Whatever It Takes

Part 14

Lindsey was murmuring under his breath as he took orders from Stevie, who kept pointing at one thing then the other. Gripping a box tightly with his hands, he carefully stepped off a chair and put it down on the floor. Hands now on his hips, Lindsey looked at Stevie, who was still staring up.

"Is this-" Lindsey showed around them. "Not enough?"

"Where's your Christmas spirit, honey?" Stevie teased, smiling at him. "I'm sorry, but I don't remember where's what exactly. I think, that red sparkly set is still up there." She pointed in the general direction of where the baubles might have been hiding.

"Why are we even putting up the tree so early?" Lindsey sighed heavily, cocking his head back. "Christmas is weeks away." 

"It's not that far away. It's already the beginning of December, so it's okay. It's legal." Stevie added jokingly. "Besides, I love this time of year and I love when our home is beautifully decorated."

"Fine." Lindsey rolled his eyes, getting back up on the chair. "This is the last one, it'll have to do." 

"Give it here." Stevie said, lifting her arms up.

"Are you crazy?" Lindsey frowned then shook his head. "I don't want you to hurt yourself." 

She knew better than to argue. Even though Stevie felt good and the pregnancy was going well, she had just moved into the six month and Lindsey didn't want to take any risks. Especially not after Doctor Roberts made him swear that he would take the best care of her and not let her overdo it in any way. So, how he understood it, carrying even if a light box fell under the doctor's orders.

"Avery!" Stevie yelled. "Come down to decorate the tree with us!"

Seconds later, Stevie heard her daughter running down the stairs and into the family room. Her eyes grew wide at the sight of all the boxes of ornaments Lindsey had carried in. She then looked at the tree, which was probably three times taller than her.

"Mom." Avery turned to Stevie, whom she rarely ever called anything but 'mommy'. "I think the baby made you crazy."

Lindsey fought back laughter, shielding his mouth with his hand. "That's what I've been saying, too." He whispered to Avery, though not nearly quietly enough for Stevie to miss it. 

"Alright, you two, quit it." Stevie spoke up. "We've got a lot of work to do." She said and went to take a seat on the couch.

"So, by we-" Lindsey raised an eyebrow. "You mean us?" He asked, showing between himself and Avery.

"Well, I'll guide you." Stevie smiled, leaning back as she made herself comfortable.

First things first, Lindsey unloaded all of the decorations, while Avery inspected the gorgeous things Stevie had gather over the years. Some were new, some where from a very long time ago, but they held a special meaning and Stevie wasn't going to throw something like that out. Lindsey wrapped lights around the tree and Avery began hanging the red baubles that Stevie had requested around the bottom.

"Have you written a letter to Santa yet, sweetheart?" Stevie asked, sipping from a cup of tea she'd asked Lindsey to make for her.

"There is no Santa." Avery replied with a shrug. Stevie and Lindsey exchanged a look and frowned. 

"W-what do you mean?" Lindsey paused whatever he was doing.

"A friend from school told me." Avery said as she opened another box. 

"That's just simply not true." Stevie disagreed, shaking her head. "Your friend lied."

"I've also found all the presents in your closet." Avery smiled, glancing at Stevie before she looked at Lindsey. "There are some big ones!" She added excitedly.

"I-" Stevie paused. 

Lindsey hesitated to speak for a minute. He faced Stevie as if asking for permission before he moved to sit down on the floor. "And you're okay with that?"

Avery's eyebrows creased. "What, you mean, am I okay that you can no longer make me do things I don't like because you can't tell me, you'll call Santa?" She grinned and nodded her head. "Yeah, I like that very much."

Stunned, Lindsey stayed where he was, staring at his daughter for a moment longer, he then got back up on his feet and walked over to sit beside Stevie. He turned to look at her. "Do we tell her about the Easter Bunny?" He whispered.

"Not real." Avery said.

Suddenly, Stevie realized that their little girl wasn't so little anymore. The thought brought tears to her eyes. Lindsey put his arm around her, he placed his other hand on her belly. 

"Don't worry. There's still someone, who'll believe in Santa for years to come." Lindsey smiled and leaned in to kiss her cheek.