"Gigi, look at this new dinosaur!" Luke held up the t-Rex, showing his grandma with a big smile trailing across his face.
Stevie was sitting on the couch, watching her two grandchildren play on the living room rug, while everyone else moved and chatted around them.
With her reading glasses resting on the bridge of her nose, she let a soft smile tug at the corners of her mouth. "That's a really cool one." She assured with a voice full of enthusiasm.
She had never been interested in dinosaurs, matchbox cars, or Barbie dolls, but for some reason, listening to Charlie and Luke talk about them really fascinated her.
There was this magic that came with being someone's grandma and she could feel that instantly... She adored those kids, it was so obvious.
"Gigi?" Charlie's little voice caught her attention as she put one foot in front of the other to trail towards the couch.
"Careful, baby." Stevie held out a hand for her to hold onto as she stumbled over.
"Up?" She kept her grandmas hand in hers as she tried pulling herself up onto the couch.
It took her a moment, but not long and then she was on Stevie's lap with her head resting on her shoulder as her eyes started to grow sleepy.
She had never had that- she had never dreamt of being a grandma, but as she sat there, staring around the room full of people- all of them being her children, she felt something she wasn't sure she'd ever felt before.
It was unconditional love... She loved all those humans, without measure and she could feel it.
It was obvious that in that life, this is where she was meant to be. She was meant to be a wife, a mom, a grandma, a teacher, and everything in between, but she knew, deep down, she still had another calling.
She still had another world and other people that meant so much to her... People she couldn't wait to get back to.
The feeling of two hands meeting Stevie's shoulders is what pulled her back into reality. "I think we're gonna get going, mom." The blonde leaned down slowly, pressing a kiss to the older woman's head. "But I'll see you tomorrow for the fundraiser." She added with a light chuckle.
Letting off a sweet smile, Stevie's eyes traveled to the side. "Be careful on your way home, Drue." She stunned herself... She knew her name- the first time she could recall anything on her own.
"We're going to get going as well." Dylan announced as she held up Luke's jacket.
"Can we spend the night?" He wondered with the saddest set of puppy dogs that Stevie had ever seen.
Dylan laughed softly as she shook her head. "Not tonight, okay?" She was so natural and calm.
Stevie really admired that.
"I don't wanna go." He had tears in his eyes as he glanced over at his grandmother, hoping she'd be on his side.
"Maybe this weekend you can spend the night with Gigi and grandpa." Dylan gave her mom a playful eye roll, silently assuring her that she didn't need to feel bad- it happened all the time.
With Charlie asleep in her arms, Stevie carefully stood up from the sofa.
"I got her, mom." DJ didn't hesitate to hop off the accent chair to help his mother. "You'll still get her from daycare on Friday, right?" He had already asked her that- ten times but he just wanted to make sure again... After all, she had been pretty forgetful the last couple of days.
"Sure." She shrugged lightly, making a mental note of it. "Friday... got it." She nodded softly as she began following everyone to the door.
And as she trailed a couple of feet behind, her eyes traveled to the family picture hanging on the wall in the hall.
She knew them- all of them. DJ, Dani, Dylan, Drue and Darby... Five kids.
She had always wanted that- a big family, but when she dreamed of it, it was always with Lindsey... It was always the two of them, growing super old and super gray together.
But some things just don't work out the way you always hoped and that's okay.
Besides that, she also had never really depicted herself as someone who would give her soccer team of children names that started with the same letter... That wasn't her vibe- not in her other life, at least.
"Earth to Stevie." Darby waved a hand in front of her moms face, creasing a brow at how intently she was staring at the canvas. "There's someone on the phone for you." She added.
Nodding lightly, Stevie's eyes ventured back to the foyer full of her kids. "I'll see you all later." She cracked a faint, half smile, suddenly not sure how these goodbyes were supposed to go. "Be careful." She mentioned before she disappeared into the kitchen.
"He sounds so serious." Her youngest daughter grinned lightly, following not far behind. "He was all like-"
"Thank you, sweet girl." Stevie cut her off with a very fake smile. "I can handle it from here." she added, silently telling her that she wanted to talk alone... without little ears.
Rolling her eyes playfully, Darby let out another soft laugh. "I guess I'll just do my homework." She mumbled as she pushed herself away from the counter.
Holding the speaker of the phone to the palm of her hand, Stevie waited until she was alone before she brought it up to her ear. "Hello?" Her voice had shifted into that soft, mysterious tone as she leaned into the marble island.
"Hey, there." He had a smile on his face- she could almost hear it over the phone. "I just wanted to make sure you made it home alright." Lindsey didn't want to put her in a cab all alone, not in the state that she was in, but she didn't want him driving her either... He had no other option.
Nodding her head lightly, this deep shade of red marked her cheeks. "Thank you for such a great evening," she smirked before a little giggle escaped her. "And for making sure I made it home." She added.
The chuckle that filled his end of their conversation caused little butterflies to flutter in the pit of her stomach. "I had a really good time with you, and I think you're very talented, Stevie." He hadn't given her that sort of a complement in many years... She couldn't even remember the last time, actually.
Biting down on her lower lip, she could feel her heart start to beat incredibly fast. "That means a lot." She admitted as she turned around slowly, making sure no one had wandered into the kitchen.
With a gentle smile, Lindsey sank back in his chair as he listened to another one of her little laughs fill the phone. "I was wondering if you would want to do something tomorrow evening?" He knew it was a long shot, but it was worth it. "I could pick you up from work..." he lingered after she'd grown oddly quiet. "Or I could swing by your house and we could go out to dinner, or the-" he was starting to ramble- he was suddenly very nervous, so she decided to calm him down some.
"I would really love that, Lindsey."
