You Always Have Me

Part 27

"Mrs. Buckingham, your passport." The young woman at the gate smiled at Stevie.

"Oh, thank you. My head is somewhere else today!" Stevie laughed lightly, taking her passport as then she, Lindsey and Lily boarded the plane. 

Quickly finding their seats in first class, the three settled down for the long flight across the ocean to Athens first, then straight to Santorini for the whole upcoming week. Technically, it was meant to be Stevie and Lindsey's honeymoon, but they weren't about to leave Lily behind. They were older now, they weren't going to spend every waking minute in bed. Stevie said she would much rather enjoy having their little family all together and Lindsey didn't object.

Glancing at Lily, Lindsey could tell she was nervous as this was her first time flying and what a flight ahead of them it was. She was sitting on Stevie's lap, so Lindsey got out of his seat and knelt in front of them, placing his hands on Lily's knees. 

"It's going to be okay, princess. You've got nothing to worry about." Bringing his hand up, he ran his thumb over her cheek lovingly. "Mommy and I fly all the time."

"And you were never scared?" Lily gulped, her eyes big.

"Well, sure we were at first, but we got used to it. You know what the good thing is about getting on a plane?" Lindsey asked and seeing her nod, he continued. "You get to see all these beautiful places all around the world! And you can get everywhere so much quicker this way."

Staying silent for a moment, Lily then looked at Lindsey again. "I want to see beautiful places."

"You will, honey, and you don't have to be scared. You've got me and Mommy right here with you, so when you feel a little anxious, you just take our hands and it will make you feel better, like it always does, okay?... Deal?"

Smiling a little at last, Lily nodded. "Okay!"

"Good girl." Lindsey smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead, before getting buckled up in his seat once again.

The flight was tiring to all of them, because it was so long, but once they were finally back on the ground and driven to the villa, which Karen had rented for them, they instantly knew it was worth it, admiring the gorgeous scenery around them.

It was evening by the time they got there, completely exhausted, Lily mostly, as her eyes were closing, as she stood by Stevie's side, while the owner of the luxurious villa was telling them about the area, the activities and showing around the villa itself. 

"I hope I have fulfilled all of the requirements for your pleasant stay here." Konstantinos said, with thick accent. "If you need anything, I left my number by the phone."

"Thank you, I'm sure we'll be fine." With a polite smile, Lindsey shook the man's hand and closed the door once he left. He let out a deep breath, giving Stevie a brief kiss for no reason at all, as he then looked at Lily, starting to laugh. "I think we should get her to bed. She's practically asleep."

There were two bedrooms close by, Stevie going to the smaller one, having to carry Lily. "Oh, sweet girl, you're getting big. I can barely lift you up." Laying her down on the bed, Stevie crouched down to take off Lily's sandals. "You are going to sleep 'til noon, aren't you." Pulling the covers away, Stevie lifted Lily up again only to lay her down once more. "Goodnight, honey." 

"Mommy kisses." Even half asleep, Lily never forgot those.

"I love you, baby, sleep tight." Stevie then said and left in search of Lindsey.

She wasn't at all surprised, when she found him by the pool, which overlooked the sea. Coming up behind him, she circled her arms around his middle, pressing her cheek against his back, as his hands instantly placed themselves over hers. 

"This is breathtaking."

"It really is." Stevie agreed, now moving to stand beside him. "I told you we should come here."

"You did and you always know best." Laughing lightly, Lindsey wrapped one arm around her back, leaving a kiss on her hair. "Is Lily asleep?"

"She was already when we got here."

"Tell me this isn't just a beautiful dream?"

Stevie was taken aback by what Lindsey said, taking a minute, before she found her voice again. "In a way it is, it's our dream that we get to finally live."

"Nothing compares to this moment right here, Steph, with you. I love you so much and only saying those words will never truly express what I feel for you in my heart. I want to, I wish I could show you somehow, because I need you to know. I need you to know that I'm sorry for the pain I've caused you over the years, for everything that I did wrong, that I wasn't always there when you needed me, that I didn't always listen to you when you tried to talk to me. You name it, baby, and I'm sorry for it." 

"Linds..." Stevie stood in front of him, lovingly smiling up at him. "The fact there we're here right now, together, married and with our beautiful precious little princess - that shows me all of the things you're telling me about. And you have to know I feel the same."

With tears in her eyes, yet a smile on her face, she stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his for a lingering kiss, before slowly pulling back, as she softly sang...

Because I never did not love you
I never did run from you
In a dream I said to you
That I'd always love you

THE END

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Thank you so so so much for reading this story! Your feedback has been amazing and I absolutely loved writing this. I hope the ending wasn't disappointing!