"C'mon Messer hurry up!" Lindsay hollered, checking her watch.
"What, are we gonna miss our tee time or something?"
"Nah, we just have a limited time before the guys wear out and have to bring the kids home."
"Where did they take them anyway?"
"Science museum."
"Again?"
"I guess there's some kind of new hands on exhibit. Did Danny drop Sarah off with his mom?"
"Yep. She's gonna come home so spoiled."
"Are you almost ready? You're takin' as long as I do and you're not even puttin' makeup on."
"Yeah well."
Lindsay sighed and walked into the bathroom, making a huge show of clutching her chest and slumping against the doorframe.
"Your… hair… it's… girly!"
"I just stole some of Danny's gel and scrunched it."
Lindsay giggled and shook her head.
"Sometimes you amuse me, Aust."
"I do my best. Ready?"
"Yep. Hey, what in the world?" Lindsay lifted an eyebrow at the sight of her best friend in black as night cowboy boots that had some of the prettiest blue stitching that she had ever seen. Her mouth was practically salivating with desire to reach out and touch the leather – which she would have done if she hadn't been sure that Austin wouldn't have spent the rest of the day mocking her.
"What?"
"You've got boots. Nice ones."
"So?"
"They're pretty."
"Linds, do you got boot envy?"
"Yes."
"But you've got boots. About seventy pairs."
"I have five pairs but yours are nice. Fancy."
"Yeah, well I am pretty sure they're knock offs. I got them at a flea market up in Syracuse a billion years ago and I'm fairly certain that the old lady was a professional grifter," Austin explained as she grabbed her keys from the table by the door, "C'mon, let's go be equestrians."
"Adam once asked me if that was a religion."
Austin snorted a laugh and grabbed her leather jacket off the back of the couch.
"How did you ever fall in love with him? He's so dorky."
"He's a good kisser," Lindsay shrugged as they headed out the door.
"And you're pretty dorky yourself I guess. It fits."
"Gee thanks. So tell me, have you ever ridden a horse before?"
"Is it like riding a bike?"
"Absolutely not."
"Well then no. Am I screwed?"
"No, I won't let you fall or make a fool of yourself."
They hailed a cab to the Central Park stables and were assigned to two horses. Lindsay had been here enough to have a regular horse, Sir Reginald, but Austin was assigned to Thunder.
"Oh, so you get the nice British horse while I'm riding around on the stallion that should be named Death Under Saddle?"
Lindsay giggled and ran a brush over Reginald's mane.
"It's going to be fine, Aust. Besides, it was your idea to come with me."
"No, it was your idea."
"No, I said I was going and you said you wanted to come."
"Yeah, because I wanted to spend time with you, not die being bucked from an immense quadruped!"
"Oh my word."
Thunder snorted suddenly and Austin backed away, stumbling right through a fresh pile of manure.
"Aw crap!" she hollered, stomping the dirty boot against the hay covered floor, trying to get it clean. "I can't believe… Linds, quit laughing!"
"I'm sorry, it's just… it's just… you are such a city girl!"
"I have poop on my boot! You wanna help me get it off?"
"Okay, come here," Lindsay said, leading her over to the water spigot on the wall. She connected a hose to it and turned the water on, aiming for Austin's boot.
"Hey, you got my jeans!"
"Sorry, it splashed."
"You splashed poop water on me!"
Lindsay couldn't stand it anymore, and tears were running down her cheeks as she tried to stay standing, eventually just leaning against one of the horse stalls.
Austin shot a glare in Lindsay's direction while she finished cleaning her boot off. It wasn't that she was afraid of horses or getting a little poop on her boot but this was the first time they had really hung out since clearing the air and she wanted it to go perfectly. She ran a hand through her curls and propped the other on her hip, "Alright, show me how to do this."
"Alright," Lindsay wiped her laughter tears on the back of her tanned wrist as they walked back to the horses, "put your left foot in that stirrup and grab that. Now push yourself up and pull yourself over," Austin began to do it but lead with the wrong foot, "Austin, your other left foot unless you want to ride this thing backwards."
"Not a word, Linds, not a friggin' word."
