Chapter Two: The McGuire Family Makes Room

Jo paced back and forth through her foyer, biting her recital red nails. The television set in her basement was blaring while her husband Sam and son Kyle and shouted like crazy. A large photograph of her grandson Chandler Desz hung beside the front door. He was the most gorgeous baby ever. She hadn't seen him since he was born and she missed him terribly.

She suddenly heard a car pulling in the driveway. Her heart soared. "Sam!" she shouted. "She's here!"

The doorbell rang. Jo jumped almost out of her shoes and ran to the door. She opened it happily. There stood a beautiful young woman with tan skin and deep blue eyes. Her brown hair was pulled into a long braid that ran a little ways down her back. She smiled softly.

"LIZZIE!"

"Mom!"

The two embraced. Jo felt tears run down her cheek as she patted her daughter's back. She hadn't seen her in almost two years. They pulled away slowly.

"Hi mom," Lizzie said, sticking her hands in her pockets. She smiled even wider, showing her extremely white teeth. "How are you?"

Jo could only nod as she held back tears. She heard the pounding of people running up stairs. That and the pounding of her heart.

"Honey!" Her husband appeared behind her.

"Hi dad!" Lizzie shouted, reaching out to give him a hug. Jo watched them and wiped away a tear that got away. She felt a light tug on her shirt suddenly. She looked down at 11-year-old Kyle. His eyes sparkled like little diamonds. Jo's heart just kept on warming up.

She and her husband had adopted Kyle from Kenya when he was a baby. Her biological son Matt, Lizzie's younger brother, was just starting out at Harvard at the time. They all loved Kyle; he was like having Matt's best friend Lanny around again. They were a lot alike.

"Hi Princess Lizzie," Kyle said to his sister quietly but heartfelt. Lizzie smiled and bent down. "Hey kiddo. Gimme a squeeze." Kyle jumped into her arms and they swung around. When Lizzie put him down, she pulled a silver tiara out of her purse and put it on his head. "I missed you Prince Kyle Smile."

Jo sighed happily as her son giggled and grabbed Lizzie's hand.

"Where's the baby?" Sam asked his daughter, rubbing his wife's shoulder.

Lizzie stood up, face growing gray. She turned slowly towards her dad. "He's with Jeu and Combari."

Jo's heart suddenly dropped. "Oh, honey! You promised you'd bring him! We miss him!"

Lizzie made a regretfully face. "I know, mom, I know. But Combari insisted she'd look after him. He's a really big handful, believe me."

"Oh," replied Jo sadly, trying to hide her disappointment. She looked down and headed towards the kitchen. "How is he?"

Lizzie followed her mother. "He's great. He said his first word yesterday!"

Jo turned to her and smiled. "What was it, mamma?"

Lizzie laughed and answered, "No. Actually, it was 'ocean.' It was so cute! Combari got it on tape."

Jo cleared her throat and headed for the pantry. "And Jeu wasn't there?"

Lizzie looked down and quietly replied, "Umm, no. He was on the other side of the island dealing with a crisis."

"Oh."

Combari was Jeu's mother, queen of Tambori. It took her a while to take to Lizzie, but they had gotten closer since Chandler was born. Jeu wasn't around at home a lot, but she was. They had become good friends.

Suddenly, the phone rang. Jo ran to answer it. "Hello? Oh hey there! Long time, no see! How are you?"

Lizzie smiled. She envisioned her teenaged self, standing where she was now, waiting for a phone call from Miranda or David. She began to miss those days. She even missed the days when she was a child and waited for Kate Sanders to call when they were friends.

"Yea, she's here." Jo suddenly handed the phone to her daughter. "It's for you."

Lizzie took the phone and made a face. "For me?"

Jo glared back. "It's Gordo."