Not the One

Part 22

It had taken Lindsey nearly two weeks to contact Stevie. She had started worrying, but once he called, he eased her fears a little, but not completely. Stevie thought that he sounded odd on the phone. However, he didn't say much other than he wanted to see her, so she took it as a good sign.

Hearing the car pull into the driveway, Stevie rushed downstairs, waiting by the door for the doorbell to ring. She was excited, but also rather anxious. She couldn't quite place it, but she just had some sort of feeling.

"Hey." Stevie grinned, opening the door a short moment later. 

"Hi." Lindsey smiled back, but it didn't fully reach his eyes. He came inside and embraced her, holding her tight. "It's so good to see you." He said, tilting her chin up to kiss her lips. 

"I know it's been two weeks or so, but I've been missing you like crazy." Stevie felt no shame in admitting that as she caressed the side of Lindsey's face. She frowned, feeling the stubble. She drew back, holding him at arm's length. "Linds, you don't look so well."

Lindsey nodded his head, sighing heavily. "I know." Reaching for Stevie's hand, Lindsey entwined their fingers together, asking if they could sit down. 

"You're kind of making me nervous." Stevie said, once they were seated in her living area of the house. "What's going on?"

"There's something I have to tell me, but you must promise me that you won't freak out." Lindsey asked, facing her. He saw her gaze shifting away from him and Lindsey touched her cheek, making her look at him again. "Steph, please."

"Does it have something to do with Kristen?" Stevie asked, feeling her throat close up as she spoke. The nod of his head pretty much told her everything she needed to know, but Stevie waited for him to say it anyway.

"Kristen is, uh... she's..." Lindsey was stuggling. At the same time, he was trying to think of a way to calm Stevie down, once he did manage to say those words. "Kristen is pregnant." 

Stevie sat, no expression on her face, completely silent. Her hand was still in Lindsey's as she just stared at nothing in particular. With each passing second, his heartbeat increased as he patiently awaited her response. 

"I-I..." Stevie stopped to clear her throat. "I knew it was too good to be true."

"Wait, Stevie. I asked you not to freak out, you have to listen to me." Lindsey pleaded. When she didn't face him, he got down on his knees in front of her, boths his hands cradling her face. "I've been thinking a lot about it, I've even confronted Kristen. Of course, she denied it, but I don't believe that baby is mine, Steph. It can't be."

Everything Lindsey said, didn't seem to change the way Stevie was feeling. She still stared at him blankly, tears silently rolling down her cheeks. He wiped under her eyes and got back up on his feet to now sit down beside her. 

"How can you be so sure it's not yours?"

"Because I was already on tour, when Kristen got pregnant. Again, she said that I'm wrong. She said that we... we slept together, when she came to visit me that one time, but I- I honestly do not remember that."

Stevie lifted her eyes up to look at him. She swallowed uneasily, before asking. "But you're not a hundred percent sure, are you? There is doubt, I can tell."

"That baby is not mine, Stevie." Lindsey shook his head, hoping he sounded sure.

A long moment passed in silence, when Stevie spoke up again. "I've broken up with Dave. Now... I feel like I've made a huge mistake."

"Don't say that, please. You haven't made a mistake. I swear, Stevie, that baby isn't mine and I'll somehow prove it to you, too. I'll talk to Kristen again, I'll question her, I'll... I don't know, I'll find some kind of evidence, I-"

Stevie pushed herself away from him and stood up. Hugging herself around the middle, she went over to the window, her back turned to him. "You promised me, Lindsey. You said, things were going to be different, better. Our lives were going to change. I believed you. Once again. I'm such a fool." She shook her head, sighing. "You came calling and I answered. I ran back into your arms, ruining one of the best things that's happened to me in a long time. And for what? Because I missed you? Because I longed to kiss you, to feel you, to make love to you?"

"Steph..." Lindsey took slow steps towards her. He was surprised, when she didn't pull away as he placed his hands on her hips, but she didn't respond either. "It's just another obstacle, which I know we can overcome. You have to trust me, Stevie." He asked. "Please..."

Linsdsey saw her bringing up her hands up to her face, sure she was wiping her tears away. "It's not an obstacle, Lindsey. It's a child." She said, sniffling. "I want you to go. Leave. Go take care of Kristen and your baby."

"It's no-"

"Go, Lindsey." Stevie repeated herself as she turned around.

Lindsey wanted to speak, he wanted to reach out for her again, but Stevie stood with her arms folded over her chest, her eyes red and watery, her bottom lip quivering. She couldn't make a sound, but she mouthed, asking him to leave once more and so he did.