"I'm- I'm going to take you home." Lindsey said after a long pause as he remained staring straight ahead.
"Lindsey, no." Stevie shook her head. "No, please, we have to talk-"
"I'm going to take you home." He repeated himself, his voice void of emotion. "Please, let's just..." He swallowed uneasily, hanging his head low before he stood up, expecting her to do so too.
"I can't just go home!" She yelled out, when he began walking back to his car. "Lindsey, say something!"
Lindsey unlocked his car and got in behind the wheel. He wasn't about to drive away without her, but he wasn't going to go and get Stevie either. It hurt seeing her cry and all he wanted to do was take her heartache away, but he couldn't as he sat in the driver's seat just staring at her.
Feeling completely helpless, Stevie climbed in and turned to Lindsey, who had the car started already and was pulling out of the parking lot. She honestly believed that she would have preferred him yelling and cursing at her. The absolute silence was a lot worse.
"I wanted to tell you sooner, I swear." Stevie said, using a tissue she had found in her purse. She tried dabbing away tears, but it was no use. "I didn't know how. I kept thinking that you'd hate me, so I... I didn't. I couldn't stand the thought of you hating me, Lindsey."
Lindsey didn't respond. He ran a hand over his face once he stopped at a red light and barely glanced in her direction.
"I'm sorry that you've missed out on over a year of your daughter's life, but we weren't-" Stevie paused to think of the best way to put it. "We slept together and we walked out of each other's lives. There wasn't even away for me to tell you until recently."
Lindsey kept his mouth shut, but he was listening and he heard every word she was saying. Still, when she paused for him to say something, he didn't.
"I also didn't know if you even wanted a child." Stevie shrugged her shoulders weakly and turned to look out the window. "I didn't know if you were even going to believe me. I was afraid that you would call me a liar, say that Lily is not yours. I wasn't exactly single then."
His heart was screaming at him, begging him to speak up, but he just physically couldn't. He had been thinking bout the possibility of Lily being his daughter since the very first time he saw the girl, but now that he knew, there was so much going through his mind that he couldn't stop all those thoughts and actually reply to anything Stevie was saying.
"I've never wanted to do anything to hurt you on purpose, Lindsey." Stevie faced him again. He was so close, yet it felt like he was miles away. "I never meant to keep your daughter away from you. I was also so sure I had moved on, but... when I saw you, I realized that I still have feelings for you, that I still love you. So much." She added. "I told you, I was scared of losing you again and this is exactly the reason why. You've shown me that you love me, too, and I selfishly chose to keep it a secret."
Lindsey's own tears began blurring his vision and he brought his hand up to his eyes to wipe them away.
"Lindsey, say something, I'm begging you." Stevie lay her hand over his, but she couldn't get a word out of him until he announced that they had arrived. "I love you, please, know that." Feeling defeated, Stevie spent a moment just looking at him. She wasn't sure if she was going to see him again. She mustered up the courage to lean in closer and press her lips softly to his cheek. "I love you." She repeated and got out of his car.
