Chapter 12
Sonny stared at Brenda for a long while, a chill running up the part of his spine that was actually working at the moment. The child in Brenda's arms could pass as his own. He was a beautiful boy. Sonny smiled when he saw him. He looked at Brenda whose eyes were pleading. She walked over to Sonny.
"I know I shouldn't ask you to do this for me," she started. "We've both been through a lot. You don't need to take this on. I just want to protect my son. I don't want to get involved with Jax anymore, not after he broke my heart at the wedding."
"Brenda," Sonny began, "I think I owe you. You know I'm still in love with Carly. I just need to make sure that if I do this, I can tell Carly the truth. I don't want her to think we were together while she and I were still married."
"Okay," Brenda replied slowly. "I can live with that. Will you do it?"
"Yeah," Sonny replied gently. "What's his name?"
"Stone Michael Barrett," Brenda replied with a smile.
"You named him after Stone?"
"Yeah," Brenda replied.
"I gave my youngest son Morgan that name for a middle name."
"I'm sure Stone is happy," Brenda replied. She smiled at Sonny.
"Well, we better get a room ready for you and one ready for Stone. Do you call him Stone?"
"Yeah," Brenda replied. She smiled at Stone. "Look, he needs a dad and I think you would be a good daddy to him."
"I'll try," Sonny replied. "I didn't do such a great job with my other boys."
"Maybe Stone can bond with them."
"That would be good," Sonny replied. Brenda smiled.
"Thank you for doing this. Thank you for being so great after everything. I'm not crazy about Carly, you know that, but I know she's the mother of your boys and I accept that. I won't get in her way. I won't get in the way of you and your sons."
"I appreciate that," Sonny replied with a smile. Brenda put Stone in Sonny's lap.
"I guess it's time for you to bond with your son."
**
Mark and Carly walked into Mark's apartment after their dinner date. Mark paid Cadence's baby-sitter and the woman left. Mark went to Cadence's bedroom to check on her and when he felt secure with his daughter's slumber, he shut her bedroom door and joined Carly in the living room.
"So," Mark began as he helped Carly with her coat, "why are you so eager to move to the next step so quickly?" Carly sighed and shook her head.
"Because I'm being selfish," she replied. "My soon-to-be ex-husband's ex-girlfriend is moving in with him. She's flying all the way from Europe, or wherever the hell she's been living for the past year just to live with him and take care of him."
"I'm sorry," Mark said, shaking his head. Carly looked away.
"I just want to start over with somebody new. I want to get Sonny off my mind."
"Look," Mark started, "I know you're always going to love Sonny. That's obvious. But, I would love to help you start over. I just don't want to take advantage of . . ." Carly smiled and pulled Mark into a passionate kiss, he picked her up in his arms, and proceeded to carry her back to his bedroom.
**
Max and Brenda were upstairs decorating Stone's new nursery. The nursery used to belong to Morgan. Now it was being passed on to Stone. Sonny felt guilty, but he knew that he needed to help Brenda and he needed to move on from Carly. Sonny smiled as he held the boy in his arms.
"You look nothing like your father," Sonny said with a laugh. "Personally I think that's a good thing. Well, you look enough like your mother that they won't question that I'm your dad. Do you think you want me to be your dad?" The baby grinned at Sonny and clapped his hands. "Well, I'll have to introduce you to your brothers." Sonny sighed heavily. He missed his boys and Carly so much now.
He was starting to realize that all of this was really happening. Brenda was moving in with him and he was assuming the role as this boy's father.
"I'll try to do right by you," Sonny whispered. He shook his head. He needed to hear Carly's voice. He was worried about her. He picked up the phone and dialed her phone number. He was surprised to hear Bianca answer the phone.
"Hello?" Bianca asked.
"Hey. It's Sonny. Is Carly around?"
"Um, no. The children are napping and Carly's with Mark." Hearing Bianca say that made Sonny so angry. He hung the phone up angrily and looked at Stone. That was the last straw.
"Brenda!" he called. Brenda hurried downstairs. She took Stone into her arms and put him down into his stroller because she saw that Sonny was upset.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"I . . . I want to finalize my divorce to Carly . . . tonight. If I'm going to be a father to Stone, you and I are going to get married and we're going to be a family." Family. That's what he wanted. He just wanted a family with Carly.
