A/N: Thanks so much for your reviews. I'm so glad so many of you are excited about a new story from me. It makes me feel loved. Anyway, please forgive any unrealistic happenings in this chapter. It's been a while since I've been in either a maternity ward or around a two-year-old, so I could be totally wrong about both. I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Alexandri

Carl Rove drifted into his kitchen drawn by the unusual aroma of freshly prepared food. "What's all this?"

Adam glanced over his shoulder, oblivious to Carl's disbelieving stare. "I'm making dinner."

"I can see that." Carl wandered around the room noting the various ingredients, most of which hadn't been inside his kitchen since his wife died. "Is Joan coming over?"

"No, we're going out." Carl watched his son take a baking pan out of the oven. The smell of chicken made his stomach growl. "This is for you."

"For me? You didn't have to."

"Yes, I did." Adam set his pan on the stove and turned all the dials off. Then he opened the cabinet nearest him to reveal an entire shelf devoted to ramen noodles. "Dad, come on. Ramen noodles, hot dogs, TV dinners. You should be eating better than this."

"It's nice that you're concerned, but I'm fine, Adam."

His son just shook his head and heaped piles of rice and broccoli on the plate before adding an herb-baked chicken breast. "No, Dad, you're not. I'm worried about you," he said as he set the plate on the kitchen table before his dad and sat down.

Despite his appetite, Carl pushed the plate aside and folded his arms on the table. "Why?"

Adam mirrored his father's pose. "Aren't you lonely?"

Carl gaped at his son. "Why do you ask?"

"When I was in school, it made sense to me that you didn't go out or do things with other people. After Mom died, we just sort of shut out the rest of the world. I mean, we had each other. But I haven't been around for years now and . . . what do you do when I'm not here, Dad?"

"I do things," he declared. "I just don't do a lot of them."

Pushing his dinner back in front of his dad, Adam frowned at his father's lame answer. "Like what?"

Shrugging, he picked his fork and tasted the rice. "This is good."

"Dad."

"There's the regular poker night with some of the guys from work." Carl focused his attention on his food. It really was good. He didn't know where Adam had learned to cook so well. It certainly wasn't from him.

"What else?" his son prompted.

"Why is this so important to you?"

"Why are you evading the question?"

With a defeated sigh, Carl looked Adam in the eye. "You don't have to worry about me, Adam. No, I don't doing a whole lot or eat as health as I should. But I'm okay. Really."

He didn't look convinced, but Adam said, "All right. I still think you should get out more. Take a cooking class or something."

"You may be right," Carl allowed with a smile, "but you have more important things to think about."

"What are you talking about?" he asked as he got up and began putting the leftover food into the new Tupperware he'd bought.

"You and Joan," Carl answered around a mouthful of broccoli and chicken. He swallowed and said, "How is that going to work exactly?"

The way Adam's shoulders slumped pained Carl. He knew the couple was happy to be together but it seemed like they always ran headlong into complications. Before he even spoke, Carl knew Adam was going to put up a brave, unworried front. "It'll work out. We're going to talk about it over dinner."

"What arrangement are you hoping for?"

Adam leaned against the counter and considered his father's question before answering. "I don't know. I'll be happy as long as I'm with Jane, but I don't know."

A worry line creased Adam's forehead and Carl decided to leave him to his thoughts. Privately, he hoped that his son moved back to Arcadia. He missed him.

They'd fallen into a comfortable silence—Carl eating, Adam putting up the food and mentally restocking the kitchen—when the phone rang. They looked at each other then glanced at their watches. It wasn't quite seven. They looked at each other again and shrugged before Adam grabbed the phone. "Hello? . . . Hey. . . . Why? . . . She did? . . . That's okay. . . . Which hospital? . . . Okay, I'm on my way. . . . I know. I want to. . . . Okay. Bye."

Carl watched Adam hang up the phone, his curiosity peaked by the one-sided conversation. "Who's in the hospital?"

"Jane's sister-in-law, Rebecca. She's having her baby."

"Go on then." Carl shooed Adam out of the kitchen.

"I'm going," Adam said as he stuffed his arm in his jacket. "Have a good night at work."

