"Sheldon, I'm really nervous about this. My mother barely spoke to me for over two years after I told her I was pregnant. Do we have to tell her you're Max's donor?" Amy was beginning to panic while preparing dinner.

Sheldon left the stack of plates on the table and joined his girlfriend in the kitchen of her apartment. "We don't have to tell them. Honestly, I'm surprised Max hasn't mentioned it to them already. It's been six months since we told him. He's told practically everyone he's seen since then that he has a dad now."

"About that," Amy sheepishly started, "I kind of bribed him to not tell my parents. I told him that we'd take him to Disneyland if he promised to not say anything to them until you and I could tell them. I told Max's friend Noah's mom what we were doing tonight so she was more than willing to let him sleepover. Tonight can go one of two ways. My mother is furious with me, or she doesn't say anything."

"Here," stated Sheldon as he passed a glass of wine to Amy. "This will help you calm down. Were your parents suspicious when you suggested they come over for dinner?"

Checking the progress of dinner in the oven, Amy shook her head. "No. They've both met you before; they thought you were wanting to get to know them better." Amy was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Remember, not a word until after we're done with dinner."

"Hi, pumpkin," Larry greeted his daughter as she opened the door. "It's good to see you again, Sheldon."

"Hello, Amy, Sheldon," Mrs. Fowler nodded at each of them as she said their name.

The group enjoyed the dinner Amy prepared, then retreated to the living room. "Mom, Dad, there's something that Sheldon and I want to tell you. We've been wanting to tell you for a while, but thought it would be best to tell you in person, together."

"You're not pregnant again, are you Amy?" Mrs. Fowler questioned. "The last time you asked to have dinner with your father and I because you had something to tell us was when you told us you were pregnant with Max."

"No, mother. I'm not pregnant, but it does have to do with Max," Amy reached for Sheldon's hand. "Sheldon and I have been together for five and a half years now. Over that time, he has spent a lot of time with Max. He noticed many similarities between Max and himself when he was younger. Because of those similarities, Sheldon asked me about the clinic I went to when I had Max."

Mrs. Fowler looked between her daughter and Sheldon while Larry sat quietly next to her. "Where are you going with all of this, Amy?"

"There was a time about eight and a half years ago that I was looking for a way to make some extra cash, so a friend suggested visiting a sperm bank. I shared that with Amy and she figured out that she chose Max's donor from the same clinic I went to, not long after I was there," explained Sheldon while letting out the breath he didn't realize he had been holding.

Amy avoided eye contact with her parents as she spoke. "Sheldon is Max's father. We've known for about six months. We told Max just before his summer break from school."

Amy's mother stood from her seat and walked in front of Sheldon. Staring at him, she remarked, "You've been a part of Amy's and Max's lives for a long time Sheldon, but now you're a part of it forever. I hope you know that."

"Yes, ma'am. As I've told Amy many times over the past six months, I'm in this for the long haul. If I weren't sure about this, I never would have told her I went to the clinic. I had suspicions which was why I told Amy. I needed to know, not only for myself, but also for Amy and Max. I've loved both of them for a long time. Knowing them has made my life better in ways that I never saw for myself. I was set up on a blind date by my friends and got a family out of it. Even if we got tested and I wasn't the donor Amy chose, that wouldn't have changed anything between us."

"Are the two of you happy about this? How does Max feel about this?" questioned Larry.

Sheldon and Amy exchanged a glance before Amy replied, "We've very happy with this. Max thought we'd been lying to him for years, saying Sheldon wasn't his dad, but it didn't take him long to embrace it. He recently started calling Sheldon dad. To be honest, mom, I thought you'd be angry when we told you this and be convinced I'd been lying to you for years about going to the clinic to have Max."

"It's a bit of a shock and I do find it a bit far-fetched that you'd meet the man who was your anonymous sperm donor on a dating site, but I've learned that you're going to do what you want, Amy. We've had our rough patches; I don't want to do something that will cause a problem between us and end up affecting Max."

Smiling at her parents, Amy agreed, "I'm glad to hear you think that. Max always comes first for me. I don't want there to be any more problems between us, either."

