"You know your mother didn't mean that." Lindsey hadn't said a word since they'd gotten in the car, having left Stevie all alone in the hotel room for the day.
She had tried defending herself, but Everleigh was so stunned with her mother's choice of words, she just sat there, staring at her with the saddest set of blue eyes ever. It was terrible.
"She's just very stressed out right now." He added in hopes that would lighten the tension that filled the air... He knew Stevie didn't feel that way, even if it sounded really believable. "She's trying her best and she's doing such a great job, so don't hold this against her." Lindsey sort of felt like he was talking to himself, but at least he knew Evee heard it and that's all that mattered.
"I love it here." She mentioned, staring out the window as they traveled down Michigan Street at snail pace.
She didn't want to talk about what Stevie had said- she was annoyed and she was allowed to be, so instead, she decided to change the topic. They could talk about literally anything else, just not that.
"It's nice..." he agreed with a soft chuckle. "Until there's a blizzard in the middle of spring." He teased, even though he was dealing with a tough crowd.
She shrugged a shoulder lightly. "I love the snow." Evee was in a mood- it was very obvious by the way her tone in voice had shifted since earlier that morning.
Lindsey raised a brow lightly, suddenly realizing that it would probably be easier to refrain from talking, completely.
Twenty minutes seems to last forever when you sit in silence, but that's what happened... that's what they did. They only listened to music on a low volume, both of them zoned out and lost in their own thoughts.
"Thank you for bringing me out here." Ev finally spoke up once they were pulling up to the curb. "I know it isn't easy for you, either." She assured with a simple nod. "And I'm thankful that you're my dad." She gave him a soft smile as she pushed open the car door, not leaving much time for him to even reply.
Sighing heavily, he got out of the car as well.
~~~
Stevie sat in the room for about an hour all by herself before she finally decided that she'd had enough. She was bored and as much as it upset her that she was banned from Navy Pier for the day, she wasn't just going to pace around all evening either.
So, instead of feeling sorry for herself, she slipped into a long skirt, a flowing blouse, curled her hair, and stepped into a pair of heels.
She didn't know what she was going to do- she didn't know the city very well, but she figured she'd find someone that did and they'd point her in the right direction... It was a long shot, but it was worth it.
And then, just as she was getting ready to step into the hallway, her phone started ringing.
With a soft smile trailing across her face, Stevie leaned back into the wall. "Hello, Lindsey."
"Hi, baby." He replied. "I'm just calling to make sure that you're okay." He was sitting on a bench, watching two birds fight over an old piece of pizza that was plastered to the cement.
When he was stuck in awkward situations like this one, he usually had his wife there to keep him company. They could be awkward and quiet together, but since she wasn't welcome, he wanted to call her to include her in the awful afternoon.
Sinking down, she tossed her purse down on the accent chair, suddenly not too enthused with the idea of going out alone. "I feel really terrible." She stated something that he already knew. "Those kids aren't a burden to me, and I shouldn't have said what I did." She added as she took a seat on the edge of the bed.
He let out a sigh, holding the phone up to his ear as he watched all the people passing by. "I know." He knew better than anyone else just how much she loved being their mom, but he also knew that it wasn't that easy...
"How is it going? How's my girl?" She wondered, a little sad that she had to miss out on it, even though she knew it was what Lucy wanted, anyway.
If her absence made both Lucy and Everleigh happy, she could respect that.
"It's alright." He didn't sound too certain when he said it. "Lucy and Ev went to walk around, and get ice cream, or something." Lindsey sounded almost as bored as Stevie was.
She pursed her lips to one side, nodding her head as if he could see her. "What are you doing?" She could hear it in his voice- he was ready to make his great escape.
"Oh, I'm not doing much." The way he said that caused her to laugh, even though she knew he was being serious. "I think we should go out to dinner, just you and I." He suggested, more than ready to wrap up his time at Navy Pier.... and his time in Chicago, totally.
"Just you and I?" She repeated in a playful tone of voice. "You're actually going to let Ev hang out with Lucy?" She raised a brow, shocked by his sudden shift in perspective.
"I always trust you, and your impressions." He was pulling her leg a little bit. "If you think this is a good idea, I also think it's... okay." He let out a soft laugh as he shrugged his shoulder lightly.
Biting down on her lower lip, she couldn't help but giggle as well. "So, are you asking me on a date?" She teased.
He nodded his head, that sweet smirk still tugging at the corners of his mouth. "You are my favorite person to go out with, so I guess I am." He pushed himself off the bench, grabbing his bottle of water before he started to trail back towards the entrance.
"Your favorite, huh?" She rolled her eyes playfully as she let out another chuckle. "I think you're just trying to win yourself some brownie points." Stevie could tell when he was saying stuff just to please her... They'd been married for so long, he couldn't get away with much.
"Maybe I am, but it's still true." He assured, listening to another one of her sweet laughs fill the phone. "I'll be there in twenty minutes, woman."
~~~
Sitting across from Lucy at the outdoor table, Everleigh tried to recount some of the questions she'd had.
It didn't feel like she was with her biological mom... It felt like she was with a friend, and as much as she wanted to trust her, she just couldn't bring herself to.
Lucy wasn't her mom... She wasn't Stevie.
"I would really like you to meet my mother." Lucy spoke up before Evee could, which was kind of a sigh of relief. "Of course, you met her when you were a child, and she absolutely adores you." She added to clarify.
Raising a brow, Evee nodded her head softly. "Okay..." she shrugged lightly, not sure if she was totally ready for that.
There was so much happening, so fast, she was starting to get overwhelmed.
"She is the absolute best grandma." She assured with a soft, encouraging smile.
With a racing heart, she finally glanced up. "I'll have to ask my parents first, but I'm sure they'd be okay with it."
"Well, if Stevie has a problem with it, then I'll talk to her."
