Chapter 4

"I don't know, Tony. I really don't," She admitted, with a shrug. "I never expected any of this. Maybe I thought that life had stood still for you or that you couldn't have settled down with anyone else."

"You didn't expect a wife and kids."

"No not at all. When I pictured our life together, I didn't see this, either. A house and the white picket fence, kids-domestic bliss and all of that. I saw the glamor and the prestige."

"There's a lot more to life," He reminded her. "I struggled with it all for a long time. What was expected of me as such a public figure and what I really wanted from my life. Everything that you and Grover had was tempting, but this…" He motioned around the living room, "this is so much better."

"It suits you," She smiled.

"Jeannie and I wasted so much time not being together; and for what."

"Your eyes light up when you talk about her," She noted. "And the way you look at her, neither you nor Grover ever looked at me the way you look at her."

"Melissa," He started but she shook her head.

"I regret a lot of things in my life Tony, and my biggest regret is letting you go." She said fast, in one hard breath, before she lost her nerve. "I don't remember exactly where I remember Jeannie from, but I have a feeling it was around the same time our engagement was breaking up. I should have seen her coming. I should have never walked away from us. I should have never let her get to me or my own insecurities about you. I should have fought for you."

"And if you would have?" He asked, "You just said this isn't the life you wanted. It wasn't what I wanted at first either, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. If we were meant to work we would have."

"Do you really believe that?"

He nodded. "I have no regrets. The only thing I'd change was how much time Jeannie and I wasted."

She studied his face, looked into his eyes. She wanted, hoped to see some sort of indecision or some kind of regret. Instead, she saw confidence, happiness, and contentment. "As much as I hoped there might still be something between us, a very big part of me wanted you to be happy. The kind of happy I've never really been."

"There's still time to find happiness, Lis," He smiled softly at the feel of her nickname on his lips, he hoped she knew there were no hard feelings, and that all he wanted for her was the kind of happiness he had. "If the last twelve years have taught me anything, it's that you never give up on something you really want. You fight and work to make it happen."

She cast him a soft smile. "No matter what has changed in your life, you are still the good man I remember you to be, Tony Nelson."

"Daddy! Daddy!" Three little voices sounded as they ran toward the couch.

Melissa smiled. His children interrupting whatever was left of their conversation seemed more than a fitting end.

"We made you welcome home cards," Alli told him, holding out the cards. "Mine is this one," She pointed to the top card, "and it's the best."

"Is not…" Ben tossed back, shaking his head.

"I am sorry. I kept them away as long as I could," Jeannie told them apologetically.

Melissa shook her head and rose to her feet. "Don't be sorry, I've taken too much of your time as it is."

Alli scrambled into the spot next to Tony that Melissa had vacated, Ben climbed onto the couch and curled up on the other side of his daddy, while Tony pulled Josh into his lap. "I'd show you to the door…" He offered through an apologetic smile, but Melissa shook her head.

"And ruin the moment? You take care of your mommy and daddy okay?" She told the children. Ben and Josh nodded, without a word or eve a glance. Allison looked up at her, eyes narrowed; accusing almost and nodded.

She wanted to laugh at the whole thing, and the fact that a six year old seemed keen to her and the reasons she was here. "It was nice meeting you, Jeannie," Melissa smiled as she started for the door. "I really am sorry for showing up how I did."

"Do not worry," Jeannie told her as they headed for the door. "It was nice lovely meeting you too," Jeannie smiled as she opened the door.

"You're a very lucky woman, Jeannie," Melissa said, stopping in the doorway only long enough to cast a lasting glance back at Tony.

It didn't have to be said; but they all knew. If things were different, if Melissa thought there was any chance, she would be returning. She would put up a fight for what she really wanted.

Jeannie sighed as she pushed the door closed. She did not know what was said and she did not care in any real sense, but the woman who had just left her house was clearly still in love with a very married man. It was at least enough to make her wonder.

"What is the moon like, daddy?" Alli asked, looking up at him with wide, love filled eyes.

"Is there aliens?" Ben asked curiously.

"Aliens," Josh giggled nodding to his daddy.

"No aliens," Tony laughed. " You know what, I have an idea," He started excitedly, as he changed the subject. "Alli, why don't you take your brothers and get your coats on."

"Where go?" Josh asked.

"Are we going for pizza?" Alli asked excited.

"Ice cream?" Ben wondered.

Tony's eyes met Jeannie's across the room and he smiled brightly at hers. "We're going to the beach."

"The beach?" Jeannie asked this time, watching the kids nod before moving from their spots. Alli grabbed Josh's hand and helped him down while Ben ran ahead of them.

Tony nodded smilingly knowingly at the kids as they headed for their rooms. "Yes, the beach."

She was confused now, and shook her head at him. "I do not understand."

He was on his feet now, headed toward her. "It's Friday night and I don't want to keep the kids cooped up here. I want us to spend some time together doing something fucn."

"Why the beach?" She asked, watching him step closer to her.

He reached out to her, arms snaking around her waist and pulling her close. "Not just a beach, darling. The beach where we met."

She smiled up at him. "I will have to blink."

He nodded. "I can live with that, this one time."

"Why?" She wondered. "You not usually want to go places I must blink us too."

"It feels like the right thing to do. Melissa and I talked about the past, regrets and what might have been…"

"What might have been?" She interrupted, curious.

"This is what would have been," He told her firmly. "You and me, the kids, this was always how it was meant to be. No matter how we got to this point, we would have gotten here."

"Do you really believe that?" She wondered quietly, through a soft smile.

He nodded and leaned in to kiss her. He'd wanted to properly greet her since he'd gotten home, but hadn't had the chance. Kissing her had always been one of his favorite things, and in moments like this it became the only thing he needed.

"Ewwwwwww," Alli laughed from their side.

They laughed against each other's lips and reluctantly pulled part.

"We go beach now?" Josh asked, as Tony bent to pick him up.

"Are we having pizza and ice cream there?" Ben wondered, not wanting to go if that meant no pizza and ice cream.

Jeannie nodded and held out her hands to Ben and Alli. "I will blink it in when we get there."

"Daddy doesn't like us to blink," Alli said nervously, looking up at her daddy.

"It's okay this one time," Tony told her with a knowing smile. "We can't drive to this beach."

"What beach?" Ben asked.

"The beach your mommy and I met on," Tony told them happily. "We can have a picnic and make sandcastles. Does that sound good?"

"Let's go. Let's go," Alli tugged excitedly at Jeannie's hand, "Blink mommy, hurry."

Jeannie nodded and everyone held each other close and she blinked.

Times like this were some of the best times of their lives and days like today only helped to teach them what it meant to be a family.

No regrets was putting it mildly.

To be continued

Author's notes: There is one more chapter to this. Tony and Jeannie need to talk a little more about Melissa, but I wanted to give everyone a little family time before I did that.