She lifted the frying pan off the stove and dumped the scrambled eggs onto the plate. Ruth Buckingham grinned a self-satisfied grin at the plate loaded with eggs, four pieces of bacon, and two pieces of buttered toast. She set the meal in front of her nervous, fidgeting youngest son. "Eat," she instructed and sat down across from him, taking a sip of her lukewarm coffee. In her opinion, he was too thin. As Lindsey lifted a forkful of food into his mouth, his mother watched him closely. He hadn't shaved in days, and his hair was more than overdue for a trim. She knew he had done something considering he had come all the way to Atherton. Her son didn't come home much anymore since joining one of the most successful bands in the world. Ruth was accustomed to phone calls at odd hours and him forgetting holidays. She understood how easy it was to lose track of time if a person was cooped up inside a studio, but she would treasure the time with him.
Ruth cleared her throat and waited for Lindsey to swallow down a crisp piece of bacon. "Are you going to tell me what's the matter or are you going to make me guess?"
He wiped his mouth with a napkin and looked into his mother's kind eyes. "I don't know how to tell you," he admitted honestly. He hated to let her down.
"Just tell me, son," Ruth coaxed gently.
Lindsey inhaled deeply and rubbed his brow, exhaling slowly. "When we were on tour," he paused and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He didn't want to tell his mother how much trouble and pain he'd caused. At times, he thought she loved Stevie more than she loved him. "At the end of the tour, I slept with Katherine." He winced when he heard his mother's sudden sharp intake of a breath filled with disappointment. "She had a baby and gave the baby to Stevie. Stevie knows I'm the father."
"Did you know Katherine was pregnant?" she questioned cautiously. Her son shook his head negatively rapidly. Ruth leaned forward and reached out, taking her son's hand in hers. "You still love her," she stated, referring to Stevie. It wasn't a question; it was a statement. She knew her son had never stopped loving his high school sweetheart. The two had been practically married. She hadn't agreed with them living together for so long without a ring, but times were different than when she was a girl. Ruth loved Stevie like she was the daughter she never had.
Lindsey nodded his dark head. "How do I fix it? How do I make it up to her?"
"Lindsey, you can't. What's done is done. The only thing you can do is be a father to that child. It's time for you to grow up and be responsible for someone else." Ruth had no doubt that her son would make a great father. The duty would make him less self absorbed. She stood up from the table and walked to the counter, refilling her coffee mug. "Is my second grandchild a boy or a girl?"
Lindsey pushed his remaining eggs around the plate with his fork. "A girl. Skylar Jameson," he answered his mother.
Ruth smiled sadly. She knew Stevie had always wanted a little girl. "That's a beautiful name," she remarked, turning and walking towards the table. "Lindsey Adams, don't play with your food," she scolded, shaking her head. "What about Katherine? What is she doing now?" she inquired. Ruth had never known much about Stevie's sister except that she'd never had an easy time in life.
He mumbled an apology and shrugged his shoulders as his mother sat down. "I don't know. Stevie went to Phoenix to find her," he told Ruth.
She finished her coffee and set the mug down, clucking her tongue as her mind filled in the gaps. "Lindsey, you'll find a way through this. It doesn't seem like there is one now, but you'll figure it out. Stay here as long as you need," she said, getting up and kissing the top of his head, leaving him to finish his breakfast.
Over the next three days, Lindsey took the time at his childhood home to clear his head. He swam for hours each day, wrote music, and came to terms with the fact that he was a father. Before he said goodbye to his mother, Lindsey made a phone call to Arizona. To his luck, Barbara Nicks answered the phone, and he was able to find out when Stevie would be returning to Los Angeles. He slammed the phone down, kissed his mother quickly, and ran out the door. Barbara had informed him that Stevie and Robin had hit the road a half hour ago.
