Never Alone

Part 33

Kitchen after dinner was a mess. Even though Madison was only two-years-old, Stevie wanted to cook a proper meal to mark a whole week of Madison being officially their daughter. She didn't exactly like it though, instead she asked for spaghetti with cheese and there was no way Stevie was going to deny her. Now, however, she thought to herself, that Lindsey jumped at the chance to take care of the easy task, which was put Maddy to bed, while she was left alone to tackle a mountain of dishes. 

Meanwhile, Lindsey was going through a stack of children's stories in Madison's bookshelf as they tried to pick one out. Titles told her nothing, so she was basing her decision solely on the cover. 

"Okay, how about this one?" Lindsey held up The Princess and the Pea and waited until Madison decided. She eventually nodded her head and he sighed in relief. "Alright. I'm going to sit right here, near the lamp, okay?"

"Can Stevie read story?" Maddy asked, mispronouncing nearly every syllable. 

"Stevie is cleaning up downstairs, but I can go ask if you like." Lindsey smiled, he didn't feel offended. Some nights Madison wanted Stevie, some nights she wanted him.

Entering the kitchen, Lindsey was expecting to find Stevie at the sink, sleeves rolled up, scrubbing a pot, but instead, he saw her sitting at the table, a tub of ice-cream in her hand. He raised a questioning eyebrows, she gave a shrug of her shoulders.

"We didn't have desert." Stevie said, bringing up another spoonful to her mouth. "Also, you're doing the dishes."

He might have argued if she wasn't carrying his child. "Yes, dear." Lindsey laughed lightly, nodding his head. "It looks like I am. Maddy is asking for you."

"Oh, is she okay?" 

"She's fine." Lindsey assured, placing his hands on her shoulders, he kissed the top of her head. "She just wants you to read her a story. Apparently, I'm no good tonight."

"I'm on it." Stevie pushed back her chair, closing the lid on the ice-cream, she went to put it back into the freezer. 

Madison was lying in bed, patiently waiting. It was difficult for her to grasp the changes that had happened in her life. All she knew was that she now lived somewhere else with two people, who were always nice to her. She wasn't used to getting so much attention, she didn't have to share her toys, she also had her own room for the first time in her short life. When she asked for something, she was always polite. If she needed to wait, she waited and didn't cause any problems. 

When Stevie appeared in the doorway, Madison smiled shyly and patted the empty space beside her. Every little thing the girl did, melted Stevie's heart. She picked up the book that Maddy had chosen and lay down, not without some struggle.

"Oh, this is a good one." Stevie said, looking at the book cover. "Let me just-" She shifted in her position and lifted her arm up to pull back her hair. That was all she meant to do, but Madison took it as an opportunity to lean in closer and rest her head on Stevie's chest. "Are you comfortable like this?"

"Yes." Maddy nodded and opened the book to the first page of the story.

No more than half an hour later, Madison was asleep. It wasn't as easy for Stevie to get up carefully and quietly anymore, but she did the best she could. Once she was standing up, she looked at Maddy and the girl didn't seem like she had been woken up. Stevie left the nightlight on and made sure to keep the door slightly ajar on her way out. 

Stevie nearly collided with Lindsey as she walked out of the room. "Christ. You scared the hell out of me."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." Lindsey gave her an apologetic look and slid his arm around her waist. "Is she asleep?"

"Yes." Stevie replied, then asked, raising an eyebrow. "Are the dishes done?" 

"Almost." Lindsey lied. "You're really great at this parenting stuff, you know."

"So are you." She said, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "But it's easy with Maddy. I'm afraid to meet the monster you and I have created." Stevie laughed, leaving Lindsey speechless for a few seconds.

"Do not call our child a monster!" Lindsey shook his head, sounding completely aghast.

"It's a joke, Linds." Stevie shrugged, adding. "But if they're anything like me, they're going to be seriously opinionated. If they're anything like you, they are going to-"

"Yeah, okay." Lindsey nodded, stopping her mid-sentence. "I get it. Now, why don't you take out your ice-cream and I'm going to start working on those dishes."

"Start?" 

"On the other hand, you go to bed." Lindsey stopped and turned her around. "I'll be right there with you." He pecked her on the lips and rushed to do what he was supposed to have already done.