Taking Chances

36. Assumptions

Friday night; in which was Stevie's night to stay at Ben's because she could.

Things were semi back to normal and she knew her daughter wasn't planning on rebelling anymore. She could just see it in the girl's eyes and still herself and Lindsey weren't done with her quite yet.

It had been well over a week and soon they were going to bring up reporting the kid because although Lindsey wanted to, he did think about what his wife had to say since they still weren't exactly sure she did anything. Devyn knew how to push buttons but, if they knew their daughter, they knew she would fess up immediately because she didn't have the gut to get somebody in trouble for no reason. Especially somebody she was rather fond of. Their plan was to randomly be speaking about reporting him and Devyn miraculously hearing them and stopping them or telling them to go forth. That was how they were going to find out if she did it or not because in that moment, they would ask her to tell the full truth, because the days leading to the sneak out and the few after, she hated her parents therefore she was silent.

"So, what are you up to tomorrow?" Ben asked, helping her get her coat off.

"Well, just know you have me all night," she assured, melting into his arms. "However, I do have to leave a little earlier than usual. Lindsey and I wanna take the kids out and such because he is leaving in a few weeks, so I'll be busy tomorrow."

"Back on tour, right?" he asking, encircling her waist with his arms.

"Mhmm," she nodded once.

"Well, that's good I guess..." he paused. "I mean, is it? I guess that puts you on more of a time crunch, but we have more us time."

"Just know, kind sir, that attention that went to Lindsey, that's on the kids now. I'm gonna have to watch Devyn like a hawk, but... I have one trick up my sleeve before Lindsey leaves, just to scare her more."

Chuckling lightly, "And what's that?"

"As a writer of crime patterns, I know things. But I've also explained to Lindsey that I don't think she had sex with that kid."

"You don't?" he creased a brow.

"No, because, originally he dumped her because he was pressuring her to have sex and she didn't want to which, I guess that's normal teenage behavior. Boys are boys and girls get scared and emotional unless they actually want that too," she arched a brow, thinking about it. "Though, my mother scared the shit out of me when I was younger because she said, If you had sex, you can see it in a girl's face," she chuckled as she recited the line. "And I guess it's kind of true if it's a young girl. If she had, I think she'd be trying to sneak out again and I don't think she'd be as pissed off with me and I don't think she'd want to be with her father after knowing she did something that he'd automatically oppose to. Maybe it's just a theory, but I think I'm on to something."

"No, I get it. I do understand and that's interesting that you can read your kids so well," he guided her to sit on the couch. "I mean, parents always tend to say, A mother knows, or A father knows, but I think you do. It makes sense. You said she's never been a bad kid and all of the sudden?"

"Yeah and I do like to think, even when I'm the slightest distracted or even oblivious, I still know what's going on. I don't assess the issue like I would, but I do know. And if I know my daughter, the idea to sneak out was thought about and she was probably extremely sick and nervous that we would find out. Which she could've gotten away with it if not for my mother, and I'm thankful of that, but I taught her things that were good and bad and she knew wrong from right. So, the decision to sneak out probably made her really sick because she felt guilty and that's good. If she'd have gotten away with it, I think she'd try again and restructure her brain into thinking, Oh, look---mom and dad don't know. I can do this again and it'll be the same. Catching her was a total throw and I don't think she wishes to be caught again."