-Stevie-
"Happy Friday!" Lori half shouts as she trails into the kitchen of my home.
"Happy Friday." I giggle in return, holding Lynley steady on the kitchen counter, while I try to make her a bottle.
"Hello, my darling." Sharon is right behind Lori, a sweet smile plastered to her face.
"Hey," I gently pull the baby off the counter, holding her on my hip as I finish shaking up her milk.
"Lynley!" Lori gasps playfully, setting a couple unopened wine bottles on the counter. "Come here, sweet angel," she holds out her hands for the baby, who is already throwing herself into Lori's arms.
"Are you ready for your aunties to watch you!" Sharon asks her, lightly tickling her tummy, which causes soft baby giggles to fill the room.
"I think she is," she might be, but I am definitely not.
It's not that I don't trust Sharon and Lori with my granddaughter, because I do, but I worry that something will go horribly wrong. I don't know what it is with leaving her, but I find it almost impossible to do, even if I know I need to get out, just to keep myself sane.
I can't stay locked in this house all the time, even if it would be much safer and cleaner for the baby, but it isn't possible or healthy as a human.
"Stop worrying," Lori can read my mind, or maybe she just knows that I have a hard time letting go of the things that truly matter to me.
"I'm not worrying..." I give her a shrug, leaning my front against the counter as she bounces Lynley on her hip. "Just promise me that you aren't planning to drink those two bottles of wine while you're tending to my girl." I have to voice my concerns, because if I didn't tell them- they would drink that and then scope out the liquor cabinet.
"We aren't," Sharon smirks, rolling her eyes playfully.
"Yea, not until little miss is out for the night." Lori adds, softly kissing the side of Lynley's head.
"Oh, god." I let out a sigh, making a mental note to call Karen and let her know that she might need to stay close to the area tonight- just in case.
"So?" Sharon walks around the kitchen island, pulling out a barstool to sit down. "What is this dinner all about?" She lifts both of her eyebrows a couple of times, almost like 'dinner' is a code word for something dirty and I really don't think it is.
"Especially so close to Christmas... maybe Lindsey wants a little-"
"Don't talk like that in front of his granddaughter." I cut her off as soon as she starts to jiggle her hips, but I have to giggle at the words she was preparing to say, because I kn0w exactly what she was hinting at.
And in all honesty- I don't think it's like that. I think he asked me to go out to dinner tonight, because he knows we both need some alone, grown up time. We spend so many hours a day babbling to the baby, watching 'Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,' making baby bottles, and singing lullabies, that neither of us seem to have a life that doesn't revolve around the four walls of this house anymore.
"Don't you think it's kinda sweet of him?" Sharon gives me a sentimental smile, one that I've seen a thousand times and it always seems to make me feel better.
"Of course I do," I bite down on my lower lip, nodding my head to admit that I do think his efforts are very thoughtful.
He's always been a thoughtful man, even though he's sometimes struggled to maintain the sincerity in some of his actions. But this was sweet and very surprising.
