One More Time

Part 6

"You're so quiet." 

And he was. Lindsey hadn't said a thing, since Sharon got into his car. He lied to Stevie. She trusted him enough not to ask him where he was going after he told her he'd be back shortly. She trusted him and there he was, with another woman. 

"I don't get why you just don't tell her." Sharon sighed heavily, trying to cross her arms, ending up resting them on her belly. "It's not like we had sex to make this baby."

"Just-" Lindsey help up a hand. "Just stop talking."

Too much was going through Lindsey's mind to attempt a conversation. Sharon hadn't done anything wrong, this was all him. He wanted that baby, more than anything he wanted to be a dad, he just never believed he and Stevie still had a chance, before he made his decision.

Lindsey didn't go inside, he waited in the parking lot for Sharon to return. He felt like an asshole, watching her come his way after an hour or so. She was seven months pregnant. He banged his head against the steering wheel and cursed loudly. He couldn't possibly keep this from Stevie and he definitely couldn't tell Sharon to keep the baby, to raise his son.

"Before you called, Stevie told me she's pregnant." Lindsey blurted out as soon as Sharon returned, trying to make herself comfortable in the passenger's seat. 

"Shouldn't you be excited?"

"I am, I'm happy and I'd be happier if I hadn't a surrogate carrying my child. I got so caught up, I completely blocked you from my mind. I was back with the love of my life, things were going so well, we have finally conceived and then I heard your voice, asking me to take you to a doctor's appointment. I told her, she's the only woman I've ever wanted to have children with, while I knew exactly what was going on."

"In my opinion, you shouldn't be afraid to tell her the truth. This is the truth." Sharon emphasized, resting her hands on her belly. "Soon you're going to become a father to a healthy baby boy." 

Closing his eyes, Lindsey sighed heavily, at last glancing at the woman beside him. "So, everything's okay?"

"One hundred percent." Sharon nodded, a smile on her face. "It's not like we were a couple and we made this baby out of love. That's not what this is."

"But I know Stevie, she won't see it that way."

"Well, there's only one way to find out, isn't it?" 

Without saying anything else, Lindsey restarted the engine of the car and took Sharon home. He knew what he had to do, but he wasn't able to muster up the courage to face Stevie yet. He drove around for some time, realizing he couldn't hide and avoid the matter at hand forever, Lindsey took a turn, which would bring him back to his and Stevie's. 

Entering through the front door, Lindsey knew he'd find Stevie in the kitchen. It smelt delicious and it was nearing dinner time. He leaned against the doorway, smiling to himself at the sight of her. She was happy, he could tell. Of course she was. They were missing the last piece of the puzzle of their life together up until this point. A child, their child, was what the two of them had wanted the most and their dream was coming true. 

"Jesus! You scared me!" Stevie clutched her chest, finally noticing Lindsey. "Why are you being a creep over there?"

"Sorry, I just..." He shrugged. "I just had to take a moment to look at you."

Stevie cast her eyes down and her cheeks turned slightly pink. "Come over and taste the sauce for me." She dipped the tip of the wooden spoon into the pan then brought it up to Lindsey's lips once he approached her. 

"Delicious." He said, placing his hands on her sides before he kissed her on the forehead. "I just got really hungry."

"You're going to have to wait a bit longer." She said.

Lindsey took a seat at the table, willing himself to start talking. He couldn't, he found it impossible to formulate a coherent sentence and each time he came close to, he'd hear Stevie humming to herself, swaying on her feet, a subtle hint of a smile on her face and it was as if his lips were sewn together again. 

"Everything alright?" Stevie spoke up, bringing Lindsey back to the present moment. 

"Yeah. Yeah." He repeated himself as if it could make everything okay. 

"You seem like you're somewhere else, far far away." Stevie noted, but Lindsey shook his head.

Taking a deep breath... "Steph, there's something I have to tell you."

"I knew it! What's up?" Stevie asked, pulling out a chair to sit down. 

Reaching for her hand, Lindsey opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He saw her eyebrows crease with worry and he swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. He couldn't do it. Not yet.

"I spoke to Mick. I know you're not going to like it, but he really wants to go on tour." 

Coward.