Stevie and the kids stayed at his condo with him that entire weekend. They played board games- Cora's favorite pass time, they watched movies, they ordered dinner, they baked cookies and they spent the whole time completely present with each other... They didn't worry about work, or music, or anything other than their family, which was very rare for them at that point in their lives.
There was almost always some kind of outside distraction that kept their attention drawn away, but not during those couple of days.
Anyway, overall it was a very special weekend for them, especially Stevie and Lindsey, who felt like they were both so disconnected from their children at times. It wasn't easy to work full time careers in the music industry and also juggle two kids that were constantly on the move and growing up faster than they had anticipated, but they did it- they always had.
And the kids really loved it too, but a little more when it felt like they were all healing together... They didn't really know the extent of their parents issues, yet they could tell that they were trying and if they could do that for them, Cora and Miles could try to as well.
That being said, they skipped out on all their weekend plans with friends and when Monday morning rolled around, they were all up early, moving around each other in that small condo... That double sink in their master bathroom at home was really calling Lindsey's name when his wife spent the majority of her morning staring at herself through the mirror.
He wouldn't trade her for the world though.
"Don't forget your book bags at the house." Stevie reminded them as she cradled her cup of coffee close to her lips and leaned back into the kitchen counter.
She had made breakfast and since she was trying to be more graceful and patient with her family, she even carved out enough time for them to eat together... It wasn't a rushed piece of toast with unmelted butter on their way out the door, which was a very common breakfast for many years.
"And make good choices." Lindsey teased, sitting at the island with the morning paper in his hand.
"Love you," Cora wrapped her arm around her fathers shoulders from behind, giving him a quick hug before she hurried around the room to her mom.
"We love you more." Stevie held out her hand, pulling her in and immediately kissing the top of her head. "We'll see you tonight." She then assured, eyes traveling towards Miles, who was hobbling on one foot, trying to get his shoes on.
"See you tonight, folks." He nodded lightly, giving her a soft smile as he began to head for the door. "Come on, brat or we're gonna be late." He had to pull Cora's leg, only because it had been such a nice morning and it was his job, as her older brother, to annoy her before she was even fully awake.
Rolling her eyes lightly, Stevie patted her daughters back as she smiled. "Have a good day, my sweet babies." She used her free hand to wiggle her fingers goodbye as the other held onto her cup.
It was a few more minutes of Cora rushing around to grab her coffee, her shoes, her purse, her hair clip, and everything else under the sun, all while Miles stood with his hand on the door knob, annoyed beyond measure.
"Oh, gosh." Stevie smirked, shaking her head as she listened to them to start to argue again.
Lindsey smiled lightly as well, eyes traveling from the comic section of the paper towards his wife, who was staring right back at him. "You make an old t- shirt look pretty good." He mentioned the moment that the sound of the front door closing caught his attention, letting them know that it was just the two of them at that point.
She had been living in his clothes for the last couple of days... They were just comfier, but he thought she looked awfully cute.
She raised a brow lightly, heart beginning to beat a little bit faster than before as she bit down on the inside of her cheek. "Oh, please, I'm a mess." Stevie let out a nervous giggle, almost shy... It had been a long time since he had given out any kind of real compliment- it just wasn't in his nature anymore.
"You are not a mess." He shook his head, blue eyes growing soft and voice so sensitive, not wanting her to ever think that of herself.
She was beautiful- the most beautiful, in fact and he realized, long before that moment, that he had neglected to remind her of that... He just kind of assumed she already knew.
Everyone told her how stunning she was... It was no secret, but it meant the most coming from him- the man that had seen her through almost all the phases of her life.
"I've really loved this time with you." She admitted, already knowing that he wasn't going to tell her exactly what she needed to hear, but taking that in the same context anyway.
He had always had a little bit of a difficult time showing affection in that sense and not because he didn't want to, but because with her, it was so natural... He didn't think they needed to tell each other things that were already a given.
He nodded his head in agreement, unintentionally letting a soft sigh escape him as his eyes scanned her face. "I think we need a little time away." Lindsey had been thinking about it all weekend, a little anxious to pitch the idea, but not at the same time... They had been alone a million times. "I've also really enjoyed this weekend, but I think maybe some time, just the two us, would really benefit our marriage right now..." that wasn't something he'd normally plan or think of, but he really wanted to figure out their issues and he didn't think that simply sweeping it under the rug would work, not this time.
They'd been doing that for years- not actually fixing the problem, but mending it for a little while and then pretending everything was okay.
You can only do that so much and then shit hits the fan, which is where they were at that time.
"We could rent a house in the mountains, or go out East, or whatever you want to do..." he lingered, shrugging a shoulder softly. "I don't care where we are as long as we're together." His voice was so gentle, it actually made her feel weak in the knees.
Setting her cup down on the counter, she slowly trailed towards him. "Lindsey..." Her voice cracked, a little surprised when he turned in his chair to face her. "I love you," she whispered, sinking into him the moment he slipped his hand around her waist.
Rubbing her hip, he nodded his head, knowing already that the trip would either make them or break them... "I love you." He did, a lot, which is why he was so set on making her happy again.
