Chapter 37

AJ was unsuspecting when he arrived to pick up all three children from the party. Harriett saw him arrive and quickly pulled him into the study for a 'talk' before he could gather up the children. From the look on her face he knew she knew. He thought about bluffing it out, but had known Harriett way to long to know that nothing could stop her in the pursuit of information. So when the door of the study closed and she was about to begin questioning him, he forestalled her by asking, "Okay which one of the children spilled the beans?"

"That's not nearly as important as the beans that he spilled, AJ Chegwidden! Is it true that you and Mac are getting married?"

"Yes it's true, but we were hoping to keep it quiet until after the fact," AJ admitted.

"But why? Don't you think that your friends would want to celebrate with you? I know it's just a short time after you both lost someone, but that kind of thing can bring you closer together. I remember what you told me when I fell madly in love with Vic less than a year after losing Bud…to follow your heart no matter what, and I always knew there was something between you two all those years ago when you were at JAG together."

"Harriett, it's not like that. Mac and I aren't madly in love like you and Victor," AJ told her when she paused long enough to draw a breath.

"Are you saying it's a marriage of convenience?" she asked incredulously, clearly not ready to believe that, even if he had been thinking about telling her that lie.

When AJ paused to consider his answer, Harriett took the opportunity to resume the grilling, "You're not going to try and convince me it's for the children, are you?"

At the mention of the children, his mind went immediately to the one not yet born and he flushed. Seeing this Harriett questioned, "Alright, AJ, what is it you're trying so hard NOT to tell me?"

With a resigned sigh, he said, "Well it will be public knowledge soon enough anyway. Mac's pregnant."

"Oh the poor dear! To find out after Clay's death…wait a minute! Clayton Webb had a vasectomy after Neville was born! I know because Mac and I discussed the options after Vic Jr. was born," she looked at AJ waiting for an explanation.

"The baby isn't Clay's…it's mine."

"Well good for you two! It's about time the two of you got together!"

"Harriett, it's not like that! This was an accident."

Her mouth fell open in shock and she demanded, "Just how does two people of your ages have an ACCIDENT like that?!"

Blushing even more, he admitted, "Both of us just assumed the other had it taken care of. But when all is said and done, neither of us was to upset by this and the only logical thing to do was combine our families."

"AJ, are you sure about this?" she asked, wishing that there was some way she could know what the best outcome would be for everyone. She wondered whether revealing what AJ didn't know would cause more harm than good at this point. Then what if the two agents Vic was trying to rescue weren't Clay and Taya and she had stopped this wedding when she was sure these two belonged together? But she knew she couldn't say anything without compromising Vic's trust in her.

"Yes, Harriett, we're sure. We're leaving for Hawaii on Saturday to be married by Chaplain Turner on Sunday. Mac's house is already sold and we are buying a larger place in McLean. My place is for sale and the realtor thinks it will sell soon. We were going to have a small get together to let everyone know when we got back and into the new house."

"Wow, you guys are really making some major changes! How do the girls feel about it? I know Neville still thinks his father will come home."

"The girls are fine, but Mac is really worried about Neville. We've even talked about taking him to see a counselor.

"I hope he will come around soon, AJ. The two of you will face enough considering the circumstances."

"Do you mean becoming a parent again at my age?"

To be continued…