Chapter 12

WEEKS LATER

Today, Mela was busy planning the wedding; she and Seth were going to look at and taste cakes.

"It's a little early in the game to be tasting cakes, isn't it?" Seth asked his fiancé.

Mela shrugged. "Not really. It's never too early; if I change my mind about something, they'll have plenty of time to fix it," she said.

Seth was inclined to agree. "True. How did you hear about this place?" he asked as they walked into the bakery.

"We saw it on the TV, didn't we, Luke?" Mela asked her son, who was accompanying them to the day of sweets and treats. Luke nodded and stared in awe at the colorful pastries that filled the display cases.

"Hello! You two must be the happy couple. I'm Beth, the owner. Welcome to Baby Love," the small blonde woman said as she introduced herself. "And who is this cute little man?" she asked as she grinned at Luke.

Luke shied away and hid behind Seth's legs. Mela chuckled. "I'm Mela; this is my fiancé, Seth; and the cute one is my son, Luke," she said.

"Well aren't you lucky, Luke? Mommy and Daddy brought you with them to eat cake," she said.

Luke shook his head. "Seth isn't my daddy. My daddy isn't with us anymore," he said.

Beth gasped; she felt so bad for the little boy. "I'm sorry for your loss," she said to Mela.

Mela laughed. "He's not dead. He and I just aren't together anymore; he's actually not far from here in Tampa," she said.

Beth was relieved to know that she didn't truly hurt Luke's feelings. Mela and Seth saw it as a good thing that Luke knew that his father and mother weren't an item; they were worried that Luke wouldn't be able to separate Randy from Seth in terms of who is father is. Luckily, Luke was smart enough to know that just because his mother wasn't with his father anymore didn't mean that he wasn't still Daddy.

"Okay. Let's get started!" Beth said enthusiastically.

oOo

Liz sighed as she got dressed; she really didn't feel like going anywhere. She had just bought a house of her own and she still had a lot to unpack. Her mood changed when she heard the front door open.

"Bunny!" She heard the sing-song voice and grinned.

"Up here," she said loud enough for her guest to hear. Liz heard plastic rustling as the footsteps got closer.

"Surprise," he said.

Liz smiled and went to hug him. "You look nice. What is this, John?" she asked.

He extended his arm to show off the fresh roses. "I thought you could use a little pick-me-up," he said.

She smiled softly and pecked his lips. "Thank you so much, babe. I really needed this today; I just don't get why I have to go through this when it wasn't my decision," she whined.

John chuckled. "I know, Bunny, but divorces suck. I would say that I'm sorry it's happening, but I don't want to lie," he said.

Liz smirked and smelled the roses. "Can you put these in water while I finish getting dressed?" she asked.

John looked her over and wiggled his eyebrows. "I don't know… you look pretty hot in what you have on," he said.

Liz shook her head. "Yeah, sure; I'd love to see what the judge says when I show up in my bra and panties," she joked.

"You never know," John said as he retreated to the kitchen.

When she was alone again, Liz sighed as she skimmed her closet for something to wear. She didn't want to look haughty nor homely so she had to find something that was right in the middle. Luckily, John was coming back into the bedroom.

"I need your opinion," Liz said as she heard John lay on her bed. She came out of her closet with her arms full of clothes.

John frowned and sat up. "You know I don't know the first thing about fashion," he said.

Liz chuckled. "I know. That's why I'm asking; the judge is going to make assumptions about me based on what I wear. You're both guys, so I'm thinking that you'll have similar ideas. Okay… which one of these says 'I'm a gold-digger and I want all the money I'm owed' and which one says 'I don't give a shit about his money'," she asked as she held up two dresses. The first was a light grey Angel Wing Sleeve dress; the other was a white lace body con dress.

"That one says you don't give a shit," John said as he pointed to one of the dresses

Liz nodded and tossed the other option to the side. "Okay. How about these two?" she asked when she held up two jackets. One was a deep red trench coat; the other was a black boyfriend blazer. When John pointed out a jacket, Liz grabbed it and the chosen dress to get dressed.

"How long are you in town? We really haven't had a chance to talk about some stuff," Liz asked.

"We can talk anytime, Liz. I don't need to be here for an extended period of time for us to have a conversation," he said.

She sighed. "Yes, you do. It's important," she insisted.

