I Want To Be With You...Everywhere

Chapter 59: Home

"Lindsey, I hate telling you this, but you really crossed a line last night. She was mortified and she wanted to leave. There is nothing we can do now. She is eighteen and..." Stevie shook her head and placed her hand on her tummy.

"Did she leave yet?" he had his head down.

"I think so. She said she would call when she got to where she was going. Karen opened the bank account for them and they have all their money and that's it."

"They're going up north?" he questioned as guilt ate away at him. Sitting down, he put his head in his hands.

"I don't know," Stevie lied. She knew her daughter was going to San Jose, but she couldn't let Lindsey know that. She didn't want him driving up there to cause another issue. In Stevie's mind the only right thing at the moment was her daughter leaving. The past year, Lindsey had been hovering Ameera a lot and their daughter had expressed some of her feelings to her mom and that was before Osmond had come along. Stevie told her, she supported her one-hundred percent on whatever she decided. She knew Lindsey's hovering would eventually make her want to leave. Stevie had felt the same way about her father and finally picking up and leaving showed him that he had no control. Once she started touring with Lindsey and their band, everything fell into place. Stevie not being home became Jess' reality and he had to just hope for the best and pray she was okay. And she was. She was always okay because she had Lindsey to take care of her and now Stevie had to promise her husband their daughter was okay because, she had Osmond to take care of her.

"Did she say? would she tell?" he questioned. "Stevie, I really need to talk to her. I already feel guilty for what happened and... I can't lose my daughter over it."

"She already promised me last night that she was coming back. She told me she needed some time and she would be back. Her last words were 'take care of daddy'. So I am here to reassure you that she is fine."

"You knew she was leaving?" he asked.

"Baby, we both knew she would eventually leave," she came down the last few steps and sat on the couch. She didn't want him getting defensive because, in actuality they did know.

Christine was still behind and as quiet as can be. She couldn't see anything going wrong thus far.

"She wasn't supposed to leave like this," he complained in a small mumble.

"You're right---she wasn't and she shouldn't have had. But she had reason and this was her last straw. So much that shouldn't have happened last night, happened and there is nothing we can do now. She wanted to be cut loose from the tight hold we had her in," she rubbed his back up and down as they spoke. She was relieved that there was no yelling.

—

Arriving in San Jose, Ameera and Osmond had rented a hotel for the time being. They still had to look for an apartment or small house. They weren't prepared by any means, but they did have some money to get them by and figure things out.

"It's nice out here," Osmond said as he drove the couple. He had yet to sign out on his lease to his apartment flat. It was something he would have to do later since all of the decor pieces were there. Simona had actually gone to the flat to begin packing. She'd planned on staying a little longer to help them get settled and then would she go back home to Texas. Osmond had just taken clothes as Ameera did. Once they knew they had a place, would they come back to move everything in. But that wasn't a huge priority, and Ameera was beyond thanful to Simona helping them.

"It is," she concurred with a half smile. "Pull in over there. I see a 'for rent' sign," she pointed and he obeyed.

They had decided to house and apartment hunt on the way to the hotel. They wanted it out of the way.