You May Be The One

Long Way To Go

Just as Lindsey had said, the whole tabloid scandal regarding he and Stevie had little to no bearing in his divorce proceedings. He had just as much ammunition about Kristen so it was really pointless. Seeing photos of he and Stevie kissing in Europe and her yelling at the paparrazi at LAX on the TV however wasn't that fun for either one of them. Stevie took it hard that she was portrayed in such a bad light and didn't want the kids to know. Lindsey didn't want the kids to find out about these things but also had to deal with Stevie and her emotions. It wasn't like Stevie wasn't overly dramatic anyway. He loved that about her though and knew how to handle her after all of these years. 

There was excitement building up in the house because he had gotten joint custody of the kids. While he was home, he and Kristen would alternate weeks with the kids. He was so happy and Stevie was too. He could tell she was nervous about it though. Kristen had assured Lindsey that the kids didn't know anything about he and Stevie but Stevie didn't believe that was true. "She may not have told them all of it Lindsey but I don't want you to be surprised if they come in here and are suspicious of the situation." she had told him. Lindsey had decided not to focus on that part of it and just work with Stevie to get rooms ready for the kids. Stevie was determined to completely redo each room to suit each child's taste. She wanted them to feel comfortable here and for them to know it was their home. Even if they didn't know that it was going to be their home with their dad yet. Stevie knew what the girls would like fairly well and Lindsey knew Will. They spent a good part of a week out shopping which Lindsey wasn't a fan of doing, but when Stevie went all out on something she went all out. The girls each got new fantastic bedroom furniture and canopy beds and Stevie had the rooms painted. They knew the girls would love them. Lindsey mainly picked out the things for Will but Stevie had a hand in it as well, only allowing them to buy the things she thought were the best within Will's style. She bought more clothes and shoes than Lindsey thought the kids would ever need. Anything a kid could possibly want, Stevie made sure the Buckingham kids had it. Lindsey tried to stop her but he couldn't. He couldn't say he didn't enjoy doing these things with her. They were making their first public outings and it was nice to be focused on something for the kids instead of whether or not the paparazzi were bothering them. He felt like they were doing things that parents would be doing for their kids. That thought made him happy. No, Stevie was not the mother of his children and she would never try to replace her, but they would be coparenting these children together. That was important to Lindsey. 

"Stevie, would you calm down already? They're kids, they're not going to care whether or not the house looks perfectly spotless." he told her. She was up straightening every last bit of the house. Karen would be back any time now with the children and Stevie was so anxious. Lindsey had been trying to calm her down but he knew it wasn't working. He knew Stevie was afraid the kids would hate the rooms, hate her house, and most importantly hate her. He walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her resting his chin on the top of her head. "Baby, everything is going to be great. The kids are going to love their rooms, their new things, your pool, and love you just as much as ever. Everybody loves you. Not as much as I do though." he added, slightly teasing her, trying to ease her mind. She turned around in his arms and kissed him. He let himself get wrapped up in it because he could tell it was taking her mind off of her worries. He started to get a little more into it when they heard the door open. Stevie quickly jumped away from him, trying to adjust her clothing and her makeup. The kids ran into the living room, Karen following behind. "Daddy!" they screamed when they saw their dad. The three of them ran into his arms almost tackling him. "Hey guys! I missed you so much!" he told them. They chattered on for a bit, the kids trying to fill their dad on all the things he had missed. Stevie sat to the side not wanting to interrupt this but feeling a little left out. She maintained a smile and listened as the Lindsey caught up with his children. After a few more minutes it seemed Leelee noticed that Stevie was there. Leelee adored Stevie. She looked over and suddenly yelled, "Stevie! Stevie!" and ran over. Stevie smiled happily and opened her arms to the little girl running toward her. "Stevie we haven't seen you in so long! I've missed you!" she exclaimed. As soon as Leelee got the words out, Stella ran over mimicking her big sister. They chattered happily with Stevie for awhile and Stevie was enjoying every moment of it.