Lindsey zipped his duffel bag aggressively, having tossed in a change of clothes and toiletries. His freshly dry cleaned and pressed button down shirt and dress pants hung together on a hanger in a garment bag on the back of the door. A last minute trip was taking him to Sacramento to go over plans for a new municipal building project in the city. He was going to stay the night in a nice hotel, order room service and veg until he hopefully fell asleep. He hadn't spent a night away from Stevie for years and he doubted he could actually rest knowing his pregnant wife would have to deal with all three of the kids all on her own. He knew she was more than capable but as her pregnancy progressed, she became increasingly tired, and run down. He kept going over details in his mind, not wanting to forget anything but he was driving Stevie insane in the process.

"I mean it, Stevie, I don't want her leaving the house. Not tonight, not ever. She was lucky last time." Lindsey said, speaking of their daughter Callie. She had been grounded for the past two weeks, unable to go anywhere but cheer practice and school in that time. He paced the bedroom, almost shaking with nerves.

Stevie sat on the bed, her eyes following him one way then the other. "I got it, Lindsey. I'm not a child. I understood the first hundred times you told me this."

He sighed, stopping to look at his wife. He cracked a half-smile, walking toward her. He bent down and stroked her cheek. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to lecture you."

"I know you don't but it gets old real fast regardless." She hoisted herself up from the bed and grabbed her glass of water off the nightstand.

He chuckled. "Yeah, I know. I feel guilty about this trip."

"It can't be helped. It's your job to draw up plans and make sure things are going smoothly. Hadley-Buckingham is one of the most important firms on the west coast."

"The most important, according to San Fran Biz," Lindsey pointed out.

"Oh, well I'm so sorry!" she said sarcastically. She pat his chest lovingly, pursing her lips as she played with the buttons of his henley shirt. He caught her off guard by kissing her lips and she smiled. "You're trouble, you know that?"

"I do, but that's part of my appeal. Rebel without a cause." He arched an eyebrow at her. "Dangerous is sexy, right?"

"Very sexy," she reassured him. "So, you leave in the morning?"

"I do. I'll drive down, be in meetings for most of the day, retire to the hotel then do it all again the next day. If I'm lucky, we will finish my duties early and I can come home, instead of spending another night away from you." He kissed the tip of her upturned nose. "Why, counting down the hours until I'm out of your hair?"

"No, not at all. I just thought we should be spending our very limited time together doing something else." Her voice was seductive and low, like a secret she only wanted him to hear.

"It's the middle of the day."

"It's never bothered you before."

"We have to get the kids soon."

"We have a couple hours," Stevie persuaded.

"I love this side of you, Steph. These hormones..." he groaned and Stevie giggled. "But I have so much to do before I leave tomorrow."

"I was just trying to help you de-stress a little." She moved around him, rubbing his shoulders with light pressure. He could feel her six and a half month pregnant belly barely touching his back.

"I appreciate it but you're pregnant, you've been working and dealing with the kids..."

"That's life." she said with a shrug and he placed his hands on top of hers, stopping her from moving them.

He turned around suddenly. "I could say the same thing about this. This is my life, this is my job. You're trying to make things easier for me and I don't want to seem ungrateful because I really do appreciate all you do."

"I know, honey." She stroked the pad of her thumb across his cheek bone.

"I want to pamper you and I haven't been able to do that. I know your blood pressure is up, the doctor said so on the phone, and you haven't been sleeping. I feel you toss and turn most of the night and if you're not flopping around, you're up making tea." She lowered her eyes. "I don't want you to feel bad about this but you're painting on a smile everyday when I know something is bothering you."

A tear fell down her cheek and he pulled her into his arms. "Dylan has his band and Callie...I know she didn't do anything that night but it scared me. If it were up to me, I'd go back to when the twins were," she sniffled. "Toddlers." He chuckled softly. "Things were so much simpler then."

"But we weren't married then, and we didn't have Iris."

"I know, and I keep telling myself every stage of life has challenges..."

"That's true—," he said but before he could add anything to soothe her worries, she continued.

"We only have a few months before these babies arrive, and we have nothing. Their room is still stacked up with boxes and unassembled furniture."

"The room may not be finished but we have plenty. We have all the clothes from our three previous children. They're laundered and ready to go in the dresser and closet. You did that yourself."

"It was exhausting!" she exclaimed and he pulled back to look at her.

"But you did it. Babies don't need much to start off with. You'll be nursing and pumping again so I can give bottles when you need to catch up on rest. That takes care of the feeding and we have plenty of diapers, and we will stock up on more before the big day comes. In terms of sleep, the cribs will be up even if I have to stay up all night to do it, but the first few weeks they always spend in our room. Bassinets will be placed where you see fit and they're on wheels so you can bring them wherever you need."

She took a breath. "I'm being silly, aren't I?"

"Not at all. It's okay to worry. Normal, even. Bet you I'm even more uptight about all the planning than you are. I have to give myself that whole speil twice a day."

She smiled through her tears. "Thank you, honey."

"You're welcome, sweetheart." He kissed the top of her head and stroked her face. "You know what this reminds me of?"

"What?" She asked. Lindsey walked away for a moment and pulled a record from his vast collection, littered all over the house. He pulled it from the jacket and placed it on the turntable. He had an uncanny ability to drop the needle on the exact song he wanted to hear.

"I got me a woman I can really love," he sang with Paul McCartney. He started shuffling his feet, being known for not really being a dancer.

"My woman fit me like a little glove.
You know I'll always love
my little woman love."

Stevie giggled as he approached, pulling him into her. He smiled, his hands finding her hips immediately as she began to wiggle them to the beat.

"I take her home most ev'ry night,
My woman love to hold me tight.
You know I feel alright
my little woman mine."

She kissed him passionately, her arms draped lazily around his neck.

"Oh yeah, oh yeah,
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
Oh yeah, oh yeah,
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh."

"Know what I think?" he asked and she shook her head.

"Not a clue," she said and he chuckled, kissing her neck.

"That if you're still into it, we might still have some of that alone time you wanted."

She moaned softly. "Mm, you think?"

Lindsey looked into his wife's eyes and knew instantly she liked the idea, no ifs ands or buts. "Well, if we don't, we can make time."

"I take her home most ev'ry night,
My woman love to hold me tight.
You know I feel alright,
my little woman mine."