They arrived at the wake and saw a lot of family and friends. After everyone paid their respects. The priest asked Leah and Taylor to come up and say a few words. The girls walked up together and talked about their dad and how fond of him they were. After the wake they headed back home. Marie went into the kitchen and put up the coffee and tea.
"Tay. I'm going to go. I'll see you tomorrow." Frankie said kissing her good bye.
"Ok. Thanks for everything Frankie." She said kissing him back.
"Night Frankie! Thanks for caring." Leah said smiling at him.
"Welcome. Night Mrs. Reynolds!" Frankie yelled.
"Night." She said peeking out of the kitchen.
"Leah I'm heading up to bed." Jimmy said yawing.
"Ok. I'll be up later." She said kissing him good night.
"Night Taylor. Night Marie."
"Night." They said.
"Taylor you did a good job with your speech." Marie said looking at her.
"Thanks mom. So did Leah."
"It was ok." Marie said.
"Jesus Christ! Mom! Why the hell are you doing this to me! What did I do to deserve this?" Leah yelled.
"Don't you talk to me in that tone young lady?" Marie said looking at her angrily.
"Mom why are you always putting me down?" She asked.
"Because you are a disappointment. You never tried hard. You could have been top in your class. All you did was goof off and daydream. You could have gotten a scholarship to Harvard. But no! You blew it by not studying hard enough. Your father was also disappointed with you." Marie said getting up and shutting off the tea water.
"Mom. Daddy was never disappointed with Leah. I never heard him say one bad thing about her." Taylor said sticking up for Leah.
"Tay. It's no use arguing over this. I'm tired. I'm going up to bed."
"You're not sleeping with him in this house!" Marie yelled at her.
"Ok. Ok. Mom. Take it easy. I'll sleep down here." Leah said trying to hold back her tears and anger.
She walked out and went upstairs and got her pajamas. She sat on her bed and started to cry again. Jimmy sat up and wrapped his arms around her.
"We'll be out of here by Saturday." He said comforting her.
"Thank you Jimmy. Thank you so much for being here with me. I'm so sorry about earlier. You really are my life. You know. I can't live without you." She said holding him.
He just smiled when she said that to him.
"Honey why don't you lay down and rest. I'll sleep down stairs."
"No. I want you to stay here with me. I don't give a damn what she says." She said lying down next to him.
He pulled the covers over her and they both fell into an exhausted sleep. The next day they got up and got dressed for the funeral. After the funeral they had to go to the lawyers for the reading of the will. Jimmy went to the local diner where he met up with Frankie and his friends.
"Hi Frankie."
"Hi Jimmy. How are Leah and Taylor doing?" Frankie asked sitting next to him.
"They're hanging in there." He said.
"I feel sorry for them. Their mom is awful to them." Frankie said looking at him.
"Does she give Taylor a hard time like she does Leah?" Jimmy asked him.
"No. For some strange reason I think, I could be wrong she's afraid of Taylor." Frankie said.
"Oh."
"Why does she treat Leah that way?" Frankie asked.
"Damn if I know." Jimmy said as his coffee and breakfast came.
Frankie said good bye and went back to his friends. When Jimmy was done with his breakfast he asked the waitress to bring him the check. She advised him that it was already paid for. He looked up and saw Leah standing there looking at him. She walked over and sat down.
"Hi honey. You didn't have to do that." He said looking at her.
"It was my pleasure." She said.
"Can I ask you how it went with the lawyer?"
"It went well." She said.
They got up and left the diner. While they were driving back to her house she looked at him and said, "I can't wait to go home."
"Neither can I. Neither can I." He said smiling at her.
They pulled up to the house and went inside. Leah went upstairs while Jimmy went into the kitchen to make coffee. He heard crying coming from the outside. He looked out and saw Taylor on the deck crying. He went out to sit with her.
"Hi Taylor."
"Hi Jimmy." She said looking at him.
"You know you are welcome to stay with us." He said looking at her.