"I will."

"And think about what I said about getting out more."

Carl just barely kept from rolling his eyes and prodded his son out of the door. "Good night, Adam."

Leila slouched in the uncomfortable waiting room chair and glared at the nervous but excited adults around her. Her grandparents and her Aunt Joan couldn't wait for the arrival of her new baby brother or sister. As her mommy got bigger, the more the adults in her life ignored her. Like now, her grandparents sat on either side of her but neither had spoken to her in the last ten minutes. Aunt Joan, who'd been pacing a few minutes ago, was now playing a game on her cell phone.

It'll probably be cuter than me, too. She wished she at least had a doll or something to play. Sitting in a smelly hospital with the faint, intermittent sound of screams and crying was not Leila's idea of fun.

"Hey."

Everyone looked up. A tall man entered the waiting room with a big food bag in one hand and a to-go tray of drinks in the other.

Aunt Joan popped out of her chair and carelessly tossed her phone in her seat. She took the tray out of the man's hands and kissed his cheek. "I'm so glad you're here."

The man smiled and said, "I thought you'd be hungry." He turned to Grandpa Will and Grandma Helen. "And I brought coffee."

"Bless you," Grandpa Will said as he got up.

Suddenly, the stranger was surrounded by her adults and she was left alone. With knitted brow and pouting mouth, Leila hopped off her chair and made her way across the room until she stood beside the strange man's legs.

She hadn't even had time to tug on his pants before he looked down and noticed her. "Hi, Leila."

"You know me?" she asked, too surprised to remember her manners.

He nodded and crouched down so they were eye-level. "We met a couple months ago."

"Oh." Leila looked down at his hands. They were hanging loosely in front of his knees. She felt bad that she didn't remember him. He seemed nice.

"It's okay if you don't remember me," the man said. "You were sleepy when we met."

"Oh."

He smiled at her. He had a nice smile and she couldn't help smiling back. "My name is Adam," he said and held one of his hands out to her. Tentatively, she wrapped her hand around his index and middle fingers and they shook them. "I'm going to marry your aunt."

"That's good?" She wasn't quite sure what it meant to get married.

Adam nodded. "It's good."

"Okay."

"Guess what?"

"What?"

"I got something especially for you." Adam held his hands out as if to pick her up.

Leila hesitated. After all, she didn't know him. She looked up at her aunt. Joan nodded. Looking back at Adam, Leila noticed his patient expression and allowed him to grasp her waist and lift her.

He set her on his hip and dug into the big food bag one-handed. "Let's see. I got you . . ." he stuck in tongue out in concentration and dug a little deeper before pulling something out, "a juice box. Apple, of course. And . . ." he passed her the juice box and dug into the bag again, "a peanut butter and jelly sandwich."

Leila's eyes lit up. She loved apple juice and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. How had he known? Suddenly, she narrowed her eyes and stared at the sandwich skeptically. "What kind of jelly is it?" she asked as politely as she could under the circumstances.

"Grape. Is there any other kind?"

Grinning, Leila shook her head. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Adam suddenly cocked his head to the side. "Let's go sit so you can eat."

"Aren't you eating anything?" She didn't like eating alone.

He shook his head. "But I have a cup of coffee."

Leila thought it over. "Okay."

Joan handed him a cup with a strange grin. "Go easy on him, Leila."

The little girl blinked at her aunt, not sure what she was being told to do. But she already knew that Joan didn't always make sense, so she nodded and gave what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

Adam sat in the seat she'd left and settled her on his lap. Then he unwrapped the sandwich, handing her a half before putting the straw in her juice. Neither said anything while he sipped his coffee and she began to her sandwich. It had extra jelly, just the way she liked. How had he known? She decided not to question it, especially since her mouth was full.

She was halfway through the sandwich before he spoke. "You want to talk about it?"

"Talk about what?"

"Whatever you were thinking about when you came over."

