THE LAST CHAPTER OF MIXER MADNESS WILL BE POSTED ON MAY 5!

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT.

In the month since Regina's mother died, they put her to rest. In the same week, they had a memorial for Jordan. Their speedy trip to London had been brief, depressing, and added a lot of stress to her plate.

All the depositions were over, Robin was officially out of his lease, and they'd looked at the house. She loved it before she saw the bedroom. She was toying with putting an offer in, but Robin seemed to avoid the subject.

She officially had to change her wardrobe to accommodate the new growing belly she was caring around. It brought joy to her in the sorrow-filled wake her life had left behind.

As she shut down her computer for the night, she jotted down a note to call Stan in the morning regarding a case he wanted her on.

That had been an adjustment, she recalled pulling her coat on. Stan was being considerate, even gentle. It was weird, she had to admit. It was easier when he was hard on her. This new man who opened doors and accommodated, well it wasn't what she was used to.

Outside, she stopped when she saw Robin sitting in the driver's seat of her car. "What are you doing?"

He had a goofy grin on his face. "Get in. I have a surprise for you."

"Okay." She wasn't sure where this mood was coming from. All morning, he'd been agitated, even impatient with her. He'd dropped her off and took a cab home.

She slanted him a look as he drove out of the lot. "Where are you taking me?"

"Can't tell you. So, how was your day?"

"Fine."

"Just fine?"

"It was uneventful, I'm tired, and a little annoyed I can't go home and eat."

He laughed, "We'll eat soon, I promise." He took her hand and brought it up to his mouth for a kiss. "Just one thing."

He pulled off to the side of the road and pulled a handkerchief out of his jacket. "You'll need this."

She gaped at him. "Seriously?"

"Yea, it's a good surprise."

"It better be," she groaned. Turning around, she felt ridiculous as he fashioned it into a blindfold. The sun she was starting to enjoy plummeted into darkness. "I can't breathe."

"There. That's better," he announced. He tucked the ends under her chin, and she shivered to think how stupid she looked.

"I really hope I won't have to kill you for making me look stupid."

He laughed again. "You won't be in that prissy mood once we get where we're going."

They drove in silence until she couldn't take it any longer. "Is it much farther?"

"We're pulling up now," he said. He turned off the car. "Sit tight. I'll come get you."

She heard the door shut and heard nothing but her breath and faint retreating steps. Then, muffled voices for the next few minutes.

Annoyed, she was tempted to pull off the blindfold and see what he was up to. She was about to do just that before her door opened and his hand was taking hers.

"Ready?" He pulled her to her feet. "Watch your step." She stepped up onto the sidewalk and he led her forward. He put his hands on her shoulders and stood behind her.

"A little something about this surprise," he began. "First, I love you. I can't wait to marry you and start our family."

"Robin…" He shh' d her.

"Second. I thought long and hard about this and I've been working my butt off to make it happen. I think you're gonna be happy."

Tingles were all over her arms and in her belly. "Will you tell me? The anticipation is killing me."

He started to untie the knot and slipped it off her face. It took a few moments for her vision to clear.

Standing in the front yard of the house she'd been imagining for years, was Amelia holding a SOLD sign. Her smile was bright, and she looked so lovely in her pale pink dress and curled grey hair.

"Amelia?" She could do nothing else but walk into her arms for a hug.

"Oh, I'm so glad to see you."

"What are you doing here?" She glanced at the sign and her stomach tightened. She looked back at Robin who was standing with his hips cocked and a grin on his face. "I don't understand."

"The house is ours. We got the keys this morning. Surprise." He stepped to her and touched his lips to hers.

She spun her face around to look at the SOLD sign again. "You bought it? When?"

"About a month ago or so. They accepted the offer with a few contingencies." He glanced at his mother.

"Wait." Her head was spinning. She let out a nervous laugh. "I can't think."

"There's more to your surprise. Come on." He took her hand and led her to the front door. "Let me show you." He handed her the keys at the entrance. "Will you do the honors?"

Her hand shook as she slid the key into the lock. "Are you sure this is okay?"

"It's your house, Regina. Go inside." He nudged her forward and she swung the door open.

The entrance was no more than a glamorous mudroom. There were hooks on the walls for jackets, a shoe rack for shoes, and a closet on the opposite wall in front of the staircase. To the right, they walked through an archway into what would be the sitting room.

He led her through to the kitchen and out a side door. A garden had been planted. A small gate surrounded raised beds, plant containers, and flower beds. The soil was still moist from a morning watering.

"I had them put this in for you. I figured you could do what you love. Plus," he pointed. "We can add a greenhouse later on if you want."

