Start Again

Part 1

"Shit." Stevie cursed, hearing a car pulling into her driveway. 

Stevie had so much to do and so little time to do it. Of course Lindsey had to come early. She still hadn't finished packing for Luke, which meant that Lindsey was going to follow her around the house until she had their son ready to spend the weekend at his father's place. With his father's family.

"I'll get it!" Luke yelled from his room upstairs and the sound of the boy running down the stairs followed. 

"Be careful. You don't want to spend your time with your dad in a hospital." Stevie scolded the 8 almost 9-year-old.

Luke slowed himself down so he wouldn't smash his face into the door before he pulled it open. A wide grin spread on the child's face at the sight of his father and he jumped nearly knocking Lindsey over.

"Hi, buddy." Lindsey hugged his son tightly. "I've missed you, too!"

"Come, I wanna show you something!" Luke landed on the floor and grabbed Lindsey's hand, leaving him no chance to say, no.

Stevie smiled to herself as she listened to Luke, his excited voice as he showed his father a collection of new toys. She wondered if they'd spoilt him, but sometimes presents were the only way to assure him that both of his parents even if they didn't live together, loved him more than anything else in the world.

A knock on the doorframe of the master bedroom interrupted Stevie. "Hey."

"Hey." She replied, standing up on her feet to greet Lindsey with a hug. "I'm almost done packing Luke's backpack."

"It's fine." Lindsey waved it off. "I'm in no rush." He shook his head and invited himself into the room, he walked over and sat down at the foot of the bed, while Stevie resumed folding Luke's clothes. 

"I know you had other plans this weekend." Stevie said. "Thank you for taking Luke anyway." 

"He's my son, Stevie." Lindsey gave her a look. "I'm happy to spend as much time with him as I can."

"It- it didn't come out right, I'm sorry. You know what I mean." She sighed, putting a couple of T-shirt into the backpack.

"Are you going somewhere?" Lindsey asked, thinking nothing of it, just making conversation.

"Um... not exactly. I'm meeting someone tonight, that's all." She shrugged, not wanting to dwell on the subject. "Okay, I think, everything's here." Stevie zipped up Luke's backpack and handed it to Lindsey.

He nodded and got back up to leave her bedroom, she followed behind. Luke came out of his room as well, a Spider-Man figurine in one hand, ready to go. The three walked back downstairs and stopped to say goodbye. Stevie made Luke promise he'd behave, say, yes, please and thank you, crushed him in a hug, kissed his cheek and ruffled his curls.

"Should I call on Sunday or..." Lindsey trailed off, stepping over the threshold.

"I should be home all day." Stevie shook her head and waved to Luke, who was already in Lindsey's car. "Have fun."

"See you on Sunday." Lindsey said and walked away towards his car. 

It was probably nothing and he shouldn't really care, but he couldn't stop thinking about it. Who the hell was she meeting with?