A/N: Sorry for the delay. I've been heavily working on a set of eleven new one-shots. Two are already posted. Here's a long chapter for all of you. I really appreciate all of you adding this to your favorite story and story alerts, but I love reviews. They help me understand what you guys think, so please review. (:

Accidentally Expecting

Once inside her condo, Lacey took a seat on her recliner and was greeted by a blinking light on her answering machine. "Hey Lace. It's Candy. I have some bad news. I know that we're supposed to put out the sequel by the end of the year, but some things have changed. I.. Well, I got back together with Kenny last week. I can't write a book about hating men and live a life that's completely opposite. I hope you're alright. I haven't talked to you in a while. Give me a call later, okay, babe? Bye."

Lacey licked her lips before standing up and heading upstairs to her home office. She actually had a pleasant conversation with Randy before coming back home, but once she heard Candice's message, the smile was wiped right off of her face. How was she supposed to write a book alone and get ready for a baby without losing her mind. And by the end of the year? Lacey's due date was December 26th. She just couldn't figure out how everything would pan out over the next six months.

xXx

"I think I'm wearing her down, Tor."

"Randy, you have to be careful." The brunette ran a hand through his short hair and readjusted his cell phone in his hand. "She has a lot on her plate right now, and for you to push marriage as much as you have been must be so overwhelming for her."

Even though his sister-in-law couldn't see him, Randy shrugged then nodded his head, understanding where the blonde was coming from. "I just don't want to bring a child into the world in the midst of a hectic relationship that blossomed from a one night stand."

"But you have to face the facts, Randy. If it hadn't been for that one night, you wouldn't be where you are right now. You'd be up in New York City, working endlessly on that book, and not even caring about falling in love." Granted, Torrie was surprised when Randy told her and his brother that he was going to be a father. And like she told Lacey, she felt bad for that child for having to be stuck with Randy for the rest of his life. But he was a good guy. She grew up in Boston with the two brothers, and became one of the family during their middle school days.

Torrie could tell thousands of "Stupid Randy" stories, but she could also tell the same amount of Randy being one of the sweetest guys in the world. He had good intentions even if they didn't always come out the right way. Randy always believed in marriage and then children, but the cards were dealt differently for him and Lacey. He had the intention of marrying the woman carrying his child, but it had to be on Lacey's terms, not his.

"I get where you're at Randy, I really do. But let the ball hang in her court for a while. Know what I'm saying?"

"Yeah," he mumbled, hating that his sister-in-law was right, though it was something he should have been very used to sixteen years after meeting Torrie his brother's future wife. "So how did it go meeting Lacey earlier?"

He could hear a muffled sigh on the other end. "I think I scared her off, Randy. I just got so caught up in the fact that I was going to be an aunt, the closest I really feel that I can get to a child, and I.. I don't know. I think I rushed a baby shower too quickly."

Hearing Torrie tell him he was wrong was something he was used to. But hearing her admit she thinks she did something wrong was sort of laughable. When the laughing on Randy's end of the phone finally died down, he could picture the blonde shaking her head. "And you say I pushed her too far." Randy took a seat on the arm of the couch in his living room and looked around to all of the boxes still left to be unpacked. "Tor, I know this is hard for you. Five years ago you had the plan of getting married and having kids, and it sucks that you can't."

Randy closed his eyes and ran a hand over his face. Knowing Torrie, she was probably on the brink of tears, something that the topic of her infertility always brought. John and Torrie were pretty much the basis of Randy's writing career. He saw first hand that no matter what, love is all that really matters. He knew the two of them wanted children more than anything, but to have their own would be almost impossible. "We talked about adoption the other day. I didn't tell you, did I?"

"That's great, Tor. You could always get a surrogate, though, Blondie." It was times like these that Randy always tried to slip in his nickname for the party planner, knowing it would bring a smile to her face.

"There's always the possibility that the surrogate wouldn't want to give us the baby. I mean, she would carry the child for nine months. And to just give it up. No, it'd be too hard." Randy made a mental note to talk to his brother about this. John would be up for a surrogate, as long as they could have their own child. "I can't do that to someone, Randy."

