April 1998
Stevie awoke the next morning before Lindsey, which normally would be unusual, except that she was still having bouts of morning sickness. She turns on the shower so he couldn't hear her as she threw up. She wasn't ready to face him after last night.
Once she brushes her teeth, she steps into the warm shower. She stands there for a long time wondering what the hell she was thinking. She should not have fucked him last night. She let her physical needs get the best of her. He was there and he wanted her and he knew her body like the back of his hand. She never should have let him in her bed. They both knew exactly what they were doing and where it would end up.
She knew it couldn't happen again. He had a girlfriend now. She wasn't going to let things be like they were with Carol Ann. All the sneaking around and sleeping together. It was exhausting even back then; she wasn't about to do it now that she was older and pregnant. It wasn't just that, though. It was that she didn't really want to. She knew she still loved him. She knew she always would; especially now that she would always have part of him with her. However, he had done her wrong. He had hurt her so badly that sometimes she didn't know if the pain would ever go away.
She wouldn't lead him to believe that what happened between them would continue on. She had to be the strong one. She had to put her foot down about what exactly this relationship was now. Perhaps, one day, they could be friends. Right now though, they were just two people who happened to be having a child together. That's what they would focus on.
She stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself, combing her hair before walking into the bedroom to get dressed.
Lindsey was sitting up in bed when she walked out. He cleared his throat and glanced at her, "hey," he says.
She doesn't look at him as she gathers her clothes to go in the bathroom to get dressed, "good morning. Breakfast should be ready if you want to head downstairs." She says, before walking back into the bathroom and closing the door behind her. Even after what happened last night, she didn't feel comfortable being undressed in front of him.
She hears him get up and leave and then she hears the shower turn on in the guest bathroom. She uses this time to sneak downstairs. She heads straight to the kitchen, happy to see breakfast laid out on the table. She was starving, but that was pretty normal these days.
"Good morning, sweet girl," Barbara says when she sees her daughter.
Stevie smiles and kisses her mother on the cheek, "good morning." She heads over to the table and makes herself a plate before sitting down to eat.
Barbara clears her throat and glances at her daughter, "did Lindsey stay with you last night?"
Stevie almost chokes on her bacon, but quickly regains her composure, "uh, yes, but it's not what you think. He wanted to be close to the baby and I know it's silly, but I couldn't begrudge him that."
"Oh, honey, that's not silly at all. It's hard for men when they can't be as close as you are to the baby during pregnancy. I think it's sweet," her mother explained.
