A/N: So, no-one is revewing but I know a few people are reading, so thats cool :-) Here's the middle of the story; end to follow soon...
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)
Part 2 of 3
"Well, now" Caroline said, looking to Parker, and then around the room at her whole perfect little family, "Where was I?"
"You were going to marry some guy named Randy" her elder daughter reminded her quickly, just wanting to get on with the story already.
"That's right" Caroline nodded, "and the minister asked if anyone had any objections..." she continued, pausing for dramatic effect.
"Did you stop the wedding, Daddy?" Marissa asked, craning her neck to look up at her father.
"No" he shook his head, a smile creeping onto his face as he looked across at Stefano, "but your brother did" he told them, as the boy who had looked bored up to this point suddenly sat up and took notice of what was happening.
"Me?" he checked, obviously not recalling the incident at all, but then he wouldn't, he was just a babe in arms at the time.
Caroline could see it all so clearly in her head as she recalled the story of her wedding day many years ago...
*FLASHBACK to 1999*
The sound of a baby crying broke the silence that had previously filled the church. Somebody's kid had very bad timing to be crying at this particular point when the priest had just now asked if anyone objected to the marriage. As the baby cry was heard again, many heads tuned to see who was there, where the child was and why it wasn't being quietened down. Caroline got the biggest shock of anyone as she looked up in the rafters and spotted a man she knew very well, a baby in his arms.
"Richard" she gasped as she headed back down the aisle, Randy, her wedding and everything forgotten for a moment as she faced the man she loved.
Getting over him had been hard but she'd told herself it was for the best. He wasn't just out of her life but out of the country, and completely out of reach, not least because their futures were planned to be so different. He hadn't wanted children, not even the one he and Julia had already produced, at least that was what he'd said that day at the airport six months ago. Now he was here, and holding this child to whom he had supposedly become quite attached. Caroline didn't know what to think or even what to feel. All she knew was she was so very glad to see Richard and she needed to talk to him.
Making a gesture with her arm that she hoped he read correctly, Caroline hurried out of the main hall and through to where she knew the stairs from above met the ground. Richard was there in an instant and though they were both so pleased to see each other, the moment was beyond awkward. He had a child now, this was her wedding day. Both of them were not so free and single anymore, far from it in fact, and neither really knew how to react to being faced with each other.
"Richard, what are you doing here?" Caroline asked eventually, the only coherent question or comment she could find in the whole of her head that continued to spin.
"I heard you were getting married and... I don't know" he shook his head, "I just had to be here"
Before either of them had a chance to say anything else (not that anything in particular came to mind anyway) one worried bridesmaid and her usher partner came hurrying from the main hall, closing the doors behind them.
"Good news first" Annie said quickly, "I managed to keep your Mom, Dad, and Randy in the hall for now, which gives you two some time to talk" she told Caroline, "Bad news is... Richie's back" she said with a look that suggested that wasn't meant to be as mean as it sounded.
"So nice to see you too, Annie" Richard said flatly but with a smirk on his face.
"What's happening?" Del wanted to know, "I mean is that it, no wedding?" he checked.
"I don't know, I..." Caroline said, looking bemused as she glanced between her friends and Richard who tried to stop his son from making noise.
"Okay, well, how about we, uh..." Annie began, pushing open the nearest door and smiling, "Yeah, empty room! How about we all go in here, away from ears and people" she suggested, ever mindful of what could potentially be heard in the main hall.
"Come on, Stefano" Richard tried in vain to get the child to stop wriggling and whimpering, but he was having none of it as he and Caroline were forcibly bundled into the next room.
"If you need to deal with him..." she started, only to have Annie interrupt.
"No, no way" she said firmly, "You guys need a serious talk" she said, pointing a stern finger at the two of them, "So how about me and Del take the little one, walk around the block, see if we can't calm him down, whilst you two talk things through?" she suggested.
Richard looked dubious. He did want to talk to Caroline, alone if at all possible, though he wasn't overly certain he knew what he was going to say. He could see the sense in removing Stefano from the equation for a few minutes, and for all the fights he and Annie had, he trusted her to see no harm came to his son.
"Here" he said, carefully handing the baby over into the bridesmaids waiting arms, then passing his accompanying bag to Del, "If he needs feeding or changing, everything you need is in the bag" he told the unlikely couple as they nodded their understanding and moved to walk away.
"We have to change him?" Del said with some disgust as they walked away, and Richard closed the door behind them, turning to face Caroline.
"He's a beautiful baby" she said, for lack of knowing where else to begin, "You seem to have taken to fatherhood pretty well" she added almost bitterly, though it was not her intention.
It hurt more to know how they had come to part and now to realise it might have all been for nothing. She was marrying another man and it was too late for her and Richard, he and Julia were probably back together and…
"To be honest, I had to" Richard's words interrupted her train of thought and she looked up sharply from the floor and met his eyes, "Julia had no interest in being a mother, I was left literally holding the baby" he explained, "and then the more time I spent with Stefano the more I loved him, the more I found my reason for being" he smiled, an expression that had been unfamiliar to him for too long before now.
Caroline opened her mouth to speak when the door opened and Randy entered, closing said door behind himself and facing both his bride and the uninvited guest at his wedding.
"Well, isn't this awkward?" Caroline said with an over-the-top grin, really stuck for anything else to say or do right now.
"I'm sorry" Richard apologised, "I probably shouldn't ever have come, I honestly don't know what I was thinking when I did, I just…"
"It's alright, Richard" Randy told him honestly, "You know a part of me wondered if you'd show up today" he smiled, though it was a sad expression through and through as the two men shared a look.
