"Thank you for bringing the kids today." Stevie was all bundled up- wearing her long jacket, a little beret and gloves with fur at the cuff.
Lindsey was trailing next to her, both hands in his pants pockets as they headed down the street... He thought it was interesting that she still didn't drive a car, not even here. "Lyric talked about how excited she was to see you the entire way there." He smiled, staring down at the snow covered pavement.
It was just the two of them- being that Stevie still had a couple of last minute things to buy and get before Christmas morning rolled around. So they left the kids at home with Christy and since it was getting dark, Lindsey insisted he tag along.
"Lyric and I are very close." She mentioned, even though it was obvious.
They had always had a connection like nothing else. From the moment she stared down at her daughter, she knew what her purpose was. Of course, she felt the same way about Pierce but with Lyric it was different.
She had been making some poor choices before she got pregnant the second time. And when she looked into the eyes of her girl, she knew she had to be the role model that her daughter deserved.
They both needed a strong mama and strong, Stevie would become.
"Anyway," she quickly shook herself back into reality. "How are things at home?" She wondered, having thought about it a few times but never getting the courage to ask.
If they spoke about too much, it would become real. He would really be there, invading her life and that was overwhelming. But after a couple of days, she realized that he was actually going to hold out and stay... whether she had faith in him, or not.
"I'm still working and we've put out two records since you left." He didn't say that to be mean- he didn't say "left" like a bad thing, because it wasn't.
Of course, he was devastated when she went to Arizona, and again when he found out that she'd packed the kids up and left for France, but he was never mad at her... He supported her, actually.
She had been soul searching for a long time before she escaped that life and honestly, he wasn't shocked when she told him that she'd had enough.
He knew she was at the end of trying to make it work and if he could go back in time, he would have been better. He would have listened and cared... He would have come home more.
But rewriting history isn't possible, so he had to live with the mistakes he'd made... that's just life. And besides, they were both at a better point in their lives.
She was in a new relationship- he saw a couple of pictures in the foyer before she took them off the stand and he was getting married in six months... Some things just work out in the end, even if it's not how anyone expected.
"I know." She nodded her head, a soft smile on her face. "I have them both." She admitted, only because she was feeling awfully nice in that moment. "They're okay..." she added just to dull any ego boost she might have given him.
He chuckled, feeling her nudge his arm playfully. "Obviously not the same without one of our leading ladies." Lindsey mentioned, looking over at her side profile.
She was gorgeous- she'd always been gorgeous, but as she'd begun to age, she just got prettier. At forty- five, she could still make his heart skip a beat.
"I need you to keep an eye out for the doll I showed you before we left." She decided to change the topic of conversation- work was never a good subject for them.
Even when they were getting along at home, which was rare, they were still fighting in the studio. In fact, once they'd had Pierce, she had decided that they couldn't be at work at the same time, not unless they were touring. Because they had started bringing the baggage home and the last thing she wanted was to fight in front of her son.
It was just toxic... Like most things in their marriage.
"That's the last thing I have to get and I can't let her down." Stevie added, looking at the store windows as they passed by.
The streets were packed. Everyone was out grabbing the last minute things they needed before the holiday... Procrastinating at its finest and it would be nothing short of miracle if they found the doll Lyric had been asking for.
"We'll get it." Lindsey assured with no doubt in his mind.
At Christmas, everything felt possible. And even if they had to go to every store, pay an arm and a leg, or be out all night looking- they'd find exactly what their daughter wanted from Santa... A parent always finds a way.
So they walked, and walked, and walked some more until Lindsey finally spotted it in the store window.
She was a porcelain doll with a long, fluffy white dress, blonde curls and big brown eyes... She was the doll that Lyric had spotted weeks earlier and the only thing she talked about since.
"She's going to love this." Stevie was sitting across from him at the table, having already ordered a bottle of wine and begun sipping it.
It was his idea to stop for dinner since neither of them had eaten much and by the time they walked back, the kids would be asleep anyway.
Why not enjoying one night?
"Lyric is just like you, Stevie." He mentioned, eyes scanning over her face as she stared down at the box the doll was in.
Stevie kind of wanted to open it and look at her, but she didn't... she stopped herself from undoing the perfect gift wrap the store had done up.
She chuckled, nodding softly. "Well, Pierce is a mini you, so..." she shrugged, carefully setting the doll back down in the seat next to her. "We're fortunate." She believed that- she really did.
His heart sank, still watching her intently.
"And I'm sorry that I've been so uptight with you." That took a lot for her, but she did it... she said it.
"You don't have to apologize to me." He assured, blue eyes melting into hers the moment she looked up. "I'm the one who chose to miss out on this life." That pained him to admit- first time ever. "And honestly, I regret not fighting harder for you."
