He was there fifteen minutes later, turning off his headlights before he typed in the code to the gate. And then he pulled around, a soft smile trailing across his face when he watched her step through the front door.
She had been peeking out the side window, trying to keep Lily from barking, but also trying to keep herself from getting too excited.
She didn't know how he still had the power to do that to her... He made her nervous after what felt like a thousand years.
"There she is..." he greeted her with the sweetest smile as he pulled open the passenger side door.
"Hi, there." She slowly descended the steps, keeping the bottle of wine in her hand as she used the other to hold onto the railing.
"Three in the morning and your still the most beautiful woman in the world." He bit down on the inside of his cheek, eyes scanning over her face as she neared him.
She was wearing leggings, a black chiffon top and a pair of flats- all she could find in the laundry room since going to her closet was off limits at the moment... She had been far too focused on not waking him up to even worry about what she was wearing.
Anything other than her nightgown seemed good enough.
"Such flattery this morning." She teased, giving him a soft wink as she crawled in.
He chuckled, closing the door behind her before he traveled back to the drivers side. "Bottle of wine...?" Lindsey put the car in drive, one hand on the wheel as the other rested on his leg.
She shrugged, reaching out to turn the volume up on the radio. "Where are you taking me?" She wondered as she leaned back in the leather seat and stared over at him.
His blue met hers, that mischievous grin still on his handsome face. "Wherever you want." Lindsey told her, slowly reaching out to take her hand in his. "Pick a spot and we'll watch the sunrise." That night, he would have driven her any where in the world... He was that in love.
Stevie bit down on her lower lip, tangling her fingers in his as she thought about it for a moment. "Let's just start driving for now." Her voice was soft as she brought his hand up to her lips to leave soft kisses on his palm. "Anywhere will be fine as long as we're together." She added in a whisper.
~~~
They drove for over an hour and then eventually ended up sitting on a blanket in the sand at a small beach off the highway. She was the one that had mentioned they should pull over and get out, even though, deep down, they would have both been perfectly content with driving all the way through the night...
Escaping always seemed simple to them.
"How'd you manage to sneak away from home in the middle of the night?" She smirked, bringing the bottle of red wine up to her lips to take a sip.
It was still dark, the moon hanging high in the sky- that being the only form of light amongst the couple and it was beautiful. It was warm, quiet and so still at that hour. The only sound beyond their voices was the waves crashing against the shore just feet away from them.
He chuckled as he stared out into the water, keeping his hands pressed into the sand to hold himself up. "Well, since I'm sleeping in the studio..." Lindsey announced, shrugging his shoulder lightly. "It's easy." He added, sharing something he normally wouldn't.
Stevie hardly ever asked about his marriage and he rarely ever spoke of it. The only time she was concerned about Carol and Lindsey was when Ann would call her in the middle of the night, telling Stevie that they were arguing again... she only cared when it came to their kids.
"The studio...?" She raised a brow, passing over the bottle as a gentle frown traveled across her face. "Uh oh..." she added, eyes growing a little more sympathetic.
He shook his head, another light laugh filling the air around them as he took a drink... he needed something stronger than that. "Let's talk about something else." Lindsey knew she was going to start feeling guilty and that's not why he mentioned it. "Let's talk about how gorgeous you look." He winked, reaching out to cradle her face in his free hand.
She wasn't wearing any makeup and her eyes were a little sleepy, but she was everything... She was timeless to him.
She sighed softly, closing her big brown eyes for a moment. "Do you think we could have ever made it work...?" In the midst of worrying about her home in Hawaii and the loss of everything they had shared, she was also stuck on that.
She couldn't stop thinking about what "could have been," which could drive anyone crazy... Dwelling on the way things were supposed to be, compared to how they turned out was something she didn't allow herself to do anymore.
He paused for a second, letting the pad of his thumb run back and forth across her soft cheek. "I think we could have figured it out, yeah." Lindsey really did, even though they had both made their fair share of mistakes.
Stevie's heart sank, staring over into her favorite set of blue eyes. "I think so, too." She agreed in a low tone of voice as she slid in to be closer.
They could have found a way to do it. They could have raised four kids together, juggled two careers in the music industry, bickered every single day, but still loved at the end of each night.
They had it in them, but they were both so caught up in their own worlds, they let that wish slip away.
"But gosh, what a great love affair we've had..." she had to make a joke- the air was getting to thick and serious.
He slowly began to sink down, head falling into her lap without much warning. "I don't want to give it up..." he didn't, but she was ready and who was he to hold her back?
Looking down, her hand met his chest as the other got lost in his curls. "A piece of me will always belong to you..." she whispered as she leaned down to give him the softest kiss on the nose.
~~~
Karen paced the floors for nearly two hours that morning. She had picked the polish off her nails, downed a pot of coffee and was beginning to literally bounce off the walls as she waited to hear from her boss.
She had gotten there around seven, surprised when George told her that Stevie didn't go to bed the night before and wasn't there when he woke up. He was concerned too, but he had to get to work, so he asked her to call him if she got ahold of the older woman.
And the more time ticked, the more sick Karen began to feel.
"Hello?" Her voice rang through the house after nine- literal music to her assistants ears.
"Where have you been?" She came sliding into the foyer on her socks, so relieved to see the blonde all in one piece. "I was worried sick about you and-"
"Am I making the right decision in selling the house and getting married?" She cut her off, brown eyes so weak and tired... She needed to sleep.
Karen creased a brow, shoulders falling as her heart broke for the woman that she really did admire. "Is he going to leave her this time...?" She wondered, already very well aware of what would cause her to question it all.
Stevie shrugged, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I can't count on it."
