Why Should It Matter?

15. Caught In The Act

"I should go," Lindsey looked at his watch, seeing that it was almost three in the morning.

He had to dodge the band if he ran into them and he also needed to be home after Kristen was asleep or before she woke up. The middle ground of a time felt right to him, even if he hated leaving Stevie to be alone.

Usually right after she fell asleep, Karen would slip out and head home and then come back before she woke up which Stevie knew of.

Rubbing Stevie's knee through the blanket, he got up and he hovered to kiss her head.

"Are you gonna come back?" she asked, her eyes still shut.

"Do you want me to?" he questioned at a low whisper, swiping her golden strands.

"When I go home..." she assured.

"Alright, I'll make it happen, sweetie," he kissed her head once more and started backing up, to leave the room.

When he got home, the house was pitch dark so he figured everybody was asleep.

Pulling up in his driveway, Lindsey pulled his phone out to see messages from his daughter---all of them explaining what she and her brother told their mother.

Smirking, he started to let himself out and he traveled inside the house, as quiet as he could be. He went upstairs so that he could change and slip into bed, but before going to his room, he stopped into Leelee's. Slipping in quietly, he went to go and sit on the edge of her bed---putting a hand on her shoulder gently. "Lee?"

She turned over, "What's up?" she asked, her eyes closing as she talked, not ready to wake up.

"I just wanted to say thank you," he added. "I know this isn't ideal for you---but I appreciate it."

"If you're happy, I'm happy..." she shrugged.

He nodded.

"I just don't understand why you couldn't tell me," she added. "You and Stevie are going to get back together---why dance around it?"

"I didn't want you guys to be upset. But I kind of freaked out when I learned that she was sick today and I wanted to just be there without question."

She nodded her head. "How was she?" she then asked, curious since Stevie was like a second mother.

"She's okay," he nodded. "She's getting better and they have her on some different medicines."

"That's good," she agreed. "I hope we can visit her soon and just catch up."

He smiled. "I would love that---" he assured. "Thank you, honey," he stood up and he kissed her head. "Goodnight," he started to head out, shutting his daughter's door on the way out.

"Night, dad," she gave a content lip curl as she watched him---mostly wondering what was happening in his head. She laid back down and tried to go back to sleep.

Making his way to his wife's room, Lindsey entered quietly---wanting to change into some comfortable clothes.

In the last few years, it was easy to call the bedroom hers. He didn't spend enough time in there for it to be his.

As he dressed, he hesitated on getting into bed with his wife only because it didn't feel normal anymore.

Over the last months he was okay with it, but when Stevie re-entered his life, he felt he couldn't be the middle man anymore and a separation just seemed right.

"Are you okay?" Kristen asked, her hand meeting his chest.

"I'm fine---I just fell asleep down there," he assured, having read his daughter's message.