Leila put her sandwich and considered his question. No one had really asked her how she felt about the new baby. Not in the last few months anyway. She was confused. She wanted to be happy about it like everyone else but she wasn't. The new baby seemed dangerous to her like it was replacing her. Could she tell him that? He was a stranger and she wasn't supposed to talk to strangers. But if he was going to marry her aunt—whatever that meant—than he wouldn't be a stranger for long. Looking up into his understanding eyes, Leila decided she'd take a chance on one condition. "Promise you won't tell?"

Adam nodded solemnly. "I promise."

"Okay," she said and picked up her sandwich. "I'll tell you."

The sight of Leila and Adam deep in conversation brought a wistful smile to Joan's lips. She'd always thought he had a natural affinity for children. This proved it. Leila didn't take to just anyone.

"What is it, honey?"

Her mother's voice pulled Joan out of her thoughts. "Hmm?"

Helen gave her daughter a knowing look. "What brought on that smile?"

Joan nodded toward her fiancé and niece. Her smile slipped a little as she noticed Leila's dejected look. A single tear slid down the toddler's face and she sniffled. Then she laid her head on Adam's chest while he soothingly rubbed her tiny back.

Mother and daughter exchanged bewildered looks. "What do you think that's all about?" Helen whispered.

"I don't know," Joan said, "but we should probably pay extra attention to her. This is going to be a big adjustment for Leila."

The two women sighed as they contemplated their ignorance of Leila's feelings.

"Thank you."

Adam looked up as Joan sat down beside him. "For what?"

She slipped her hand in his free one. "Everything. For coming. For waiting with us for six hours. For taking care of Leila."

"She's a sweet kid." He stared down at the child sleeping on his chest.

"Yeah, well, she's smitten with you."

"Not again," he laughed softly.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Not like that. Leila's not really outgoing. She's oddly cautious for a two-year-old. But not with you." Smiling at the peaceful look on her niece's face, she brushed back the girl's dark curls. "We've all been so worried about Rebecca and the baby, we forgot about Leila."

"Why are you worried? Is something wrong?"

"When Rebecca got pregnant this time, the egg didn't make it to her uterus. It implanted itself in her tube and they had to do surgery to move it. She almost didn't make it." Tears sprang to Joan's eyes and Adam pulled her into his arms. "It's been a difficult pregnancy for her. We didn't tell Leila because we didn't know how to explain the pregnancy itself, let alone the complications."

Joan laid her head on his shoulder and he stroked her back like he'd stroked Leila's earlier. Gradually, she relaxed. Her breathing evened out and she nestled closer to him. Smothering a yawn, Adam kissed her forehead then rested his cheek against her hair and let his fatigue overtake him.

He'd sunk into a warm, restorative sleep when Joan jerked upright unexpectedly. His head jerked and he looked around, alert but confused. "What's going on?"

"Huh?" Joan moaned and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"No, no. It's okay." Brushing her hair back, Adam peered into her face. "What happened?"

"I don't know." She gave him a reassuring nod. "Can I . . . can I get you anything? Something to eat or drink? Take Leila so you can stretch your legs?"

"I'm fine."

"Okay," Joan whispered as she settled back into her previous position.

"Jane?"

"Yeah?"

"We need to . . ."

"Kevin."

"What?"

Joan sat up again and gestured toward the waiting room entrance. Kevin wheeled in looking thoroughly exhausted. He came toward Adam and Joan, his eyes trained on his daughter's sleeping form. Gingerly, he lifted her onto his lap and cuddled her close. Adam caught the dismayed look Joan shared with her parents as they joined the quiet group.

Everyone waited for Kevin to speak, hoping for the best but certain of the worst due to his silence. Helen broke first. "Well?"

Kevin looked up at his mother as if surprised to see her there.

"Don't leave in suspense."

"Sorry," he said, a tired smile stretching his lips. "Long night. It's a boy. Eight pounds, three ounces."

"And Rebecca?" Will asked.

"Resting. Weak, but . . ." Kevin looked down at Leila again, his smile so full of love, it was almost heartbreaking, "she's going to pull through."

Helen wrapped her son and granddaughter in her arms. "I'm so happy for you, honey."

Kevin accepted his family's congratulations, shushing them only when his daughter stirred in his arms.