Lindsay bit her lip as she watched Austin mount the horse successfully before climbing on her own. It felt good to be on a horse with the reigns settling against her callouses and the pure power of the animal beneath her. She patted Reginald before clicking her heels against his sides as they set off on the trail through the park.
They traveled a while in simple silence with nothing but the clicking of horse hooves between them until Lindsay glanced over at her, "Austin, if you don't relax you are going to be so sore by the time we're done that you won't walk for a week."
"That is so what somebody said," Austin fired back as she relaxed against Thunder.
"You're not doing bad," she promised, "you actually have a rather natural seat."
"You lookin' at my butt, Linds?"
"Yeah, Aust, your honkytonk badonkadonk is very natural in the saddle," Lindsay chuckled as they began their way up a small incline.
"If I could reach you I would smack you," Austin promised as she grabbed the saddle horn to keep from falling off, "I am gonna die on this thing."
"You are not going to die."
"I am," she protested, "tell Danny and the kids that I loved them, okay, because this thing is gonna slaughter me."
"You're imbuing Thunder with far too much power."
"Am not!"
"Austin Grace Messer, knock it off," Lindsay ordered with a smirk, "now tap your heels against his side again so we can canter."
"Canter," the horrified look on Austin's face almost made Lindsay fall off her horse with laughter, "I can't canter! I can barely handle this thing at walking speed."
"It's like the law of inertia, okay, the speed is gonna hold you to him a little better."
"You must think I'm really dumb."
"Austin, would I ever lead you into danger?" Lindsay questioned, looking back over her shoulder at her reluctant friend.
"No."
"Do you want me to start makin' chicken noises?"
"No, I'm comin'."
"Atta girl."
They cantered for a while until Austin got the hang of it and relaxed, then they slowed down again.
"So how often do you come here?"
"Every other week or so. Depends. More lately though."
"It helps," Austin deduced, noticing how Lindsay's entire vibe had changed. She looked lighter, her eyes were more open, her nails weren't bitten down to the quick anymore. She looked like herself again.
"Yeah, it does."
"You look better."
"I feel better," Lindsay sighed, leaning down to pat the horse.
"Good."
"Hey, how was your nephew's birthday party?"
"Surprisingly fine. Andy's wife really gives him a run for his money, so we spent a lot of time ragging on him. It was almost a normal family gathering."
"Progress."
"That it is."
"But that's not what we're going to talk about today."
"No it's not."
"Did I ever tell you about my first kiss?"
"No," Austin chuckled. "You mean it wasn't Adam?"
"Oh brother, you know it wasn't. Wish it was, probably wouldn't have gone the way it did, but…"
"Is this embarrassing? If so then yes, I want to hear it."
"I was fifteen. It was a boy/girl party that was supposed to be chaperoned, which let's face it, never really happens. You know how most people play seven minutes in heaven? Well if you're havin' the party in a barn you play seven minutes in the haymow."
"You're such a hick."
"His name was Scott Davenport and he had braces, which are very important in this story."
"Why, did you have braces?"
"No, thank the deities. So we climb up to the haymow, and mind you neither one of us know what we're doing or really why we're doing it. I didn't know who was supposed to lead and neither did he, so we sat there for six and a half minutes before we both leaned in and smashed our faces together. Hard. I mean, we got a kiss in, but when he pulled back he had a bloody nose and I had braces marks on my lips."
Austin chuckled and dipped her head down while her shoulders shook with laughter.
"How did you recover from that? Socially I mean."
"I'm not done. So we're both embarrassed, and he jumps up to scramble down the ladder but he looses his footing and slips halfway down, but then his foot gets caught on the rungs and he flies backwards, breaking his ankle before he finally wriggles free and drops to the floor where he passes out."
"Oh Linds. Did they make fun of you for maiming him? Because I would have."
"Nah, luckily they called him a pansy and blamed him for not knowing how to kiss a woman, so I didn't suffer any public repercussions."
"And privately?"
"I didn't kiss anyone again until I was 20."
"That is the worst first kiss story I have ever heard. My heart actually aches for you."
Lindsay snorted and shook her head.
"At least you have some sympathy. Adam didn't stop laughing for three hours when I told him. And then he said he was going to kiss me so good I would forget all the bad ones."
"Gag."
"Okay, I told mine, you have to tell yours."
"You only told me that to hear mine?"
