Our Last Dance

43.

Once dinner was over with, Shelly drove herself home to meet with her husband while Lindsey took Stevie home.

"You could stay awhile," she mentioned as he walked her to the front door and she turned the key.

"I could, but what will people think?" he said, a tone far from his own.

"Oh, shut up," she laughed, giving him a shove before pushing her front door open. 

He chuckled, following her inside and shutting the front door behind him before locking it.

She then took her coat off and she spun around to face the entry way of her home, watching him walk toward her.

"We're old news now, Stevie..." he added, pulling his leather jacket off. "What'll we do, huh?" he tossed it onto the arm chair and allowed his ever so loving eyes to scan everything about her; from her hair all the way down to her walking boot.

She sighed, placing her hands to her hips, "I don't know... Maybe we can have a glass of wine... Think of some rumors to start everybody," she smirked, taking a step closer to him.

"Sounds like fun," he assured, encircling her waist in his arms. "You are one trouble making lady, Ms. Nicks..." he leaned in and kissed her lips passionately.

After a single moment of simply succumbing to his gentle touch yet lustful lips, she kind of opened her eyes and she pulled away from him.

"Hm?" he hummed, bringing a hand to the back of her neck, gently rubbing the surface with the tips of his callused fingers.

"Ms. Nicks, huh?" she questioned, one of her brows slightly furrowed as she looked at him. "Where'd you hear that?" she wondered. "Not many people know my maiden name, did I tell you?" she then asked. 

"No, I overheard you telling Ireland a couple weeks ago..." he shook his head. 

She recalled the conversation easily and she dropped her head softly as she lifted her brow in thought.

"I thought it was pretty, hearing it in my head... Stephanie Nicks... Stevie Nicks," he added with a shrug.

"I haven't been called Nicks in so many years... Since my twenties, I've been Thatcher and I just--" she shook her head. 

"I didn't mean to upset you--"

"It caught me off guard," she finally looked up and patted his chest gently before turning around to sit down on the couch. "Quite frankly, I don't know if I'm Stephanie Nicks or Stephanie Thatcher anymore... My entire life revolved around Adam until he died, I didn't handle myself well and now that I'm in my newfound normal, I have you..."

He took a seat next to her as he digested everything she had to say. He then lifted her hand between the two of his and he rubbed it gently before bringing it up to kiss the back of it. 

"I didn't mean to get this deep about it, but sometimes it happens..."

"You're entitled to your feelings..." he ensured calmly. "Given what's been going on with you and Trevor, I'm sure I hit a nerve. I didn't mean to and you didn't know it was coming. And I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't have called you that... I just think your name is cute and I think it suits you, that's the only reason I said it."

"Thank you," she semi whispered, leaning in to kiss his lips. "I'm sorry," she mumbled. 

"Don't be sorry," he shook his head ever so slightly as he brought his arm around her, embracing her warmly as he deepened their kiss. 

~~

Even though it wasn't exactly planned for Lindsey to stay the night at her house that evening, it wasn't a huge inconvenience considering he had a lot of his stuff at her house to get ready with.