Chapter 2

Family Reunion

by Disherona

Sharona said yes, and Randy was over the moon.

He had proposed to Sharona before. He had proposed many times, but she had always said "no" before. The first proposal came when they had been on one of their long distance phone calls, when she lived in New Jersey, and he was in San Francisco. They had visited each other a few times, and had talked every night on the phone and got to know one another intimately. And one night, When Randy was missing her company and thinking of how long it would be before he would be able to be with her again, Randy asked if they should get married. It wasn't eloquent or particularly romantic. It was just a question from a man who wanted to be nearer to the woman he loved.

She said no, and to be honest, he wasn't really surprised. He believed she loved him and wanted to spend more time with him, but she was practical, and was still kicking herself for remarrying her ex-husband, thinking that either of them be happy that way. The arrangement also was one of convenience, and Randy understood that. Seeing a practical way to be with the man she was in love with, she suggest that they share a home and a life together. If they could find a place where they could both be happy, and find good jobs and an acceptable house, they might be able to build a nice life with each other.

He asked again over dinner during their on first anniversary of living together. They were on the back porch of their Summit house, finishing a romantic dinner and he caught a glimpse of her in the light of the candle. He didn't have a ring or even a plan to ask her that night, but he was caught off guard by how beautiful she looked and his love for her, and asked on an impulse. She smiled sweetly and turned him down again, explaining that she couldn't love him more, and how much she loved the way their life was. He asked her periodically after that, not ever expecting a yes, and let her know every time that she could say yes any time, even if he didn't ask, and she would smile, and kiss him in a way that put a question in his mind, about why she would always turn him down. He knew Trevor could be an ass, but there had to be more. There had to be another piece of the puzzle that was missing.

And Randy always wanted to be married and have a family - a big family, to make up for what he had missed out on, growing up. He would comfort himself with the idea that Sharona was happy with the way things were. Believing that they were still happy, they were still in love, and that a piece of paper and a ceremony wouldn't change what they meant to each other and it wouldn't change what everyone who knew them already knew about them: that they were already devoted to one another.

For a next week they kept their secrets to themselves, and took pleasure in the idea that they knew what none of their friends and family did. A little treasure that they could smile about, and exchange secret looks over. It was starting to become difficult, because Randy didn't have the strongest poker face, and Natalie was perceptive and was beginning to ask questions. The couple decided that they would tell their friends the good news after they told Sharona's family, her mother, sister and son. The only problem was that her mom lived in Florida, her sister and son lived in New York and Randy and Sharona lived in California. After discussing the options of phone calls and Skyping the family, they chose to fly Sharona's mother to New York and meet the rest of the family there to avoid the argument of who was going to be told first, her son, her sister or her mother. They would tell everyone at once, no matter how much it would cost in time and expenses. so they made arrangements to meet together.

Telling Randy's family wouldn't be much of a problem. His mother had passed away a few years earlier, and he had no father to speak of, so they decided that the announcements to his family could be sent out in the mail, on stiff card stock. They could start with a wedding announcement - official and practical, and a keepsake for his various aunts and "uncles" and cousins. The Disher family, as a whole, seemed to like that sort of thing. The baby announcement would be sent out sometime after the wedding.

The impromptu family reunion was held at the apartment that Gail and Michael shared. When they arrived at Gail's apartment, Randy was greeted warmly by first Sharona's mother, Cheryl Fleming, and then by her sister Gail, and then was he was passed on down the line of family like a party undertow, to the men in the room who were making small talk with a glass of wine and an hors d'oeuvre in the other.

Randy Disher and Michael Dern's relationship teetered uncomfortably between strong acquaintances and practically family. Michael Dern was an accomplished chef with a restaurant which was well known in the Village. He was an attractive man, in his mid-fifties and was passionate about cooking and a perfectionist when it came to his business. Otherwise even keeled. He was tall; over 6', and lanky, and had a shock of white hair and always wore wire rimmed glasses perched on his nose, but he usually looked over them and not through the lenses. which left Randy with the impression that they might not be prescription lenses but a fashionable accessory.

