Heart of the Matter

17

Stevie was eating her dinner, she had made Chicken and cheesy broccoli that night and she kept taking glances at Kendall and she could see the young girl fighting against herself so she clears her throat.

"Kendall has something she wants to say." 

"Mom!" Kendall gasps.

"Honey, we talked about this. The sooner you say it the quicker this awkwardness is going to go away." Stevie replies.

"I'm pregnant." Kendall blurts and Lindsey's eyes go wide and Craig's face breaks out into the biggest grin possible.

"You're pregnant? We're having a baby!" Craig gasps.

"Yeah I found out on the fourth. I'm about five weeks along." Kendall answers.

"You've known since the forth and you didn't tell me?" Craig looks hurt.

"I didn't do it on purpose. I just wanted to be sure before I said anything. Mom and I went to the doctor today and I have the ultrasound pictures, but they aren't that impressive yet it's just like a blob." Kendall explains.

"But you are pregnant?" Craig questions.

"Yes Craig, she is pregnant." Stevie nods.

"Are you excited?" Kendall asks.

"Oh honey, i'm thrilled. We're going to have a little baby." Craig stands up from his chair and goes over to hug Kendall and to give her a sweet kiss. 

"Steph, we're going to be grandparents." Lindsey states.

"I know we are." Stevie nods sipping on her redwine.  

"But Craig i've already talked to mom about this and I wanted to hear your opinion. I'm going on tour at the end of the year. There's not going around that. I'm booked. Dad and I are heading out. I kind of...I want to stay here for my pregnancy and the first few months after the baby is born, because I know that you're back in the studio and you're doing another album and eventually a tour and I know that my parents are just as busy as us, but I think the extra help would be wonderful." Kendall states.

"I um...I think that's a good idea. I do honestly." Craig nods.

"Yeah?" Kendall's eyes go wide.

"Yeah. I mean if we think about it, you missed out on so much with your parents and I think it'd be a good thing." Criag smiles.

"Mom's already agreed, Daddy are you okay with it?" Kendall looks at Lindsey.

"I want nothing more baby." Lindsey smiles.

***

August 10, 2020

Stevie heard the scream from downstairs and she immediately dropped the dish she was washing in the sink and ran to the best of her 72-year-old ability up the stairs where Kendall was dancing around the bedroom. She was ten weeks pregnant so she wasn't showing yet, she hadn't even told anyone other than the immediate family that she was pregnant 

"So is this a good thing because I heard the scream and I was scared to death but you're up here having a little party." Stevie chuckles.

"I was just simultaneously nominated for the Country Music Associations, Breakthrough Video of the Year for I Hope, CMA new artist of the year, Favorite Female Artist of the Year and Single of the Year." 

"Oh Honey that's great." Stevie coos going over and wrapping her arms around her. 

"They want me to perform too, but Daddy's going to be on the road doing his Solo Anthology Thing." She looks at her mother.

"But you have another guitarist at your disposal. I'm sure he'd love to help you out." Stevie smiles.

"Oh my God, Cade..." 

"Yeah, and it's the perfect time to try something new. You've been talking about doing an acoustic version of your album. Introduce I Hope Acoustically." Stevie shrugs.

"I could, couldn't I..." 

"There's nothing stopping you." She shakes her head. 

***

November 5, 2020

Stevie never fancied herself a country music buff. Not for today's standards anyway. She loved Lady Antebellum, and of course her baby girl, but she was more, Bob Wells, Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, Tammy Wynette, the older country and folk music that was popular when she was growing up. A lot of the music in country today was just, pop-ish and you could almost categorize it as Pop music. 

But there she was watching the TV as the CMA Awards aired. She was rooting for her little girl, but she knew that awards shows were a gamble in themselves. She was home alone with the dogs, as Lindsey was in Denver on his solo tour. He had pushed it back to go out with Kendall. Her tour wasn't a big stadium tour or hell even a theater tour, it was outdoor festivals. But they did that through September and October. The stamina on her husband and her daughter was freakish because they did 65 festivals in two months. Especially considering that Kendall was pregnant. When Stevie was pregnant, she toured also, but she at least had days off intermingled and the tours had a span of three or more months. 

Stevie had made popcorn and settled in. She wasn't paying too much attention, her phone and the stupid candy crush game that Karen downloaded for her taking precedence, but she did keep an ear open for Kendall's Categories. Stevie cheered from her couch when she won break through video of the year. And she was even more excited when she won Female artist of the year. 

She didn't win her other categories, but at least she was coming home with some awards and her little girl was glowing. But Stevie did give her full attention when it was announced that Kendall was going to perform. 

Kendall was so gorgeous wearing a golden sparkly caplet top and tight black pleather pants. Her belly was very much on display. She wasn't too far along in her pregnancy but she was in her second trimester and she did have a bump.  On her feet were a pair of gold sparkly stilettos, but Stevie winced when she saw that Cade and Kendall were sitting down. Kendall was being very cautious with the baby. She and Cade had gotten into a car accident with a deer right after she got home form tour and while everyone was fine. She had some cramping and it spooked her. Hell it spooked every one, but since then she's been favoring her belly. And Stevie understood that, but she had warned her that it was going to be harder for her to sing sitting down because she couldn't take in a lot of breath. But she was sitting down as was Cade. And Stevie could just tell that she was struggling but it didn't take away from the fact that she was so proud of her.