~~July~~
"Be careful." Stevie reminded him in the most gentle tone of voice as she watched her grandson race through the small kitchen, almost bumping right into her at the counter.
"We're playing tag." Silas was laughing so hard, it was truly contagious.
Lindsey was on the other side, right across from Stevie, also laughing as he waited for the kid to slid around the island on his socks. "You're it!" He ruffled his curls, immediately slipping behind his wife to use her as a shield. "Tag grandma." He joked, holding her gently by the shoulders as she continued to stir the cake batter that she'd been working on.
"Grandma, you're it!" He shouted in a playful manner as he tugged on her shawl.
Chuckling softly, the blonde motioned towards the back door. "Take a break, or take it outside." She raised a brow lightly, not trying to be stern but also having asked both boys not to run in the house multiple times...
Lindsey gave their grandson a soft smile, rolling his eyes jokingly."We'll finish up our game after dinner." He assured, holding his thumb up. "I bet Adam needs some help out there getting that fishing pole figured out." He added, trying to be enthusiastic about tangled fishing line.
"Okay!" And with that, Silas flew around them and right out the back patio door, where the others were gathered.
They had all four of their children, plus two spouses and two grandkids all crammed into the house on the beach. It was only for a couple of days and they all stayed at hotels, but it was still busy.... And crowded, to say the least.
"So strict..." Lindsey teased as his hand slipped down to her waist, slowly swaying her back and forth. "But so beautiful..." he added in a low tone as his lips met the curve of her neck.
She smirked softly, tilting her head back into his chest as her two hands met his forearms that were still wrapped around her. "Mhmm," she arched a brow, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. "I know you rolled your eyes." Stevie giggled, biting down on her lower lip as she scrunched up her nose.
He let out another soft chuckle, squeezing her softly. I love you." He told her, pressing a kiss to her cheek as his eyes stayed locked with hers.
Nodding softly, she leaned in to capture his lips with hers. "My man." Stevie grinned, head lazily resting on his shoulder once more to take in that moment of quiet as much she could.
It had been a long time since they'd had that many people running around their space. After all, they were coming up on an entire year since they'd move to Hawaii full time, and since then, they'd only had a couple of visitors... This was the first time that they had all four of their kids together, which had been incredibly stressful for Stevie.
She was worried that there would be tension, and not because there had been before, but because she feared his children would feel differently about her now. And she couldn't think of anything worse than disappointing Adam or Ann, both of whom she had totally adored since they were born.
But just as Lindsey had promised her, a million times over, it wasn't awkward, or uncomfortable, and no one was mad, or even confused... in fact, it was the exact opposite of all of those things.
The kids had already grown up together, so for them to be spending a week on vacation with each other felt normal... They'd spent a million nights hanging out the road with the band and it was like no time had passed.
The only thing that was a little odd was the fact that their parents weren't bickering the entire time, but other than that, it was the same, which made Stevie's mama heart incredibly happy.
"Can I help with anything?" Ann's sweet voice lingered through the kitchen, which caused Lindsey to let go almost instantly.
Turning around, Stevie's eyes met hers from the doorway.
Ann was gorgeous, but the week she'd spent in the sun- swimming in the ocean, golfing with her dad, helping Stevie plant flowers and running through the sprinkler with Silas really did her wonders... She was glowing.
"Do you want to mix the salad for me?" Stevie could tell, just by the look in those blue eyes that Ann wanted to be there, with them in the moment.
Nodding her head, she carefully trailed further into the room as she kept her sleeping daughter in her arms. "I would love to." She was a calm human- gentle and warm... such a sweet soul.
"Here, I'll take her." Lindsey held out his hands, a big smile on his face as Ann gently passed the little girl to her grandpa. "Say 'hi, grandma.'" He held up her hand, waving it towards Stevie.
Giggling lightly, the blonde stared down at the bundle in his arms. "Hi, sweet girl..." she whispered, seeing how those blue eyes were hidden by long fluttering lashes.
The sound of the glass door sliding open is what pulled her attention away from their granddaughter, only to see Becks venturing in with a basket full of lavender.
"We found more." Constance was right behind her, both hands resting on her very pregnant stomach as she spoke to Ann, who had been going on walks with them each afternoon.
And as the three girls sat there, cutting the stems and rearranging a vase, Stevie wouldn't help but smile.
That wasn't how she had pictured life turning out, not when it had been as hectic as theirs was, but it was definitely how she dreamt it. And she wasn't exactly sure if it was magic that had a hand in it, or if it was just their own stubbornness, but she was thankful... So thankful to have ended up in that house, with that man.
"I'll be back." She whispered, tears in her eyes as she pushed herself away from the counter to head for the living room.
And sure enough, just as she'd predicted, he was sitting on the sofa, having handed off their granddaughter to Adam's wife, who had taken her outside to play on the swing.
"There you are." Stevie wrapped her shawl around her shoulders as she trailed towards him with a soft smile, happy to have another moment alone.
Lindsey chuckled softly, creasing a brow when she slipped right into his lap. "You alright?" He wondered, wrapping his arm around her waist.
She nodded her head as she cradled his face in her hands. "I just love you..." she shrugged lightly, bitting down on her bottom lip.
"I've always loved you more."
The End
