33

                                    

                                          
Stevie was sitting up in bed, her knees pulled up to her chest just staring at the bedroom door. Tears blurring her vision because it was going on three in the morning and Lindsey hadn't come home. She had thought about their fight, and Lindsey did have a point. She did tend to take Karen's side but she doesn't mean to. But what's freaking her out the most is that she doesn't know where he is. He's not answering his cellphone, he's not anywhere at their house and she doesn't like not knowing where he is. Images of him sleeping with younger girls play in her head, or him being drunk or dead in a ditch somewhere and she can't handle it.
                          
"Oh dammit Lindsey." he cried into her hands and then she crawled out of bed and she popped her head into her kid's bedrooms. 
                          
Everleigh at two almost three was in her little toddler bed. Her little butt sticking up in the air, her hands under her chin, her face facing Stevie. And then she made her way into Seth's room. He was laying on his back, almost identical to Lindsey with his left arm over his eyes and his right arm splayed open and Stevie crumbled climbing into his twin-sized bed with him and pulling him into her. She cried silent tears into his hair and kissed his little head. 
                          
She eventually fell asleep and when she walked into the studio the next day she had a sullen expression. She was the first one there which was alarming because she's usually the last one, but she walked her kids into the studio, and then Stevie saw him sleeping on the couch. His face was scruffy-which she loved-and he was wearing his same old crinkled white teeshirt.  She let out a sigh of relief and Everleigh toddled over to Lindsey and she started crawling on him. She was tiny much like Stevie so she struggled to get onto the couch but she managed and then Stevie watched right as her knee landed on Lindsey's crotch which woke him up.
                          
"SON OF A BITCH!" He yells curling in on himself, Everleigh falling off his lap into the back of the couch her precious little giggle ringing out through the air. Lindsey whimpers but he notices her and he just pulls her into his chest and squeezes her tightly.
                          
"Hi, baby." He grits out and she giggles nuzzling into his neck.
                          
"Daddy, mommy let us get donuts for breakfast," Seth tells him.
                          
"Did she?" Lindsey asks.
                          
"Yeah, momma donuts." He climbs on the couch with his dad and his sister. 
                          
"Okay, hold on." She chuckles laying the three donut boxes down on the coffee table. "ONE SETH JESS." He pouts but he grabs the blue star.
                          
"How many donuts did you get?" Lindsey asks sitting up slightly maneuvering his legs around his kids so he could sit up. 
                          
"Twelve times Three...so 36. I figured it was enough for everyone." Stevie explains.

                          
"Should be. We should have extras too." Lindsey nods grabbing a chocolate cake donut with chocolate frosting on it. Stevie grabs hers with the lemon filling and Everleigh gets the pink flower donut and they just sit there in awkward silence.
                          
After the kids finish their breakfast they go run along to play with the toys that are sprawled around the studio and Stevie sips her coffee looking at Lindsey.
                          
"You didn't come home last night." 
                          
"Nope...and I don't know if I'm coming home tonight either." He states.
                          
"Lindsey...don't do this...I missed you last night. I was wrong about taking  Karen's side but you have to understand that I didn't do it to spite you, I did it because we did need you to sign that contract to get the day. We lost today but we're going in on Monday and please, just try to have everything signed." Stevie begs.
                          
"Steph I'm not going to give him that extensive list of songs. I'm sorry but I'm not. I trust that Tony and Karen figured it out and I'll sign it when I get updated documents. But that's not why I'm mad. I'm just hurt. It hurts that we always seem to be on opposing sides when it comes to our work, and when we are on opposing sides at work Karen is always involved." Lindsey explains.
                          
"She means well." Stevie sighs.
                          
"See there you go, you're taking her side and her defense again. But yet you let her hammer into me yesterday..."Lindsey stands up. 
                          
"I'm sorry Lindsey, what do you want me to do? What do I have to do, to get you to come home?" 
                          
"I don't really know Steph." He shakes his head going over to the soundboard to start working on what needed to be done for that day. They were finally going to start getting her vocals on his songs.
                          
***
                          
He gave her the cold shoulder for most of the day, and when Mick and John finally dispersed for the evening, Stevie pulled Karen aside.
                          
"Give my children McDonald's for dinner and take them home. I'll be there...hopefully with Lindsey in a few hours." She sighs.
                          
"What are you going to do?" Karen asks.
                          
"Fight it Out." Stevie states.
                          
"Are you sure?" 
                          
"I'm sure." She nods.
                          
Karen and the kids leave when Lindsey gets up to go to the bathroom and when he returns Stevie just stands up and goes over to his swivel chair. She turns it around and Lindsey looks at her ready to protest when she plants herself on his lap and his natural instinct is to wrap his arms around her hips and clasp them at her tailbone. 
                          
"What are you doing?" He asks.
                          
She doesn't answer instead she just kisses him hard, he pulls off after a moment. "Steph what are you..." 
                          
She cuts him off again by kissing him harder and then she starts grinding against his lap which causes him to moan slightly and finally return the kiss. His hands going from clasped at her tailbone to rubbing up and down her shoulder blades, she breaks the kiss and goes down by his ear and she lets out a soft moan as she grinds. When he bucks up though she climbs off of him leaving him very hard and he just gasps.
                          
"You little shit." He states.
                          
"Come get me." She taunts running out of the room, but really the only places they can go are the kitchen and the makeshift studio so they end up going around in circles but he does grab her and he throws her onto the couch. He climbs on top of her and kisses her and then he makes his way down her body. He's going to take her pants off when she says it and he stops.
                          
"NO." 
                          
"Awe Steph." He whines.
                          
"If you want to have sex with me, we go home...to our four-poster King, we're not having sex on a nasty rented studio couch," Stevie explains.
                          
"Fucking Cock Block." He pouts standing up and grabbing his wallet and his car keys.
                          
"But before you take me home...take me to dinner. Karen has the kids tonight." She smiles sickly sweet.