stevie returned downstairs. She didn't acknowledge Kyle, no matter how hard he tried to catch her attention. She was about to leave for several days and she didn't want to miss out on a second with Aimee.

"We should get going if we don't want to have to rush." Kyle spoke up and Stevie barely glanced at him. 

"Come on, baby." Stevie smiled at Aimee. "Let's get you dressed."

About fifteen minutes later, Kyle went upstairs as well to get Stevie's things into the car. Again, she didn't say a word to him. Maybe she was overreacting, but he had hit a nerve. Once Aimee was in a pretty pink dress, she held her mother's hand firmly in her little one as they made their way downstairs and out the door. Kyle was waiting in the car, while Stevie made sure their girl was seated securely, she then got into the passenger's seat and fastened the seatbelt as well.

Just like Kyle had predicted, the drive was silent. Stevie watched out the window, while Aimee babbled to herself happily in the back, attempting to sing along to whatever songs were playing on the radio. A strange feeling came over him, when he saw Mick and Lindsey chatting, while they waited for everyone to arrive. The closest to that feeling was fear, he thought, when he noticed Lindsey's face light up at the sight of Stevie.

"Hey!" 

"Hey, you two." Stevie smiled, hugging both men. "I can't believe I'm not the last one here."

"Shocking, I know!" Mick laughed, nudging her. 

"Stevie?" Kyle placed his hand on her shoulder, when Mick and Lindsey focused on Aimee. "Can we..." He trailed off, taking a step back. 

"What?" She sighed, crossing her arms. 

"I'm sorry, okay?" 

"Mhm." She nodded once, looking somewhere past his shoulder. "You don't have to wait. I'm not alone, I'll be fine."

"I'm gonna miss you." He said, wanting to share a completely different kind of goodbye. 

Feeling a tug on her blouse, Stevie looked down and smiled at Aimee, who held her arms up. "I'll be back before you know it, baby." She promised, peppering Aimee's cheeks with kisses. "Mommy's gotta go and meet with some very important people now, okay?"

"Okay." Aimee nodded, wrapping her arms tightly around her mother's neck. "Love you, momma."

"I love you too, sweetheart." She said, swallowing the lump in her throat, before giving Aimee over to Kyle. 

They stood, looking at each other for a moment longer. It felt awkward, especially with an extra two sets of eyes on them. The best Stevie could do at the moment was a quick peck on the lips.

"I'll see you soon." She said and Kyle nodded, before walking away.