"She won't answer her phone." Stevie was sitting on the edge of the accent sofa in their suite, knee bouncing up and down as she stared down at her phone.
It was early the next morning- after another night of pure angst. Lola, Jason and the baby all headed back out west, Clancy was back in Paris, and Crew and his wife headed for Atlantic City- totally oblivious of everything happening around them.
It wasn't the way Stevie had imagined her family trip coming to an end. She'd hoped that they'd all be having dinner together on their last night out East, but no... it couldn't be that easy.
"She isn't mad." Lindsey repeated for the tenth time in the last two hours. "When we talked yesterday morning, she wasn't upset over it." He was in the center of the room, tossing his hands out to his sides.
It was too early in the morning to worry about things they couldn't control. She had hardly slept the night before. She just couldn't get comfortable enough to fall asleep, and every time Lindsey closed his eyes, she'd start a conversation with him, just so she didn't have to be alone.
It was a long night for the both of them.
Bringing her hand up to her head, she lightly rubbed her temple as her eyes fell closed for just a moment. "I'm worried about her." She mumbled, sinking back in the couch slowly.
Lindsey bit down on the inside of his cheek, staring over at his favorite woman in the world. "Clancy is a tough kid." He assured, nodding his head lightly. "I'm sure she's already home and unpacking her oversized luggage." He threw that in there just to get a little smile out of her, and it worked... She cracked a faint grin, but only for a second.
Wrapping her silk robe around herself tighter, she readjusted on the sofa in order to sit on her feet. "And the way I spoke to Lola..." she shook her head in disbelief, totally embarrassed and upset over that, too.
Lola was hardheaded, but she was still her daughter... That was still the baby that made her a mom and no matter how upset she might make Stevie at times, she still adored her. She was the toughest girl in the whole world, in her mothers opinion and sometimes that really got the best of her.
"Steph..." he ran his fingers through his hair, a deep sigh escaping him as he took a seat next to her. "Enough of that." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, feeling her melt into him to be held. "You can't be so hard on yourself." Lindsey's voice was suddenly much softer and far more sympathetic than before.
"That's easier said than done." She mumbled.
"Neither of them are upset with you." He whispered, kissing the side of her head. "Clancy just has a lot to process, which might take some time, but you know her... she'll come around and be the voice of reason, like always." He wasn't always great at reassurance, but the way that sigh escaped her, made him feel like he was doing it semi- right that time. "And Lola..." he paused for a second, sometimes at a true loss of words when it came to their oldest. "Lola will come around and realize that she's being unfair to you, to Clancy, and to Vivian." He was a little disappointed, too, but not like Stevie was. "If she has an issue, she can talk to me from now on, okay?" Lindsey rubbed her arm softly, eyes falling towards the carpet as she snuggled in more.
With her head on his chest and her arm wrapped around him, she nodded softly. "I'm so thankful that you're mine." Stevie's eyes fell closed, listening to the sound of his heart beating.
It wasn't always simple for them, but she wouldn't have wanted life with anyone else and sometimes it felt good to remind him of that.
He looked down at her for a moment, watching her eyelids begin to flutter. "I love you, baby." His lips met her head once more.
"I love you." She whispered back as the lack of sleep from the night before began to get the best of her.
It only took a couple of minutes, which was unusual for her, but she managed to fall asleep... some much needed rest, for sure.
He waited a second before he reached behind him, carefully grabbing the throw blanket she'd brought from home off the arm of the couch to wrap around her. "I'm thankful you're mine, too." He whispered.
~~~
"That was beautiful." Vivian was sitting in the backseat, eyes still lit up from the excitement from a couple of minutes earlier.
Even though things felt incredibly rocky, Stevie and Lindsey still put on happy faces that evening to take Vivian to a Broadway musical. She'd never been to New York and what a bummer it was for things to take such a terrible turn... it wasn't fair, not to her, even though she had no idea.
With a faint laugh, Stevie nodded in agreement. "It was great." She was sitting in the back as well, right behind Lindsey as Karen drove them back through the city.
It was just the four of them, and it was simple that way. It reminded Stevie of when it was just them and Clancy... It was always fun and lighthearted, which hadn't always come easy for their family.
Pushing some of her long hair back, Vivian gave her a soft smile. "I can't thank you both enough..." she repeated for the hundredth time that trip. "I've never been on a trip like this and I can't even begin to explain how special it's been for me." The way she said things was so genuine- just like her older sister.
She was soft and sincere, which was some traits that every parent wishes for their child to obtain... Stevie might not have been Carries number one fan, but she could praise her for raising Vivian the way she did.
It's not easy, but she did something right.
Lindsey smiled lightly, staring at them through the mirror. "You're part of our family now, kiddo."
Nodding in agreement, Stevie reached out to take her hand. "My girl." She called her other daughters that and it just felt right.
She felt as much as Stevie's child as any of the other kids.
"And we love you." She added, giving her hand a subtle squeeze.
Vivian paused for a second, not sure if she'd heard her right, or if she'd accidentally said that. But as she stared at the mother she'd always wished for, she realized that she'd really meant that.
She was part of their family, no matter how hectic and crazy it could be.
"I love you, too." She could feel the tears fill her eyes, trying hard not to let them fall but finding that almost impossible to do.
Shaking her head softly, Stevie let out another soft laugh. "No tears." She reached out, thumb meeting Vivian's cheek to wipe them away.
"Yeah, no sadness." Lindsey chuckled. "We've got dinner to worry about." He added, which caused his daughter to crack a little grin.
It felt right. It felt like family to Vivian... something she'd never really had in this life.
A/N:
We have some twist and turns coming up in the next couple of chapters!
