It's Up To You

Part 18

Swimming laps in the pool for half an hour was just the thing to take Lindsey's mind off things and relax him. Entering the house through the backdoor, Lindsey stopped in the kitchen for a bottle of beer, while Stevie, he thought, slept. He promised, so he was going to stop, but just this once...

Tossing the empty bottle into the trash can a short while later, Lindsey made his way into the hallway and quietly ascended the stairs. However, when he got close to the bedroom, he could hear Stevie sniffling and he frowned, pushing the door open. She was laying on her side, clearly having been crying for some time.

"Sweetheart?" He approached the bed, forgetting about his still wet swimming trunks he sat down on the edge. "What happened? Why are you crying?"

"Why do you think?" She didn't bother wiping her tears.

"Something to do with Kim I assume."

Stevie nodded, exhaling heavily. "He called."

"What did he want this time?" Lindsey sat hunched over, his head turned to face Stevie.

"Kim's got a preposition for me." She sat up, resting her back against the headboard. "He's such a jerk."

"Well, what is it?" Lindsey was anxious to hear it. "I hope he didn't ask you to..."

"No, dear God no." Stevie shook her head, making a disgusted face. "Apparently, money is way more important to him."

"Stevie, please, don't keep me guessing."

"Kim said, he'll stop fighting for sole custody if I leave him the house, give him half of everything I own, including my future earnings. Also if I do agree to this bullshit, he wants Matthew at least two weekends a month as well as the holidays."

"Is he insane?!" Lindsey couldn't keep his voice down, jumping to his feet as he started pacing around the room. "Why would you just hand him half of everything you own, which you've gained through hard work? He has no right!" Lindsey then stopped, giving Stevie a look. "You did sign a prenup, didn't you?"

"Of course I did, I'm not an idiot." Stevie stared right back at Lindsey. 

"What did you tell him? I sure hope you told him to fuck off?" Crossing his arms, Lindsey stood at the foot of the bed. Silence. "Oh my God, Stevie! You agreed?!"

"Stop yelling." She hissed. "No, I didn't agree. I hung up, that's what I did."

Lindsey clenched his jaw, shaking his head. He needed a minute to cool down, so he went to the bathroom to take off his swimming shorts. With a towel wrapped around his waist, he returned shortly.

"You should have told him no."

"I will. Unless..."

"Unless what? There's no unless!"

"Lindsey." Stevie warned him again. "If he wants to get all that money and continue living in that house, I want him out of my and Matthew's lives completely. If he'll agree to sole custody, then I'll pay him off."

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Lindsey took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "He doesn't deserve a single thing from you, Stevie. He wants to ruin you and you're going to let him?"

"It's worth it if Matthew stays with me."

Silence followed, until Lindsey softened a little, speaking up. "Stevie, I can't let you do it. You can't give someone half your life away, just because they want to. In my opinion, you should just proceed with the way things are at the moment. You want to know what I think?" He asked, waiting for her answer. She just gave him a small nod of her head. "I think, Kim knows he's going to lose. Once the divorce is finalized, he'll be kicked out of the house. He doesn't have a job, he doesn't have a steady income. Most importantly, he doesn't have anything against you. The drug test was his only hope and he might not know it yet, but we both do - nothing will show up. He just doesn't have a case, Steph. Before he does eventually lose this battle, he wants to make sure he's financially secure and if he wants, occasionally he gets to see his son, too."

Biting her lip, Stevie took a minute to process everything Lindsey just said. It made sense, he was probably right, but she was still scared. What if it was the complete opposite and Kim's proposition was the only way for her to keep Matthew?

"So, you think I shouldn't..."

"Categorically." Lindsey shook his head. "If you don't feel sure about it, talk to your lawyer. You'll hear what he thinks. In my heart, though, I'm almost certain he'll agree with me." He then added. "This is bullshit, Stevie. No. You cannot do it."

Sighing heavily, Stevie leaned forward, head in her hands. "I've never hated anyone in my life before, but I definitely hate Kim."

Scooting over closer to her, Lindsey put his arm around Stevie's shoulders, pulling her to himself as he pressed a kiss to her temple. "It's going to be okay. This will probably take a long time, longer than you'd like, but it's going to be fine."

Looking up at him, Stevie smiled weakly, touching the side of his face, giving him a lingering kiss. "I love you so much."

"I love you so much more." Lindsey said, kissing her again.