Falling out of love

It was a beautiful spring day in L.A. Andy & Sharon had the weekend off and they were taking full advantage of it. They were walking around the farmer's market with Nicole and Rusty just enjoying the day. They were almost done with their shopping for things to make with dinner. He and Sharon were busy laughing and talking with their children when he heard a very familiar voice from behind him. He turned around to see his ex-wife standing in the parking lot glaring at them.

"Well well, doesn't this seem like the perfect little family."

Nicole looked up at her mother, she just shook her head at her. "Mom, what in the world are you doing here?" she asked as she walked toward her mother.

Her mother glared at her. "What are you doing here with your father and his whore girlfriend?!" she shouted at her daughter.

Nicole stopped in her tracks. "MOM! I will not let you talk about Sharon like that! She is a sweet, loving, caring person and she is wonderful to Dad and he cares about her deeply."

Andy's temper was starting to boil over at the sight of his ex-wife and daughter arguing. Sharon could sense him tensing up next to her. She wrapped her arm around him and laid her hand on his chest as she looked into his chocolate eyes. She sighed as he looked down at her. "Andy, Honey, she isn't worth it. Just let it go please, for me."

He looked at her, "I can't let it go. She has crossed the line this time. Talking about me is one thing but when she calls you names, that's a different story and I am not going to put up with it any longer. But I promise you I won't lose my temper and I will be right back ok."

She sighed heavily and released him as he walked toward his ex-wife and stopped within arms length of her and glared at her. He took a deep breath as he gritted his teeth. He looked at his daughter, "Nicole, Honey, why don't you and Sharon and Rusty go on and head back to Sharon's condo? I'll be there shortly."

The three of them looked at each other and said 'no' at the same time! He just chuckled to himself. He took another deep breath as he felt Sharon's hand resting on his back. He looked at his ex-wife, "First off, Angela, you will NOT talk about Sharon like that. You and I are no longer married and we haven't been in a long time! And who our daughter spends time with is none of your business either! Got it?!"

Angela just looked at him stunned for a second before she spoke. "Finally grown a backbone, huh, Andy? Or are you just showing off for your girlfriend and her son?"

This time before he could move, Sharon was face to face with her. "He is none of your concern, Angela, so do us all a favor and leave us alone! Before I have you arrested for harassing a police officer."

Andy grabbed her wrist and turned Sharon around. "Look, Honey, I got this don't worry. Give me a minute and we can leave ok?" She could see the pleading in his eyes and just nodded her head. He looked at Angela as the others walked away giving them their space for a minute. "Look if you haven't noticed I am with Sharon now and things are good. Why are you trying to mess that up?" he asked her.

She looked at him puzzled. "Well why should I let you be happy, Andy? You made my life a living hell so I thought I would return the favor! Does she know you're an alcoholic?"

"Just in case you don't know, I love her and there is nothing you can do about it." He didn't notice that Sharon had walked up on the conversation and he heard a gasp coming from behind him. He turned to see Sharon standing behind him with tears in her eyes. "Sharon Honey, this is not the way I wanted to tell you that."

She was smiling at him like an idiot as she hugged him tightly and whispered in his ear, "I love you too, Andy!"

"Well isn't that just precious!" he heard his ex-wife say.

He let go of Sharon and turned around to face Angela. "Why don't you just leave us alone and go be miserable somewhere else?" he asked sharply.

"Come on, Mom, I'll walk you to your car," Nicole said as she made her way to her mother and drug her by the arm to her car and away from them.

Sharon looked at him and wrapped her arms around his waist and stared into his dark eyes. "I'm proud of you for not losing your temper," she said as she hugged him tightly.

He looked down at her and hugged her back. "Thank you, Honey! But I didn't want you find out this way."

She could see the hurt in his eyes. She kissed him gently. "Honey, it doesn't matter how you do it as long as you do it and you mean what you say."

"How did I get so lucky to find someone like you, Sharon?"

She smirked at him. "I don't know, just being your sweet self I guess," she snickered at him.

Nicole walked back to find them hugging and talking amongst themselves and she made her way to where Rusty was standing watching everything. She placed her hand on his shoulder and he jumped. "Rusty, I'm sorry I didn't mean to startle you!"

"It's ok I've just been standing here watching your dad and my mom. He must really love her!"

Nicole looked at him. "Yes, Rusty, he does."

"That's good I guess," he sighed and walked toward Sharon and Andy.

Nicole grabbed him. "What do you mean you guess?"

About that time Sharon saw them coming toward them. "Rusty, Honey, I am so sorry you had to see that," she spoke as she brushed the hair out of his eyes.

"It's ok, Mom, can we just go home now?" he asked.

"Absolutely, Honey."

"Sharon, why don't you and Rusty go ahead? I would like to talk to Dad for a minute before we get to your house." Sharon put her arm around her son and they walked to the car talking.