"Sonny, are you sure that's what you want?"
"I have to do this for my boys," Sonny replied. "They can't have the false hope that Carly and I are getting back together."
"So you're going to flaunt a new step mom in front of them? I might not be the most sane person in the world, but even I know that's not a good idea." Sonny looked at Brenda with pleading eyes. "Okay. Look. I know that you love Carly and the boys. I know you'll always love Carly. But I will do this for you because . . . because I love you." Sonny nods.
"Thank you," he replied. He picked up the phone and dialed Justus' phone number.
"Hello?" Justus asked as he picked up the phone.
"It's me," Sonny replied.
"Hey Sonny. What's going on?"
"I need you to make the arrangements to end my marriage to Carly tonight. I need Carly to sign the final divorce papers. I know I already have."
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
"I'm positive. I can't watch her move on and be alone like this. I need to do this," Sonny replied.
"Alright," Justus replied warily. "I'll take care of it." He hung up and Sonny looked at Brenda.
"This'll all be over soon and . . . we'll bet married."
"Are you sure?" Brenda asked.
"I have to be."
**
"Where are you taking me?" Faith asked with a laugh as Jason held her close and they walked together at the hospital. Faith was blindfolded and Jason was guiding her. Faith couldn't stop laughing as Jason took her up to the roof of the hospital. As soon as Jason opened the door to the roof exit, Faith could feel the warm spring breeze on her. Jason took off the blindfold and Faith looked up at the stars.
"Wow!" she exclaimed. "It's so beautiful!" She turned in Jason's arms and he put his arms around her waist. "Jason, I must have been heartless and uncaring before . . . because I don't even feel like I've ever looked up at the stars before."
"Well, you weren't exactly a star-gazing person," Jason replied with a dry laugh. Faith grinned. She shivered a little.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Yeah. I just . . . I don't think I've ever felt this way before," Faith replied. "I think I'd remember this feeling." Jason smiled as he looked into her eyes. They both looked up at the full moon and watched as a shooting star raced across the sky. They both closed their eyes at the same time, wishing for the same thing. Happiness and love. As soon as they had made their wish, they turned to each other and shared a star-lit kiss in the moonlight.
Sonny stared at Brenda for a long while, a chill running up the part of his spine that was actually working at the moment. The child in Brenda's arms could pass as his own. He was a beautiful boy. Sonny smiled when he saw him. He looked at Brenda whose eyes were pleading. She walked over to Sonny.
"I know I shouldn't ask you to do this for me," she started. "We've both been through a lot. You don't need to take this on. I just want to protect my son. I don't want to get involved with Jax anymore, not after he broke my heart at the wedding."
"Brenda," Sonny began, "I think I owe you. You know I'm still in love with Carly. I just need to make sure that if I do this, I can tell Carly the truth. I don't want her to think we were together while she and I were still married."
"Okay," Brenda replied slowly. "I can live with that. Will you do it?"
"Yeah," Sonny replied gently. "What's his name?"
"Stone Michael Barrett," Brenda replied with a smile.
"You named him after Stone?"
"Yeah," Brenda replied.
"I gave my youngest son Morgan that name for a middle name."
"I'm sure Stone is happy," Brenda replied. She smiled at Sonny.
"Well, we better get a room ready for you and one ready for Stone. Do you call him Stone?"
"Yeah," Brenda replied. She smiled at Stone. "Look, he needs a dad and I think you would be a good daddy to him."
"I'll try," Sonny replied. "I didn't do such a great job with my other boys."
"Maybe Stone can bond with them."
"That would be good," Sonny replied. Brenda smiled.
"Thank you for doing this. Thank you for being so great after everything. I'm not crazy about Carly, you know that, but I know she's the mother of your boys and I accept that. I won't get in her way. I won't get in the way of you and your sons."
"I appreciate that," Sonny replied with a smile. Brenda put Stone in Sonny's lap.
"I guess it's time for you to bond with your son."
**
Mark and Carly walked into Mark's apartment after their dinner date. Mark paid Cadence's baby-sitter and the woman left. Mark went to Cadence's bedroom to check on her and when he felt secure with his daughter's slumber, he shut her bedroom door and joined Carly in the living room.
"So," Mark began as he helped Carly with her coat, "why are you so eager to move to the next step so quickly?" Carly sighed and shook her head.
