Stevie felt the tears stinging her eyes as she hurried out to the car. Her first thought was about Lindsey and how he was going to live now. Alex had taken everything from him in one fell swoop in a fit of jealousy. Could Lindsey rebuild, after all, she knew of his reputation. It wasn't a good one but he had the chops. Maybe after the time they had been spending together and how good of a father he was becoming, he had changed in that realm too. She hoped for his sake something good would come out of all this. Stevie stopped for a moment, thoughts swimming in her head. Had all of this been a lie, what Lindsey had told her? Had she put so much time and effort into Lindsey, shared a bed with him and fallen in love with him again just for the universe to laugh in her face? She shook her head.

"No, of course not." She told herself, wiping her tears. She tugged open the car door and sat down, yanking her skirt inside before slamming the door shut.

"I'm sorry..." Lindsey said after a long block of silence. It's as if the air got sucked out. She didn't look at him, only lifting a hand to silence him. He focused on his hands in his lap. He picked at the skin around his fingernails.

She could hear his fingers working, scratching and scraping and she couldn't stand it. "Stop it," she said, slapping her hand on her silk covered thigh.

"Sorry." He pulled his hands away, sitting on them. He wasn't sure what to do. She didn't start the car or make any moves like she was going to. "Do you want me to leave you alone?"

"No, Lindsey." Once again, he didn't know what to do. He watched her, studying her features. He couldn't tell what she was feeling and that's what frightened him the most. He couldn't read her. Suddenly, she put her hands over her face and began to cry. He pulled his hands from beneath him and clumsily tried to wrap his arms around her.

"Shh...hey, it's okay." he said soothingly.

"I'm so angry at Alex. He's, he's a..." she stopped for a moment, trying to think of the word. "He's a big...jerk!" She finally got out and Lindsey chuckled, releasing her from his grasp. "I mean it. He's a jealous, possessive, manipulative jerk."

"Ouch. You've said the same things about me."

Stevie chuffed out a soft laugh, wiping her eyes, careful not to ruin her makeup further. "Yeah, well...I loved you and we had a child together. I guess it never really mattered that much."

"I'm sorry about what you heard. I didn't think it would get so out of hand. I didn't even really think about you being there and witnessing that."

"It's not your fault."

"It is. I'm flaunting you in front of him, I provoke him and egg him on when he gets bent out of shape. That's why I have a reputation. I'm overbearing and controlling, I'm obnoxious and I'm an instigator. I got kicked out of my last band because of a nasty bar fight."

"Why do you do it?"

"I...I really don't know," Lindsey said. "Maybe I'm insecure." He shrugged off the comment as if it meant nothing but something in his eyes told her otherwise. He was insecure, worried and afraid. "Truth is, I feel like a fraud. Everyone likes you Stevie and I'm hard to work with. Now that I have you back and we have this great kid, I'm playing music, even if it's not the way I thought, I feel like I'm king of the world...most of the time. Then I start thinking about what would happen if a guy like Alex swept you off your feet and you left me. I'd fall apart, Steph. I can't lose you."

"I'm right here."

"But for how long?" Lindsey asked, his eyes falling back to his lap. He fiddled with his fingers, not making eye contact.

"Alex told me he started it so what happened in there isn't a reason to leave."

"But I'm sure he told you about Trisha, right, my ex-wife bitch from hell?"

"He touched on it. Said she's a real piece of work. You were married at some run down chapel when you were both drunk."

"Yeah, and she tried to ruin my life. She tried but the joke was on her. I can ruin anything twice as fast as anyone else. I mean, I don't even work as a studio musician anymore. I lost a great apartment and my cars. They were all loaned to me, I didn't own shit. What do I have to offer anyone?"

"Yourself. You are all I want. You don't have to doubt yourself just because some gold digging woman or jealous guy tried to take everything you had. I'm not here for any of that, I just wish you would have told me everything. I don't want you to hide from me."

"I wasn't trying to hide, I wish it wouldn't have happened. When I'm with you, I don't think about any of that stuff. It doesn't even exist. Then other times, I'm reminded I made a stupid mistake. It doesn't even have to be Alex or the guys bringing it up, she pops up every now and then like whack-a-mole, just to see what she can get."