"Thanks Jimmy. I would like that." She smiled at him.
They got up and headed back inside for coffee and tea. Leah then came and joined them.
"Leah."
"Yeah Tay."
"Jimmy said I can come out and stay with you guys." She said smiling at her sister.
"That would be great!" She said hugging her. Then she hugged him.
"We're all packed." Leah said looking at him.
"Great. It will be great to get home." He said.
"Yeah it would be. I can't wait to see Rocky." Leah said.
Leah and Jimmy headed upstairs to watch television in Leah's room.
"You know what else I can't wait for?" He asked looking at her.
"No what?" She asked holding him.
"I can't wait until you start showing. It will be so beautiful." He said smiling at her.
"Yeah it will be beautiful. I can't wait until we tell Rocky." She said kissing him.
He slide his hands down her back and pulled her close to him and started to kiss her passionately. There was a knock on the door. Leah sprang up nearly knocking him over. She opened her door and found her mother standing there.
"Hi mom." She said.
"Hi. Here are the things that you're supposed to have from your father." She said handing her a box with all her father's pictures, Naval discharge papers, his coin collection and a small box with his high school ring and cuff links in it. Leah found another small box in the box. She opened it up and found a diamond ring in it and a note.
"Leah here's your sweet 16 ring you were supposed to get. It was my mother's engagement ring. You can use it anyway you like but please don't sell it." Love you always, Dad.
She then found an envelope underneath his coin collection. She opened it up and nearly fainted when she saw it was money. She counted the money and there was fifteen hundred dollars in it. She found a note again from him.
"Leah use this money towards your wedding. I know someday you will find a wonderful man to marry and I hope he's good to you. Remember what I always told you. Follow your heart. You're my precious angel. If you don't want to get married use it to travel anywhere your heart desires. I will always be with you. Either in spirit or in your heart." Love you baby girl always, Dad.
She was so speechless. She had tears coming down her face.
"He always looked out for you?" Jimmy asked.
"Yes he did. He was my guardian angel." She said looking at him.
"Whenever I was down or didn't pass a test all he said to me was everything will get better and study harder. He never once yelled at me about my grades. If I had a major test coming up he would put up coffee for himself and hot cocoa for me. We would study until we both fell asleep. You know something I always seem to pass the test with flying colors. My mom use to help me but I managed to fail the tests. The English test in college he and I were on the phone until 2am my time studying. He helped me a little bit with my History test. But not too much because I knew it." She said leaning on Jimmy.
He just smiled as she told him the stories about her dad.
"He must have been a great man."
She looked up at him and said, "The best."
There was a knock on her door.
"Come in."
"Hey Leah."
"Hi Tay. What's up?" She asked looking at her.
She looked at her and then she saw the box.
"I see you got the box." She said.
"Yeah I did."
Taylor just started to cry. Leah walked over to her and hugged her.
"I'll leave you two alone." Jimmy said getting up and leaving.
"I miss him so much Leah." Taylor cried.
"Me too. Me too." She said crying too.
The girls sat on Leah's bed and talked about their memories of their dad. There was a knock on the door. Leah got up and opened the door. Their mom walked in.
"Taylor you have a call. It's Michael Peterson." She said looking at the girls.
Michael Peterson is Taylor's agent.
"Thanks." She said getting up and leaving.
"So what did your dad leave you Leah?" Her mom asked.
"Just some papers and notes and money." She said looking at her mom.
"He left you more money? Ten million wasn't enough for you?" Her mother said in an angry tone.
"It was his money mom. He could do anything he wanted to with it." Leah said.
Her mother walked over to her bed and opened the box and started to go through it.
"Excuse me mom! That's my box and it's private!" She said pushing her mom's hands away.
"Listen! Nothing in this house is private! I want to see what he left you! Never, ever push me away!" She said angrily.
Her mother saw the diamond ring and took it out to look at it. Then she picked up the envelope and went through it. Leah tried to take it away from her but her mother pushed her away.
"Those are mine! You have no right in taking them!" She yelled.
