On My Way To You

8

October 20, 2011

The quiz bowl team would be going to their first competition tomorrow and Stevie had accompanied Lindsey and the students for Quiz Bowl after school. They were in the auditorium and they had buttons and Stevie was fully enjoying herself. She had dressed semi professionally in a tan blazer dress and she was wearing brown clog sandals on her feet, but the auditorium was cold so she had Lindsey's brown blazer on and she was holding it tightly to herself. 

Lindsey called off the final question and Stella answered it easily and Stevie cheered for her. She had really fallen into this weird semi-mom mode with Stella and she was quite frankly proud of her. 

"Alright! We leave tomorrow at 10:30 in the morning. I think you guys are READY! Get a good nights sleep and eat a healthy and hearty breakfast tomorrow morning before school. Your parents are waiting for you outside." 

After he dismissed the class, Stella came climbing down the stairs and Stevie held her arms out for her giving her a tight squeeze. 

"You are going to kill it tomorrow!" Stevie coos. 

It was then that the doors opened and the kids that were filtering out gasped as Don Henley and Stevie's team sweeping in. 

"What's going on?" Lindsey asks looking at the scene around them. 

"Don what are you doing here?" Stevie asks. She hadn't seen him since the affair, and she had handled all the press for Leather and Lace herself so he really wasn't on the forefront of her mind. 

"Baby, we just got nominated for a Grammy." 

"What!" Stevie gasps looking at Lindsey, Stella, Karen, and her manager Irving Azoff.

"Leather and Lace is nominated for a grammy. I've been trying to contact you all day but you haven't answered your phone." Irving states.

"There's no phones at school." Lindsey cuts in. 

"Who is this?" Irving asks.

"This is my...um...this is my boyfriend Lindsey, and his daughter Stella. I've been here most of the day." Stevie shakes her head.

"Well sweetheart, you just got nominated for a grammy." 

"A grammy. 20 years, and I finally got a grammy nomination!" Stevie cheers throwing her arms around Lindsey. 

"I'm so proud of you." Lindsey mumbles into her hair as she squeezes him. 

"You have that benefit for cancer tomorrow night, and I was thinking that you and Don could sing and announce your grammy nomination. Everyone is going to be paying attention and I think it'll be a good idea." Irving states. 

Stevie had originally invited Lindsey to attend with her and officially announce him as her boyfriend, but he told her that he didn't know when they'd be back. He said that they'd try and be there if they could but he wasn't sure. And she understood. She wasn't going to fault him for not being there especially because he had a prior commitment. 

"Well I..." Stevie starts looking between Lindsey and Stella. They had plans to go out and have dinner, the three of them and then Stevie was going to stay at their house and she was going to get up with them in the morning and make a big brain food filled breakfast for Stella and Lindsey. 

"Go, go we'll be fine. Go celebrate talk about logistics do what you have to do." Lindsey squeezes her shoulders. 

"Okay, thank you. Bye." She kisses him quickly and then she hastily follows her people out of the auditorium. 

***

Lindsey was getting ready for bed when his phone rang. He smiled seeing Stevie's name and then he answered it. "What's up?" 

"We got it all worked out. Don and I are performing tomorrow night. We're going to be spending all day tomorrow rehearsing and practicing. I've sung this song live countless times since it was released, but never with him. I don't know if I'm necessarily ready for it." Stevie tells him through the line. 

"You are going to do amazing. I promise you...But hey, this is good you got a grammy nomination, you said it was your first nomination...I can't believe that in 20 years, you haven't had a nomination." 

"Well I have, only minuscule ones though." Stevie sighs. 

"Angel, I think you have a great chance at this. It's a good song." Lindsey tells her. 

"I do to...and I think that's why I'm going through with this. I'm not necessarily comfortable singing with him again." 

"When you start singing it's all going to go away and it's going to be natural." Lindsey assures.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there to make you breakfast in the morning." 

"We'll be okay...I can whip up a fried egg." 

"That is hardly nutritious." 

"We'll be fine. Goodnight Steph...I love you." They hadn't said those words to each other yet and he didn't even realize that he did it but it just felt natural. 

"Yeah you too." She had been taken by surprise, and it didn't surprise Lindsey that, that was her response he just smiled and hung up the phone before crawling into bed. He grabbed the pillow that she had slept on the night before and he blew out a breath into it. 

***

They won the competition and as they were pulling up their driveway, Stella was streaming Stevie's show. 

"Dad, dad look." She starts hitting his arm.

"What?" He asks.

"You need to get to the Staples Center."

"Why?" Lindsey inquires. 

She shows him the phone and Lindsey gulps when he sees Stevie and Don Henley singing their song. She was looking into his eyes and they were holding hands. It was almost like they were eye-fucking each other on the stage while they were singing and it didn't sit well with Lindsey. So with that he nodded at Stella. 

"Yeah, I'll um...I'll go to the Staples Center. Go on in, let Duke out but stay by the house. I'll be back eventually." He nods. 

"Bring Stevie back with you."

"I'm um...I'm not promising anything Stella." He sighs. 

"Please dad." 

"Just go, Duke is probably miserable." He points out the window. 

When he sees that she's safely in the house he pulls back out of the driveway and speeds-maybe- the 40 minutes to the arena.