With her glass of red wine in one hand and her cloth napkin in the other, Stevie sat at one end of the long dining room table, staring across the sea of people at her husband. He was at the other end, listening to Jason and Cassidy ramble on about something, but he was more focused on Alice, who was resting in his arms.
He had been rocking her back and forth slowly, watching her eyes flutter as her tiny hand held onto his index finger. He had been holding her all of dinner, being that Lola wanted to socialize and Alice wasn't content in her bouncing swing.
"Cute..." she mouthed towards him the moment he looked up, a gentle smile on his face as his eyes met hers.
He gave her a soft wink, lips still turned up as he admired how gorgeous she was from across the table.
He could tell that she was really trying to soak it all up- all the people gathered in their dining room, because within just a day, it would be empty once more. By the next evening, it would just be Lindsey and Stevie, alone.... The silence was already beginning to taunt her and the house was still so loud, she could barely hear herself think.
But either way, it was really going to be weird for her when Vivian and Clancy left home... She wasn't ready, but she knew it was coming. And it would be good for everyone to be back into a normal routine, even if it meant Lindsey was back in his home studio all day, and most of the meals she cooked went uneaten... It was equally as wonderful to have alone time as it was to have a house full of their children. But it wasn't easy, that's for sure.
Pushing herself up slowly, she set her glass back down on the lace table cloth. "I'm just going to get the dessert plates." She told Vivian, who had watched her stand up with a look of confusion.
"I'll help you," she was getting ready to stand as well when the woman on her right laid her hand on her shoulder.
"I can help you, Stevie." Carrie patted her daughters arm before she slipped out of her chair, grabbing her empty glass off the table to take to the kitchen.
She had come over for dinner, being that they were all preparing to send the girls off to Paris in the morning, which wasn't as odd as you'd imagine. They had actually all gone out to dinner and she'd come over to their home multiple times in the months that had led up to that evening. And everything was always as cordial as possible. She shared small conversations with the couple, but never really anything too personal... They weren't at that point in their relationship yet.
Stevie smiled softly, leading the way through the room and into the kitchen, where silence welcomed them instantly.
"Dinner was great." Carrie announced immediately as she set her glass down on the island.
Pulling the corkscrew out of the drawer, Stevie used the other hand to slide the new bottle of wine across the counter. "Thank you, dear." She replied, using the opener to pop the top. "It's Vivian's favorite..." she bit her tongue as soon as she said it, a gentle sigh escaping her immediately after.
Cracking a very faint grin, Carrie nodded. "She told me how good you cook." She assured, sinking into the counter as her eyes scanned over the older woman's face. "She grew up with a mom that burnt toast..." She added with a little chuckle. "Give her some lessons, if you get the chance." She continued in a joking manner, even though she was being pretty serious.
It wasn't easy for her either, not after she'd spent the last nineteen years being Vivian's only parent, but she was trying her best. She knew her daughter wanted a relationship with her father and Stevie, and she was going to support it, no matter what.
Stevie's lips turned up lightly, lifting the bottle to pour more into Carries glass. "You raised such an incredible young lady." She announced, lightly pushing it back as carefully as possible.
Carrie couldn't help but smile, seeing how Stevie's eyes finally met hers. "Thank you..." she lingered, voice growing increasingly softer. "I made a lot of mistakes..." she admitted, biting down on the inside of her cheek. "But she's the best thing that life ever gave me." She added, which wasn't a shock to the older blonde, because she felt the same way about her kids.
Stevie nodded her head gently, pursing her lips to one side as she paused for a moment to think about what she wanted to say to the woman that had avoided conversation with her for months. "She's a gift and you are lucky to have her..." she lingered. "And Lindsey and I feel the same way." She added a moment later. "We are so thankful that we the opportunity to be beside her through this next chapter in her life."
The truth was, Stevie had really wished that Carrie had allowed them to be apart of Vivian's life sooner... She would have loved her just like she was one of her own children, even though it would have been difficult and something new to work through.
Even if they'd met her fifteen years earlier, it wouldn't have changed the fact that they would have come out stronger than ever.
Carrie bit down on the inside of her cheek, tears slowly filling the brims of her eyes. "Thank you for being so welcoming of her, Stevie." She couldn't have appreciated that any more- it wouldn't be possible. "You have shown her so much love and you've even gifted her this incredible opportunity to go to Paris..." her voice finally cracked, but from happiness. "She even refers to you as mom." She added, not out of spite, but just so Stevie knew.
She nodded softly as her eyes fell to the marble top for a second. "I'm not trying to take your place, or-"
"I know..." she cut her off, not wanting the older woman to feel like she needed to make up excuses, or anything like that. "I know you aren't taking my place, but for her to have you on her side is just so important to me, and I couldn't thank you enough." Carrie brought one hand up to her face, carefully wiping some of the tears off her rosy red cheek.
"Vivian is my daughter now, too." she announced in a very gentle tone of voice. "And I will be cheering that sweet girl on in all of her future endeavors..." she lingered as she raised a brow lightly. "And that means that we'll be seeing a lot of one another from now on, so maybe we could start over...?" She knew it wasn't much of stretch, not if Carrie also had Vivian's best interest in mind as well. "Maybe we can learn to be friends for Vivi's sake?"
She didn't mean that they go out to dinner once a week, or gossip with one another... No, Stevie just wanted to know that Carrie would save her seat at the next dance recital, or let her know if Vivian ever needed anything, because that's what moms do. They support each other, and that's all Stevie wanted.
With a soft laugh, the other woman nodded in agreement. "I would really like that."
