Lindsey wasn't sure what to do, he didn't know where to go.
He couldn't check into a hotel... Imagine a married, pretty well known celebrity checking in alone, close to home, without his wife- people would start talking. And Stevie's sly, sarcastic suggestion was out of the question... He wasn't going to Carries apartment, not when he was suddenly very determined to make his marriage work.
So, after grabbing a cup of coffee, he ended up just driving around aimlessly for a couple of hours.
It wasn't until the sky had grown dark and the sun had faded away, when he finally pulled down the driveway of a familiar home, that stayed tucked away in the safety of a row of trees that surrounded it.
"I have a favor." He was standing outside the front door with a duffel bag in one hand as the other stayed stuffed into his pants pocket.
Creasing a brow, Mick pulled the door open a little further, welcoming Lindsey into the foyer without another word. "Come on in, buddy." He had been there too... He understood perfectly well.
Trailing further into the room, Lindsey set his bag down on the floor before he took off his jacket. "She's holding the condo keys hostage." He announced with a gentle shrug.
Honestly, he felt pretty lucky that she didn't hide his car keys too... riding one of the kids' bikes to Mick's would have been a lot more taxing.
"Something happen?" He wasn't trying to be nosey- he was just a little curious, only because usually the roles in that situation were reversed.
Mick had crashed at Stevie and Lindsey's home on quite a few occasions throughout his time as a married man... all three wives had kicked him out at least once, so this wasn't new to him.
With a deep sigh, Lindsey followed him through the foyer and into the living room. "I really fucked up, dude." He wasn't afraid to admit that, even though it was a little embarrassing.
His wife was absolutely beautiful- the woman that every man wanted... And she was smart, funny, sweet. She was perfect and he was fortunate enough to have been the one she chose. He was the lucky one that got to marry her, start a family with her and spend twenty years together, yet he'd totally taken that for granted.
She was one in a million and he had messed that up.
Taking a seat on the sofa, Mick motioned for Lindsey to make himself at home. "We all make mistakes sometimes." There was that word again- mistake.
Sinking down into the chair, he nodded his head softly. "We've really struggled since Allison..." that was not a secret, not to anyone, especially not to the band.
They didn't see Stevie for weeks after Alli passed. She didn't come to work for months... she hardly got out of bed. And when she did show up in the studio, once in a blue moon, she would be so argumentative, Christine would have to drive her home because she wouldn't get in the car with Lindsey... It was horrible, it really was.
"We just fought so much, all the time." He added with another deep, sad sigh. "I didn't mean to hurt her." That might have sounded a little odd, since he had been unfaithful, but it was true.
He wasn't out to ruin their marriage, or break her heart... He was sad too and while that doesn't make cheating okay, that's just what he had turned to.
"And god..." he lingered as this hint of emotion washed over him. He didn't cry often. "I love her so much." He shook his head, disappointed in himself more than anything else.
"Then you need to fight for her, Lindsey." Mick had first hand experience when it came to angry wives- he had plenty.
Nodding his head, he sank back into the chair. "I will." His eyes were weak. "I can't let her go that easy... She's the love of my life."
~~~
With a bottle of wine in one hand, Stevie used the other to juggle a couple of glasses as she trailed into the sunroom.
"You look great, Stevie." Sharon mentioned as she sat on the sofa with her legs crossed.
She couldn't remember the last time the blonde had looked that happy, but they also didn't know that Stevie had already downed half a bottle of gray goose and cried for three years before they had arrived... They were only seeing the side she was willing to show.
"Thank you, honey." She set the glasses down on the table, before handing Lori the bottle and the corkscrew... She didn't trust her to pop a cork in that moment.
Raising a brow, the red head let out a very gentle sigh.
She could see right through the perfect makeup, curled hair, cute flowing dress and faint smile. Stevie could hide things fairly well, but anyone that truly knew her, knew that look lingering deep in those brown eyes.
Something had happened and she was incredibly upset.
"Where's Lindsey?" Lori asked, watching Stevie sit down on the loveseat as she poured everyone a glass of red wine.
Glancing up, she shook her head softly. "I don't wanna talk about him." She had thought about her husband for hours... She just wanted lose herself for awhile, that was all. "But my kids are at the zoo, seeing some Christmas lights." She let off a very gentle smile as her mind drifted away from Lindsey and to her babies.
After he'd left, Stevie had drawn herself a bath and then took a nap... She always reverted to naps, they allowed her to escape. But then, in the midst of unbearable sadness, she decided that she wouldn't do that to them.
She had been so much better and the last thing she wanted was to slip away again... She owed herself and her three children better.
"Cheers to Christmas lights." Lori mumbled, holding up her glass before bringing it to her lips.
Tossing her head back, Stevie let a loud laugh fill the air around them. "To Christmas lights." She smirked as she took a gulp of her wine.
She didn't want to dwell on the things she couldn't change, not that evening, so she didn't. Instead, she split four bottles of wine with her two friends.
And by the time Karen led the kids into the house, Stevie was passed out on the living room couch, Lori fast asleep in the sunroom, while Sharon had wandered into a quest room for the night.
"It was good while it lasted." Lola had tears in her eyes as she stared at her mother from across the room.