"Your father only left me twenty thousand dollars! This stuff right here is mine! I deserve them!" Her mother yelled at her.
"No! They are mine!" Leah said grabbing them from her.
"You don't deserve them!" She yelled.
"The money and ring is for my wedding." Leah said looking at her.
"Your wedding? Who in their right mind would want to marry you? Huh? Tell me?" She laughed at her.
"I will." Jimmy said walking in on them.
"You? Please don't make me laugh. You're eighteen years older than her. She won't give you one piece of happiness. She won't be a good wife or mother." Her mother said laughing.
Leah walked up to her and said, "I'll be a better mom then you were to us."
"Oh! Please! You can't even handle money properly. What will you do with that money that your father left you? I tell you! You'll piss it away." She said.
"I'll tell you what I'll do with the money. I'm going to buy a house and put the rest away for when the baby is born." She said angrily.
Her mother looked at her with a surprised look.
"That's right mom! I'm pregnant!" Leah then grabbed her jacket and left the room.
She ran down the stairs past Taylor and went out to the shed. Two minutes later her mom followed her and then Jimmy.
"What the hell do you mean you're pregnant?" Marie yelled at her.
"What do you think I mean? I'm one month pregnant with Jimmy's baby! There is no way in hell you're going to do anything about it!" She said.
Her mother looked at her and then at Jimmy.
Then she said, "After you have this baby what are you going to do drop out of college? How are you going to support the baby? Who's going to watch the baby while you work?"
"I'm staying in college. I have the money to support the baby and I'll put the baby in daycare." She said.
"This is wrong! All wrong! This is not the plan I had for you!" Her mother said crying.
"Mom plans change." She said looking at her mom.
"Are you two getting married?"
"We haven't talked about it." Leah said.
"What do you mean you haven't talked about?" Her mom asked.
"This came as a surprise to us. We didn't expect this. Eventually we will get married." Jimmy said.
"And if you don't get married? What happens then?"
"Then I'll support the baby until he or she turns eighteen." Jimmy said.
Her mom just shook her head and then walked out of the shed disgusted. When she got inside the house she looked at Taylor and started to cry.
"Mom what's wrong?" Taylor asked sitting next to her.
"You sister just ruined her life." She said.
"How? By becoming pregnant?" She asked looking at her.
"Yes! She's going to drop out of college and get a dead end job."
"How do you know that mom? Maybe she'll stay in college and get a degree and get a wonderful job." She said.
"Not your sister. She's not that smart. She never was and never will be. If she was a smart person she wouldn't be in this mess." Marie said getting up and going to her room.
Leah and Jimmy came back in and went up to Leah's room to get their things. Leah called a cab to take them to the airport to go back home. The cab came and they said their good-byes to Taylor and Marie.
"Bye Tay! I love you. I'll call you next week." Leah said hugging her.
"Bye Leah! I love you too. I'll wait for your call." Taylor said crying.
"Bye Jimmy. Take care and take good care of my sister." Taylor said hugging him.
"I will." He said hugging her.
"Bye mom." She said.
Her mom looked at her and said, "You are no longer welcomed here."
Then she left the room. Leah was taken aback by her comment.
Leah and Jimmy headed out the door and into the cab. When they reached the airport Leah looked at him and gave him a big hug.
"What was that for?"
"Because I love you and I hope to god I'll never be like my mother." She said looking at him.
"You got to hand it to her. She's a very interesting person." He laughed.
While they were waiting for boarding time Leah told Jimmy about her father's will.
"Wow! That's a lot of money." Jimmy said looking at her.
"It is." She said looking at him. "He was a very good investor. He loved to play the stock market. That's how Taylor and I got the money."
"Very smart man." He said holding her hand.
"Yes. Just like you." She smiled at him.
He smiled at her when she said that.
"So how do you want to break the baby news to my dad?" He asked looking at her.
"How about taking him out to dinner?" She asked.