"I know, T." As Randy walked towards the back of his condo to the kitchen, he glanced at the clock on the stove. 7:25. And Lacey still wasn't at his place. "Tor, I'm going to have to let you go. The three of us can do lunch before you head back to Boston tomorrow, alright?"

"Randy, what's wrong?"

By the time she got the question out, he was standing at his front door, unlocking it and just about to open it. "Lacey was supposed to be here for dinner at 7. It's just about 7:30. I'll call you tomorrow morning to make plans, cool?"

"Yeah. Talk to you then, bro." He smirked at the nickname before closing his cell phone and slipping it into his pocket. As he reached Lacey's condo across the street and started to pound on the door, he could hear her talking on the phone inside.

The brown door opened to let him inside, but Lacey stepped away to continue pacing the floor of her front room. "I know, Paul, but what do you want from me?" She turned to Randy and gave him a slight smile and lipped One minute to him with an apologetic look crossing her features. Randy nodded and watched her run a hand through her long locks. "How was I supposed to know she was getting back with that douche bag? The signs were definitely not there." With a nod and a roll of her dark brown eyes, she continued, "Well, we're going to have to figure this out at some other time, Paul. I've made plans that I'm already late for. Give me a call tomorrow after you call her."

The two said their goodbyes as Lacey placed her portable phone on the charger. She brushed her bangs out of her face and looked up at Randy.

"I'm so sorry, Randy. I completely lost track of time."

Randy shrugged and started towards the door. In the midst of the last four confusing hours of her life, she took a moment to change into a pair of fitted navy blue jeans and a light yellow halter top that is fitted at the chest, but flows past her hips.

The taller brunette opens his front door for Lacey, who steps in and waits for Randy to follow. He leads her into the kitchen at the back of his home to reveal a table set in the corner with plates, glasses, silverware and the like set up, and dinner on the stove. "Randy, this smells amazing."

"Thanks," he offered the shorter woman a smile before pulling a chair out for her. "I'm still new to this cooking whole meals thing, so I hope you like it."

A smile crossed Lacey's face as she took a seat. Randy set the two plates with spaghetti and sauce on the table as well as a basket of bread rolls fresh from the oven. "It looks great. Trust me, I could eat only this for the rest of my life and be perfectly fine."

Randy took a seat across from Lacey as they started to eat. About half an hour later, he took care of the dishes and ushered her into the living room. He tried to push away some of the remaining boxes, but gave up and took a seat on the opposite end of the couch since Lacey sat with her back to the arm rest and her legs curled beneath her. "I'm not the best chef, so sorry if it wasn't that great."

"It was actually really good. Maria and I have just been eating the pre-made things that you just have to warm up. Is that sauce like a secret family recipe or something?"

Randy nodded. "Passed on from my mother, who learned it from her mother."

"You haven't told me anything about your parents, before."

The taller brunette paused for a moment and pursed his lips together. "They were never really around when John and I were growing up." Lacey bit her lips wondering if this was a bad topic to be talking about. The pain was evident on Randy's face that he didn't really like to speak about his parents, and she just wished she never brought the topic up. "We grew up in Boston, and to say that they were big time players around there would be an understatement. If we were lucky, we got maybe one night a week with them as a family.

"I can't count how many football games or wrestling matches they missed while John and I grew up." He just shook his head and let out a slight laugh. "Dad always claimed that he loved nothing more than to watch his two boys play sports. He didn't get to say that when he skipped out on the Championship game for our high school football team.

"John and I were both on the team, but they had a big party that night." Telling herself that he wouldn't have said anything about them if he didn't want her to know, she fought the urge to tell him to stop. The look in his eyes reminded her of whenever she spoke of her own parents. "They passed away when I was nineteen. Drunk driving accident."

Lacey went to open her mouth to reply, but found herself needing the closest bathroom. As she ran out of the living room, Randy took the moment to think that he probably shouldn't have told her all of that. At least not this early.

xXx