~Months Later~
There was a window that was placed four floors up in an old brick home that had sat in same spot on the coast of Nantucket since the early 1900's. It was all brick on the outside, but draped in vintage dressings and victorian art pieces once you stepped through the double doors.
On one side of the old glass was the perfect scene of a small, quiet town that had grown incredibly still in the winter months and on the other side was a woman, holding her baby on her hip and watching the sun begin to rise.
"Merry Christmas Eve, sweet Clara." She whispered, index finger meeting the glass as her eyes wandered back to the girl in her arms.
She was still in her jammies, little blonde curls pulled back in a bow and brown eyes focused on the snow that was coming down on the city below. She was only five months old, but she was curious and smart- always reaching and watching.
She was interested in the world around her and her mother was interested in seeing the world through her eyes... Clara's curiosity was keeping her young.
"Should we go find daddy?" She wondered as she playfully bounced the baby in her hip, causing little giggles to instantly fill the air around them. "Say bye- bye to the snow." She was smiling softly as she held out one hand and wiggled her fingers towards the window, which encouraged Clara to do the same. "My angel," Stevie chuckled softly as she began to trail through the bedroom, picking up Clara's floral print blanket off the accent chair before they stepped out into the hallway.
For the first time, in many years, Stevie had gone all out with holiday decorations in her suite and at the Inn. She wanted it to be magical- Clara's very first Christmas. That being said, there was lights strung up on the banister, a huge tree in the living room with a thousand bulbs and strands of gold tinsel, and under that was presents that she's spent hours wrapping in beautiful paper with perfect bows and handwritten letters from Santa, himself... She knew Clara would never, ever remember it, but she would and that was enough to make it extra special.
"Oh my goodness," Stevie gasped playfully when they stepped into the kitchen, watching Clara's eyes light up when she caught a glimpse of Lindsey.
He was standing at the stove, still wearing a hoodie and sweatpants as he worked on making pancakes and listening to the morning news come across the speakers of the radio that sat on the counter. "There are my baby girls." He smirked softly when he turned around, holding the spatula in one hand as the other held onto the handle of his coffee cup.
"Good morning," Stevie slowly ventured further into the room, slipping around the island to come a little closer.
Lindsey set everything down, immediately holding out one arm for the little girl that was reaching for him to hold her. "Good morning, princess." He kissed the side of the Clara's head as he used his other hand to slip it around Stevie's waist.
"Making breakfast..." Stevie lingered with a soft smile as she glanced up, eyes instantly melting into his. "That's new." She teased, which caused him to chuckle in return.
"Do you hear that, Clara?" His cheek met the baby's, another big smile traveling across his face when she brought one hand up to touch his face. "Mommy has no faith in me." He added in a joking manner as he lightly kissed the palm of Clara's little hand.
She was always reaching for their noses, or pulling on Stevie's necklaces, or tangling her hand in her moms long blonde hair... She was learning.
Nodding softly, Stevie gave him a mischievous smile. "Your pancakes are burning..." she whispered.
He let her go instantly to grab the spatula and turn back around, a deep laugh escaping him when he looked down into the pan. "What would we do without her?" Lindsey asked Clara, kind of teasing, but mostly not.
Stevie kept their world spinning and they both absolutely adored her.
Shaking her head, the blonde wrapped her silk robe around herself a little tighter. "I'll start washing some of these dishes and-"
"Grab a cup of coffee and go curl up in the living room." Lindsey cut her off, not wanting her to feel like she needed to jump in and start cleaning up the mess he made.... he could handle that later.
Smiling lightly, she leaned into the counter to grab a cup as she watched the two start to figure out the pancake situation at hand. "Are you sure?" She carefully started to pour some sugar into her cup, using a spoon to stir it in at the same time.
Nodding his head, he looked over to give her a quick wink. "Clara and I will be out there with your breakfast in a few." He told her right before he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
Stevie chuckled, bringing her cup up to her lips to take a sip as she began to head out of the room and into the other, where the fireplace was lit, a record was on and their suitcases were waiting.
They were getting ready to head to Boston to spend Christmas at Sam and Courtney's house. They were having everyone... Yes, everyone. Brooklynn and her boyfriend were already camping out at Sam's, but Mallory, Laura and Drew were flying in that morning to make it in time for Christmas Eve dinner. And since all the kids were going to be in town together, there was no way Jess and Barbara were missing it, so they flew out East as well, right along with Tom and his new wife.
It was going to be quite the weekend, but they were all excited.
"Well, look at that." Stevie's lips turned up once more when she watched them come through the living room just a few minutes after she'd taken a seat on the sofa with a blanket. "I feel so special." She added with a little giggle when he set her plate down on the coffee table in front of her.
Lindsey took a seat on the couch next to her, carefully setting the baby in between them before he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Clara has an early Christmas present for you..." his voice was soft, heart beating a mile a minute as he felt Stevie casually sink into his side.
Stevie glanced down, eyes growing a little bit wider when she saw the velvet box that the baby was holding out. "For me?" She whispered as tears already started to blur her vision.
Clara clapped her hands together, a big smile on her sweet face as she watched her mom open it... If Stevie and Lindsey hadn't known any better, they would have almost thought she understood what was happening.
"This has been the best year of my life..." Lindsey told her the moment she'd opened it to reveal the diamond ring he had spent hours picking out.
Nodding her head in agreement, her eyes met his as the tears rolled down her cheeks.
He reached out carefully, taking her face in one of his hands. "Will you marry me, baby?" Lindsey gave her the most gentle grin, falling in love all over again as he stared deep into those big brown orbs.
She couldn't help but laugh, pulling the ring out of the box and immediately slipping it onto her left hand, almost like it had always belonged there. "Yes, a million times over."
~The End~
