Washington DC……
Brandon walked into the busy city bar, quickly scanning the room for his girlfriend. He spotted her in a quiet corner booth and walked over to her, giving her a peck on the cheek.
"How was your day?" she asked sincerely, knowing it had been a rough week for him. Brandon had been following a big story for some time now, and it was beginning to take a toll on him. They both had busy work lives- Brandon was focused on politics and Susan was following current events around the world. The two had found their way back to each other two years ago when they met up unexpectedly at a political event. Their relationship was strong, Susan thought to herself, but she felt as though it wasn't progressing as quickly as she had hoped. The couple was planning a vacation back to the west coast next month and Susan thought to herself that the trip may define their relationship as they visit with family and friends.
"I'm about done with my piece- should be ready for print in the next couple of days," Brandon told her. The couple had a quiet dinner and Brandon went back to Susan's house that night.
"I'm really looking forward to our trip. It'll be nice to see everyone," Susan said. "I can't believe your sister has a baby."
Brandon smiled. It had been a big year for his sister. She moved away from London and was doing the bicoastal thing- part of her time in New York and part in LA. A couple months ago she had become a mother, adopting a beautiful little girl named Abigail from China. Brandon could hardly believe his niece was ten months old now. She had the same spunk and determination as Brenda. Come to think of it, all of his friends had become parents. David and Donna had a baby girl. Who could believe that Steve Sanders was now the father of three girls. And then there was Kelly. Brandon thought back to the child that they had lost. He was truly happy for Kelly when he heard she had a son. He had never met Sammy, but heard he was just like his mother. It was difficult for Brandon to think of Kelly and Dylan having a child together and then Dylan moving away from his family. Brandon had never been able to fathom that idea.
Back in LA…..
Kelly sat in her Adirondack chair on the front porch, sipping a glass of wine. A car pulled into the driveway and Brenda walked up the front steps.
"Hey, what took you so long?" Kelly asked.
"Abby was pitching a fit and didn't want to go down. I didn't want to leave Adrianna with her screaming like that," Brenda said. "Where's Sam?"
"He's asleep. And Silver's out with Annie. Want some wine?" she asked, pouring some in a glass.
"Sure. Hey, I got an email from my brother today. He and Susan are coming for a visit in a few weeks."
Kelly hadn't seen Brandon in over four years. Her stomach fluttered a little, hearing the news of his trip. It would be good to see him. He had never met Sammy, but he always asked about him and would send him gifts at Christmas and his birthday. It would be hard to see him with Susan. Kelly always had liked her and thought they made a cute couple. There was just something inside of her that yearned for Brandon. Kelly always had the "what ifs" in the back of her mind. What if we hadn't lost the baby? What if we had gotten married? What if I had followed him out to DC? Kelly shook the thoughts out of her head. She had Sammy now, and never would want to take that back. He was a gorgeous little boy that deserved the best. Kelly was going to make sure of that- with or without his father.