-Stevie-
"Is that really appropriate?" I set my hands on my hips, watching Lydia pour herself a cup of orange juice.
I can't decide if she was being serious when she pitched that idea, or if she was trying to make me feel physically ill.
"We only have three days until the baby comes, mom and he wants to be here." She leans back against the counter, one hand slowly rubbing her tummy while the other cradles the mug.
"Why can't he get a hotel room?" I don't mean to sound hateful... well, maybe I do.
"I would let him stay with me at my apartment, but you insisted that I stay here." She has a good point, but her father coming to 'crash' at my house seems like a nightmare.
"We already have a full house and-"
"Are you denying my father a place to stay?" She's trying to pull my chain, make me feel guilty and it always works. "He put a lot of effort into this house too, remember? He lived here for a long time, why can't he just stay a couple days?" She frowns, repositioning herself to get more comfortable, but at nine months pregnant, comfortable doesn't exist.
"Well..." I don't know why she thinks bringing up the past I have with Lindsey is going to win him brownie points, because just the thought of once sharing a bed with that man makes me wanna burn my mattress.
"Yo, dad's here!" Luca runs down the stairs, bolting past us to get outside.
My mouth drops open as I cross my arms over my chest.
I can't believe her. I already have a house full with my mother, Lori, Chris, my niece and both my kids. I don't have the room or the patience to deal with their father too.
"You already invited him?" I wrinkle up my nose.
I thought about him being in Santa Monica was too close, now he's gonna be sleeping down the hall from me.
"I didn't think you'd be such a big stick in the mud." She giggles, pulling her long nightgown up so she doesn't trip on her way to see Lindsey.
"Lydia, I can not believe that you would do something like this..." I grab my cup of coffee off the counter, because I need as much caffeine as my body can handle before it shuts down, especially when I have to put up with him.
"I thought it would be fun, ya know? Like when we were kids and we'd have movie nights and game nights?" She leads the way through our quiet home, being that everyone except us and Luca are still asleep.
I should be asleep.
"Fun...?" I mumbled, not sure I heard her right.
How can I have fun with my ex husband who cheated on me with a 27 year old wannabe rock star?! How am I supposed to wanna sleep under the same roof as him, when I've hardly been able to share a stage with him?
"That's just-" before I can finish my sentence, the front door swings open and in walks Luca with his dad right behind him.
"Hey, Steph." Lindsey gives me one of his most famously annoying smirks, sending chills up my spine.
"Good morning," I reply as I take a sip of my coffee, which should really be wine.
He has his duffel bag in one hand and the other one is shoved in his pocket.
This scene reminds me of the morning I told him he needed to find somewhere else to live. The night before he finally admitted to me that she was pregnant. He told me it was just once. Only once, Steph and it didn't mean anything. I don't love her. I love you... I didn't believe him then and every time I think about that night, I still don't believe him.
If he loved me so much, he wouldn't have done what he did after nearly twenty years of marriage.
"There's coffee in the kitchen, Lindsey." I know neither of the kids will drink it, but he will. "I'll be back down in a little while." I slide through the foyer, back up the stairs and into my bedroom.
I crawl back into bed, slipping under the comforter as my mind begins to wander.
I can't help but think about what Katrina's doing and why she didn't insist on coming with her husband for this extravaganza... Not that I'm complaining or anything, but it does seem odd. She's been glued to his him since the moment he got her knocked up, that I'm surprised she can even breathe without his approval.
It isn't until the door creeps before I'm back into reality. She's standing in the doorway, a very faint smile on her sweet face as her browns eyes melt into mine.
"Is it time...?" I wonder in a very gentle tone of voice.
"No, Mom." She giggles, trailing into the room and crawling right in next to me. "I wanna talk to you, because I didn't mean to make you feel blindsided or uninvolved." She makes things up in her head, because I don't think I really felt either of those things. "I'm sorry." She whispers as her head meets my shoulder.
"Sweet girl," I chuckle, wrapping my arm around her. "You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for," I slowly push some lose strands of hair out of her face as she closes her eyes.
"I just want him here, and I want you here and I want this baby to have lots of support." She's been talking about that a lot recently, which makes me feel as small as an ant.
"I lived with your father for twenty years, so I think I can handle a couple of days." I'm actually not so certain, but I'm willing to give it a shot for the baby and Lydia.