"No, but it's a good segue."
Austin wrinkled her nose and sighed.
"Let me think about it. I need to make it more dramatic than it really was. Until then, suffice it to say that Danny has come a long way in his kissing abilities."
"I'm glad for you."
They rode on for a few minutes, letting the horses stop to nibble at the spring grasses that were just coming up, and enjoying the not freezing breeze that blew by.
"I've never done this friend thing before," Austin confessed, examining the reins in her hand carefully. "At least not like this. I'm sorry if I don't do it right."
"There's no right or wrong way, Aust," Lindsay countered, shaking her head.
"I just sometimes think that… you've done all this before. You've had a best friend, you know how to… love them I guess."
"At the risk of sounding really corny, I've never had a best friend like this. Nowhere in the world does there exist anyone even slightly resembling another Austin."
"Gee thanks."
"It's a good thing. We don't want the world to implode, do we?"
"Guess not."
"And as far as not knowing how to love me, you're doing just fine. You haven't given up on me yet and you never will. You know me better than any other friend has before and I trust you more than I ever trusted them."
"Even after all this?"
"Honestly? Especially after all this. Do you think we ever would have talked about the things we've talked about without what happened?"
"No."
"Then it's worth it, right?"
"Yeah."
"Do you still feel as guilty as I do?"
Austin nodded.
"I just wish it hadn't happened."
"Me too. But I guess now we know it won't happen again."
"That's true. Even when I was so mad I still felt like I needed to talk to you a couple times a day. I think we have a problem."
"Possible, but I'm comfortable with it."
"Isa missed Colton a lot. I didn't realize how often they normally get to see each other."
"I'm glad they love each other so much. I always worry that Colton's lonely."
"You guys play with him."
"Yeah, it's just… we could play with him all day long, but he could see Isa for two hours and be way more excited about her than he is about us."
"Isa's like that too. I hope it lasts their entire lives. I don't want them to lose each other."
"I don't either."
"Why do we always do this?"
"What, be sappy?"
"Yes!"
"I don't know."
"Lindsay," Austin glanced over at her as they started up a small incline, "are we almost done?"
"I am throwing something at you when we get back to the stables."
"What did I do?"
Lindsay shot her the most incredulous she could muster, "You're worse than Isa and Colton combined when they're stuck in the car for hours on end."
"That's mean," she jutted out her lower lip and removed her foot from the stirrups just long enough to kick at Lindsay before placing it immediately back where it was, "okay, never doing that again."
"When you land on your butt I reserve the right to laugh."
"You would not be you if you didn't."
They road in silence for awhile as Austin got comfortable in the saddle. There was something about the way they slipped away from the world while smack in the middle of the city; the world was near quiet with nothing but the sound of clopping foot hooves beneath them. They shared glances every few minutes and giggled softly but no one said anything until they reached the homestretch before them. Austin turned to Lindsay, "I wanna go fast."
"Wild one."
"Don't mock me when I'm attempting to do your thing."
"Alright, shotgun rider, let's ride."
"Baby, you smell like a horse," Danny said, wrinkling his nose and shaking his head.
"Still smell better than you. 'Sides, I did something constructive today."
"Well I taught the kids about gravity!"
Austin arched an eyebrow and looked at Lindsay.
"Yes, but Austin managed to not fall off a horse."
"That's my Graceless," he chuckled as the kids came out of the bedroom, squealing and tackling their mothers. Sarah babbled to herself and crawled across the floor, her hands slapping the linoleum until she reached Austin's feet and sat, smiling and watching the chaos around her.
"So since we did the dad thing today, are you two gonna make us dinner?" Adam asked hopefully. They never knew what they were doing together in the kitchen, but it usually turned out okay, what with Austin's love for using every spice in the cabinet and Lindsay's ability to save pretty much anything.
"I guess we could," Lindsay shrugged.
"But we're turning the music on."
"A little taste of the 90's would be nice."
"Oh yeah. Maybe some Eagle Eye Cherry?"
"Backstreet Boys."
"KC and JoJo."
The guys groaned, knowing that this wasn't just talk. There would be music. And singing into spatulas. And dancing. As if they had never been apart.
And, if they were honest, they kind of liked it that way.