Dern and Randy were chatting with Sharona's son, Benjamin Fleming-Howe. Though he preferred to be called Bem, his mother still called him Benjy. He put up with that, even though he thought it sounded juvenile . He was in his early 20's. almost as tall as Randy. He wore his hair spiked, and played with dying it a much darker brown with a shock of blue in the bangs. That was his ex-girlfriend's idea, but he was still living with it. He had spent some time traveling overseas, and some time at NYU, but eventually dropped both as life experiences. He had taken an internship at a prominent design studio in Manhattan, and was practicing fine art, which was his passion.

When the Fleming women gathered in a flurry of hugs and kisses, and all talked at once in an excited, high pitched, Jersey cackle that Randy had a hard time deciphering, as Sharona's accent was accentuated the closer she was to the East Coast As far as he could tell, though, the conversation consisted of familial complements and questions; Did you change hair, makeup, was it a new outfit and so on, and why no one called each other. Randy found this strange, since he knew for a fact that Sharona talked to Gail and her mother several times a month.

At some point in the conversation, Gail asked Sharona if she had put on weight, and then apologized when she noticed Sharona's deep blush.

"Sharona,sweetie, tell us what this together is about?" Cheryl asked loudly over the other the murmured conversations, as she held a large glass of good Pinot wine, which sloshed in the glass as she punctuated her words with expressive hands. "Tell us, Randy, Sharona, we're all dying to know!"

Sharona smiled sweetly, and walked over to Randy, and took his hand in hers. "Randy and I have some wonderful news, and we wanted you to be the first to know Earlier this week, Randy asked me to marry him, and I said yes."

There was a round of enthusiastic congratulation, hugging, kissing, slaps on the back that traveled throughout the room like from family members, to friends to future in-laws."Congratulations, you two!" Michael smiled, as he gave Sharona a warm hug and shook Randy's hand, before opening another bottle of wine and pouring several glasses, and handed them around the room.

"I shouldn't", Sharona said.

"Why not?" Gail asked. "It's a celebration!"

"Well, she has a good reason", Randy added, grinning broadly. "Sharona will be having a child in 7 months." There was silence in the room, and Randy cleared his throat. "Approximately seven...months." He continued, uncomfortably.

Gail was the first to react, beaming and exclaiming. "O My Gawd! Congratulations, Sis, Randy," she said kissing both of them on the cheek, before giving Sharona the biggest hug she had ever gotten. With that, everyone else in the party joined in on the congratulations."

Sharona hugged her younger sister, "Thank you, Gail."

"I knew you put on weight, though." Gail giggled, covering her smile with her hand.

R/S

Cheryl Fleming handed Sharona a virgin cocktail that Michael came up with, baby pink and in a frosted martini glass with a mint garnish, before sitting next to her daughter.

"Thanks." Sharona took a little sip and smiled, watching from afar as Randy was being taught a new recipe and how to flip food in a pan, and finding that he was having a difficult time keeping the food from getting away from him. Michael added some herbs to the pan and Randy stirred and flipped, seeming to get better with each toss.

Cheryl read the look on her daughter's face, and held her hand. "You really love him," she commented.

"He's amazing," Sharona answered. "I don't think most people know how really special he is."

And as if to punctuate that remark, half of the food in the pan hit the floor. "Sorry!" he exclaimed, "Sorry. That was my fault."

"He's kind, sweet, honest...I actually trust him completely." Sharona continued.

"I'm just worried." Cheryl said, conspiratorially. "Is this the best time for you two to have a baby?"

"Well, Ma, the ball is already rolling on that." Sharona snickered, feeling a little giddy.

"I know. But your job is doing really well, and you're going to school to become a nurse practitioner."

Sharona turned to look at her mother, astonished. "Randy and I have talked about all of this, Ma. I can go back to school after the baby is born. The hospital will hire me back any time. Those are not issue."