"Maybe we can invite him over to our place for dinner." Jimmy said kissing her.
"Our place?" She asked.
"I was going to ask you to move in with me if you want to."
Before she could answer they made the announcement to board their plane. When they got settled in their seats she looked at him and said, "I'll live anywhere with you Mr. James Rockford." Then she kissed him.
"Good." He smiled at her.
Five hours later they were back in Los Angeles. They took a cab back to his place. When they pulled up and went inside they found Rocky sleeping on the couch. Leah went over to him and woke him up.
"Hey you're back." He said getting up.
"Hi dad."
"How are you Leah?" Rocky asked hugging her.
"Doing well. Glad you didn't come home with us." She said putting her bags in Jimmy's room.
"What does she mean?" Rocky asked looking at Jimmy.
"Her mom gave her a lot of grieve." He said making coffee.
"Oh that poor kid. She doesn't need that. She just lost her dad." He said sadly.
"Well she did Rocky." Leah said coming out of the room.
"Rocky I have to tell you something." Leah said sitting next to him.
"Sure." He said looking at her.
"I'm pregnant." She said.
"Pregnant? You and Jimmy are going to have a baby?" He said with a big smile.
"Yeah dad. Me and Leah are going to have a baby."
"Wow! That is wonderful news! How long are you?" He asked hugging her.
"One month." She said looking at him.
"That is fantastic! When is the baby due?"
"The baby will be due in November." She said smiling.
"Oh I can't wait! Imagine me a grandpa! How about that!" He smiled again.
"Dad. Leah and I are going to move in together."
"Live here? No. You can't do that. You have to get a house." He said.
"It's ok Rocky. We can live here and then we'll find that perfect house." Leah said.
"But you two need a house. When are you two planning to get married?"
Jimmy and Leah looked at each other and then at him.
"Dad we didn't discuss that yet."
"Rocky I want to finish college first before we get married. I have three more months left for this year and then I'll go back in mid August until hopefully by next May I'll graduate." She said looking at him.
"That's good. Finish college."
"While Leah's in school I'm going to watch the baby." Jimmy said.
"But what about your private investigator business?" He asked.
"I don't know if I'll keep it going. I haven't really thought about it." He said getting up and getting their coffees.
Rocky leaned over to Leah and said, "I hope he gets rid of it. It's too dangerous."
She smiled at him.
After they drank their coffee Rocky left. Leah got up and went into the bedroom to get undressed.
"Honey are you ok?" He asked walking in on her.
"I'm fine. Just tired." She smiled at him.
"Oh ok." He said leaving her to finish getting ready for bed.
The next day she got up and got ready for school. She then gently kissed him good bye. She left him a note telling him when she'll be back. When she got to school she saw Patty.
"Hi Patty."
"Hi Leah! You're back!" Patty said hugging her.
"Yes. I have so much to tell you but I'm running late for Professor Declan's class. Meet me at the Pastry Shop for lunch! My treat!" She yelled running to class.
Everyone in her English class told her how sorry they were to hear about her dad. She thanked them. Then she went onto her history class. After history class she went over to meet Patty at the Pastry Shop.
"So what do you have to tell me?" Patty asked.
"Well for starters my mom and I are no longer speaking. I find that I'm one month pregnant."
"Oh my god!" Patty said hugging her.
"Then Jimmy asked me to move in with him." She said smiling at her.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I can't wait." She said looking at her.
"Will you finish school after the baby is born?" Patty asked looking over her menu.
"I plan to. I want to prove my mom wrong. She said that I'll drop out." Leah said.
They placed their orders.
"What did your mom say when you told her that you were pregnant?" Patty asked.
"She was not happy and then yesterday before we left she told me that I'm no longer welcomed in her house."
"Wow! What did Taylor say?"
"She's happy and she likes Jimmy a lot." Leah said as the food came.
"Did you tell Jimmy's dad?"
"Yeah last night. He's so happy for us. I was a little scared that he would be angry like my mom. I'm glad I was wrong." Leah said biting into her sandwich.
