Fool Me Once... (Part 2)

Part 1

Lindsey's POV

Such a beautiful day today. I reach for my sunglasses on the dashboard and put them on, turning the engine of my car on. A huge bouquet of red long stem roses and a box from Tiffany's on the passenger's seat, I pull out of the parking lot and turn to head home. Today's a special day. Stevie and I got married exactly three years ago. Man, time flies... But life's been great these past few years. I guess, Stevie and I have finally grown up. I could count how many arguments we've had on one hand. I can't wait for tonight. Mia moved out just recently, she lives with her boyfriend, which Stevie doesn't like much. She's too young, Stevie keeps saying. Maybe she is, Mia's only 20 years old, but she's a smart girl. However, we haven't met the man yet, which is a bit odd, I must say. Luke decided to take a break from touring with his theater troupe and resides not too far away from us. He earns his living now as a stage director. Ethan is going to spend the night with his older brother, which leaves Stevie and I alone. I've got the whole night planed out for us.

I pull into our driveway and park the car. Taking the gifts from the passenger's seat with me, I get out of the car and make my way inside the house. It's unusually quiet. It doesn't seem like Stevie's downstairs, so I jog up the stairs and head straight to our bedroom. I find her there, but the smile I had on my face falters quickly. She's crying. 

"Steph?"  

She quickly wipes her cheeks, facing me. "Hey. Luke has already taken Ethan for the night." She sees what I'm holding and a weak smile appears on her face. "Are those for me?"

"Of course." I nod, bringing the flowers to her, then I hand over the jewelry box. "Happy anniversary, baby."

"Happy anniversary." She echoes, kissing me briefly. 

"You don't seem too happy, though." I say, sitting down next to her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Yeah, could have fooled me." I fight back an eye roll, hugging her around the shoulders. "What's up?"

"I don't want to ruin tonight for us." She says quietly.

"Well..." I trail off. I don't want her to feel bad, but clearly tonight isn't going to go as planned. 

"I've already done it, huh?" She chuckles tearfully and stays silent for a minute. "There are two things. One is good news, I suppose."

"Okay, start with that." 

"I got a call from Tom earlier."

"Petty?" I ask, sensing where this is going. 

"Jones." She rolls her eyes and I know she's agitated. "Of course, Petty. He's going on tour and his opening night is just in a few days, he asked me to be there, he wants me to perform a couple of songs with him and the Heartbreakers."

"That's great! I know how much you love those guys. That's nothing to be upset about." I grin, leaning in closer to press a kiss to her temple, giving her shoulder a squeeze. 

"I'm just... I haven't performed in years, Lindsey."

"You've got nothing to be afraid of, Stevie. It's who you are - a performer. It comes so natural to you, baby." I try to encourage her. "And you will be on that stage with your best friend. You've got Tom and his whole band to support you."

"He said, I could do more shows with them if I want to..."

"And do you?" This sounds like a tour to me. I haven't really thought about us being away from each other. The last couple of years have been such a smooth sailing. Needless to say, I'm worried. Even if I don't mean to, I get jealous when Stevie's around other men. So that's an argument waiting to happen, I just know it.

"I wouldn't be gone for long, Linds." She assures me. "A couple of shows, that's all."

"Well, I support you. If you want to do it, then you should." I tell her and I mean it. I can't expect her to be a full time Mom forever. She's still got years ahead of her she can spend on stage. I have no right to take that away from her. She gives me a small smile and I kiss her lips. Okay, so good news part is over. "And what's the other thing?"

Tears immediately brim her eyes and Stevie looks away, hanging her head low. "I don't even want to talk about it."

"Steph, what happened?"

"I haven't spoken to Mia for a few weeks now. She told me, she was going to be busy, so she'd call me when she had the time. But as a mother, I started worrying." Of course she did. "I decided to call her myself. I found the number she left for me in case I needed to reach her and I called it." Stevie stops, sniffling. I don't know what to expect right now. "A man picked up."

"Her boyfriend?" Doesn't seem unusual.

"Yes." Stevie nods her head, whispering. "Linds, I spoke to her boyfriend."

"Okay, but I don't really follow, sweetheart." I chuckle nervously and wait. 

Stevie turns her head towards me and I'm left speechless when she speaks again. "I spoke to Ryan."