Buckingham Nicks A/U Series: That's What Love Is All About

BONUS CHAPTER: Four Months Later...

Santa Monica, California
Tuesday, April 1, 2025
(11:30 pm)
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"Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name...and they're always glad you came..."

Lindsey was sitting up in bed, reading glasses on, scrolling through his iPad while a rerun of Cheers played on the TV at the end of the bed. The dogs were asleep at his feet, and he could hear Stevie in the bathroom, running the water in the sink as she got ready for bed.

"You're beautiful enough, Stevie," he called out to her through the open doorway. "Enough is enough; get in here so I can hold you and tell you you're still hot even if you're about to be a grandma again!"

A few hours ago, their son-in-law Matt had called to announce that Amber's water had broken shortly after dinner, and baby Aurora Aspen was on her way.

"Julia's birthday," Stevie had recalled out loud, thinking of the birthday party they'd had for their oldest child that past Saturday, in the new house she and Jodie had just purchased for their fresh start. They were empty nesters now that their son John had gone away to college in Ohio, but every Buckingham and McVie had come for Julia's birthday party, remarking on how different things were a year after her last one.

Stevie was laughing on her way into the bedroom at Lindsey's comment. She climbed into bed beside him as she had a million times before, making Lily and Luna shift a bit in their spot on the bed as she pulled the covers over herself and Lindsey. He tossed his iPad and glasses on the nightstand as Stevie asked, "Are you going to hear your phone if it rings, Linds? There's a baby on her way tonight and I'll be damned if I don't know immediately as soon as she gets here."

"I've got the ringer turned up," Lindsey assured her. "Don't worry, Grandma Stevie." He kissed her before they settled into their usual positions in bed to watch Cheers and try to get some sleep for the big day ahead.

"I spoke to Sara earlier tonight while you were outside with the dogs," Stevie said, her arm draping across his chest, her head on his shoulder. "She said she thought watching Amber go through this was going to cure her baby fever and she'd never do it again...but apparently the opposite is true."

"Oh really?" Lindsey raised an eyebrow in curiosity, looking down at his wife's face in the blue glow of the television. "So Lindsey gets a sibling, huh? Is Sara going to break the mold and actually not give the kid a new first name?" They both laughed, Stevie's joke about their family's tendency to name children after other family members at the wedding in December having become a running joke.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Grandpa Lindsey," said Stevie. "For God sakes, this new baby girl isn't even out yet!" With a little giggle that turned into a sigh, she dropped her head back down to his chest and closed her eyes.

They were both dozing off about an hour later when Stevie began to become aware of the sound of the Beatles singing "Lovely Rita" in the room. In her half asleep state, she assumed it was the TV, but Cheers had turned into Friends and the sound didn't match the image on the screen that she saw only through a blur without her glasses. It took a moment for her to realize it was Lindsey's phone ringing.

"Standing by a parking meter when I caught  glimpse of Rita..."

"Lindsey...Linds...your phone," she mumbled just as the ringing stopped. Lindsey was awake now, scrambling to retrieve his phone from the nightstand. He lifted it and quickly put on his glasses to see he had three new text messages.

Lindsey Buckingham/Julia Buckingham McVie/Aaron Buckingham/Sara Buckingham Carter/Amber Buckingham

Amber