Leaning into the counter, Stevie's eyes stayed glued on the plate of pancakes in front of her... The food that no one had even touched yet.
She had been up for awhile- long enough to overthink and over cook.
"Do you think she'll come down soon?" She looked up at her husband, who was sitting across the counter with the morning paper in hand.
Everyone was awake- it was obvious by the ruckus upstairs, but none of the kids had actually left the comfort of their rooms that morning. The only one that had spent some time with them was Elise, but she was out the door by the time the sun was coming up. She didn't want to see Crosby or Kara, which was probably best for everyone.
The last thing Stevie wanted was more fighting before noon... It was exhausting.
"I-" just as he was getting ready to reply, the sound of feet hitting the hardwood floor caused him to spin around on the bar stool.
It was Everleigh, standing in the doorway with her backpack in one hand and her jacket in the other. "Is it okay if I walk to Megan's?" She asked in a soft, almost mundane tone of voice. "Her mom made cinnamon rolls and then we're gonna go to the movies." She added as her eyes stayed fixated on the kitchen floor.
Lindsey casually glanced back at Stevie as a soft sigh escaped him. "You know what, kiddo?" He could tell that no one really knew how to approach the situation- it wasn't easy. "I think you, me, and mom should have a talk about what happened last night." He suggested, even though he hadn't actually talked it through with Stevie first.
"I think so, too." She agreed as her hand fell on Lindsey's back to rub it softly.
The teenager stared at them for a long moment before her eyes drifted back to the floor. "No." With a racing heart, Ev shook her head lightly. "I don't want to." She admitted as her forehead wrinkled up, trying hard to keep the tears from falling.
She had thought about it all night... she isn't your mom. It was a sentence that had played on repeat a million times- tormenting her. And by the time the morning had come, Everleigh had decided that she wasn't ready to know the truth.
Those were her parents, no matter what.
"Can we just not?" She whispered, bringing her sweater sleeve up to her face to hide all the emotion.
Patting his shoulder, Stevie lightly pushed away from her husband. "Go have fun with your friends, sweet girl." She waved a hand casually as she moved back around the other side of the counter.
To say that she was upset would have been an understatement... Stevie was heartbroken.
Her daughter was the moon and the stars in her universe and it didn't seem fair that it could so easily be ripped away from her like that.
Crosby had no right.
"Text us when you get there." Lindsey gave her a soft smile, silently assuring her that it was okay... Everything was going to be alright in the end- it had to be.
She let out a little laugh, even though she felt like crying. "It's six doors down, I'll be fine." She shook her head a tad as she walked towards the foyer.
She just wanted to get away- escape to a place where she could pretend like none of that had ever happened.
Once the front door closed, Lindsey turned back around in his chair, eyes instantly meeting Stevie's. "I'm gonna go talk to Crosby." He announced, tossing the news paper back down on the counter.