The girls filed into the kitchen with their minions in tow, clinging to their mothers' legs as they begged for sweets they wouldn't receive and kisses which they got a surplus of. Austin scooped Sarah up on one hip and Isabeth on the other, peppering their cheeks with kisses before putting them back on the floor and picking up Colton while Lindsay grabbed the girls. She kissed his soft hair, "Hey, Duder."
"Hi Au'tin," he smiled and nuzzled against her shoulder, "dunner time?"
"I do believe it is time for dinner," she smiled as she placed him on the floor and ruffled his hair, "how about you guys go play in the other room while the mamas get their Emeril on."
He looked up at her as he patted his hair back down, "Au'tin, you so silly."
"Yeah, dude, we know."
The adults laughed as Isabeth led the group of screaming banshees out of the kitchen. Austin turned on the radio and fiddled with the stations until country music came in loud and clear as Lindsay got the ingredients for "poor man's stew" out of the cupboard. Sounds of Sugarland filled the room as Austin grabbed the pot from below the sink and filled it with water as Lindsay opened the boxes of macaroni. Austin's gravelly voice blended with Lindsay's soft alto as they danced around each other, "Friday, pay day, Lordy got a get away, had it with the wife thing, livin' on a shoe string. What's a poor girl got to do just to have some fun? All these years without any help Guess what, honey, clothes just don't wash themselves! Neither do dishes, neither does the bathroom floor. So, now if anyone asks, not that they would I'll be down in Mississippi and up to no good."
The belted out the last few lines, then bumped into each other and giggled, Austin slipping in the water that splashed out of the large pot.
"You're gonna kill yourself one day," Lindsay snickered, throwing a towel down on the ground and swiping it around.
"Notice that I only do stuff like that around you."
"Hey, Danny called you Graceless long before I happened upon the scene," Lindsay reminded her as they sidestepped towards each other, each extending a leg to tap the heels of their boots together.
"Yeah, but you make me worse."
"I guess so, but you make me worse too and we both know that two worses make a… well you know where I was going with that."
"Yewp. I knew it even before you said it."
"I don't think I need to talk anymore. Ever."
Austin chuckled and opened the fridge, not sure what she was looking for, and wondering how long it would take before Lindsay told her to stop cooling off the room.
"Jennifer Nettles has the most amazing voice," Lindsay mused, stirring the noodles in the pot.
"The twang?"
"Yeah. There's just something about it that… I don't know, all the bad stuff just goes away if I turn it up loud enough."
"Your voice is kinda like that."
"No it's not."
"Yeah it is, when you're really thinking about it you get all twangy."
"Maybe."
"But your real voice is like that too Linds."
"What are you talking about?"
Austin sighed and closed the fridge, then opened the freezer to find some frozen juice for the kids before she spoke.
"You're like that for me. When I'm mad or upset all you have to do is start talking and I feel better. You have this way of calming me down and making things okay again. I don't really know why. Or how. You're magic."
"You are too. If it weren't for you, I would be really alone."
"All the more reason for us to never be stubborn and fighting again."
"Exactly."
"You know what though?"
"What?"
"I think we're hugging friends now."
"You be Phoebe, I'll be Monica."
Austin chuckled as the kids came back into the room, Sarah crawling as fast as she could to keep up.
"Food?" Isa asked, walking over to the stove and standing on her tiptoes to try and look in the pot.
"In a few minutes," Lindsay assured, picking the little girl up and holding her tight. "Are you going to eat it or throw it at each other?"
"Eat," she decided, rubbing her stomach. "Growlin'."
Lindsay smiled and kissed her, and Isa sighed happily, enjoying the cuddles that she rarely wanted from anyone but Lindsay.
"Miss you, Indy. Love you."
"I love you too, my girl."
Isa held on for several minutes longer and Lindsay leaned against the counter, loving the feeling of the little girl in her arms. She'd missed these moments too, more than she even realized and she closed her eyes to hold onto the feeling for a little while longer.
Austin smiled at her best friend and daughter, leaning over to press a kiss to Isabeth's curly black hair while she stirred the pot. The broken pieces of the last few weeks were slowly molding themselves back together as laughter filled the home and hugs were passed from person to person. The feeling itself was something akin to coming home after a long trip away; nothing quite like breathing easy as your heart returns to the place it had always belonged. Her heart practically hummed with happiness as she felt the love that overfilled her home.