The couples spent a little more time chatting about Max while enjoying dessert and coffee or tea before Amy's parents decided to call it a night, leaving Amy and Sheldon in her apartment. "That went surprisingly well," commented Sheldon. "Makes me a little worried for telling my mother next week. I was thinking we could tell her and Meemaw at the same time. Max wants to pick gifts for us, but wants to wait until we're there to find them. I asked Missy and she's willing to take him shopping for us. Maybe we would try to tell them while he's with Missy."

"Meemaw is so excited to see you, Shelly," Mary told her son. "I told her we'd be there in a little while. Hopefully, Missy gets back with Max soon. I guess we could have Missy meet us there?"

As if on cue, the front door opened and Max entered the living room followed closely by Missy with her toddler on her hip. "We're back," the boy announced.

"Hello, Max. Hello, Missy. How was the mall?" Sheldon greeted the group.

"Great. I found the perfect presents for you and mom. I'm gonna hide them in my suitcase. You can't peek before Christmas, okay?" the boy reminded his parents.

Joining her brother and Amy, Missy passed Sheldon some cash, "Here's your change. I think you'll like what Max picked. You've got a sweet kid, Amy." She leaned back to look down the hallway, seeing Max had closed the door to Georgie's old room, she continued, "Although, he kept saying something while we were out. Anything you want to share with your sister, Shelly?"

Narrowing his eyes at his sister, Sheldon questioned her, "What are you talking about? What did Max keep saying?"

"I found it interesting that he referred to you as 'dad' multiple times. Is there something you haven't told me?"

This piqued Mary's interest. "Why did Missy just say Max called you dad while they were out? Sheldon Lee Copper, did you and Amy get married and not say anything? Don't tell me you two went to Las Vegas like Leonard and Penny."

Sheldon and Amy exchanged a look that did not go unnoticed by Missy and Mary. "We were going to wait and tell you with Meemaw, but I guess we can do this now. We didn't get married and we are not engaged," Sheldon started to explain.

Continuing the story, Amy chimed in. "As you know, I went to a sperm bank when I had Max. Something you may not know is that Sheldon visited that same clinic not long before I went. Mary, the first time you met Max, you pointed out how similar he is to Sheldon at that age. Sheldon and I also noticed those similarities. When he shared with me his trip to the clinic, we decided to get a test to see if I happened to have chosen Sheldon as Max's donor."

"Omigod! Sheldon's a daddy!" Missy blurt out.

"Melissa Cooper!" scolded Mary as she turned her attention to Sheldon and Amy. "Is this true? Is Sheldon the donor you chose, Amy?"

Smiling, Sheldon answered, "Yes, mom. Almost three years before we met, Amy chose me as her donor. We had the test done in the spring and told Max about six months ago. He only started calling me dad at the beginning of November. We left it up to him if he wanted to do that."

"Oh, this is such a blessing!" Mary pulled Sheldon and Amy into a hug. "While I'm not thrilled at learning I have a grandson who is a test tube baby born out of wedlock, this is a miracle!"

As Mary released her from the hug, Amy excused herself from the room, "I'm going tell Max to hurry up so we don't keep Meemaw waiting longer. I'm sure she's wondering where we are."

Mary was quiet as Amy exited the room. Turning to her son, she whispered, "Sheldon, I still have the ring for you. What could be better than a Christmas proposal? Give that little boy a proper family."

"Mother! I am not planning on proposing to Amy because of this. Maybe someday, but not now. Amy, Max, and I are perfectly happy with the way things are right now. Max and I have been spending a lot of time together; he's even spent the night last month when Amy had to go out of town for work. It's not your idea of a traditional family, but we're a family, and nothing is going to change that."

"I'm sorry, Sheldon. I just never thought you'd meet someone like Amy and have a child. You always kept to yourself growing up, so this is exciting to see. I'm sure Meemaw will be excited to hear this news. She's been waiting to make her Christmas cookies until you were here. She knows how much you like them, maybe you can show Max how to lick the beaters."

Thanks again for the reviews. I'm starting to work on some one-shots of moments I didn't include in this story, so let me know if you have ideas of what you'd like to see. I have several ideas already, but am open to suggestions.