"When are you and Jimmy getting married?" Patty asked wiping her mouth.
"I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"We didn't talk about it yet. Maybe after I graduate." She said.
"Oh." Patty said.
"Well if you were to say get married tomorrow where would it be?" Patty asked.
"I would love to get married at the beach." She said.
"Oh that would be lovely." Patty smiled.
"Then hopefully honeymoon in Hawaii." She said.
"Cool!" Patty smiled.
After lunch Leah went home and found a note from Jimmy.
"Honey, I'll be back shortly. Jimmy."
Leah decided that she was going to type up her history report on her laptop. She sat at Jimmy's desk and started to type the report. There was a knock on the door. She got up to answer it.
"Hello." She said to the woman who came in.
"Is James Rockford around?" The woman asked looking her up and down.
Leah was dressed in black capri pants with a matching tank mid drift top and black sandals and her hair was pulled back in a pony tail.
"No he's not. May I ask who you are?"
"His wife." The woman said.
"His wife?" She asked looking at her.
"Yes. And you are?" The woman said again looking her up and down.
"Leah Reynolds." She said.
"When will Jim be back?"
"I don't know. I wasn't here when he left." Leah said.
"Well then I'll wait here until he comes back." She said.
"Can I get you something to drink?" Leah asked.
"No thank you." She said snobbishly.
"Can I ask you what your name is since you know mine?"
"Halley Kittredge Rockford." She said with an attitude.
"How do you know my Jim?" Halley asked.
"I met him a couple of months ago on the beach." Leah said.
"Really?" She said.
Leah then sat back down at his desk and continued with her history paper. Halley picked up the newspaper and read it while waiting for Jimmy. The phone rang.
"Hello…Yes this is Leah Reynolds….He's where?…Ok I'll be right there. Thank you Lieutenant." Leah hung up and grabbed her jacket.
"Just a minute! Where are you going?" Halley asked.
"I'm going to the hospital. Jimmy is there." She said walking out the door.
"I'll drive!" She said looking at her.
"I'm taking my own car!" Leah said with an attitude.
Leah got into her car and sped away to the hospital. When she arrived there she asked the nurse what room he was in.
"Are you a relative?" The nurse asked.
"I'm…" She was cut off in mid sentence.
"No she's not! I'm Halley Kittredge Rockford. I'm Mr. Rockford's wife." She said pushing Leah out of the way.
The nurse showed Halley to Jim's room. Leah leaned over the nurse's station and saw what room Jimmy was in. Halley walked in and saw Jimmy sitting up in the bed.
"What the hell are you doing here?" He asked angrily.
"Hello to you too Jim." She said walking over to him and kissing him on the lips.
Leah walked in and saw them kissing and she ran out.
"Damn it!" He said looking at her.
"Who is that Leah Reynolds?"
"None of your business Kitt!" He growled.
"So what happened to you Jim?" She asked sitting on his bed.
He didn't answer her. All he kept thinking about was the look on Leah's face. Then Lieutenant Becker came into his room.
"Dennis you have to do me a favor." Jimmy said looking at him.
"What is it?" He asked.
"Can you go to my trailer and see if Leah's there? If she is tell her to call me."
"If she's not."
"Call me. She might be at the University." He said looking at him.
"Ok Jimbo." Dennis said looking at Jim and then at Halley.
"Counselor."
"Lieutenant."
Dennis then left.
"Jim how long are you going to be in here?" She asked looking at him.
"I don't know Kitt. Why are you here anyway? I told Dennis to call my place." He said looking at her.
"He did. That 'bimbo' took the call and wasn't going to tell me. Then she wouldn't let me drive her and to top it off she tried to get in here to see you. What nerve!" Halley said looking at him.
"LEAH IS NOT A BIMBO!" He said yelling at her.
"Well she acts like one and dresses like one. Don't tell me you're involved with her?" She asked looking at him.
"Look Kitt just leave! Ok! I'm not in the mood to talk to you or hear your problems." He said angrily.
