I Need You

Part 20

A little over a month had passed by. Things were about as normal as they could ever be. Having the girls most of the time, it felt like a family that Stevie and Lindsey, if they had sorted out their problems, could have had years and years ago. Lindsey kept to his word, not mentioning marriage once and Stevie appreciated it greatly, yet she knew it didn't mean he had changed his mind. If anything, he wanted them to get married now more than ever. To show him that she was indeed considering it, she had come up with an idea. 

Calling Michael, Stevie asked if he hadn't any plans and could watch the girls. Of course, he said that if he had something going on, he would always put his daughters first anyway, which made Stevie smile, knowing that Gabi and Maria couldn't have had a better father. 

Lindsey had some errands to run, leaving right after lunch, saying it would certainly take up several hours. Perfect, Stevie thought and after she waved goodbye to him, reached for her phone and called her makeup artist. She had no problem applying her own makeup when it was for a performance, since she really hadn't made too many changes to her look - almost doing the same thing for as long as she had been on stage. But that wasn't what she was going for exactly.

The doorbell rang and Stevie ushered her makeup artist inside of the house, telling her straight up. "I need you to make me look anything but me." 

A couple of hours later and a good hunt through her closet, Stevie now stood in a long, beautiful black gown out of silk. It had a split up her leg and a deep cleavage - too deep, but this was solely for Lindsey's eyes. Her hair was big, in gorgeous waves, falling down her back and a few strands in the front. She wore dark evening makeup, a bloody red lipstick finished off the look perfectly. Lastly, she sprayed on her favorite perfume and took a deep breath, hoping Lindsey was coming home soon and that he would appreciate her effort.

While Stevie was getting all dolled up, she had asked Karen to set a table for two, with a bottle of champagne chilling in the middle and two flutes next to it. The lights in the trees were also to be switched on, it always providing a very lovely, comfortable, romantic atmosphere.

"Honey?" 

Stevie heard Lindsey's voice and she walked to the top of the stairs, with her head held high. She saw how his lips parted and eyes got wider, causing a smile to cross her lips. 

"You... you look..." Lindsey swallowed uneasily. "Wow... You're breathtaking."

"Thank you. This is all for you." She said, moving her hand, showing at herself. 

"Have I forgotten something? Is it our anniversary of some kind?" Lindsey asked carefully, as she made her way to him.

"No." Shaking her head, Stevie placed her hands on his shoulders. "But I do have plans for you."

"O-okay." Raising an eyebrow, he had no idea what was going on and what for.

"Come." She said, taking his hand and leading him through the back door into the garden.

"Steph, what is this?"

"This is me showing you how much I love you and want to be with you, and never want to let you go. Hopefully, this is also going to help with making you worry less." She smiled, confusing him further. "Let's take a seat and enjoy a glass of champagne, what do you say? When was the last time we've done that?"

"Sure." Lindsey nodded, taking out the bottle to open it, while Stevie held up the two glasses. "Is this evening some kind of plot in getting me to agree to something I never normally would?"

Laughing, she shook her head. "No. Can't you just appreciate it?"

"I can, just that it's so out of nowhere."

"Well, I wanted to surprise you." Stevie shrugged. 

"And you did." Lindsey smiled, reaching across the table to take her hand in his. "You truly look... divine. I wouldn't want anyone else to witness this side of you, I want to keep this you for myself." 

"You're supposed to. I would never even dare think about showing up like this anywhere else but here at home for you."

"I'm such a lucky guy."

"And I'm just as lucky, Linds." She didn't think there was any point in prolonging this, as she took a sip of champagne and set her glass on the table, turning more serious. "I've not been this happy in such a long time, you know. I didn't believe you and I would be together again, but here we are. And it's because of you. Because you still love me enough to want to be with me. I know that the one thing you want to happen more than anything is for me to say yes to becoming your wife. You've been really patient with me and I thank you. I am thinking about it and I want it too, just not right now, okay? All I need from you is a little more time. So..." Unclasping the necklace she was wearing, Stevie took off the ring that was hanging on it, which Lindsey hadn't even really paid attention to. She took the ring in between her fingers, explaining. "This might seem silly to other people, maybe you too, I don't know, but this is a promise ring, Linds. With it I promise that there will come the day in near future, when I have no reason not to say yes to you."

Completely speechless, Lindsey looked at the ring then at Stevie, finally taking the piece of jewelry from her and examining it closer, before sliding it onto his finger, as he then got up and got closer to her, nearly crushing her in his embrace, as he said, his voice filled with emotion. "I love you so much, so much like you wouldn't believe."

Chuckling through her own tears, Stevie placed her hands on the sides of his face, smiling sweetly. "And I love you just as much."

This was absolutely enough for Lindsey. He could hang onto that ring - on hope, that very soon he was going to be married to the woman he had loved his whole life. The woman, to whom he had caused so much pain, of course, receiving the same in return, thinking he didn't deserve her because of it, whose voice had haunted him at nights, as he hopelessly tried to fall asleep, who never let him truly get away. And for that he was thankful.

THE END

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Thanks for your feedback on this story! I enjoyed writing it, hope you enjoyed reading it. I simply felt like there wasn't very much else I could do with it, so I tried to end it in the cute Buckingham Nicks fashion :)