Clancy could hardly sleep that night. In fact, after she had disappeared to her room, she sat out on the hotel balcony for a long time, trying to imagine the conversation she'd share with her mother.
It felt almost impossible to ignore, but it also felt too challenging to face as well.
How was she supposed to pretend like she didn't know? She couldn't...
So by early morning- the moon still hanging in the sky and the sound of nothingness lingering down the hallway, the young blonde slipped through her room and out the door.
She was on the hunt for some caffeine and something other than pure, deep silence that she'd engulfed herself in for the last eight hours.
Luckily, no matter what time it is in New York City, there's always something open. So even though it was only four in the morning, the coffee shop across the street from the hotel was already hustling. There were people in and out, the smell of freshly brewed coffee wavering through the air as she stepped inside.
And as she glanced around the nearly empty room, her eyes fell on the man, sitting alone at the corner table. He was staring out the window, watching the traffic cruise by as he held onto a foam cup of coffee like a security blanket.
"Fancy seeing you here." Pulling the empty chair out, her sleepy eyes met his deep blue storms.
He was in a hoodie, and a pair of jeans he'd thrown on, on his way out the door. She could tell that he'd hardly slept either- those eyes gave it away.
Lindsey chuckled softly, watching his youngest take a seat across from him. "You're up early." He announced.
She nodded lightly, a faint laugh escaping her. "More like, up late." She corrected as she got comfortable in the plastic chair.
She was a lot like her mom in that sense... or maybe she was like her in every sense.
Pushing himself out of his chair, he gave her another light smile. "I'll grab you a coffee, kid." He could tell that she had something on her mind- it was always pretty obvious with Clancy.
When things bothered her- she didn't get mad like Lola, or run away like Crew... No, she always got quiet, and extra somber.
Wrapping her shawl around her shoulders a little more, she sank back in her seat as she waited for him to return to the table.
She didn't plan on running into him, but like all good introverts that had spent too much time socializing, that was their escape.
Early mornings, alone at a table in an empty coffee shop in order to recover.
"Coffee and a donut." Lindsey set the cup down in front of her, before the strawberry sprinkled donut... Her favorite.
With another gentle smile, Clancy carefully took the foam cup in hand. "Thank you, dad." Her voice was so low and sad, in a way.
Shifting in his chair, he nodded his head as his gaze traveled from her, towards the window.
In a city that vast, people really don't sleep all that often. In fact, the lights stay on at all hours and people still have places to be, even in the middle of the night, which was kind of comforting in that very moment.
"So..." he paused for a second, well aware that there was an elephant in the room. "You wanna talk about it with me, or do you wanna wait to talk about it with your mother?" He knew that she knew- it was just a feeling and a look.
The night before, when she trailed through that crowded room with a stillness in her demeanor, he knew that somewhere in between the time they'd arrived in the city and that very moment that Lola had said something to upset Clancy.
It was just a feeling that lingered in the air.
Creasing a brow, her heart sank into the very pit of her stomach as she stared down at the crack in the old wooden table.
She had thought about what she was going to say to them for hours, but at one point as she sat out on that balcony with just her thoughts and the honking of traffic below, she decided that she wasn't going to bring it up.
It wasn't her business... Their marriage was exactly that- it was theirs. And whatever happened, or didn't happen was for them to know and share.
It wasn't her place to ask questions and it definitely wasn't Lola's place to tell others.
"Somehow, Steph missed that look in your eyes last night." He couldn't believe that that had slipped by her... she normally caught onto everything before anyone else.
But Stevie was excited for her daughter the night before. She was too busy talking about how proud she was, even after they'd gotten back to their room and she could hardly keep her eyes open.
She wasn't thinking about all the other things, when there was so much happiness to celebrate.
Biting down on the inside of her cheek, she could feel the tears in her eyes. "You cheated on her..." she whispered that statement in the softest voice, yet the betrayal spoke volumes.
Raising a brow, he stared into the eyes of the kid he never wanted to disappoint. "I did..." he admitted with a very light nod of his head.
There was no reason to lie, or sugarcoat it... He'd made mistakes- like everyone else does once, or twice in their life.
"And Vivian is your daughter?" She mumbled, heart sinking as her mind drifted back to her mom.
Stevie had spent all week trying to juggle this secret, but also ensure that Vivian felt like she belonged, which was suddenly so obvious to Clancy.
That had to be so hard, even for the strongest woman in the world.
He nodded softly, a gentle sigh escaping him as he watched tears slowly fall down her red cheeks. "If I could go back in time, I would change so much, Clancy." Lindsey's voice was just as soft and sympathetic.
He would, a million times over. He'd take it all back and they'd be happy from the start.
"And I'm the only one that didn't know?" She wondered, already knowing the answer, but wanting him to admit it.
He sank back, knee bouncing up and down from nerves. "You're the only one that didn't know." He clarified.
She paused for a second, taking a moment to collect her thoughts before she replied. "Thank you." It came out almost like a whisper. "Thank you for giving me the best life, even when yours was falling apart." Clancy was being so genuine, like always.
She couldn't have been more thankful to have parents that protected her from chaos for as long as possible... They handed her the best that life had to offer, even though it couldn't have always been that simple for them. And for the first time in a long time, she reminded herself of just how lucky she was that she was their daughter.
He stared at her a moment, not necessarily shocked, but a little surprised. "You can be mad..."
Sometimes it was hard to parent someone like Clancy... She wasn't like most people. She wasn't irrational, or angry, or mean in situations that might call for it. Instead, She was just herself, which was someone unlike anyone else.
She shook her head softly, carefully slipping the pastry into the paper bag as she began to stand up. "Try to get some sleep, dad." She cracked a faint smile, patting his hand before she pushed her chair in.
