~L~
Lindsey kept that ring stashed away in his nightstand drawer forever... or so it seemed when we were keeping that secret from her.
But he had told me that he wanted to make sure that his divorce was final before he made any more promises to Stevie, just so she knew how serious he was about their relationship... "No more crazy shenanigans," as he put it, which was a sigh of relief, honestly.
Of course, as their daughter, I wanted to see them together, but to me, it was most important that they were happy... I was thankful that for the first time in a long time, they could be happy together. And they were- it was obvious.
They were kinder to each other, more soft and forgiving than ever before... I'm not saying their relationship was perfect, but it was healthy and that was good for them.
However, even though I understood his way of thinking, I was constantly pressuring him to just give her that ring... I knew she would totally love it.
So, at least once a week they would have a standard date night, where my dad got her flowers and she did her makeup and her hair, put on the most flattering outfit and sprayed more perfume than I could handle. And then they would go out for a really late dinner or a play, and sometimes I think they just drove the coast to be together... I don't know- my mom always decided and my dad just seemed to go along with it.
Anyway, every time they were about to walk out the front door, I would quietly beg him to take it and give it to her... I was so excited for them, but he wanted it to be special and looking back now, I understand why.
They had been through so much... It was time they did it by the book.
"You got it, Ruth. Jump!" My dad held out his hands, weighting in the warm blue water as he motioned for Ruth to jump off the diving board.
It was a really sunny day, so we had been outside all afternoon and most of the evening, even eating dinner out on the back patio. It was just the four of us, being that Natalie had taken Eleanor and Foster out to San Diego for the week to visit her fiancé's parents...
Anywho, without them that week, the house was awfully quiet... I think Stevie even mentioned that it was boring without them.
She loved having a house full, especially when it consisted of those contagious belly laughs, feet running down the hallways, bedtime stories, and getting up early to make chocolate chip pancakes... She was the best and I was so thrilled that Eleanor and Foster got to experience her as a mother, too.
"Be careful, baby." Stevie was sitting on the edge of the pool in a sundress with just her two feet dangling over.
Giggling softly, Ruth gave her a playful thumbs up. "It's okay, grandma." She assured as she brought her other hand up to her face to plug her nose. "Watch out, grandpa!" She added with a big laugh the moment she jumped off the ledge of the board and fell right into the water, causing a splash.
"That was a good one." I clapped softly, peeking over the edge of my sunglasses to make sure she was alright as I floated on a inflatable raft thingy at the other end... I didn't want my hair to get wet, even though Lindsey was notorious for cannonballs and accidentally splashing.
Sometimes it was hard to believe that he was going to be sixty.
"That was pretty cool, kid." Lindsey agreed as he slowly swam his way towards the edge of the pool, close to Stevie.