"Nicole, what's up?" Andy asked puzzled.

"Well, Dad, I think Rusty may have a problem with you & Sharon dating."

"Oh!" he said. "No worries, Nicole, I'll talk to him when we get back to the condo."

They all headed back to Sharon's condo. When they arrived Andy stopped in the living room and looked at Rusty. "Can we talk for a minute?"

Rusty looked at Sharon and back at Andy. "Sure," he said, "let's go to my room."

As they walked down the hallway Andy turned to see Sharon talking to Nicole and they caught each other's eyes for a second and he smiled a crooked grin at her. He walked into Rusty's room and sat in the chair across from his bed and waited to hear what Rusty had to say. Rusty looked at the older man before he spoke. "Can I ask you a question, Andy?"

He looked at the boy. "Sure, what's up," he asked.

"Do you really love my mom?"

Andy was completely floored. He looked at the boy, "Yes, Rusty, I love her very much. Why do you ask?"

Rusty looked at the floor again as he answered. "I just don't want to see her get hurt again, you know. Jack hurt her enough and I haven't exactly been the best person towards her either."

Andy looked at him and he could see the pain and hurt in his eyes. "Rusty, I promise you here and now that I will never hurt Sharon. I saw first hand how bad Jack hurt her and how mean and hateful he was to her, but I can promise you this I will never hurt her like that. If it doesn't work out between us then I will walk away and wish her the best but I am committed to her and our relationship and I want us to work." He walked over and sat down next to Rusty as he asked, "Why all the questions?"

Rusty looked at him with tears in his eyes. "I just don't want her to get hurt again, Andy, she doesn't deserve that."

"I agree with you, she doesn't and I am not going to hurt her."

"I want her to be happy, Andy, and she seems to be with you!" Rusty looked at him again. "Thank you for answering my questions, Andy, I appreciate it."

Just then Sharon stuck her head in the room. "Everything ok in here, guys?"

Andy looked at Rusty and then at her. "Yes all is good in here."

She entered the room and stood next to Andy. Rusty looked at her and back at Andy. "Can I borrow Mom for a minute, Andy?"

"Sure I'll go see what Nicole is up to." He got up and walked out of the room leaving them alone.

She looks at him as she sits down on his bed. "What's wrong, Honey? You look like something is bothering you?"

"Do you love Andy?" She looked at her son for a second, "Yes, Rusty, I love him very much. Why?"

He looked again at her, she had a worried look on her face. "I was just asking, Mom, you really haven't talked to me much about anything especially what's been going on between you and Andy." He looked at his mom. "Can I ask you something else?"

"Sure, Honey, what is it?"

"With you two dating now does this mean that you aren't going to want me around anymore?"

As she looked at her son, she was left completely speechless. As she wrapped her arms around him, "Rusty, I will always want you around! You are my son and I love you more than anything! You have a special place in heart along with Ricky and Emily. You never ever have to question what you mean to me. Rusty, you and your brother and sister come first in my life, always have and always will."

He snuggled into her side a little closer and hugged her like he was hanging on for dear life. She felt him shuddering and shaking and realized that he was crying. She held him while he cried.

Andy stuck his head around the door and saw what was happening. She saw him watching and motioned for him to leave so that she could have a few more minutes.

He quietly walked back down the hall to find Nicole staring at him. "Dad, what's up?" she asked puzzled.

"Oh it's nothing, Honey, they are talking about some things and I was just checking on them."

"Oh ok," she said as she walked into the kitchen to start working on lunch.

Sharon sat there holding her youngest son for a few more minutes. He sat up and looked at her as she wiped the tears off of his cheek. "You feel better?" she asked.

He looked at her with sadness in his eyes, "Yeah a little."

She hugged him again. "Why don't we go and start on lunch? I don't know about you but I'm starving."

He looked at her, "Ok sounds good." Before she could get up off the bed he hugged her tightly again and held her hand in his as he looked at her. "Mom, I just want to apologize to you for all of the awful stuff I did and said to you when I first came to live with you. I am so sorry and one day I promise to make you proud of me!"

Now she was the one fighting back the tears and she held him. "Honey, you don't have to apologize to me for anything and I am already so proud of you! Always remember that," she said as she cupped his chin in her hand. "Come on, lets go start lunch."

As they walked hand and hand down the hall, they saw Nicole in the kitchen with Andy working on lunch. He looked up when he felt Sharon's hand on his wrist. He looked down at her and she rose up on the balls of her feet to gently kiss him.

He looked at her surprised. "What was that for?"

She smiled at him, "For just being you!"

He hugged her and whispered in her ear, "I love you!"

She smiled to herself and whispered back, "I love you too!"

Nicole & Rusty were watching them and they looked at each other and laughed out loud as they continued working on lunch. After lunch was done and everything cleaned up Nicole left and Rusty retreated to his room leaving them alone for the first time all day.

