"I'm a little nervous." Stevie admitted as she trailed right along side her daughter, heading up the sidewalk of the home that sat tucked away in the comfort of weeping trees and perfectly trimmed bushes.
The last time she could remember walking up that driveway, she had Penny wrapped in the safety of her arms and Brady was hurrying in front of her, trying to get to his dad, who was waiting in the doorway. Neither of the kids were aware of the fact that Stevie and Lindsey had been fighting so bad the night before, her eyes were still puffy from tears and he couldn't even look at her.
It was always such hostile exchanges when they had to meet with the kids, which is why, towards the end, they didn't do it anymore... It got so bad, Carol Ann would have to come to Stevie's house and get them just to keep the two apart.
So for Stevie, even though things had obviously settled down quite a bit, coming up to that front door brought back a lot of memories that she had spent a long time trying to escape.
"Don't be nervous." Penny slipped her arm through the blondes, having already reassured her ten times over that it was going to be all okay. "Dad even told you that it would be just fine," she added with a soft smile on her face as she reminded her of the conversation they had with Lindsey.
After spending all day out on the water, they went back to Stevie's house, where the older woman asked if Penny could just call Lindsey to make sure it was okay if she came over. And of course, even though he knew it could be awkward, he promised them both that there was nothing to worry about... Stevie was more than welcome to come to his house.
Anyway, after that, the ladies spent the next hour getting ready. They stood in front of the big bathroom, passing blush and eyeshadow back and forth, and taking turns helping one another with their hair... It felt very much like a mother and a daughter, which made them both feel a lot lighter.
"Are you okay?" Penelope wondered, lacing her fingers in Stevie's as her other hand met the doorknob.
Biting down on her lower lip, she nodded lightly, suddenly feeling so fortunate to have that sweet girl. "I am, but only because I have you." She told her with a weak smile.
She wasn't sure how she had gone twenty years without her baby.
Penny's lips turned up as her heart fluttered a little. "We've got this, Stevie." She promised, giving her hand a very soft squeeze as she pushed open of the front door of the house she'd spent a lot of her childhood at.
However, unlike Jess and Barbara, Lindsey did a lot of remodeling throughout the years, so when they walked into the foyer, Stevie recognized nothing. Of course the layout was the same, but everything was new and up to date... Everything expect for the pictures on the walls.
When he first moved into that house, shortly after Penny was born, he had gotten Stevie and himself big framed photos of their children in Hawaii, where the used to spend a lot of their time. It was an old black and white print that Robin had taken of Penny and Brady out in the sand. She was so small, she was all wrapped up in a blanket and had a bow that Stevie had put in her thin blonde hair. And Brady, who was always the proudest big brother was sitting down, holding onto her tight.
Stevie adored those pictures and had always kept them in the back of her closet, but Lindsey's hung right on the wall when you walked into the house, which caused her heart to sink instantly.
She had never loved anything or anyone the way she loved those two kids...
"She's home," Barbara's voice lingered through the house, which made Stevie feel weak in the knees and slightly lightheaded.
It had been twenty years since she'd spoken to her mother and as she stood in the foyer with a pie plate in hand, she felt like she could just collapse at any moment.
"Our girl is-" " she paused the moment she came around the corner and through the doorframe, eyes instantly melting into the big brown orbs she had missed every day...
Stevie had aged- they all did in the last two decades, but to her mother, she still looked like the wild eyed, carefree girl that had her entire life ahead of her.
She was in a long dress, blonde hair in curls down her back and her makeup was done perfectly... She was still so beautiful and so sweet.
"TeeDee..." she creased a brow, tears already blurring her vision as she froze in the doorframe.
It was like she'd seen a ghost and in many ways, she had.
Biting down on her bottom lip, Stevie could feel her emotions grow stronger as her shoulders sank. "Hi, mom..." her voice cracked, smiling weakly when Penny took the dessert plate carefully.
Holding out both of her hands, Barbara slowly began to trail towards her baby. "Look at you." She whispered, heart beating a mile a minute as she met Stevie half way through the foyer.
By then, Lindsey was leaning into the doorframe with a soft smile on his face as his eyes traveled from Stevie to Penny and then back to Stevie... He was also happy to see her.
Stevie didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around Barbara's shoulders, tears rolling down her cheeks as her eyes met those deep blue storms from across the room. "Hi..." she mouthed to him as she cracked a soft smile.
He chuckled lightly, happy to see the two of them together, finally. "Hi, baby." He mouthed back with a wink, hoping it didn't go noticed but not caring too much in the moment.
"You look amazing." Barbara told her, not ready to let go but slowly pulling back to look into those tear filled eyes.
That girl was the first person she had ever loved with all of her heart and it felt like all was right in the world now that she was back where she belonged.
"So do you." Stevie reached out, hand meeting her moms cheek to carefully wipe away some of her tears. "And you've raised the most perfect-" she was getting ready to tell her how wonderful Penny was when the sound of her father clearing his throat caught their attention.
He was standing next to Lindsey, brow creased as he watched Barbara let go of their daughter... obviously not as sensitive about the situation. "What is going on?"
