Underneath The Tree: A Buckingham Nicks Christmas

Tonight I'm Gonna Hold You Close (Finale)

Santa Monica, California
Christmas Day
Sunday, December 25, 2022
(2:30 am)
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"I'm kind of mad at both of us for not thinking ahead, Stevie...our bed has pictures all over it!"

Lindsey emerged from the master bathroom into their bedroom at the condo they had preferred to call home since Amber, their youngest child, had moved out in 2015 after the On With The Show tour had wrapped. Their walk down Memory Lane earlier that evening - as well as two rounds of lovemaking - had resulted in a mass of photographs and empty ziplock bags strewn across the bed and floor. The dogs, Lily and Luna, both Chinese crested and lacking in fur, were dressed in little white Christmas t-shirts with gold snowflakes on them, and both dogs were milling about, sniffing the pictures that Stevie and Lindsey's lovemaking had knocked to the floor hours earlier. Lindsey began to pile photographs and ziplocks bags on the floor beside the bed, smoothing the sheets and comforter, shaking out the pillows, all in an attempt to fix the bed for them to sleep in.

Stevie stood at the bedroom window, dressed for bed in emerald green silk pajamas for the holiday, finished with her nightly routine of brushing her teeth, removing her makeup and applying La Mer night cream to her face to prevent aging as much as she could. She hadn't said a word, and Lindsey came up to her from behind and wrapped her in his arms. He kissed the silk of her shoulder before resting his chin there. "Hey...what's wrong, sweet girl? Didn't you have a Merry Christmas Eve?" He kissed her temple, then her shoulder again, his breath warm at her neck. He couldn't see her face, but he suspected that if she wasn't crying, she was on the verge. "What is it, angel? You okay?"

Stevie let out a ragged sigh he suspected was to disguise a coming sob. "I'm okay...and it was an incredibly Merry Christmas Eve..." She picked up one of his hands, which had been resting on her middle, and kissed him over his wedding band before replacing his hand to its original spot, warm to the touch against the cool silk of her pajamas. "And I am in love with my beautiful ring, baby...and I'm in love with you too." She sighed, leaning backwards into his embrace and staring out the window.

"I am so in love with you, angel..." He whispered the words into her neck, where he left several tiny kisses. "What's got you so down all of a sudden, baby? Not to quote the song here, but...'you can talk to me.'" He chuckled softly into the curve of her neck and kissed her there again, "What are you thinking about?"

Stevie sighed again and said, almost as an exhale, "Christine." Lindsey, suspecting that might have been the reason she was down, wrapped his arms even tighter around her, his face sinking into her hair.

"Oh, baby...I know," he whispered, nuzzling into her.

"If this were a month ago, I would be able to show her my beautiful new ring and gush like a teenager about how much I love you to one of my best friends..." She stopped, and he heard her sniffle. "But I can't."

"Stevie..." Lindsey turned her around to face him, still holding her close. She looked up at him, and he could see her tears. "I think you should know something about your ring that will cheer you up a little." He wiped away a tear with his thumb. "Christine knew about the ring." Stevie's eyed widened in surprise. "She did. She FaceTimed me from London in October to wish me a happy birthday, and I told her all about the ring I was building for you...it's from the jeweler you love in Palm Springs who made Jodie the ring he gave to Julia...and I texted her a bunch of pictures of the ring while we were talking and she loved it. Her exact words were, if I recall correctly, 'You two are perfectly matched, L.B. Romance just pours right the hell out of you both, doesn't it?'" He smiled at Stevie's little laugh; those words were totally Christine's and she knew it. He said, "She knew, angel. She saw your ring before you did."