"Because I'm being selfish," she replied. "My soon-to-be ex-husband's ex-girlfriend is moving in with him. She's flying all the way from Europe, or wherever the hell she's been living for the past year just to live with him and take care of him."
"I'm sorry," Mark said, shaking his head. Carly looked away.
"I just want to start over with somebody new. I want to get Sonny off my mind."
"Look," Mark started, "I know you're always going to love Sonny. That's obvious. But, I would love to help you start over. I just don't want to take advantage of . . ." Carly smiled and pulled Mark into a passionate kiss, he picked her up in his arms, and proceeded to carry her back to his bedroom.
**
Max and Brenda were upstairs decorating Stone's new nursery. The nursery used to belong to Morgan. Now it was being passed on to Stone. Sonny felt guilty, but he knew that he needed to help Brenda and he needed to move on from Carly. Sonny smiled as he held the boy in his arms.
"You look nothing like your father," Sonny said with a laugh. "Personally I think that's a good thing. Well, you look enough like your mother that they won't question that I'm your dad. Do you think you want me to be your dad?" The baby grinned at Sonny and clapped his hands. "Well, I'll have to introduce you to your brothers." Sonny sighed heavily. He missed his boys and Carly so much now.
He was starting to realize that all of this was really happening. Brenda was moving in with him and he was assuming the role as this boy's father.
"I'll try to do right by you," Sonny whispered. He shook his head. He needed to hear Carly's voice. He was worried about her. He picked up the phone and dialed her phone number. He was surprised to hear Bianca answer the phone.
"Hello?" Bianca asked.
"Hey. It's Sonny. Is Carly around?"
"Um, no. The children are napping and Carly's with Mark." Hearing Bianca say that made Sonny so angry. He hung the phone up angrily and looked at Stone. That was the last straw.
"Brenda!" he called. Brenda hurried downstairs. She took Stone into her arms and put him down into his stroller because she saw that Sonny was upset.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"I . . . I want to finalize my divorce to Carly . . . tonight. If I'm going to be a father to Stone, you and I are going to get married and we're going to be a family." Family. That's what he wanted. He just wanted a family with Carly.
"Sonny, are you sure that's what you want?"
"I have to do this for my boys," Sonny replied. "They can't have the false hope that Carly and I are getting back together."
"So you're going to flaunt a new step mom in front of them? I might not be the most sane person in the world, but even I know that's not a good idea." Sonny looked at Brenda with pleading eyes. "Okay. Look. I know that you love Carly and the boys. I know you'll always love Carly. But I will do this for you because . . . because I love you." Sonny nods.
"Thank you," he replied. He picked up the phone and dialed Justus' phone number.
"Hello?" Justus asked as he picked up the phone.
"It's me," Sonny replied.
"Hey Sonny. What's going on?"
"I need you to make the arrangements to end my marriage to Carly tonight. I need Carly to sign the final divorce papers. I know I already have."
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
"I'm positive. I can't watch her move on and be alone like this. I need to do this," Sonny replied.
"Alright," Justus replied warily. "I'll take care of it." He hung up and Sonny looked at Brenda.
"This'll all be over soon and . . . we'll bet married."
"Are you sure?" Brenda asked.
"I have to be."
**
"Where are you taking me?" Faith asked with a laugh as Jason held her close and they walked together at the hospital. Faith was blindfolded and Jason was guiding her. Faith couldn't stop laughing as Jason took her up to the roof of the hospital. As soon as Jason opened the door to the roof exit, Faith could feel the warm spring breeze on her. Jason took off the blindfold and Faith looked up at the stars.
"Wow!" she exclaimed. "It's so beautiful!" She turned in Jason's arms and he put his arms around her waist. "Jason, I must have been heartless and uncaring before . . . because I don't even feel like I've ever looked up at the stars before."
"Well, you weren't exactly a star-gazing person," Jason replied with a dry laugh. Faith grinned. She shivered a little.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Yeah. I just . . . I don't think I've ever felt this way before," Faith replied. "I think I'd remember this feeling." Jason smiled as he looked into her eyes. They both looked up at the full moon and watched as a shooting star raced across the sky. They both closed their eyes at the same time, wishing for the same thing. Happiness and love. As soon as they had made their wish, they turned to each other and shared a star-lit kiss in the moonlight.