Sharon was standing on the terrace watching the city go by and just enjoying the beautiful spring day when she was startled out of her thoughts by a gentle hand coming to rest on her shoulder. She hummed happily as his chin rested on the top of her head.

He looked at her and she seemed to be a million miles away. "Sharon, what's on your mind?" he asked as he turned her around to face him. "You seem to be in your own little world." She just looked up at him and just melted into him, wrapping her arms around him and holding him tight like she was holding on for dear life. "Honey, what's wrong?" he asked again, this time with a little worry in his voice.

She looked up to see him staring at her with his dark chocolate eyes. She let out a long sigh then looked up at him. "Nothing, Honey, just thinking about my talk with Rusty. I didn't realize how he actually felt about everything that has been going on between you and I," she paused for a second fighting back the tears before she continued, "I have been such a bad mother to him, Andy, I know I have! How could have I been so blind not see how hurt he was?"

Andy just looked at and held her tighter. "First off, Sharon, you are an amazing mother. You always put your kids first and that has never changed. You can't be so hard on yourself. What else did he say?"

She started once again, "He asked me now that you and I are dating did this mean that I wouldn't want him around as much anymore. Basically he asked was I trying to get rid of him. That broke my heart, Andy."

He felt her shudder and then she started shaking as she cried. He just stood there holding her. "Sharon, look at me." After a minute or two she looked up at him. "Did you tell him that he was completely wrong for thinking that?"

"Yes I did. I think he believed me."

"Honey, look at me." She looked up to see him smiling at her. "You are an amazing mother and you always put your kids first and that's how it should be and think about this for a minute after everything the kid has been through and all of the things that he has to deal with, you are the one constant person in his life and you are the one that he turns to for advice and for a shoulder to lean on. You are the main reason that he is where he is today and why he is the great person he is. You are his mother no matter what anyone says about it. You should be proud of the young man he has turned into."

She looked at him with tears streaming down her face. "I know that I am blessed to be his mother and he is a great young man, Andy, but I can't help but feel that I have let him down in some way. But thank you for putting it into perspective for me." She held onto him even tighter.

They broke apart and he looked at her while wiping the tears off of her cheek. "I guess I am going to head home."

"Are you sure, Andy? You are more than welcome to stay."

As they walked back into the living room, Rusty was coming out of the kitchen and stopped and looked at them. "Sharon, what's wrong?" he asked as he walked toward her. "Did something happen?" He looked puzzled. He could tell that she had been crying again.

"Oh, Honey, I'm fine I promise. I was just having a heart to heart with Andy that's all."

He looked at the older man with a questioning glare. "She's telling the truth, Kid, she's fine. Well, I am going to leave now."

As he walked toward the door Sharon following right behind him, "I hope you had a good afternoon, Andy!"

"I did, Sharon, thank you for making it great!" She could feel her cheeks turning red. She just smiled at him. He leaned in and gently kissed her and turned and walked toward the elevator. He stopped halfway and turned, looking at her "Love you, Sharon."

She smiled at him, "Love you too, Andy, now go home!"

He gave her a crooked grin, "Yes, Ma'am," got on the elevator and he was gone.

She closed the door behind her and turned to see Rusty standing right behind her. "Oh, Rusty," she said as she jumped.

"He didn't have to leave because of me, Sharon, he could've stayed."

She smiled at her son. "I know, Honey, but he wanted to give us a chance to spend sometime just the two of us."

Rusty looked at her, grinning ear to ear. "Really?" He asked looking at her with a sparkle in his eye that she hasn't seen in a long time.

"Yes!" she grinned, "So what do you want to do first?" Just then her phone started vibrating on the counter. She looked at Rusty who looked worried that she was getting called out. She walked over and picked it up. It was a text from Andy.

A: "I hope you and the kid have a great afternoon and rest of the weekend! Sorry about the ex-wife this morning. Call you tonight?"

S: "Hey! Thank you and I hope you do too! Don't worry about it, I'm not worried about her. Sure I'll text you later ok?"

He looked at his phone and chuckled to himself, 'That woman!' as he answered her.

A: "That's ok with me! You and Rusty be safe today and have fun and don't forget what I told you earlier! You are an amazing mother and a beautiful woman! Just text me later. Love you, Beautiful!"

Her phone vibrated in her hand again. She smiled as she read his message, 'That man!' she thought. She looked at Rusty who was patiently waiting for her. "You ready, Honey?"

"Yep let's go!"

She sent one more message as she walked out the door.

S: "I love you too, Handsome! Talk to you later and you and Provenza behave yourselves today! That's an order! Love, Sharon"

"Yes, Ma'am, will do! Andy "

She smiled to herself as she put her phone back in her purse. Today was going to be a good day!