Lindsey found her in the living room early the next morning. She was still asleep on the sofa, snuggled into a throw blanket with the lamp left on. And since it was so dark outside from the storms that had brewed all night- that was the only light that illuminated the small room.
It was apparent that she had shut all the curtains, poured herself a glass of red wine and fallen asleep shortly after she'd ended the phone call with her fiancé the night before.
Instead of waking her, Lindsey decided to head into the kitchen, make a pot of coffee and sit down at the small circle table to read over the newspaper from the day before.
He didn't sleep well. He had stayed up for a long time, hoping she'd come back, but when three in the morning rolled around and he still heard her soft whispers lingering down the hall, he decided it was time.
"It's chilly." Her voice was groggy as she slowly moved into the room, wrapping in her robe around herself tighter and her sleepy eyes adjusting to the light.
He nodded softly, not even glancing up as he motioned towards the counter. "There's coffee up there." Lindsey's voice was soft, not that enthused with much of anything that morning.
It wasn't that he was mad, because he wasn't, not at all. But he was let down and not because she left, but because they just never really get the chance to talk through it.
That had always been their issue- lack of communication. If they knew how to sit down and have adult conversations that didn't end in name calling, or shouting, their relationship would probably be a lot different.
They probably wouldn't be involved with other people.
She creased a brow, hands dropping her sides as she stared at him from across the room. "What's the matter?" Stevie could feel it- the built up tension was nearly suffocating.
"Nothing." He shrugged a shoulder, not necessarily lying but also not telling the whole truth either.
Pursing her lips to the side, she couldn't help but scoff. "We were doing so well, Lindsey." She shook her head softly, trailing further through the room to grab a cup out of the cabinet. "We have a few more days, can we not end it on a bad note?" Stevie knew it wasn't going to be good, but she didn't want it to get ugly either and everyone knew it could with them.
Lindsey chuckled as he gently set the paper down on the lace table cloth. "I didn't say anything, Stevie." He mentioned, eyes finally traveling her way.
She was pouring herself a cup of coffee, so her back was turned to him but she was still looking over her shoulder. "You don't have to say anything." She arched a brow, clinking the cup against the marble top of the island.
He had to look down at the table or else he would probably roll his eyes and that was the last thing he needed to do. "I don't understand it." He admitted in a gentle tone of voice.
"Understand what?" By then she was leaning into the counter, cradling her cup in one hand as her eyes burned into him.
He paused for a moment, almost certain he would regret it, but he had to say it anyway. "I don't understand the need to get married when you've been perfectly fine for all these years." Lindsey held out a hand lightly as he let off another shrug.
Her mouth fell open, not sure if she'd actually heard him correctly. "That's easy coming from you." Stevie woke up in a rough mood to begin with and he was really adding to it. "You have always gone home to a wife and two wonderful children." Her voice got a little louder, but she wasn't quite yelling yet. "You don't know how I've been doing, Lindsey." She added. "You don't even ask me, so how do you know that I've been fine?!" Towards the end of that statement, she began to shout slightly, but that wasn't intentional.
Chewing on the inside of his cheek, he let out a soft sigh. "I didn't mean it like-"
"You meant it." She cut him off, not wanting to hear the pathetic excuses. "You hardly know him and you haven't even given him a chance." Stevie added, heart beginning to beat a little bit faster. "You shook his hand one time and suddenly you know what all his intentions and underlying motives are?" She wrinkled her brows, tears already filling the brims of her brown eyes.
He looked back up, nodding his head very lightly. "I don't want you to get hurt." Lindsey didn't, even though he struggled to show that sometimes.
"You're the only one that hurts me." She didn't even give it a second thought before she told him that. "You just can't be happy for me." She could feel her stomach twisting into tight knots as she let her tears roll down her cheeks. "I have sat back for over thirty years and listened to your wife talk about how wonderful of a husband you are and how great of a father you've been to your kids and all I've done is smile." She whispered, bottom lip beginning to tremble. "I have been nothing but happy for you, even when I knew you were making more mistakes than Carol could even begin to imagine..." she mumbled, trying to hide the tears but it was nearly impossible.
Shifting in the chair, he could feel his heart break. "Baby..." he shook his head softly, suddenly wanting nothing more than to wrap her in the warmest hug. "I am happy for you, but I can't trust-"
"Stop it." She brought her hand up to her face, carefully wiping away some of the emotion. "I'm marrying him and I'm selling this house." Her voice was shaking and sad, but she was still trying to be stern. "And you can be happy for me, like I've always been for you..." she lingered. "Or you can be mad, but it won't change my mind."
And with that, she grabbed her cup off the counter, slipped right out of the room, and into the chilly morning air.
