Lucy went back to Chicago a couple of days later, after she'd caused even havoc to last a lifetime. Like always, she stirred the pot and then ran away- the one thing she really knew how to do and oh, she did it well this time.
Evee was still hesitant around her mother- hardly speaking to her and spending most of her time away from the house, even if that meant hanging out at the library for hours after school just to refrain from coming home. She also started going over to Elise and Kash's for dinner, or spending a lot of her time at the restaurant, where Stevie hadn't been as much.
It was hard though... very hard for Everleigh, who had never experienced anything quite like this. Not only did the two people that she relied on more than any one else in the world just split up, but she'd also learned that her life was a total lie.
It wasn't easy and it made her rebel like never before.
"I thought mom asked you not to come down here?" Levy was in the passenger seat, staring back at Evee, who had been quiet since they'd picked her up.
She'd called at two in the morning from down by the ocean, asking her dad for a ride home. She had told her mother that she was spending the night at her friends house- Stevie even dropped her off there, but like usual, they all wandered down to the water.
And when things got too rowdy, like it always did, she wanted to go home.
"Yeah, I thought so, too." Lindsey wasn't happy- in fact, he was more annoyed than he'd been in a long time.
He had already been through all of this with his sons. He'd dealt with the rebellious stages and the disrespectfulness that usually came with raising teenagers.... And it was tiring.
Sinking down in the back, her eyes stayed glued on the cars passing by as they headed back to their house.
She was kind of hoping they would all just go back to Janie and Levy's- that way they wouldn't wake up Stevie, and she wouldn't be upset, but it didn't look like she was going to get her way that time.
"I don't like all of her rules." She admitted, which was the most common thing for any fourteen year old to say about their parent.
"Well," Lindsey shrugged, a light scoff escaping him. "I know that she doesn't like getting up in the middle of the night to rescue you, because you break them." He mumbled in an unenthusiastic tone. "If you would have just listened, we wouldn't be here now, huh?"
Everleigh rolled her eyes softly. "You must not like her rules, either." She fired back. "Or else you wouldn't have left her." She knew how to strike a nerve, which was exactly what she was aiming for that morning.
"Hey," Levy held up a hand, shaking his head lightly as he casually glanced over at his dad.
They all thought it was weird that Lindsey had moved out for a while, but no one else, not even Crosby would dare mention that in front of him... Especially to word it like that.
"It's fine, Levy." Lindsey assured, glancing back at her in the review mirror. "Yeah, sure... I don't like rules, either." He admitted.
And that was true- he didn't like to be told what to do, not even by Stevie, but he also cared about her opinion... He valued it and he wanted the kids to do the same. She deserved that respect.
"But your mom wouldn't ask you, or any of us not to do something if she didn't think it was best." He added, shifting in the drivers seat.
They grew pretty quiet after that, even Levy paused to think about those words... sometimes they took things for granted and the advice of their mother was almost always on the top of that list.
Unlocking the front door, Lindsey led the way into the house, where the foyer light flicked on instantly.
She was standing in the doorway with her shawl wrapped her shoulders, glasses perched on the end of her nose and her long hair in natural curls.
Lindsey had called half an hour earlier, waking her up out of a deep sleep to tell her that he was on his way with Evee, who he was still headed to pick up.
"I don't ask for much, Ev." Stevie mumbled, a look of pure disappointment written across her face.
That was worse than anything else. They could usually handle Stevie being mad, but disappointed? None of them wanted that.
"I'm sorry..." her eyes fell to the floor, biting down on the inside of her cheek as she stood there, awkwardly.
"I know you're mad at me..." Stevie announced, leaning into the doorframe slowly.
Raising a brow, Levy started to trail through the room. "I need some coffee." He didn't like the tension- he didn't know he was getting himself into some strange family intervention that early in the morning... or late at night, which ever way you looked at it.
"You said some terrible stuff." She tossed her hands out to her sides, a look of real sadness lingering in her eyes.
Lindsey bit his tongue on that one, waiting to listen to what his wife had to say before he jumped in.
Nodding her head, Stevie creased a brow. "I know..." she admitted, which wasn't what he wanted to hear. "It wasn't fair for you to hear that and-"
"Enough." Lindsey held up a hand, shaking his head in disbelief. "I'm tired of this." He was tired in general, but specifically with that.
"Linds..." Stevie's eyes met his, lightly shaking her head.
She was okay with admitting she was wrong, but he wasn't.
"No." He raised a brow, finally putting his foot down. "Evee, go take a seat in the living room." He motioned her out of the room, eyes still burning into the brown orbs from across the room. "I'm over it." Lindsey told his wife as soon as they were alone.
Her heart sank slowly, pausing for a moment before she reached out to take his hand in hers. "I love you." She whispered to him as she slipped her arm around his waist.
"Not as much as I love you." He kissed the top of her head softly, leading the way into the living room.
By then Ev was sitting on the sofa, and Levy was in the chair with a cup of coffee in hand... both of them patiently waiting to see what was going to happen next.
"What'd they tell you?" Lindsey asked, lingering in the center of the room as his wife stood a couple of feet away.
"You don't have to tell us if you aren't comfortable." She quickly added, lightly tapping his arm and giving him a subtle look.
Evee creased a brow, looking from her parents, back to Levy and then down to the floor. "That you wouldn't let them in my life..." she announced in a very somber tone.
Lindsey shifted all his weight from one foot to the other as he reached in his back pocket to pull out the envelope that he'd taken from Stevie's little box a couple of days before.
Stevie gasped softly, mouth half agape as she watched him hand it over to their daughter. "Lindsey..." she couldn't believe he would take that without asking... she hadn't showed anyone else that, ever.
"She needs to know, Steph."
