That night went by pretty smooth for being the first without Lindsey... Better than Stevie had anticipated, for sure.
She wasn't really sure exactly what she was expecting, but a quiet evening without any hiccups was just not it.
The three of them had dinner together, around the table and there were no arguments, or even back handed comments. Instead, they all had really civil conversations about their day. Then, after the girls cleaned up the kitchen, Everleigh picked a movie- a scary one, but her mother still sat and watched it... halfheartedly. And Crosby disappeared to his room for the night- staying up until the early morning hours, strumming the same couple of cords on his guitar.
It was weird, but Stevie actually kind of liked it... Aside from missing her husband and her other two sons, of course.
"It's so early." She whispered as a soft smile trailed across her face. "Why are you up already?" She wondered, casually shifting in bed as she held the home phone to her ear.
She could have sworn she heard him grinning on the other end. "I can't sleep..." Lindsey shrugged a shoulder as he leaned back against the railing of the hotel balcony. "And I know you don't sleep, so I figured I'd call." He could tell by the sound of her voice that she hadn't actually been asleep- it wasn't groggy enough. "We can stay up together." He smirked softly as he listened to her sweet laugh fill the phone.
"Do you miss me?" She couldn't help but smile as she lightly teased him... He always did that- he always got a little homesick right after he'd leave.
"I always miss you." He assured with a faint nod.
Pushing herself up in bed, she glanced over at the alarm clock on her nightstand- it was only two minutes past four. "It's only been a day, Lindsey." She reminded him. "You use to leave me for months, just fine." She was pulling his leg, even though she was being really honest.
"Yeah, now I can't even leave you for a weekend." He chuckled softly as he slowly turned around to stare down at the city lights. "I already miss your cold feet pressed into my back at night."
Tossing her head back, Stevie let out a deep laugh. "Now that I think about it, my feet have been a little bit colder since you left me..." she lingered as she bit down on her lower lip softly.
He shook his head a tad as that smirk stayed plastered to his face. "You're funny." He assured as his eyes traveled up towards the stars hanging in the dark. "Did you see the sky tonight?" Lindsey was just trying to stay on the phone for as long as possible- Stevie could tell.
"Honey?" She slowly slid further up the headboard, readjusting her nightgown comfortably. "You're too old to be homesick." Her words caused her husband to laugh softly. "But yes, I think the moon looks incredible tonight." She let out a subtle sigh, realizing that she might as well just get up for the morning- he wasn't going to let her go that easily.
He hadn't always been like that- not that attached, at least. She was usually the one calling him everyday, but the older they got, the more the roles reversed.
"I don't know why I do this stuff anymore, I'm just bored." He admitted after a comfortable moment of silence had washed over them.
The thing about being married for that long was that they didn't haven't constantly be talking to be content with one another... They could sit on the phone with each other for hours, only saying a couple of words every now and then, and still be totally entertained... That's fifty years.
Shaking her head softly, her eyes fell closed for a second. "I don't know why you do it either, Linds." Her voice was so low and so soft... He really missed her.
"I'll let you go-"
"No, I'm okay, baby." She cut him off, suddenly feeling bad for sounding so unenthused a moment earlier. "What are you doing today?" She didn't want him to go, not yet at least.
So instead, they spent all morning on the phone, talking about nothing in particular. They watched the morning news together, Stevie did her hair, Lindsey went downstairs to the lobby for a cup of coffee- all while they sat on the phone together, occasionally talking but not the entire time.
~~~
With a bottle of wine in one hand and a cheese tray in the other, Elise trailed close behind her mother- in- law as they headed for the kitchen. "Where's my girl?" She wondered out loud.
"Lauren's mother picked them up after school to go to the mall." Stevie let out a soft sigh. "I caved..." she added with a gentle, almost unenthusiastic nod.
Elise couldn't help but chuckle as she set everything down on the island.
"And Kara came to get Crosby for dinner, so..." she shrugged a shoulder with a swift, yet casual eye roll. "It's just us for awhile."
"Perfect, I have stuff to gossip about." The younger woman assured right away as she pulled a couple of wine glasses off the rack.
"Oh, good." Stevie laughed softly, slipping onto a bar stool.
She slid a glass across the counter before she poured herself one as well. "Do you have dance class tonight, or our we spending the night watching movies and hot tubbing?" Her lips turned up as she leaned back into the counter.
Elise had never had a great, role model for a mother. She spent a lot of years raising herself, so to have a mom like Stevie enter her life was a blessing in itself... They were like two peas in a pod.
"I'm not doing that anymore." Her voice grew softer as she slowly brought her glass up to her lips to take a sip.
Elise wrinkled a brow. "Why not? You loved that." She protested as a confused expression trailed across her face.
The blonde paused for a moment, letting another sigh escape her. "Because I have way too much going on here." She held up a hand, motioning around her home. "I have son that can't get himself together, a daughter that's beyond rebellious and a husband that I've lied to for months about my classes..." she had started rambling on so fast, it was obvious just how stressful it all was for her.
She had a lot on her plate... Almost too much.
Biting down on her lower lip, Elise reached out for her moms hand. "If dance class makes you happy, you shouldn't worry about what Lindsey thinks." She raised a brow softly. "And as for the other two, they're both at a point in their lives where they can decipher between right and wrong..." She lingered as she gave her hand a soft squeeze. "You need to focus a little more on yourself." Elise really, deep down that believed that Stevie was just doing way too much.
"I know." She nodded lightly, though she knew it was nearly impossible to just throw any of them to the wolves... They all needed her in a different way. "Let's find a movie." She didn't want to talk about it anymore- it was overwhelming.
With a warm smile, Elise grabbed her glass and the bottle off the counter. "Sounds good." She assured as she led the way back out of the kitchen.
But just as they made it to the living room, the sound of the house phone ringing filled the air. "It's probably Lindsey." Wrapping her sweater around herself tighter, she ventured across the rug to reach the phone. "Hello?" There was a faint smile on her face, but it faded the moment she heard the girls voice on the other end.
"I really need your help." Kara announced in a low, yet concerned tone. "Crosby had way too much to drink and he doesn't want to leave... He said, he wants you to come get him."
