~L~
Everyone kind of went back home in separate waves within the couple of days that followed. First it was Natalie and the kids, then Suzanna left with Lori and Sharon, followed by Austin's family, and eventually, like always, the only people still in the city were my parents, Karen and my grandma.
Looking back, it was a little bit crazy. Stevie and Lindsey were just three weeks shy of heading out on the road and neither of them seemed in any rush to leave. In fact, they were there more than willing to stay back and help me figure everything out.
The truth is, I had never really dealt with that type of loss, but my mother and Barbara had lost my grandpa just the year before, so they were both incredibly reassuring and helpful. Barbara knew what to do, Karen knew how to do it and my parents were there for moral support... Like usual.
And miraculously enough, everyone was getting along so well... Too well, almost.
I should have known something was going on, but I was really busy focusing on figuring out my life at that time. I had gone to bed one night married to the man I had trusted with every fiber of my being and by noon the next day, I was a single mom that lived across the country from everyone that I knew.
I was too scared to worry about anything other than how I was going to make it in that city when all I had was my baby...
Anyway, I tried to put on a brave face and honestly, having those couple of people stay with me for a few weeks was probably the only saving Grace I had in all of it.
My mom was always very motherly and nurturing, but situations like that brought it out so much more. That being said, she was cooking dinner almost every night, keeping my condo clean and making sure Ruth felt like life was still normal... She was so good at that.
She would get her ready for school, her and my dad would take her and after, they would go out to the park, read books, color pictures, sing songs and my mom even taught her how to play the piano that she had gifted me when I first moved out East.
Stevie was good at a lot of things, but she was the best at being Ruth's grandma.
"Knock, knock...?" I lingered in the doorway that separated the hallway from the spare that my mom had been staying in, smiling lightly when my eyes fell on some of my favorite people.
Stevie and Ruth were sitting on an old throw blanket that they had put down on the carpet, painting their nails a light shade of pink as my dad sat on the chaise lounge, eating popcorn and watching a movie.
"Hey, sunshine." Lindsey gave me a gentle wave, eyes never leaving the television screen.
"Well, good afternoon." I smiled softly, wrapping my sweater around my shoulders as I snuck further into the room.
"Did you have fun with grandma?" My mom had her reading glasses perched on the tip of her nose as she held Ruth's hand in hers and carefully painted her nails.
"We had a good time, yeah." I nodded my head lightly as I took a seat on the edge of the bed and stared down at them.
"What did you do, mama?" Ruthie glanced up, a soft smile on her sweet face.
She loved sharing that time with her grandmother... She still loves to spend time with Stevie and maybe even more now that she's growing up.
"We just went to lunch, but guess what?" I gasped lightly, trying to sound as enthusiastic as possible.
I wanted to be strong for her, I really did.
Once I was an adult, I would always revert back to how my mom held herself together during difficult times... When I was a kid, I had no idea that she was going through any of it.
I didn't know how much she struggled- not when she lost Robin, not when she got married, not when she got sober, not when she was heartbroken... none of it.
She hid it all so well, just so that I could have a good childhood and I wanted to do the same for Ruth.
"What?" She wondered, blue eyes already lit up.
"Grandma said that she wants to have a sleep over at our house tonight." I mentioned, which caused another big grin to tug at the corners of her mouth.
"Where's Karen?" My mom creased a brow, probably also kind of shocked to hear that Barbara wasn't going to back to her hotel.
"Well," I paused for a second, looking over at my dad, who was no longer as distracted by the television as he had been. "Grandma is going to stay here with Ruthie and I, while you two go out." I announced as I tilted my head to the side to look at Stevie a little better.
She had her hair pulled up into a clip, no make up on, still wearing a pair of sweatpants and one of my dads shirts... That was my favorite version of her.
"You have been so helpful with everything here," I motioned around the room, but I meant all of it... they were keeping my world turning, so the least I could do was get them a nice meal before they left. "Karen and I made you guys a dinner reservation at a really great restaurant a couple of blocks over for tonight." I shrugged my shoulder softly, growing a little more nervous than before.
I wasn't totally sure it was a good idea to send just the two of them, but they had been getting along so well, I figured they could enjoy one evening of not having to worry about us... About me and Ruth.
"Well..." Lindsey lingered for a moment as he looked over at Stevie with a soft smirk. "I like dinner..." he shrugged playfully, which caused her lips to turn up instantly.
Sometimes they could be so gentle with each other- so soft and loving...That was definitely one of those moments.
She batted her lashes unintentionally as that crooked smirk took form. "I guess it's a date." She teased as she shook her head lightly. "We have to finish our nails first though, huh?" She turned her attention back to Ruth, giving her a little wink, silently promising that she wasn't going to up and leave while they were still hanging out.
Nodding her head in agreement, she glanced over at Lindsey. "Yeah, so hold your horses."
~~
"Well, don't you look awfully handsome." Barbara had just come into the living room, carrying a cup of tea as she stared over at Lindsey.
He was sitting on the very edge of the sofa, already dressed and ready to go... Just waiting on my mom, who was still sitting in front of the mirror in the guest room, trying to curl her hair, while Ruth rambled away right next to her.
He chuckled softly, rubbing his hands together as he cracked a grin. "You're such a charmer, Barbara." He was nervous- I could tell, and for some reason, it right over my head why...
She gave him a soft smile, taking a seat in the accent chair by the window before she replied. "I-" she was getting to say something when the sound of heels hitting the hardwood floor cut her off.
"Sorry I'm running so behind." Stevie's voice filled the air as she stepped into the living room, still working on putting her earrings in.
She was in a dress that hit right above the knee, tall tan boots that followed and her hair was in long waves that traveled down her back. She always looked gorgeous, but a little extra that night.
"My assistant was very chatty," she added with a soft smile as she motioned back to Ruth, who had also gotten her hair curled.
Laughing lightly, I stayed curled up in the chair as I patted the seat next to me for Ruth to come sit. "I hope you two have fun." I mentioned, really thankful that they both agreed to go out... I knew it wasn't easy, not when they were in the middle of a tour and had their own lives.
It could get messy.
Lindsey pushed himself up, grinning softly the moment she sank into his side. "We will." He assured in a soft tone of voice as he stared down at Stevie with more love in his eyes than I could ever remember seeing before...
And that was when I realized that there was more going on between them...
