"It's so early, babe..." Dan lingered, rolling over on his side of the bed as he listened to her rummage through her makeup bag on the floor in their room.
It was only six in the morning and usually she was all about sleeping in, but that day, she just couldn't. She had spent the better half of the night staring up at the ceiling fan as the blade spun in slow circles and after growing annoyed by his snoring, she got up and went to sit outside with a cup of coffee... Her mind was working at a hundred miles an hour and it had been from the moment that she had stepped out of Penny's suite.
"I can't sleep." She mumbled, sitting crisscross applesauce in front of the mirror as she finished applying her mascara. "I need a good cup of coffee." She announced, even though the two that she had already had were actually fine.
She just needed to escape that room and she wanted to do it before he was up, so he didn't want to tag along... She just wanted some time alone and not having to worry about walking on eggshells with his daughters or Dan asking if something was wrong a million times.
"Whatever." His eyes were hardly opened as he flipped back on his stomach, determined to catch a few more hours of sleep.
Sometimes he didn't understand her and though there were times when he wanted to try to, that just wasn't one of those days.
Nodding her head, she pushed herself up to stand. "I'll be back in a little while." She assured, chuckling lightly when all he did was groan in return.
And down the hallway, just six doors to the right, a man was also sitting on the edge of his seat. He didn't sleep a wink either- it was a mix of concern for his daughter, who had checked on three times throughout the night, and then nerves from her mother, who had randomly appeared in her bathroom the night before like a ghost.
She was the ghost of his past and she was so haunting, it kept him awake.
So, since everyone else was still fast asleep, Lindsey decided to slip out of his room, locking Erin in before he traveled down to the coffee shop at the resort... He needed something stronger than a cappuccino, but just a single shot of bourbon would have to do until the sun came up, at least.
However, the very moment he stepped into the shop that was right in the lobby, he decided that maybe coffee wasn't a top priority that morning... Not when she was already sitting there, staring at him from across the room like a hawk on their perch.
"Lindsey?" She pushed herself up, calling out his name before he had the chance to turn back around.
He looked up once more, blue eyes melting into hers as this obvious hint of embarrassment washed over her after nearly shouting his name in a crowded room.
Lindsey was going to pretend like she wasn't talking to him... that's what he wanted to do, but when he saw how she slowly sank back down in her chair, silently begging him to sit with her, he couldn't ignore it.
It would have been easier in the moment, but not in the long run.
"Can I order first?" He raised a brow lightly, trying not to chuckle as he shook his head in disbelief.
She was the last person in the world he imagined he'd be having coffee with on his family vacation.
"Of course," she nodded softly, heart beating fast as her eyes fell back down to the cup on the table in front of her.
She had thought about him and Penny all night long, and for some reason, it felt like a sign that they had ran into one at the crack of dawn... They probably needed to talk, even though it wasn't going to be simple, not for either of them.
"Here," he placed the little paper bag down in front of her before he slipped into the chair across the table.
She sighed softly, looking down at the blueberry scone... At one point in time those were her go-to. "You remembered..." her heart sank, feeling as small as she an ant as she glanced back up at him.
He was tired- it was obvious by the softness lingering in his orbs and the calmness in his demeanor... He didn't seem like he wanted to argue, which was a sigh of relief for Stevie, who also had no intention of being anything but cordial.
"Thank you." She added a moment later when he decided not to reply right away.
It was clear that he had a lot to think about and she could definitely understand that.
"They're Penny's favorite too." He shrugged softly, shifting in his chair as he finally turned his head to actually stare at her.
She was in a sundress, shawl draped over her shoulders, long hair in natural curls and hardly any makeup... She was still so beautiful and so Stevie.
"She's really amazing." She announced, brown eyes growing weak as she thought back to the girl that she had been totally drawn to, especially the last couple of days.
Lindsey didn't mean to, but he let out a gentle sigh as he nodded his head in agreement. "She is the best thing in life." He had always felt that way, but more so after Stevie had left.
Lindsey wasn't the perfect father- he had made his share of mistakes and had missed out a little more than he would have liked, but he was always there for the big moments... And to Penny, he never missed a beat, even if he primarily lived in California.
"I'm so sorry that I-"
"Don't apologize to me." He shook his head, creasing a brow as held out one hand to silence her. "My life wasn't the one that you flipped upside when you left." He was fabricating the truth quite a bit...
He felt like she was the only person in the whole world that knew what he was feeling and without even saying goodbye, she left him and their only baby... Needless to say, Stevie broke his heart and she had been breaking it everyday that she wasn't present since then- just in different ways as time moved forward.
Stevie's heart sank, biting down on her lower lip as her vision began to subtly blur. "I want to know her so bad." She admitted as her eyes casually scanned over his face.
She had missed him too, even though she knew better than to say that aloud.
"We don't even have to tell her that I'm her mom, not yet." Stevie assured, obviously growing a little more flustered by his silence. "We can just hang out here and I can get to know her from a distance before we tell-"
"Don't let her down." His voice grew a little more stern than before as he cut off her rambling. "If you don't think you can handle it, don't say a thing to her." Lindsey added as he pushed himself up to stand, blue eyes still burning into the blonde.
Stevie nodded her head, bringing one hand up to her face to dry her tears. "I won't."
