It wasn't long until he'd found himself trailing along side her, cradling his cup of hot chocolate and looking up at the lights that intertwined together. "Are you warm enough?" He looked over at her for a moment, a soft smile trailing across his face when he did.
They had already eaten dinner at a little restaurant- one she'd mentioned was her favorite in town. And it was good, but he was less worried about the food and more focused on her.
It had been a long time since they'd sat across from one another and shared meaningful conversations that didn't end in an argument. For example, she was telling him all about their transition to France and she was curious, really curious about life back at home.
Of course, she'd asked briefly before but now it seemed as if she really cared. She wanted to know every detail about everyone she'd left behind... It seemed like life had changed so fast- sometimes she forgot how much love still existed there.
And they talked the entire meal, even continuing their chattering outside and down the street.
"I am." She assured, using her free hand to slip in between his arm. "Thank you.." she whispered, eyes still scanning over the lights that were lit from Christmas.
That was what she wanted to do, so that was what they did.
"For what?" He creased a brow, looking down at her as his lips met the top of her head.
"For trying to do what's right, even though I know it isn't easy." Stevie's voice was so gentle and weak- she felt bad to some extent.
She didn't want him to feel like he was stuck in Paris... He could have left at any time and she would have followed to sign the papers, just like he wanted. But instead, he was trying to be better and she really appreciated that.
"I think I had forgotten how much I love you." He told her in the softest, most gentle tone of of voice.
Between working together, raising kids together and being married to one another- sometimes it can be hard to remember what it was that made you fall in love. There was a point in history that had him questioning it all, same for her, but when it was that simple... or so it seemed in the moment, it was easy to fall back into the place that felt the most familiar.
And that's what they were doing. Once again, like many times before, they were finding refuge in one another's arms.
"I never stopped loving you, either." She assured, slipping her arm around his waist as his circled her shoulders to be closer.
He paused for a moment as this feeling of relief washed over him. "It's not too late, baby." Lindsey pressed another kiss to her head, holding her for a long minute before she replied.
"Slow..." she whispered, finally looking up into those blue eyes. "You have to go slow with this."
~~~
"Shh, Steph." he was leading the way into the house, unlocking the front door with her keys as her giggles filled the air around them.
She had been laughing the entire walk home, having had quite a few drinks at dinner and then also two spiked hot chocolates when they were seeing the light show downtown. She was feeling a little light, for sure.
"It's so quiet..." she whispered, a soft smile on her face as she held onto his arm tight.
They had been gone all night, so by then, the only person still awake was Christy, who was sitting in the living room, watching a movie.
"Yeah, we don't want to wake anyone." He agreed, helping her slip out of her long winter coat.
"Stephanie?" Christy sounded like a typical mother, standing in the doorway, watching their children sneak in after curfew.
The blonde had taken a seat on the accent chair by then, working on unzipping her boots as Lindsey hung their things up. "I am so sorry that we're so late." Stevie really did feel bad- she didn't expect to out that long.
"Honey, don't even worry." The older woman shook her head, reaching out with one hand to help her boss up. "How about we get you up to bed, and-"
"I'm not tired yet." Stevie still had a cheesy little smile on her face as she pushed some of her long blonde hair out of the way. "I think I'll stay up for awhile..." she added, glancing over at Lindsey for a brief moment and then back at the nanny.
He didn't look like he was in any rush to get back to his hotel. He had taken off his coat, slipped out of his shoes and even though he looked tired, he didn't plan on just leaving her there.
"Are you going to be okay if I head home for the night?" Christy wondered, not necessarily saying that she was in a hurry, but wanting to make sure Stevie would be alright if she wasn't there.
Even though Christy didn't really know Lindsey, she knew that Stevie was safe with him.
She didn't talk about life in California often, but when Christy first came to work for the family, Stevie still wore her wedding ring, still had one picture of the two of them in her room, and she even mentioned her husband once or twice. It wasn't anything in depth, but she did talk about him occasionally.... In the beginning.
"Yes, thank you." Stevie nodded, very thankful to have someone like her there.
"Are you going to be okay alone?" Lindsey creased a brow, not sure it was all that safe for her to head home alone. "I can walk you-"
"I'll be just fine, sweetie." Christy chuckled, giving his arm a gentle squeeze as she past by to get to the front door. "I'll see you tomorrow," She pulled open the door, the chilly night air flooding the foyer.
"Be careful." Lindsey really would have felt better if she'd let him walk with her, but Stevie had also begun to take up quite a bit of his attention... He wasn't sure he could leave her alone, either.
Stevie waited until the door had closed, then lightly motioned for him to lock it behind her. "You're going to stay, right?" She wondered, another little laugh echoing down the hallway.
He chuckled, nodding lightly as he held out a hand for her. "You can hardly keep your eyes open." He mentioned, not sure why she told Christy that she wasn't tired... she was beyond ready for bed.
Shaking her head, she sank into his side as he led her up the stairs. "I know." She admitted, head on his shoulder as her fingers tangled in his.
Her room looked typical for her. There were shawls draped over lamps, books on her nightstand, lamps in the corners, the smell of lavender lingering and a king size bed with four posters with more pillows than he could count.
"Where are you going?" She wondered when she traveled back out of the bathroom in her matching pajamas set.
"I'm gonna go to the guest room..." he was already in his sweat pants and t-shirt, only having lingered for so long in the room to make sure she was okay.
She sighed lightly, slipping into her side of the bed and motioning towards the empty side. "Can we just talk?" Stevie didn't want to be alone- she hated being alone, even though she was more often than not. "I just want to talk..."
