Stevie ended up sitting curled in that old recliner for most of the morning, sipping coffee, laughing at Lindsey messing up the cords to the sloppy sheet music Constance gave him and singing along occasionally. But for the most part, she sat and watched her two favorite guitarists go back and forth, working together like they had done forever.
Lindsey was actually the one that had gotten Constance her Gibson for her birthday one year, after she'd spent ages asking her mom for one. And then he taught her how to play, spending hours on the road before shows, sitting backstage and going over every cord until she got it down.
By the end of the 1998 tour, she was winning school talent shows with that old guitar.
"More coffee?" Stevie wondered, holding out her hand for his cup as she stood up for the first time in over an hour.
Constance had taken a break- saying that she needed to go sit outside and smoke, which gave the two a moment alone for the first time in a couple of days.
He smiled softly, pushing himself up to follow her into the kitchen. "She seems to be doing better." Lindsey mentioned, setting his cup down on the counter as he watched her begin to make another pot.
"I hope so..." Stevie sighed lightly, putting a new filter in and then pushing the little button. "Sometimes you really impress me." She added with the most gentle smile on her sweet face.
He chuckled, looking into those brown eyes the moment she turned away from the task she'd been working on. "And why is that?" Lindsey had to cross his arms over his chest, or else he'd find it impossible not to wrap her in a hug.
He missed her, he always did, but a little extra recently. He wasn't sure if it was the fact that he didn't have summers to look forward to, or what, but she was almost the only thing on his mind since he'd gotten home...
She paused for a moment, sinking back into the counter only inches away from him. "You always come when we need you the most..." Stevie couldn't think of anyone else in the entire world that was there like he was... Even when he didn't have to be, he still found a way.
"I'd move mountains for those two kids of yours." He would and he had on more than one occasion.
Lindsey had been there when Kim and Stevie couldn't be, which was difficult but the girls had always been appreciative. Like the time Constance packed a bag and got on a Greyhound to head to Arizona at eighteen, without either of her parents knowing, of course. She made it into Nevada, ran out of money and called him on a pay phone at a bus stop in the middle of no where.
He was there as fast he could be, and he didn't lecture her, or tell her that it was wrong... Instead, he asked her if she was hungry, bought her dinner at a restaurant on the way into California and even talked to Stevie when they got back, so she didn't have to.
They had always thought of him as another parent, which is why neither of them were surprised when Constance gave him a call and wanted to know if he was down to write some songs... She needed to distract herself and she knew that he wouldn't ask questions, or tell her what to do.
He would just be there and treat her like normal... Just like he'd done for her mom when she went through it.
"You..." she shook her head softly, eyes growing weak. "You are a good man." Stevie didn't tell him that very often, only because most of the time they were too busy arguing to compliment each other like that.
Lindsey bit down on the inside of his cheek, scanning over her face and taking in all those wonderful features of hers. "Oh, I almost forget..." he reached into his back pocket, pulling out the diamond ring he'd been carrying around since he'd gotten home from Hawaii. "I found this on your nightstand." He held it up to show her, a soft laugh escaping him.
She nearly froze, heart sinking into the very pit of her stomach.
She had been so worried about that ring a couple of days earlier, but when she saw it in his hands, she suddenly didn't love it as much as she had before... she didn't miss it as bad as she thought.
"I so was worried." She lied, only because it seemed like the right thing to do. "Thank you for taking care of it." She added as she held out her left hand.
He paused, stunned that she was asking him to put it on for her. "Yeah, I figured you were." Lindsey carefully slipped it on, a knot forming in his stomach as well.
He'd never wanted anything more than for her to be wearing his ring, but there they were... Like always.
Clearing his throat, he shifted lightly. "Speaking of Hawaii," he was sort of relieved when she turned back to pour the fresh coffee into their cups- both of them needing to take a moment after that. "The realtor called yesterday and told me that she has an offer that was more than what we were asking." Lindsey announced.
Sighing heavily, she looked at him over her shoulder as she handed his cup to him. "More than what we were asking?" She creased a brow, shocked to hear that.
He shrugged a shoulder, nodding his head. "Yeah, and I think we should take it." Lindsey mentioned, already seeing her brown eyes begin to gloss over. "She said we probably wouldn't get anything better and like you said..." he lingered for a second, raising a brow gently. "It's time to let it go."