"Okay, honey." She cupped her daughter's cheeks like she was a child and cooed, "I just don't want you to use the baby as an excuse for anything that you want to do with your life."

"Mom, the baby isn't an excuse for anything " She hissed, her eyes glistening with tears."Randy and I are both excited about having this child, Ma, and if you have any doubts about it...well, I love you but please, keep them to yourself!" With that, Sharona huffed off to the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

R/S

"Hey, Ben." Randy came through the sliding doors to the balcony which overlooked a quaint neighborhood in Manhattan.

"Is Mom okay?" Benjy had just finished talking to his grandma, trying to figure out what had happened.

"I think so. We talked. I think it's pregnancy hormones or something."

"Grandma thinks she said something wrong."

"It could be both." Randy chuckled, "How are you feeling? About the baby?"

"I guess I'm in shock." Ben admitted.

"The good kind of shock?"'

"I think so. That's the whole thing about shock, you never know until it's over." He reasoned. A kid brother or sister was on the way? How would that be? What would it be named? Would they be close, or, because he lived on the other side of the country, would he be just another stranger who came to visit and spoil him once in a blue moon. His thoughts were racing.

"Are you still okay with me marrying your mom?" Randy asked, intruding on his thoughts.

"Well, I was okay with it five years ago. I kind of thought that this was why you and mom came back. You make her really happy, and I'm happy for both of you." He smiled, and then his eyes grew wide wide and he continued, "So, do you think I should I move back to California? I want to be a part of his life, you know. I always wanted a little brother!"

Randy hadn't seen Ben so excited about anything, except when he started taking art classes the city, and smiled to think that Ben sometimes reminded Randy of himself, even though they weren't related in any way. "I don't think you have to worry about picking up your life and moving just now. There's time to think about it."

"Good point." Benjy started to say something and then hesitated for a moment before saying. "You know, Randy, I guess I thought if I were going to be an older brother, it would have been when I was younger, and it would have been with my dad."

"Yeah. I'm sorry that didn't work out."

"I'm not. My dad and I get along great now, and if it did work out, my little brother would have had to live the same kind of life I did. Dad not being around, or the arguments, and his drinking problem. I wouldn't want anyone to grow up with that life or have those memories." He paused, and took a drink from his glass and said, "You know, I've thought about this a lot, and if my mom can't be with my dad, I'm glad she can be happy with you."

Randy's face lit up, "Really?"

"When I was a kid, I thought you were kind of cool."

"You did?" Randy asked, surprised by the revelation.

"Yeah. I figured if anyone was going to let me fire a real gun, it might be you."

"I guess I probably would have," he replied, "but we both would have gotten into trouble."

R/S

Late in the night, Randy and Sharona held each other as they nestled down into the luxurious bed at a Manhattan hotel they had stayed at together. Back then, they were in separate rooms, but tonight they shared the same bed.

"Ben thinks it's going to be a boy." Randy whispered, contentedly.

"I hope it's a girl," Sharona smiled.

"I guess I hope it's twins, then." Randy added.

"Randy, are you happy?" Sharona asked him, as she stroked the back of his neck with her fingernails.

"Every moment with you has been the happiest in my life, and every day just keeps getting better and better. Even when things aren't going well, knowing that you are in my life makes life a better. My love, you are the most intelligent, strongest and most beautiful woman I have ever known, or could ever imagine. I couldn't imagine my life without you, and now that you're having my child, I can see those lovely qualities even more clearly. So, yes. I am happy."

He kissed her forehead, and she closed her clear grey eyes, and wrapped her arms around him as a sweet smile crossed her lips. 'I'm happy, too," she sighed as she drifted off to sleep, basking in his loving words.

To be continued

A/N Thanks for reading. Please review.

Also, if you have any baby names (boy or girl names). Anything other than Adrian, Natalie or Trudy. I do have the sex of the child in mind, but I can't think of a name, and I don't want to spoil it.