John thought for a moment. "I'll be in Florida for a while. I don't know if I'll be here in Tampa for long, though," he said.

"That's fine. Can we do dinner tonight?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I don't see why not. I'll look into some places; do you want to go right after this or do you want to wait a bit?" he asked.

"I don't know how long we're going to be there. I talked to my lawyer and she said that it's going to take a while to go through everything. With the house, joint accounts, cars, my business, his job, and everything else, she said it could take a few hours; especially when it comes to alimony and spousal support," she explained.

"Damn. That's tough," John said.

Liz nodded. "Can you help?" she asked as she turned around to show John the zipper of her dress. As John zipped her up, Liz sighed. "Are you sure you want to be there today?" she asked.

"Of course. I hate that it's Randy, but regardless, you're my top priority right now. I'll be right by your side," he said.

Liz smiled and put on her coat; she grabbed her bag and did a final onceover in the mirror. "Ready?"

John nodded and led the way to the car outside; he was nervous about sitting in a courtroom to see his best friend and his girlfriend end a marriage most people thought would last forever.

When they got to the courthouse, Liz and her lawyer were told that the original judge had gotten sick with the flue, so another judge had to step in. Liz and her lawyer had prepared for a male judge, but she was nowhere near prepared for the female judge who replaced him.

oOo

Parker and Wade were on their way to the shops to do some baby shopping as Wade listed off everything they would need for the baby.

"We'll need nappies, bottles, binkies, blankies, jammies—"

Parker chuckled. "We won't need all of that right now, Bear; that's what a baby shower is for. Liz already agreed to plan it for us. We can just look at furniture for now," she said.

Wade kept his eyes on the road as he imagined what his son's room would look like. "Does this place have double rocking chairs?" he asked referring to the baby store they were driving to.

Parker thought for a moment. "I didn't see any online, so I'm not sure. Even if they don't, we can always go to a garden store and get a porch swing to hang in the nursery. Why do you ask?" she asked.

Wade smiled and glanced at his wife. "I can just picture us sitting together in the rocking chair with the baby," he said.

Parker smiled and rubbed her swollen belly. "We should settle on a name; there're only 4 more months until he'll be here. I really like Oliver James," she said.

Wade frowned. "Why Oliver James? It's so random," he said.

"I was just writing signatures and typing letters with names to see which one sounded and looked best. It came down to either Oliver James, Michael Stuart, or Declan Bennett," she explained.

"Hmm," Wade pondered. "I like all three now that I've heard them. They're better than what I was thinking," he said with a light chuckle.

"What were you thinking?" Parker asked cautiously.

"Lawrence, Gilbert, Alfie, or Wilfred," he said proudly.

Parker just stared at the English man as he drove. "You're kidding, right?" she asked eventually.

Wade glanced at her. "What? Do you know how many people in England have those names? They're very popular," he said innocently.

She laughed and shook her head. "There is no way our son is going to go to grade school and introduce himself as Willard," she said.

"It's Wilfred, not Willard," Wade interrupted.

"Either way, it's awful," she said. "Let's try to stick to an American name that a little mixed kid won't get beat up for having," she said.

"He is not going to get beat up in school. He'll learn how to fight before he gets school aged," Wade said matter-of-factly.

Parker laughed. "I'm sure of it," she said.

oOo

"Your Honor, I have nothing to say about the marriage that would negatively influence your decision. My entire relationship with Randy has been nothing but positive. The only complaint about him would be his hesitation to have children, but we've already discussed that and I got over it. I'm not really sure what you want to hear from me," Liz said as she stood before the judge. John sat in the back of the courtroom to show his support for Liz.

"I just want you to answer my question, Ms. Harper. Approximately how many angry disagreements have you had with your husband?" the judge asked.

Liz sighed. "I don't know. Maybe 5; and that's a stretch," she said.

The judge nodded and took notes. "And what were the topics of those disagreements?" she asked.

"Kids, money, and sex," Liz listed carefully.

The judge turned her attention to Randy. "Is that correct, sir?" she asked.

Randy nodded. "Yes, ma'am. Pretty much," he said.

"Mr. Orton, 'pretty much' isn't an answer. Yes or no will suffice. Now, are the topics of kids, money, and sex the center of your disagreements with Ms. Harper?" she asked.