"Well, you're mine now and I won't give up that easily." Stevie turned his head and planted a gentle but lingering kiss on his lips. He smiled as their lips separated, her hand caressing his cheek. "You can stay with me, and we can come to the studio together. It isn't much but—"

"It's plenty. Thank you. I will have to think of a way to repay you."

"I can think of a way," she said, her lips curling into a suggestive smirk.

"Are you sure you can stand to live with me long enough to do-to do...that?." He gulped, growing aroused at such a strange and inconvenient time. How could he think about sex at a time when his life was going about as well as trying to build a house of cards in front of a fan? His eyes scanned her body. He noticed her large dark eyes, her long, thick eyelashes and soft downturned lips. He longed to touch her luxuriant golden curls, to catch the bead of sweat that trailed between her breasts because they had been in the car for a long time with the windows rolled up. He touched her face. Her skin was warm, slightly flushed and pink. Is she as turned on as I am? he wondered and she stared at him, her lips parting. "Did I say that aloud?" he asked, completely embarrassed and Stevie nodded slowly.

"Uh-huh." She swallowed, her fingers hovering over the first couple of buttons of her blouse.

Though he wished she would just take it off, he apologized, knowing it was inappropriate to watch her chest heave like that. "I'm sorry, I—"

"YES," she blurted out.

"What?"

"I'm..." She bit her lip. "The great thing about a station wagon is there's a lot of...space." Her eyes widened for emphasis, pleading with him to understand what she meant without her actually having to say it.

"Yeah..." he said. She continued to stare as him, licking her lips to moisten them. Her nimble fingers plucked a button from its hole, exposing the sheer white panel of her bra. Realization spread over him like wildfire, igniting his mind and his eyes widened too. He fumbled with his belt, trying to tear it fiercely from his belt loops without much success. It wasn't as easy as it had looked in the movies. There was no swift motion; only a lot of tugging and embarrassment. She giggled, kissing him passionately and trying her best to help.

"Leave it," she whispered as she unzipped his jeans and pulled them down below his hips. It wasn't going to be easy but what in their life was ever easy. She wanted him. NOW. She climbed into his seat and straddled him, pulling her skirt up around her waist. She knocked her knee on the console, then banged her head in the headliner. He kissed her lips, silencing her cursing. She felt high or slightly drunk on his affection, his lips trailing down her neck as his hand eagerly groped her breast. After a couple moments of subtle grinding and soft moans, everything stopped.

"This isn't going to work," Lindsey muttered, his head falling to rest on her sternum.

"Why? Can you not...I mean, is it—"

"No, no," he chuckled nervously. "No, that's not the problem. Definitely...not the problem." He told her. He was standing at full attention and wanted nothing more than to push himself inside her.

"What is it?"

"I don't want it to be like this. I don't want it to be quick and dirty in the parking lot for God knows who to see. I want you alone, all to myself." She nodded, though still feeling a little rejected. "I want you, God,  do I want you. I want you so bad it actually hurts," he told her with a pained chuckle. "Let's go home."

She nodded, moving off him in a way to not repeat the mistakes she had made before. She didn't need to explain where those bruises came from to Summer or anyone else. She was an awful liar. She buttoned up her blouse and pressed the wrinkles from her skirt with her hands. She cleared her throat, prompting him to get dressed as well. He adjusted himself and zipped his jeans. She wore an odd expression to him and he touched her thigh.

"Baby, I'm sorry."

"No, thank you. I think it's romantic that you don't want to go at it like we used to." Stevie said with a laugh. The memory of their first time wasn't very romantic but it was fun. Rolling around in that truck bed under the stars was one of her fondest memories.

"I do want to make one thing clear though: I want everyone in that house to get the hell out when we get home. There will only be room for the two of us."

Stevie blushed at the lust dripping from every word. "I'll make sure Robin takes Summer out for ice cream." His hand tightened into a fist, grabbing at the fabric of her skirt. Stevie bit her lip hard, and prayed for no red lights.

AN: Lindsey was pretty up front and honest but do you think them living together will go smoothly? Will the honeymoon phase last? Do you think Trisha will drop in and stir up trouble again?