"FINE!" She said getting up and leaving.
Just as she was leaving the phone rang.
"Hello…Hey Dennis…She's not…Great!…Never mind I'll call her at the University….Yeah I'm sure." He hung up.
He then dialed her number. It rang four times until her machine picked up.
"Leah honey if you're there please pick up. Come on Leah. Please pick up." He waited and then hung up.
"God! Where did she go?" He asked himself.
The doctor came in.
"Mr. Rockford you seem to be ok. You can go home anytime you feel like it. You just have bruised ribs." The doctor said.
Jimmy got up, got dressed and left. He headed over to her dorm. He looked over the parking lot and didn't see her car. So he went inside. He knocked on the door and Patty let him in.
"Patty have you seen Leah?" He asked walking in.
"No. Why?" She asked looking at him.
"There was a little misunderstanding." He said leaving.
He got back into his car and drove to the beach. Again he didn't see her car.
"Damn it! Where the hell is she?"
He went inside and looked for a note. There was none and he also noticed that some of her things were gone.
"Shit!"
He picked up the phone and called his dad.
"Rocky is Leah there?….Oh thank god!….I'll be right over…Bye." He got back into his car and drove to his dad's house.
When he showed up Leah was in the bedroom lying down. He knocked on the door and his dad let him in.
"Dad where is she?" Jimmy asked holding his side.
"She's in the bedroom. What happened to you sonny?" Rocky asked looking at him.
"I was helping Angel and I got in the way of these two big goons." He said walking over to the bedroom.
He knocked on the door.
"Leah."
"Go away Jimmy!" She yelled.
"Honey I need to talk to you." He said.
"No!" She yelled again.
"Dad can you get me in there?" Jimmy asked looking at him.
"No. She said she didn't want to be bothered so I'm not bothering her." Rocky said looking at him.
"Damn it dad!" Jimmy said holding his sides.
"Leah! Get out here now!" Jimmy said pounding on the door.
"NO! Leave me alone Jimmy! I don't want to talk to you ever again!" She then started to cry.
Jimmy took out his lock picking tools and picked the lock. He got in and found her lying down on the bed crying. He walked over to her and sat on the bed.
"What are you doing in here? I told you I don't want to talk to you." She said looking at him.
"Honey please let me explain." He said looking at her.
"Jimmy why didn't you tell me you were married? I would never allow myself to fall in love with you." She started to cry.
"Honey I'm not married. I'm divorced." He said brushing her hair away from her face.
"She told me you were." Leah said.
"Who?" He asked.
"Halley." She said as the tears fell.
"Damn her!" Jimmy said hitting his leg.
Leah jumped when he did that.
"Leah look at me. Halley is my ex-wife. She and I are no longer married. I don't know what she was pulling. We've been divorced for eight years." He said holding her.
"But she kissed you. I saw it." She cried.
"I know honey. I know. I'm sorry." He said holding her.
She then looked up at him.
"Are you in love with her?"
"God! No! I'm in love with you. You're my whole world." He said kissing her.
"Really?"
"Really." He said again kissing her.
"Leah I'm going out for an hour. I'll be right back." He said kissing her.
"Where are you going?" She asked looking at him.
She could tell he was really pissed off.
"I'm going to straighten out this mess with Halley." He said leaving.
"Rocky keep an eye on her please." Jimmy said looking at his dad.
"Sure." He said smiling at him.
After Jimmy left Rocky knocked on her door.
"Hi Rocky." She said softly.
"Hi sweetie. Do you want me to make you anything to eat?" He asked sitting on the bed.
"No. You've done so much for me Rocky." She said looking at him.
"It's ok. I don't mind. I'm kind of hungry myself." He said smiling at her.
"No it's ok. Rocky look I'm going to rest for a little bit and then I have to get back to the dorm to finish my history paper." She said.
"Sure no problem." He said getting up and leaving.
She closed the door. Then she pulled out her notebook and wrote Jimmy a long note.