"How did you even know I was getting married?" Caroline chimed in, suddenly realising she had never sent an invitation, and as far as she knew Richard was still on the opposite side of the world.
"Actually, it was Charlie who told me" Richard smiled as he recalled the day, "It was the oddest coincidence when he showed up in Italy, talking about Del, and Annie, and you, and suddenly... I just needed to come home" he said, staring intently at Caroline, his words and the look in his eyes as he gazed at her almost bringing her to tears.
Randy watched the two watching each other. It near broke his heart, but a part of him had been waiting for this day to come from the very moment he and Caroline went on their first date to now. As much as he loved and trusted her, a part of him had always been waiting for Richard for return and for everything to be ripped out from under him.
Before anybody had a chance to say anymore a light tap on the door was followed by Annie entering with a screaming Stefano in her arms.
"I swear, I tried everything" she said with a genuinely apologetic look on her face as she glanced at Caroline and then Richard, "I guess he just wants his Daddy" she said with a shrug as she handed the baby back to his father.
"I should..." he said, looking back at Caroline and she nodded her head.
"Go" she told him, watching him leave, along with Annie and Del.
She had to face Randy now, and she honestly didn't know what to say to him. Fortunately, it seemed he knew that and had a few things of his own he needed to get off his chest. Caroline tried to steel herself against anger or tears that might come from the man she was supposed to be marrying today. The wind was knocked completely out of her sails by his actual reaction.
"You know I always knew if he came back, things would change" Randy said with a sad smile, "I was second best, Caroline, and we both knew it"
"Randy..." she tried to interrupt, to argue somehow, even though deep down she knew he was right.
"No, Caroline, please" he shook his head and silenced her with a look, "Please, let me say this" he urged her, taking hold of her hand, "You love Richard, you always have, and yeah, I know you love me too, but not enough" he sighed, "I could've handled being second best, just to be with you, it would've been worth it, but now Richard's back in the picture, and the way he looks at you... I know he loves you as much as I do" he nodded, as tears ran unchecked down Caroline's cheeks, smearing her make-up as it went, "Sweetheart, I know you love him more, and I'm pretty sure if you go through with this wedding and marry me today, you'll wind up regretting it later" he said, taking a deep breath, closing his eyes a moment and steeling himself against anything that came next, in particular the reaction he was expecting, "I need you to be completely honest with me, Caroline" he said, looking her right in the eyes, lifting her chin with his finger to ensure she couldn't shy away from this important moment, "Can you marry me today?"
She hesitated but a moment, before silently shaking her head. Randy had expected that, but it didn't hurt any less to get the actual answer. There was always a tiny part of him that held onto the hope she might feel differently, that she might choose him - it was never going to happen, and she had just proved it.
"Randy, I'm so sorry" Caroline cried, feeling just dreadful.
Before, she'd been certain she and Richard had no future together, they wanted different things, and he had a child and Julia. Now everything was different, a life together was possible for them somehow, and she couldn't tie herself to Randy knowing she might get to be with Richard if she said no.
"Don't be" Randy shook his head, "Don't ever be sorry for being in love, Caroline" he told her, as he leaned in and planted a kiss on her forehead, then let go of her hand and walked towards the door.
At the last moment he turned back to look at her.
"One last question" he said, "If Richard asked, would you marry him today?" he checked, and though Caroline wouldn't or couldn't answer, the look on her face spoke volumes, "Then don't waste a good dress" he said with a small smile as he let himself out of the room.
Alone for a moment, Caroline tried to gather her thoughts but was barely given time as there was a knock on the door and Richard re-entered.
"I got Stefano settled, Randy told me you needed to talk to me" he said as he cautiously came into the room, closing the door behind him, "What happened?"
"Randy..." Caroline cried, feeling so over-emotional she could barely speak, "he, he said he knows that I... that I love you more than him" she said, wiping her tears away and only making a worse mess of her make up.
It took Richard a moment to process that sentence, before he could properly answer. If Randy knew Caroline loved himself more than her groom, obviously she had confirmed it and that had caused the other man to leave. Richard felt terrible for the red-head who was apparently very upset and yet, he couldn't feel at all sorry that he'd stopped the wedding, not if it meant the two of them had a chance now.
"Caroline..." he said as he moved towards her and immediately she flew into his arms hugging him close.
Holding on tight to each other, Caroline's tears soon ceased as both she and Richard enjoyed the feeling of each others embrace, that feeling like coming home.
"I almost made such a big mistake" she said against his shoulder, as she pulled away so he would better hear her, "Richard, I missed you so much"
"I missed you too" he assured her with a smile, "Caroline, I wanted so many times to call or write, even come back here and tell you how I've changed and yet one thing has always remained the same - I love you" he swore.
"I love you too" she repeated the sentiment back to him, as he lowered his head and kissed her, a passionate kiss that reminded Caroline vaguely of another time, in a dreamworld, where she wore a wedding dress and planned to marry another man, only to have Richard enter and kiss her just like this.
That was the night when she'd started to realise she was falling in love with this man, and now she knew for sure she never wanted to let him go. It was an awfully fast turnaround, but Randy had been right. He was second best to Richard, through no fault of his own or hers, but it was true. Now she had her true love back, her sincero amore, and she wasn't going to let him get away again.
"Richard" she gasped when they parted from their kiss and tried to breathe, "Will you marry me?" she asked, with a genuine smile on her face as she gazed up at him.
"Caroline, I would marry you this moment if I could" he told her happily.
"Then let's do it" she said, making what was perhaps the first well-thought out snap desicion of her life - and it felt really good too!
To Be Continued...
