Torches

18

July 3, 1984

Fourth of July weekend had never been Stevie's favorite. It was the weekend that all of the tourists flocked to Santa Monica and her boss would make her do doubles. So as she woke up around ten-thirty on the third she flinched but then she registered where she was at. She wasn't in her dingy apartment, Sharon being the last one left had decided to just go in on a house, she was in Lindsey's fluffy, warm, king-sized bed. He, however, wasn't in bed with her. She threw the covers off and slid her bathrobe over her naked shoulders, they had gotten a little too excited the night prior, it is evident in the waddle she has in her walk,  before descending the stairs where she could see Clara sitting in the middle of the living room floor on a blanket and she was watching cartoons on the television. She stopped and squatted down behind the child and kissed her little head. Clara startled and she turned her body around and squealed when she saw Stevie and held her arms up for her. 

"Morning sweet baby." Stevie coos wrapping her arms around her and hoisting her up. 

She walks her into the kitchen and she sees Lindsey and a young girl and she stops in her tracks. 

"Morning Angel, this is Roseanna Blake, she's one of my summer students. She just lives across the street. We got home at the same time a few days ago and I told her if she ever needed help on anything she could just stop by. She was asking me about her Psychology paper that's due on Monday." Lindsey explains. 

"Oh well. Good Morning. If I would've known we'd have company I wouldv'e put some clothes on." Stevie smiles tugging her white silk bathrobe tighter across her chest. 

"Roseanna this is my wife Stephanie and our daughter Clara." Lindsey intorduces them.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Anyway, I should get going. Thanks for the impromptu." She waves turning to exit out of the kitchen door. 

"I'm sorry, I was going to make you breakfast in bed." He sighs.

"It's okay. I don't know if I trust your cooking anyway." She rolls her eyes flashing back to two weeks prior when she had come home from a maid of honor shopping thingy with Lori and Lindsey had cooked chicken. It was still completely raw in the center prompting Stevie to have to seer it in a frying pan and it ended up being burnt. 

"Chicken's tricky okay." He pouts. 

"But I appreciate the effort." Stevie pats his cheek.

"Anyway, she hasn't eaten yet. I was going to give her some scrambled eggs for breakfast." Lindsey explains.

"Alright, i'll work on that. You should...put your bathing suit on and jump in the pool. I like looking at you like that." She smirks.

"Agh, but we are going to the beach today." Lindsey points out.

"Oh we are?" She asks.

"We are." He nods. 

"Well then, me and a lot of other women will get to oogle you then." Stevie smirks.

"Only one that matters though." He replies. 

"Mmm, and since when did I become your wife?" Stevie asks.

"When I figured out Roseanna has a crush on me. Heard her talking about it in the halls one day at school. I'm kind of freaked out that she knows where I live honestly." He replies.

"Oh, yet you let her in our house." Stevie replies. 

"She wouldn't have gone away and I'm not going to turn a student down for wanting help." Lindsey replies. 

"I see. Well anyway I had fun last night." She smirks.

"Me too." Lindsey winks his hands finding her hips and his lips that spot on her neck causing her to arch her back slightly. 

"There's a baby on my hip." She warns.

"I know, she makes you look substantially sexier," Lindsey says in her ear. 

"Same goes for you when you hold her as well." Stevie winks.

"Well then, come on peanut let's get you ready to go to the beach." Lindsey swoops around Stevie and collects Clara into his arms. 

***

They're on the beach and Stevie's slathered the poor girl in sunscreen that she looks like a ghost and Lindsey just laughs. 

"What?" Stevie questions. 

"You physically can't put any more sunscreen on her." Lindsey sighs as Stevie huffs and lays back on the towl. 

"I can try. I just don't want her to get burnt is all." Stevie explains as Lindsey drops Clara onto her abdomen. Stevie's choice of bathing suit was a white crocheted bikini and Clara was slightly matching in a pink one piece with little ruffles on the butt. 

"I know, but she'll be okay. We should take her in." He sighs 

"To the water, is it safe?" She asks.

"It's perfectly safe. I used to bring here all the time last summer." Lindsey tells her.

"Alright, I do want to float for a while." Stevie sighs.

Stevie's minding her own business, floating on her back when she feels a very wet soppy baby get but on her abdomen and she opens her eyes to see Lindsey standing next to her. She fixes herself so she's standing up and Clara molds herself to her chest. 

"What do you want for dinner tonight?" He asks.

"What do you mean? We just had a picnic lunch." Stevie sighs.

"I know, but you're not cooking dinner tonight. I'm going to pick something up, what do you want. Chinese, Pizza?" 

"Pizza is fine...Lindsey, I just thought of something...we're very domestic." She sighs.

"Is that a good sigh or a bad sigh?" Lindsey questions.

"It's a great sigh. I never thought a year ago, I would've fallen in love with somebody is all. Not to mention, she comes with a pretty smokin dad." Stevie cuddles the wet baby tightly. 

"HEY!" Lindsey gasps flipping her into his arms bridal style, but carefully not to jostle the baby who he could tell was falling asleep on Stevie's chest. 

He carries her back to the beach and then as they're drying off Clara let's a lip wobbly breath out against Stevie's neck. 

"Oh she's cold." Stevie states in her baby voice quickly situating her towel to cover the baby.

"That's why I got us out of the water. Come on, let's head home." He kisses Stevie sweetly over Clara's little head.