Sandy met Kirsten for lunch at this lovely place near The Newport Group. He had known for a while that she was back at work. At work, Kirsten was doing most of the work. Julie tried to help; however, she did not know the ins and outs of the business as well; However, he had resisted trying to visit her because he did not want to force her to do anything that she did not want to do. Sandy wanted Kirsten to choose to come home in her own time. He knew that she would come home, but she would do it on her own.

Sandy walked into the restaurant and approached the person who was seating people. He told them that he was meeting his wife, Kirsten Cohen, for lunch, and was wondering if she had arrived yet. The maitre'd told him that she had arrived and she was sitting out on the deck. He told Sandy to follow him out there, which he did.

Sandy saw Kirsten for the first time in two months. She looked amazing. Her hair was parted on the side and was straight that day. She was wearing a dark blue business suit with a white collared shirt. Kirsten looked very professional that day. Sandy could not take his eyes off her. She looked even more beautiful than the day he met her, in his mind. Kirsten was flawless, in Sandy's eyes. Although Kirsten always thought that Sandy had never loved her as much as he loved Rebecca Bloom, she was wrong. Otherwise, he would have never married her. Sandy loved her more than anything in the world, and he hoped that she knew that, after twenty years of marriage.

"Hi, Sandy," Kirsten said, greeting him warmly.

"Hi, Honey," he replied. He bent down and kissed her on the cheek, and then sat down next to her. He took the napkin out of it's holder, and placed it on his lap. Kirsten smiled at him. "What's that about?"

"I just didn't realize how much I missed you," Kirsten told him. "So have you told him yet?"

Sandy knew what she was referring to. He could not bring himself to tell Ryan about what he had learned. He had tried, but it was so hard. Sandy answered, "No, I haven't."

"Why not? You know that if we tell him later, rather than sooner, he'll be even more upset. Ryan isn't a little boy, and he needs to know what could happen," Kirsten explained.

"I know that, Kirsten, but it's so hard. He's our son. That's what he is to me. Our son, and I can't bear the thought of... losing him," Sandy said. He browsed through the menu.

"Yeah, I know, but we'll have to see what fate has in store for us, now wont we," Kirsten replied. "So what are you going to have today? I'll pay."

I was thinking about some of those crab cakes that I love so much. How 'bout you?" Sandy wondered.

"I'm going to have a lobster roll," Kirsten answered. "How's the Ryan and Theresa thing going?"

"I don't know. We'll have to see. He doesn't like any of it -," Sandy started to say.

"Well, of course he doesn't," Kirsten said, cutting in.

" - But he's dealing with it. Marissa's been a big help with all this. She knows more about young children than Ryan and Seth combined," he told Kirsten.

"Well, what about you, don't you help?" Kirsten questioned.

"Of course, Honey, but the baby's only been over the one time," Sandy replied, defending himself.

"When is he scheduled to come over again?" Kirsten asked.

"The weekend after this coming one," Sandy told her. The waiter came up to them then, and asked what they were going to order. Kirsten told the waiter their orders, and the couple continued talking. "You know I've missed you a lot. Everyone has. Ryan. Seth... everyone."

"I know, Sandy, and... I'm sorry for not coming home right away, but I just didn't feel ready to come home yet, and I didn't want to let you, or the boys down again," Kirsten explained.

"I know that, Honey, and you wont let us down again. I know you," Sandy replied.

"I just want to make myself sure of that first," Kirsten said.

"Do you think about coming home much?" Sandy wondered.

"Sometimes. More now," Kirsten answered. She took a sip of her water.

"Well, you know we'd love to have you," Sandy told her. He smiled at her. Sandy hoped that his words would resonate with her, and she might choose to come home and be with her family.

A/N - For any inaccuracies that have been made in the previous chapters, such as the size of the baby's diaper, or the amount of child support warrented, I don't have any recent experience with this type of thing, seeing as how I'm seventeen. I'm sorry for the inaccuracies; however, they were mainly (at least the child support one) for the plot of the story.