Randy sighed. "That depends on the depth. Kids were just about me not wanting kids, not about children as a whole. Then the money thing was always about her spending too much of her own money when we had a joint account she could pull from. Sex was basically all about her addiction; and some about her wanting to have sex with other people," he said.

The judge sighed at Randy's inability to answer a 'yes' or 'no' question; she moved on. "Was Ms. Harper ever unfaithful?" she asked.

Liz's attorney quickly disputed the question. "I'm sorry, Your Honor, but there was no prenuptial agreement in which adultery could have been mentioned," she said.

"Control yourself, Counselor. This is my courtroom and I will ask whatever questions I feel are necessary," she said. "Now, Mr. Orton, was Ms. Harper ever unfaithful during your marriage?" she asked Randy again.

Randy took a moment to gather his thoughts. "Before we separated, no, ma'am. Ms. Harper started a new relationship after I asked for the divorce. So, I'm not sure if you consider that being unfaithful," he said.

"No, sir, I don't. So through the 4 years you and Ms. Harper were married, you never suspected her of being unfaithful?' the judge asked.

Randy shook his head. "No, Your Honor," he said.

The judge frowned. "Even with your knowledge of her addiction to sex, you never suspected that she was cheating?" she asked with skepticism.

Liz's attorney spoke out of turn once again. "Your Honor, I think Mr. Orton has answered the question," she said.

The judge glared at Liz and moved on. "Ms. Harper, have you suspected Mr. Orton was unfaithful during any time in the marriage?" she asked.

Liz hung her head in shame and nodded. "Yes, ma'am; I believe several character witnesses signed affidavits," she said.

The judge sifted through the papers before her and read the affidavits out loud; one each from Wade, Parker, Mela, Seth, and Kiana. She frowned and looked to Randy. "And you're the one who's filing for divorce?" she asked.

Randy nodded.

The judge scoffed and shook her head. "Did you know all of this?" she asked Liz as she waved the papers towards her.

Liz nodded. "Yes, Your Honor. I didn't think I had the right to confront him because we all have demons; we all struggle with life's temptations," she said.

"Alright," the judge started. "How much are you asking for?" she asked Liz.

"Nothing," Liz said. "I'm not asking for anything. If I'm entitled to anything, so be it; but I don't have a list of things I want from him," she said.

The judge shook her head and made notes while Randy and his attorney whispered to each other.

"Your Honor," Randy's attorney started. "My client is concerned about be slapped with child support in the future. He would like to arrange funds for the child, now," he said.

"WHAT?" Liz shrieked. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" She yelled at Randy and his lawyer.

The judge banged her gavel. "Order! Order, Ms. Harper," she said. "Now, what is this about a child?" she asked.

Liz glanced back at John who was sporting an angry scowl. She sighed. "I recently found out that I am pregnant, Your Honor. I told Randy a few weeks ago, but I assumed he knew that he isn't the father of my child," she said.

The judge frowned. "What makes you so sure that he isn't your unborn child's father?" she asked.

"Randy and I haven't had sex in the last six months; it's impossible for this child to be his," Liz said.

"Okay," the judge said with a huff. "Well, how many other men could be the baby's father?" she asked.

Liz frowned. She felt as if the judge was implying that she was so sleazy that she wouldn't know who her baby's father is. "I know exactly who this baby's father is, Your Honor. He's the only person I've been with since my separation from Randy," she said.

"Oh!" the judge exclaimed as she looked through the stack of affidavits. "Is that John Cena?" she asked.

Liz nodded. "Yes, ma'am. So, there is no reason why Randy should worry about child support. Even if he was the child's father, I wouldn't need his financial support," she said.

"Well, alright, Miss Independent, is there anything else you think I need to know about your marriage before I move on?" she asked.

Liz rolled her eyes and shook her head. "No, ma'am." She said.

"Great, so in your case, Ms. Harper, Mr. Orton will be responsible for spousal support, also known as alimony. Essentially, he will be required to make payments to ensure that you maintain your lifestyle as it was during the marriage. Based on each of your financial records, I have determined the required amount of spousal support Mr. Orton will have to provide," she said.

Randy was visibly nervous; Liz was indifferent. Liz had already decided that she didn't need anything from Randy; her own business was taking off and she was doing very well for herself. She had never relied on Randy for anything during their marriage, so she didn't see why she would need to depend on him after the divorce.

