Chapter 1

Eleven month old Rose Micelli was determined to walk. Crawling just wasn't doing it for the rambunctious toddler anymore. With a sense of resolve, she lunged for the edge of the coffee table and steadied herself against the solid wood. With sticky, chubby fingers she held onto the table's edge for dear life as she pulled herself to a full standing position. "Daaagaaaa!" she proudly yelled out, her four-toothed smile wide and happy. Rose basked in her parents' approving gaze before making another bold move. This time, she took one step away from the table and fell hard on her bum with a loud thud. "Maaaaaaaaamaaaaaaaaaa", she cried.

"You're alright. You're fine Rose. Mommy is so proud of you", Angela cooed as she waddled over to her fiery haired toddler. Rose's shrieking calmed down as her heavily pregnant mother knelt beside her and cuddled her tightly against her enormous belly.

"Ay-Oh, look at this kid Angela! She's gonna be walking by summer. That bit of clumsiness-it'll be gone by then", Tony declared.

"She's not clumsy, Tony. She's not even a year old. Jonathan didn't walk until he was fifteen months. I think Rose is doing very well. And she's ever so bright too!" Angela was proud of Rose.

"She's definitely bright, Angela. Not sayin' she isn't. I mean seeing her with those animal puzzles—it's somethin' alright! It's just that at this age, Samantha was a bit more, er, coordinated. That's all. So maybe Rose will be an intellectual and not a jock. She's a lot like you. Other than that red mop on her head, she's an exact copy of you!" Tony scooped his daughter off the floor and lifted her up high. Rose giggled with delight before squirming to come down. She wanted to master this walking thing.

"Okay Rose, down you go. Man, this baby knows what she wants!" Tony exclaimed as he put the toddler back down.

"Tony, I'm having such trouble catching her when she's crawling. I can barely keep up with her. And when the new baby arrives, I don't know how I'm going to do it." Stress and worry crept into Angela's voice despite her attempt to remain calm. Back-to-back babies had indeed been a surprise. In fact, the previous two years' volcanic explosion of unanticipated events had nearly torn their family apart. Angela ruminated on how her current surprise pregnancy was merely icing on the cake of insanity that had become their lives. Beginning with her unplanned pregnancy of Rose by ex-boyfriend Andy, the subsequent happenings had thrown the Bower/Micelli clan into chaos and uncertainty.

Thankfully, Tony had offered to be Rose's father when Andy had cruelly rejected Angela and the baby. So while the year had been rough, bright spots had shone through the dark times. Tony and Angela found joy in finally marrying after seven years of unrequited love. They knew their love was strong; in fact it was so solid that it had resisted being torn apart when drama between Samantha and Jonathan almost engulfed everything and everybody in its path. But Angela knew that the love she shared with Tony was the glue that held them together as they navigated the storm created by their children.

Jonathan had harboured a secret crush on Sam for years; a revelation that resulted in the boy being sent to live with his father in California. During that time, Samantha's confidence and mood had suffered a crippling blow when her fiancé Matt dumped her. While apart, the children had continued corresponding by letter, creating a new stronger friendship. Jon matured quickly in California, becoming a strong and handsome young man. And when a depressed Samantha travelled to California to aid in his recovery after a concussion, she reciprocated his romantic feelings. This surprising turn of events occurred right before Tony and Angela's wedding.

The two teenagers had tried to keep their romance a secret from their parents but they were eventually found out during Michael Bower's memorial service. Jonathan's grief over the death of his father catapulted his relationship with Samantha into dangerous territory for step-siblings. Tony's hot-headed reaction had been to throw his daughter out of the house. So, after a forced break-up and plenty of counseling, it was determined that Sam and Jon would stay apart for four years; the length of Sam's nursing school program in Dublin. Jonathan was now in pre-med at Harvard so the kids hadn't seen each other in months—not since Samantha's departure for Ireland.

And now, Sam was returning to Connecticut to be Angela's labour coach once again. Sam was a natural, having helped deliver Rose with courage and finding her passion and career goals as a result of that incredible experience.

"Don't worry Angela", Tony reassured her. His voice broke her out of her reminiscing about the past two years. "Sam's coming home today! She's going to be here until her classes start up again in the fall. We're going to have her here for months, so relax and let her chase after Rose."

"I'm so happy that she's coming home for a few months, Tony. I've missed her so much. And I'm also relieved that she's making it in time for the delivery. It means the world to me to have her attend me during the birth. She was a godsend when Rose was born", Angela said.

"No kiddin', Angela. I'm glad she was there too 'cause I was really, um, uncomfortable", Tony admitted sheepishly.

"Really? I never would have guessed", she teased him. "Not from the way you tore out of that room or from the frozen way you stood by looking terrified! All kidding aside though, if it's too much for you to handle this time, I'll be fine with Samantha."

"Nuh-uh. No way am I missing out on the birth of my son. I want to be there for the big moment, Angela!" Tony declared with machismo and pride.

"Son?"

"Well, we had a girl the last time . . . I can hope, can't I?"

"I don't know what we're having Tony. At this point, I just hope it's born healthy and soon!" Angela said as she walked over to her husband. "Honey, I'm just so happy that this baby will be a bit of you and a bit of me. I never thought this would happen for us. And even though the timing was terrible, I can't wait to meet our child. Ooooh Tony", Angela gushed feeling suddenly very emotional.

"Oh, here come the waterworks. Come here Sweetheart", Tony held his arms out to Angela and wrapped them securely around her back as she snuggled against him, her huge belly protruding.

"Tony?"

"What is it, Angela?" Tony knew his wife well enough to recognize the apprehension in her voice even when she tried to hide it.

"I guess . . . I guess I'm just a bit worried about the kids. You know how excited I am to see Sam again but how do you think it'll be when Jonathan comes home for a visit? Do you think they'll be able to handle it? They promised to wait the four years, Tony. What if they can't?"

"Well they'd better, Angela! 'Cause if they don't, they'll have to deal with me."