Fool Me Once...

Part 22

"I like this." 

"What?" Stevie asked, glancing at Lindsey.

"Eating breakfast in bed." 

Stevie chuckled, halfway done with her omelette. "I just feel too pregnant to go down to the kitchen." She shrugged. "By the way, I'm impressed." She said, referring to the food. 

"Yeah, I've learnt a thing or too." Lindsey smiled at her, quite proud of himself. She used to tease him for his cooking abilities for years. "I also like how natural this feels. Us." He added. 

"Doesn't it?" Stevie agreed, taking a sip from her glass of orange juice. 

They finished eating in comfortable silence, then Lindsey took their plates down to the kitchen and washed them, before returning to the bedroom. He got back into bed, laying on his side, facing Stevie.

"I've been wanting to ask you something, but I've kind of been afraid to bring it up." Lindsey began, she could tell by the sound of his voice that he was nervous.

"What is it?"

"What are we, Steph?" No dancing around the subject. "I've been living here with you for the past two months. We do everything together, we sleep in the same bed, we say, I love you, but..."

"And you need us to be official." Stevie finished his thought.

"Well, not official. I just want to know, I need to know."

"You don't have to be so insecure." Stevie said, clasping her hands, resting them on her bump. "I wouldn't have let you back into my life if I didn't mean for us to be together. Forever." She added, chuckling. "Linds, I love you. You probably still think I'm scared of commitment, but I'm not anymore. If you need me to tell you that we're obviously not just friends with benefits, I'll say whatever you want me to say."

"I can call you my girlfriend then?" Lindsey grinned, covering her hands with one of his.

"That sounds a little silly, but sure." Stevie shrugged, laughing. "I know things won't be easy for us, they never have been nor they will ever be, but I'm not letting you go. It took me literally decades to realize that you have always been the one for me. Even though I married Mick, I had kids with him... it never truly felt right. I just figured, it was my life, a life that I chose for myself. So, I never allowed my mind to wander, I never believed things could change."

"Would you consider getting married again?" That was another touchy subject for them. "I'm not asking, by the way."  Not yet, he thought.

"I don't know, I mean..." She shrugged. "It hasn't crossed my mind just yet, I can tell you that much. But if we do stay together, if we manage to work through any kind of issues we might have, I don't see why not. I know it's important to you."

"Yeah, but it has to be important for the both of us." Lindsey said, unsure if he really should have. "I'm not pressuring you, Steph. I'm just saying."

"I get it. I understand." She assured, nodding her head. "Just not now."

"Okay, that's fine. I can accept that." After a moment of silence, Lindsey spoke up again. "You know, I still have the ring I proposed to you when we were Buckingham Nicks."

"You do?" Stevie was genuinely surprised. "I figured you'd tossed it."

"No. You didn't say, yes, but I wanted to hold onto it for some reason. I've always thought I'd get a chance to make it right."

"Even when you married another woman?" Stevie asked, her thumb brushing over the back of his hand. 

"Even then." Lindsey nodded. "I was so conflicted. I think that if Kristen hadn't gotten pregnant, I wouldn't have married her. I just thought that I was supposed to do the right thing."

"And you did. You took responsibility. It's just unfortunate how things ended." Stevie turned on her side, scooting closer to him, she lay her head on his chest. 

"But it brought you and I back together." Lindsey said, his fingers tangled in her hair. "It brought me home."

Hearing those words coming from him, brought tears to Stevie's eyes. She meant as much to him as he meant to her. Truthfully, it was crazy that they managed to return to that place before the fame and the money tore them apart. 

She pressed a kiss to his bare chest, then lifted her head up and kissed him on the lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too. Both of you." He smiled, kissing her again.