"Isa, baby," she smiled as her best friend let her daughter escape to the floor, "go tell your homies that dinner is done and they better move their cute little butts if they don't wanna Mama and Indy to eat it all first."
Isa giggled and sprinted out of the room.
"She's a wild one," Lindsay decided before beginning to sing an old Faith Hill song under her breath.
Austin accompanied her eye roll with a soft hip-check as she stood on her tiptoes to pull down the bowls, "Crazy woman."
"Takes on to know one," Lindsay fired back with a grin before grabbing the silverware from the drawer.
"Ma," Isabeth peeked her head back in the room, "food."
"We're coming, Starvin' Marvin, hold your horses."
The toddler pursed her lips and cocked an eyebrow.
"That means it's time for daddy to put you in your seat, Scully," Lindsay informed her.
Isa shook her head as she walked away mumbling, "Indy, Ma, sillies."
"That child is gonna be a force to be reckoned with," Lindsay offered her best friend a sympathetic smile as she watched the little girl stomp off with her hands on her hips.
"Gonna be?"
"She's not even two yet, you're in for one heck of a ride."
"Basically," Austin sighed as she carried the plates to the table and doubled back for the food, "God help me when she can actually speak in full sentences."
"Force. To. Be. Reckoned. With."
"Hurricane force."
Lindsay laughed, "Well said, Sister Suffragette."
"No more Gilmore girls for the crazy ladies," Danny teased while he finished fastening Isabeth into her chair. He crossed over to his wife and pecked her lips, "I love when you're all domestic."
"Don't expect it a lot," Austin teased as she yanked him back in for another kiss, "I only do this because Lindsay is here to make sure I don't blow up the kitchen. Tomorrow we return to your regularly scheduled cold pizza."
"I love when you speak leftovers," he laughed and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"Go away, you're a jerk." Austin shoved him with a laugh.
"Lucy, Ricky," Lindsay smirked at them from the table, "would you care to join us for food now?"
"Nah, I think I want to take her away. We'll be back for dessert."
"People who don't eat their dinner don't get dessert," Lindsay said sternly, a smile in her eyes.
"I have an answer for that, but I think it would be a better idea if I just sat down and shut up," Danny noted, clearing his throat.
"Always," Austin, Lindsay, and Adam chorused.
Danny sighed and shook his head, glad the four pronged banter was back the way it should be.
The kids were having a grand time making a mess of themselves and hollering to be heard over the adult discussion. Colton had eaten all the potatoes out of Isa's soup and she in turn had taken all the carrots out of his. Their dinner rolls were mangled messes and they would both be in need of baths for the amount of dinner that had ended up in places other than their mouths.
"Colton Matthew, don't put dinner in your pocket."
"For later," he defended. "A'night snack. Like daddy."
"Are you ratting on daddy?"
"Nope. Mama daddy eatin' cookies in bedtime."
"Jealous?" Adam asked. Colton nodded and continued to stuff his dinner into the pocket on the front of his overalls.
Lindsay and Austin exchanged glances over the table figuring there was no point in fighting the strange antics of their offspring. Especially once Isa took her shoe off and put it on the table, then nestled her milk glass inside.
Dinner was finished and the kids were all given a quick bath, splashing happily in the warm water and bubbles while their mamas kept close watch and their daddies cleaned up the kitchen. Pretty soon it was time for the family to disband for the evening. The kids gave each other hug after hug, pressing chubby cheeks together and giggling over secrets. As they grew up it took longer and longer to say goodbye at the end of the night, and it wasn't their fault. Lindsay and Austin kept thinking of things to say and it wasn't until Adam looked at his watch, cleared his throat and tapped his foot that they got the message.
"Tuesday?" Austin asked with a smile, hoping they could kick things back into a normal gear now.
"Tuesday. We'll do lunch."
"Perfect."
They stood awkwardly for a split second before stepping forward and hugging each other tightly.
"I'll always be here, Aust."
"So will I. I love you, Linds."
"I love you too."
The addition of the "I" in the phrase wasn't lost on either of them as they pulled away and smiled at each other, knowing that all the promises they'd made would never be broken, and they would always be.