"Can we see her?" Joan asked.

"No, the labor took a lot out of her. But baby Trevor is in the observation nursery if you want to see him."

"Trevor?"

"Actually William Trevor," he amended. "Since we already have a Will in the family and no one actually likes the name Billy, we decided to call him Trevor. Follow me."

Will and Helen followed Kevin while Joan and Adam stood and stretched. Hands linked, they hurried after the others.

The two couples stood in front of the glass staring at Kevin's new son. "He's perfect," Helen whispered.

"He really is," Joan said, leaning back in Adam's arms.

The five adults watched baby Trevor scrunch up his face and blow an air bubble before relaxing into sleep again. After a few minutes' vigil, Kevin said, "I'm going to go sit with Rebecca."

"Do you need us to keep Leila?" Will asked.

Kevin shook his head. "I think Rebecca would like to see her," he said before he left.

Joan watched Kevin carefully wend his way to Rebecca's room. For someone who'd just had a child, he seemed awfully subdued. "Do you think she's really all right?"

"I don't know, kiddo," her dad answered. "I think maybe she's not out of the woods yet."

Joan looked away, frightened by the thought that things might still go bad for her brother. She was thinking that she use some divine instruction when she felt Adam's sigh tousle her hair. "What is it?" she asked, staring up at him.

"It's nothing."

She gave him her "don't b.s. me" look. He gave her a weak smile and tipped his head to the side. "Okay," she whispered, knowing he wanted to talk in private.

They moved off to the side. Adam leaned back against the wall and pulled her into his arms. "Now," she said, "tell me what you're thinking."

"This really isn't the best time."

"When is it ever?"

Adam smiled. "I'm going back to New York on Monday."

"Oh." Joan felt like he'd just punched her in the stomach. He'd only been in town for five days. Though a part of her knew that he wasn't in Arcadia to stay, she hadn't thought he'd be leaving again so soon. "How long will you be gone?"

"At least through August."

"I won't see you for the whole summer?"

"I have commitments in New York until the end of summer." Adam took Joan's stricken face in his hands. "We'll talk it about later."

"No. Let's do this now."

"It's too much, Jane. This is just part of a bigger discussion we need to have."

He was right. She knew that. Joan scoffed, amazed that she'd been naïve enough to think anything in her life could ever be simple. This wasn't his fault. She didn't blame him. Neither of them had expected life to become the roller coaster it had been for the last two months.

"Come with me."

"Where are we going?" she asked absentmindedly.

"To New York. Come with me to New York."

Joan gaped at him. "Are you . . . are you serious?"

Adam raised an eyebrow and Joan laughed apprehensively as she realized they were repeating the faithful conversation that had separated them in the first place.

"Come visit me," Adam clarified. "For a week or a month or the whole summer if you can. School's letting out soon, right?"

"Yeah."

"And you don't have to work through the summer, do you?"

"No."

"Then come to New York. Just for a little while." Adam gave her a rueful look. "After you've gotten things in order here."

Joan's mouth opened and closed as she searched for an answer.

"Think about it," he said. "You don't have to decide right now. Especially with everything else that's going on."

"Okay."

Adam pushed off the wall and gave her a quick kiss before moving to rejoin her parents. "Maybe we can have the other talk over dinner tomorrow."

"Adam?"

He turned back to her. "Yeah?"

Joan hesitated a moment. She wasn't sure she was making the right decision, but God had told her to trust her instincts. This felt right. "I meant 'okay, I'll come to New York.'"

It was Adam's turn to gape at her.

"I'll have to wait until school's out, obviously. And I want to make sure everything's all right with my family and Grace. I think she's going through more than she's admitting. You know how private she is, though, so I could be off-base." She paused and took a deep breath. "But, I think spending the summer with you in New York could be good for us."

"Are you sure?"

She shook her head. "Not really, but I'm willing to do it anyway."

"Fair enough." Adam squeezed her hand gently in his. "We should . . ." He pointed to her parents.

"Yeah."

They covered the short distance as slowly as possible. Finally, Adam gave Joan a long, soft kiss. When she looked up at him, he smiled and said, "Thank you."