It was a couple of hours later when Stevie found herself venturing up the sidewalk of her home, finally sobering up some.
She had had a little too much to drink, and while she wouldn't let Lindsey drive her home with fear her husband would question her, she did crawl into the back of cab with a bottle of water and his jacket.
But it was fun- the whole afternoon was just so much fun. They ended up sitting on the floor in the studio together- Lindsey playing the guitar as she recited some of the lyrics that she'd written down in a million journals in a totally different realm.
It felt like they had gone back in time, when it was just the two of them... far before the fame and the money.
It felt so magical.
But that magic was only temporary- it had worn off by the time she was slipping through the front door and into the foyer of her house.
"My gosh..." she mumbled, stumbling over a couple of random shoes in the doorway as she slowly trailed further inside.
She could hear muffled voices coming from the kitchen, which made her want to escape upstairs... She didn't recognize those voices- it wasn't David, or Darby, which was kind of nerve wracking.
"Steph?" He half shouted from the other room.
She couldn't help but roll her eyes as a heavy sigh escaped her.
There was something so odd about coming home to a family- people that relied on you to be there, have dinner cooked at a specific time, and then spend all evening going back and forth about their day.
She wasn't used to that and she wasn't sure how much she really liked it.
"Gigi?" And then there was that sweet voice that rang through the room, causing her heart to sink into the very pit of her stomach. "Gigi?" Her tiny feet hit the hardwood floor as she came running around the corner.
She had the blondest, curliest hair and the chubbiest little cheeks.
"Hi..." Stevie slowly sank down to be level with the baby as a sweet smile danced across her face.
"Up, up, up." She held out her hands, asking to be picked up over and over again.
Stevie carefully picked her up off the floor, feeling her snuggle into her neck instantly.
There was this feeling of pure love that made her heart burst... She knew that she adored that child- she was a miracle.
"I figured she had found you already." The woman standing in the doorway caused her to jump lightly.
Blinking a couple of times, Stevie stared across the room, almost certain she was staring at herself in the mirror... Herself about thirty years earlier, that is.
"Everything okay?" The blonde wondered as her brown eyes stayed locked with her mother's.
Nodding her head casually, Stevie finally looked away as she began to head into the kitchen. "I'm fine, sweetie." She mumbled, carefully carrying the baby in her arms.
The dining room was insane. For some reason, Stevie thought she only had one child, but in fact, by the looks of it- she was very wrong.
Her husband was sitting at one end of the long table, all other eight chairs occupied, while the one at the very end sat completely empty... That was her seat.
With wide eyes, she slowly put Charlie back down, only for her to immediately run towards her grandpa.
Stevie felt so warm all of a sudden, like the walls were caving in and the air was growing thick... She felt like she was going to pass out, she really did.
"There she is." The brunette sitting next to David was identical to the other daughter... It was like a room full of Stevie's.
"Hey, mom." Her son grinned lightly, almost shouting over all the other random conversations flooding the room.
"Hi, Gigi!" Her grandson waved from across the table as this big, cheeky smile spread across his face.
She forced a smile as well, even though there was a knot in her stomach and her heart was pounding. "Hi..." she lingered, not sure what else she was supposed to say.
The whole experience was strange, but that moment was really the cherry on the cake of it all...
When David pushed himself up from the table abruptly, the entire room went silent, all the kids attention traveling towards their parents. "I need your help in the kitchen, Steph." He grabbed his plate off the table, along with a couple of others before he motioned for her to lead the way.
She could tell that sort of tension- she knew it well. She didn't have to be married in her other life to recognize the look of embarrassment and even a little bit of anger.
"What has gotten into you?" He mumbled in a low tone as soon as they were alone. "Huh?" He was obviously upset, but not in a scary, overbearing way.
He just seemed more worried than he did mad.
"Where have you been all day?" He asked after a moment of silence had washed over them.
Swallowing hard, she leaned into the kitchen island. "I needed to clear my mind." She shrugged, not at all sure how she was supposed to answer either of those questions.
Setting the plates in the dishwasher, David shook his head in disbelief. "You needed to clear your mind?" He repeated with a soft scoff. "Where did you go to clear your mind?" He wondered, never looking back at her. "Considering you're in a short dress that I've never seen, wearing another man's jacket, and half sloshed..." He let out a deep sigh as his jaw settled lightly.
Biting down on her bottom lip, Stevie's eyes fell down to her clasped hands. "I was hanging out with my friend Lori and-"
"Who's Lori?" He wrinkled a brow as he finally turned back to face her.
"My friend." She repeated. "And yes, I had a little too much to drink, so she helped me in a cab and sent me home." She had to lie... She didn't want to break his heart.
He nodded his head, suddenly feeling a little bad for jumping to conclusions so fast. "And the jacket?" He asked with a much softer tone.
He had never had a reason to doubt his wife- she had always been the most honest, most faithful woman he'd known. She was his entire world, always had been.
"It's freezing, David." She announced, almost like that was news. "She let me borrow a coat."
He shifted awkwardly as his arms stayed crossed over his chest. "I'm sorry." That was flabbergasting- totally shocking to her.
She couldn't remember the last time a man had actually apologized and then there he was, saying it as if it was nothing... He was a really good man.
Pushing himself away from the counter, he slowly trailed towards her. "And I love you." He added as his eyes melted right into hers.
She felt him slip a hand around her waist as she automatically sank into his side. "We have a lot of kids..." she whispered with a really faint smile.
David chuckled lightly as he pressed a soft kiss to her head.
