Leaning down to touch her toes, Stevie let out a deep sigh. "My back hurts." She complained for the second time in just minutes.
She was sitting on her yoga mat in the center of his studio, trying to go over the stretches she'd been doing for months, but seemed to have neglected in the weeks that had led up to that evening.
"Why don't you stop doing that and come here?" He had stopped working about twenty minutes earlier and by then, he was laying on the leather sofa, watching a movie.
It was just the two of them that Friday night. Evee was out with friends, and Crosby and Kara had gone to a concert with the other kids. So after dinner, they snuck downstairs, turned on a movie and drowned it out immediately by doing their own things.
Sometimes, even after fifty years, it was still fun to just be together. They didn't have to be doing anything to enjoy one another's company, which was better than anything else.
"It's really good for your bones..." she lingered, trying to sound influential in some crazy way. "You should try it." She mumbled as she leaned forward, trying not to wince too prominently... she wanted him to believe her, a little bit.
He pushed himself up a tad, just to stare down at her for a second. "No, thanks." Lindsey half smirked, not at all interested in bending like a pretzel. "But go, Steph." He playfully cheered before his head hit the pillow once more.
Another soft pain rushed through her lower back, which caused her to sit up, and then just fall back. "I give up." She stared up at the ceiling and then her eyes fell closed for only a second.
"Knock, knock?" Crosby's voice coming from the other side of the door caught their attention.
Creasing a brow, Lindsey sat up slowly as he looked down at his wife again.
She was still laying on her back, one hand to her side as the other was resting on her stomach. "Yeah?" She turned her head to the side, waiting for the door to creep open.
He was standing in the doorway a moment later, holding a piece of pizza he'd found on the kitchen counter and wearing a pair of skinny jeans, a leather jacket and a baseball hat backwards... he looked too old to be wearing things like that, but... "Hey." He gave them a gentle grin, trailing further into the room to take a seat in the office chair. "You two having a good evening?" He wondered, kicking his feet up on the coffee table.
"We have been, yeah." Lindsey was sitting up by then, elbows resting on his knees as his sleepy eyes stayed glued on the carpeted floor. "I even convinced mom to go for a swim." He added as a gentle smirk rolled across his face.
Stevie rolled her eyes lightly. "Did you have fun at your concert?" She wondered.
He nodded, a soft shrug following. "Actually, it was a lot of fun." Crosby's usual response was "sure," or "it was whatever," but to hear him say that, actually made his mother smile. "But I wanted to talk to you both about something..." he lingered, causing her smile to fade almost immediately.
Pushing herself up on her elbow and then on her hands, she worked on sitting up completely. "What happened?" She didn't mean to jump to conclusions, but it was easy to do so.
Things had been going to smooth for them. Evee was on the right track, Crosby was doing so much better, and Lindsey was home... It was suspicious, almost.
Lindsey just glanced from their oldest, down to her and then back, not saying a word.
"Nothing happened." He assured, holding out his hand as he chuckled in return. "Kara and I found a house that we both really like..." he had thought about it for awhile and it seemed like the best thing for them to do. "It's close to Levy's and I think it's perfect to start fresh." Crosby added, staring into his mothers deep brown eyes from across the room.
She had a gentle, sweet smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "I think that'll really be good for you." She really did... it was time he started to figure it out for himself.
"Do you have everything figured out, moving in wise?" Lindsey was happy too, but he was more worried about the logistics of the situation.
He wasn't going to get his hopes up for a nearly empty house too soon...
"We're signing the lease next week and hoping to move in by the end the of the month." He sounded serious, which was promising.
Lindsey's eyes traveled back to Stevie's, and he cracked a smile. "That's exciting, Crosby." It was, even for them. "Mom and I will help with whatever you need." He assured.
Stevie was quick on her feet, holding out her arms as she trailed towards her son. "I'm so proud of you." She let out a gentle sigh as he wrapped her in his arms.
Crosby patted her back, leaning a gentle kiss on her head. "I'm really thankful for you..." he announced in a soft tone of voice.
She slowly leaned back, only to stare into his blue eyes for a moment.
"You are the most selfless person in the entire world..." he told her. "You and dad, both." He shrugged lightly with a weak smile. "And I don't thank you enough for all that you do." He meant that, truly.
They'd done a lot for him- for all of their children, actually, and Crosby knew that he hadn't always been the most appreciative.
"I love you." She had tears in the brims of her eyes as she let out a faint chuckle.
He patted her back, looking from his dad, back down at her. "I love you, mom."
