With rollers in her hair and her lipstick in hand, Stevie hurried through the kitchen, still in her robe and slippers. "Lindsey, come on!" She had very little patience that morning... actually, she'd been on the edge of her seat all week. "Get ready!" She yelled down to the basement as she flipped on the light.
He'd been down there for hours... When he realized that she'd woken up on the wrong side of the bed, he took that as his cue to hide out.
"I'm coming." He assured, carrying his cup of coffee in hand as he started up the stairs.
She was still standing at the top, watching him with a look of pure annoyance. "What'd I ask you to do this morning?" Stevie asked, brown eyes melting into his once he'd made it to the kitchen.
He smirked lightly as he stared down at her. "You really are the most beautiful woman in the world." Lindsey thought she was adorable, even when she was mad... Mad but stunning.
Raising a brow, she tried not to roll her eyes. "Lindsey..." she sighed, feeling him wrap his one arm around her waist.
She was stressed out- overly tired and really worried about the weekend with Lucy and her mother... It was making her sick.
"Take a deep breath." He whispered, feeling her sink into him to be held. "I already talked to Crosby." He said, silently assuring her that he did, in fact, pay attention to what she'd asked him to do earlier that morning.
Stevie had invited Lucy and her mother over for coffee and pie, which had become more complicated than she had ever imagined.
She couldn't have Crosby there- not with everyone else, and that might seem wrong, but deep down, she knew it wasn't.
She didn't want Lucy to know that he was back at home with them, struggling again... Stevie wouldn't allow that woman to pity her son.
She slipped her arms around his neck, head on his chest as her eyes fell closed. "You drive me crazy." She admitted as she felt his hand circle the small of her back gently.
They'd had a rough couple of days... or weeks, actually. Stevie had spent a lot of her time at the restaurant, trying her best to stay away from the house and the drama that came with everyone that occupied it.
There was so much happening, she couldn't even bring herself to confront him about the bottles she'd found, even though it was surely eating away at her... But she wasn't ready- not for any of it.
She couldn't tell him that she knew he'd been lying to her for a long time, and on top of that, she couldn't even bring herself to tell Everleigh the truth... It was past due, she knew that, but she just couldn't.
He let out a soft laugh as he left a kiss on the side of her face. "I don't want them to come over." He had said that the night before and, like any rational wife would, she told him that he was childish... Even though she felt the same way, deep down.
Patting his back, her eyes traveled up to look into his. "We're doing this for our girl, so it's worth it." She repeated, mentally reminding herself of that as well.
The tip of his nose gently met hers, eyes still locked. "You're-"
"Hey," Crosby's voice cut Lindsey's words off as he trailed into the kitchen. "If you want me out of here so fucking bad, I need some car keys." He was in rare form- he had been for days.
He hadn't even spoken to his mother since the night Lindsey told him that she had considered telling Evee the truth. He was mad at his mother, and he made it pretty obvious.
Looking down at his wife, Lindsey patted her back lightly before he let her go. "The boys are golfing today," he announced, venturing towards the counter to open one of the drawers. "Maybe you tag along?" He added, gently tossing his car keys across the room.
Crosby scoffed, not at all in the mood for either of his parents that morning. "Is someone gonna give me a call when I'm allowed to come back, or what?" He mumbled, grabbing his wallet off the table to slip into his back pocket.
"You can come home whenever you're ready, honey." Stevie already felt absolutely horrible for suggesting he find something else to do that day, but it was for his own good...
"Yeah, alright." He gave them a faint wave, before he disappeared into the foyer to leave.
Stevie let out a defeated sigh, staring aimlessly at the doorway with an arched brow and pursed lips.
"It's fine." Lindsey shrugged a shoulder, not worried about their oldest and hoping that she wasn't either. "He'll get over it." He was certain of it... Crosby was just going to have to.
~~~
With a paper fan in one hand and her cup of tea in the other, Stevie stared intently across the table out on the back patio as she listened to her husband ramble on.
"I don't think it was terrible." He admitted for the third time in the last ten minutes.
She hadn't hardly said a thing since Tammy and Lucy left the house... She didn't know what to even think, let alone say.
It was weird... Very, very weird.
Everleigh was so enticed with Tammy- she had only really had a grandma for such a short period of time, so that was really new to her.
There was something different about a grandmother, compared to a mom. Something a little more magical, for sure and Stevie could see it.
"She's going to hate me when I tell her the truth." She mumbled, biting down on her lower lip as her eyes fell to the accent rug.
Even though the afternoon went very smooth, Stevie knew that they wouldn't stay friends forever... Tammy and Lucy just didn't see things the same way she did and it was only a matter of time before that started to reveal itself once more.
"No, she won't." He shook his head, really trying to be hopeful. "She'll understand why we did what we did." He wanted to believe that, he really did.
She paused for a moment, sinking down in her chair. "It wouldn't be so bad if Crosby wasn't her dad." She hated saying that aloud, but it was true.
Nodding his head, he let out a soft sigh. "I-"
"Crosby's my dad?" Evee's voice caused them both to turn around abruptly. "Crosby's my dad?" She repeated as the tears began to blur her vision.