"I…" He kissed her. "I love seeing you speechless. Come on. There's more." He led her through the house to the den. It was designed much like her father's had been.

"I asked them to make changes in here. I liked the vibe of the den your father worked in. I thought it would mean more to have reminders of him in our home."

Tears filled her eyes. "Yea. It means a lot to me. Thank you." She wrapped her arms around him. "I can't believe you did this. All of this."

"I told you, I'd give you anything you want. I told you that from the very beginning." He pulled back to meet her eyes. "I meant it." He kissed her sweet and soft. "Come on."

He led her up the stairs to the second floor. At the end of the hallway, he told her to open the door.

Inside, was the master bedroom. The room was filled with a bedroom set that made her hands itch to touch. The bed was a king centered in the room. The wood was a deep cherry.

Carved in the wood were delicate lilies, her favorite flower. Each side of the bed held a table with a lamp atop it. A large armoire took up most of the wall on the opposite side of the bed.

A grand mirror filled the top in a curved pattern. The center touched the ceiling. A smile spread across her face when she saw he'd set up a crib next to the bed. "Oh, wow."

"It's temporary. The nursery is too far away to hear the baby at night. I thought it would be easy to keep him or her near."

"It's perfect. We haven't even talked about a theme."

"Well, what if I told you that we can do that soon?"

"I'm listening."

He opened a set of double sliding doors into the nursery. Inside the room held only a folding table. He led her to it. Atop the table a magazine on design was opened to paint colors.

"I want to do this together. I had them leave this room alone."

"I love that. This should be fun." She grinned. God, she couldn't believe he'd done all this. "You are something else, you know that?"

"That's what my mum tells me. Speaking of," he kissed her forehead. "One more surprise."

He led her down the steps and into the backyard. In the corner of the property was a small house surrounded by a picket fence in deep red. It looked a little bigger than a shed and more like a cottage. The wood reminded her of Little House on the Praire.

Curtains in red and white checkers fluttered in the wind from the windows. Smoke billowed from the top of the roof from a fire inside.

"What's this?" She turned to look at him. He looked a little nervous.

"Knock and find out." He nudged her forward when she only blinked.

Raising her hand, she rapped on the door three times. Amelia opened the door and smiled. "Well, what do you think of the house?"

She could only stare. "I love it."

"Good. I love mine too."

"Yours?" She turned to face him. Then, she turned back to her. "You're living here? Really?"

"If you'll have me."

Regina launched herself into Amelia's arms. "Of course, we'll have you. Oh, my god." They hugged long and hard. "Your son is the best man I could have ever loved."

They pulled apart. Amelia took her face in her hands, "You're the right person for him. I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Now, I have some unpacking to do and you two have some plans to make." She shooed them away and closed the door.

"Are you happy?" He wrapped his arms around her, grinned.

"I can't believe you did this. I'm annoyed that you kept it from me, but I'm too stunned to be mad." She pulled him down into a bone-melting kiss.

"I say we go home, eat dinner, and make some plans," he said taking her hand and leading her back to the car.

She eyed him, "I think that can wait until I'm done with you."

His mouth dropped as he opened the car door for her. He swallowed. "I think that sounds even better."

..

Robin entered the courtroom and pulled at his tie as if it was choking him. The nerves he'd been holding bunched into knots in his gut. His lawyer him to a table where he'd be sitting.

He turned around and spotted Katherine sitting near the exit. He walked to her, sat down, and hugged her. "I'm glad you're here."

"I wouldn't be anywhere else. I know this is the best thing for Roland," she smiled sadly.

He took her hand. "I know this is incredibly difficult for you. You've had him for a long time."

"Yes, but if the adoption had gone through like it was supposed to, we wouldn't have been here. Regina loves him and I know you do too." She squeezed his hand.

"Yes, I do. He's got a special place in my heart. I won't let you down, Kat. I'll care for him and you know Regina will too."

"I know." She wiped a tear away. "I'm not sure what he'll say when he finds out."

"We'll all be there to explain it to him. Regina is going to flip when she finds out. She's still reeling from the news on the house." He grinned.

"I know, she hasn't stopped talking about it since. She wants me to go shop for the baby's room."

"Better you than me," he laughed. His lawyer caught his attention and motioned him forward. "Thank you, Kat. For making this happen."

"I didn't do anything. I just agreed," she patted his hand.

"That's everything."

..

Everything turned out to be enough. The judge ordered Roland to Robin's care on a temporary guardian order. He had forty-five days to file adoption papers. Once the papers were filed, a caseworker would contact them.

A new court hearing would be set, and they'd know when they could call him their son.

