Where I Belong

Part 22

Lindsey sat on the floor cross-legged, flipping through pages as he studied the manual for the crib he was attempting to put together. He volunteered to help Callie, when they talked on the phone a couple of days ago, however, he was beginning to question his capability. The doorbell rang, distracting him from his project.

"He- what are you doing here?" Stevie didn't expect to be greeted by Lindsey.

"Nice to see you too." Lindsey pulled the door open wider to let her come in. 

"I'm sorry." Stevie apologized, giving him a hug, she turned her head slightly and left a small kiss on his neck.

"You're forgiven." Lindsey smiled, he drew back a little then leaned in for a kiss.

"What do you think you're doing?" Stevie pulled back, pressing a finger against his lips. Yes, Callie knew, but they were still having an affair and Stevie preferred it behind closed doors.

"We're alone." Lindsey replied. "Callie's out. She said, she's very uncomfortable sitting or lying down, so she went out for a walk."

"For a walk?" Stevie frowned. "And you let her? She's 7 months pregnant, Lindsey! She can't-"

"Christ, relax." Lindsey rolled his eyes, bringing his hands up, he cradled her face and leaned in for a quick peck. "She's with a friend, they should be back soon."

"Oh." Stevie stepped back, a tiny bit embarrassed for overreacting. "So, why are you here?" She repeated her question.

"I'm pretending that I know what I'm doing." Lindsey replied and went back to the room that was becoming a nursery. "This-" He pointed at separate parts all over the floor. "This is what I'm doing."

Stevie bit her lip, she held up her hand to hide her amusement. "I mean... you got it out of the box." She shrugged, moving to stand beside him, she put her arm around his back and patted him on the shoulder. "Good for you."

"Very funny." Lindsey rolled his eyes. "The last time I built one of these was for Callie and that was ages ago."

Stevie scoffed, separating them. "Thanks for reminding me that I'm old." She sat down in the rocking chair, which was the first piece of furniture in the room, gifted by Stevie herself. "Well, go on. Show me how much of a man you really are."

Lindsey took his previous spot. "I showed you two nights ago." He replied, picking up the manual again. "I don't remember you asking me to put together a crib then."

Stevie blushed, looking away, pretending to suddenly be interested in a painting that Callie hung on the wall, which hadn't been there the last time she visited. Comfortable silence settled around them for a short while that Stevie eventually broke, having noticed Lindsey glancing at her and shifting his gaze then looking back at her again.

"What?"

"What do you mean, what?"

Stevie sighed. "Is there something you'd like to tell me?"

Lindsey dropped the screwdriver from his hand onto the floor, he turned to face her. "Would you like to go away with me?"

"Go away where?" Stevie leaned forward in her seat. "For how long?"

"Anywhere." Lindsey shrugged. "However long you want; a day, a weekend, a month." He added.

"Why?"

Lindsey hesitated. He picked up his tool again and Stevie was now staring at his back. "Must there be a reason?"

"First of all, you're married. Your wife might not like the idea of you whisking me away for any period of time. Second of all, I don't want to risk missing the birth of our granddaughter. What if she comes early?" Stevie explained why there absolutely had to be a good enough reason for her to even consider his proposal. "It's a lovely idea, Linds, but..." Stevie trailed off and quickly changed the subject. "I'm going to make myself a cup of coffee, can I get you anything?" Lindsey only shook his head.

Stevie opened one of the cupboards and rose to stand on her tiptoes reaching for a cup. She lowered her arm and was about to put it down, when-

"I filed for divorce yesterday." 

The cup Stevie was holding slipped from her hand and shattered into tiny pieces. Did he actually say, what she thought, he said?

Lindsey appeared in a matter of seconds, worried that Stevie had hurt herself. He rushed to her and checked if she was okay. She stopped him, laying her hands on his chest, their eyes locked. 

"Y-you did what?" Stevie asked, stunned. Lindsey nodded, confirming that she heard him correctly, a smile slowly forming on his face. "Seriously?"

"Yeah." Lindsey simply replied. "I know that this doesn't change anything between us, at least not yet. The last few months heavily influenced my decision, that's true, but I did it for myself. I just don't want to be miserable anymore. What you and I have now, it made me realize that this is what I've been searching for. This is what makes me happy. I don't know if it's going to last forever or if you're going to take it away from me tomorrow, all I know is that's how I want to feel every day for as long as you'll let me and I don't want it to be a secret."

"Okay." Stevie said as soon as he finished, confusing him. "I want to go away with you."

Lindsey grinned, relieved, he took a step closer to finally kiss her properly at the exact moment when he heard Callie unlocking the door and backed off. 

"You're coming home with me." Stevie whispered and gave him a quick kiss before Callie caught them again.