"Since you were married for 4 years, Mr. Orton's payments will span 4 years. If you want to break it down, that would be $15,000 weekly; $60,000 monthly; $720,000 annually; or a lump sum of $2,880,000. It's up to you, Mr. Orton; would you prefer to make weekly, monthly, or annual payments, or would you prefer to pay the lump sum?" the judge asked.

Randy whispered with his lawyer; they didn't agree on the frequency of payments. Randy wanted to pay the lump sum to get it over with, but his lawyer was suggesting that he pay weekly payments in case Liz gets remarried during the next 4 years. He tried to explain to Randy that if he made weekly or even monthly payments and Liz remarried, Randy would no longer have to pay since Liz would have a new spouse. Being the stubborn person he always was, Randy went against the advice of his lawyer.

"I would prefer to pay the lump sum, Your Honor. I can write a check today and be done with it," Randy said confidently. Liz was still unfazed.

"So it's settled," the judge said. "Per the terms of this finalized divorce, the plaintiff is ordered to pay the defendant spousal support in the amount of $2,880,000 immediately. Court adjourned," she banged her gavel and left.

Neither Randy nor Liz had anything to say, but Randy's attorney handed Liz the freshly written check. Liz felt dirty to take the money, but she convinced herself that she deserved every penny after the way Randy ended their marriage.

When she walked to the back of the courtroom to leave, she couldn't look John in the eye; she just followed him to the car. The whole ride home, Liz was silent until she found the words she wanted to say.

"Please don't be mad at me for not telling you. I was going to tell you tonight over dinner; I just didn't want to spring it on you," she said.

John frowned. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

Liz looked at him for the first time since they left the courtroom. "I'm talking about me being pregnant. I hope you aren't mad at me for not telling you; I didn't want you to find out like that," she said.

"Oh, that," he said nonchalantly.

It was Liz's turn to be confused. "What do you mean, 'oh, that'? Why did you say it like that?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I don't know. It's not really my place to be upset. I just don't like that he brought up child support in court like you wouldn't be able to raise a child without his money. It was like he was saying that you can't do anything without him," he said.

Liz was shocked. "You do know that this baby is yours, right?" she asked.

John laughed. "Yeah. I was there, remember?"

"And how do you feel about that?" Liz asked cautiously.

He smiled at her. "Honestly, I was never interested in having children only because I wanted to be really involved in my child's life but with this job, it would be tough. With you, I know that this kid is going to have so much love poured onto him or her from you, so I guess I'm not as hesitant, now," he chuckled. "I'm pretty excited, actually," he admitted.

Liz couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. She had held off from telling John about her pregnancy for the last four and half months. Having seen first-hand that John wasn't interested in being a father, she was nervous about his reaction. Liz was relieved to know that John's reaction was the exact opposite of what she was expecting.

"So, are we still going out for dinner?" John asked as he drove.

Liz thought for a moment then nodded. "Yep," she said.

oOo

"Ready or not, here I come!" Mela yelled before she ran around the house in search for her 8 year old. She looked to Seth for a hint, but he pretended to not know where the small child was. Seth had been teaching Luke how to better hide during a game of Hide and Seek.

Mela looked high and low all over Seth's house to find Luke; no such luck. She announced her surrender. "I give up! I can't find you!" she said loudly to make sure Luke could hear her from his hiding place.

Suddenly, the doors of the home entertainment system flew open and out crawled Luke; he had the biggest grin on his face.

Mela was shocked. "You were in here the whole time?" she asked.

Luke laughed and nodded. "Seth said that it's better to hide really close to the counting person instead of really far away because the counter always runs away to find the person hiding," he explained.

Seth smiled with pride; he was pleased to have formed such a bond with the child. "Good job, Luke. Your mom had no clue where you were; you did good," Seth praised.

Luke smiled and high fived Seth. "I like it here; can we stay here forever, Mommy?" Luke asked sweetly.

Mela playfully glared at Seth. "It's one thing to teach him how to hide in Hide and Seek; it's another thing to teach him how to guilt me into moving in," she said.

Seth shrugged. "I don't get it, Mel. We're getting married. You might as well move in, now," he said.

"I'll move in, in due time, Seth. In due time," she said dramatically.

Seth scoffed and laughed at Mela's dramatics. "Tell Mommy that you two should move in today so she can get ready for the wedding," Seth said to Luke.

Luke grinned and nodded.

A/N: School has taken over my life. Please review.