Robin was so happy, he stopped at Granny's to tell her the news and make her swear not to tell Regina. He'd arranged it with Kat; they'd pick Roland up on Friday. They'd all go out to dinner and explain what is happening.

He had to tell Regina, but he wanted to wait a little longer first. She was so happy about the house, he wanted to wait just a little longer.

After he ate with Granny and celebrated, he headed home to find Regina in the bedroom. "Hi."

"Hey, where have you been?" She looked pissed and tired.

"I had court." He thought that was evident by the monkey suit he was wearing. He'd removed his tie and jacket, worked on his shirt.

"Oh. Well, we've got to figure out what we're moving to the house and when. I'm gonna have to put some of these clothes in storage. There's no way this is going to fit me right now," she frowned.

In her hand, she held a slim pink dress. He wasn't sure he'd ever seen her wear it and thought it best to stay silent. Dressed in sweats and a shirt, he put his clothes away.

"Robin. Don't do that. I just organized the closet."

"Sorry," he frowned.

She huffed and shooed him out of the way. She moved the hangers over, moved his shirt behind another, and his jacket behind the shirts. Stupid design, if you ask him.

"I'm just stressed out about this stupid case Stan wants me on."

"What is it?" He sat on the edge of the bed while she made a pile of clothes he'd never seen.

"He wants me to help Vicky with a case. They want me to consider changing to criminal law."

He watched her face, saw the indecision. "How would that make you feel? Do you want to practice criminal?"

"I don't know. I'll admit there are advantages. The pay is better, but the hours would increase. I'd have competition and I'd have to build a brand-new reputation. I just don't know if I want to do that."

"Is he pushing you to decide?" He hated Gold for that reason alone. He pushed and sometimes too hard.

"No, that's the weird thing. He's been acting strange. It's not like him to be nice to me. I don't know how to deal with this Stan. I'm pregnant. I'm not gonna break."

He watched her roll her eyes, and toss a negligee on the bed in crimson red. "Where did this come from?" he picked it up and admired the form.

"I've had it for years," she said. "So, what should I do?"

Distracted, he suggested, "Put it on and let me see it."

"Robin," she snapped. "I'm not gonna fit in that and let you see me look like a pig. "What should I do about Stan?"

"You want me to decide? I can't answer for you, Regina. It's your job, it's your life. You have to know what you want."

"That's just it." She threw her hands up in frustration. "I don't know what to do." She slumped on the bed and put her face in her hands.

He took her hand and pulled her into his lap. "I say you take some time to think about it. There's no hurry." He rubbed her back and toyed with her hair.

"I guess. I just feel like so much is changing, and I feel like I'm losing my control over it. I'm so grateful that you got the house for me, but I've been agonizing over it for more than a year."

"I know. It's why I bought it. I hated seeing you struggle with the decision. I don't mind taking some things on so you can relax. This is different. I can't dictate how you spend your career. That's on you, mama."

She pressed a hand over her tiny bump. "I'm trying to decide what's best for us. For all of us."

"You will. In time."

"I guess it's my turn to give you a surprise," she said meeting his eyes.

"Oh? What's that?"

"I saw Dr. Morrison today," she began.

"Why? Were you feeling sick?" Worry etched in his face.

"No. They had an early cancellation and they had a spot open for an ultrasound." She shifted off his lap and walked to her purse. She pulled out a CD. She had a smiled on her face when she walked to him.

"What's this?"

"Well, while I was there, he said it might be a little early, but he wanted to check for the sex of the baby." She chewed on her lip. "I should have waited for you to be there with me. I couldn't resist."

He met her eyes and took the CD from her. "You know the sex?"

With bright eyes and a sweet smile, she nodded. "Yea."

"Well, what are we waiting for. Let's go see." He took her hand and led her into the living room. He grabbed his briefcase, pulled out his laptop and turned it on.

While it booted up, he pulled her into his lap on the couch. "Are you happy with it? Was it what you wanted?"

"I can't tell you," she echoed his words from when he'd showed her the house.

He sighed. "Fine." He popped the CD into the driver, and it popped up. A series of photos appeared. He opened them one by one. The sonogram photos showed the baby in various positions.

The last picture was labeled, It's a girl!

"A girl? We're having a girl?"

She nodded as tears streamed down her face. "We're having a girl."

He pulled her into his arms and tears filled his eyes. He'd been this happy only a couple of times in his life. Right now, he couldn't imagine being any happier.

"I love you so much," he said. He kissed her. "I'm so happy."

"I love you too."

He covered her mouth with his and poured out every ounce of love he felt into the kiss.