Friends and Lovers
Chapter Eleven
The alarm clock woke them suddenly at six thirty in the morning. "I'm going to go wash up and shave, go back to sleep, I'll wake you when I'm done."
"Mmm, thanks, Honey." She turned over and immediately fell back to sleep. Max got up, pulled his new underclothes out of the drawer, and hurried to the bathroom to clean up and shave. He checked his son's door before emerging from the bathroom. The light was off and the door was still closed. He tiptoed back to the bedroom and put the rest of his clothes on, then woke Fran.
"What time is it?" She stretched slowly.
"It's almost seven. I had a thought. I can take Michael home with me; I'll say that I came to pick him up for school, because I wanted to check on Ree."
She yawned and continued to stretch. "That sounds great, Honey. I guess I need to get up and make my fiancé some coffee."
"That would be nice, Darling."
She climbed out of bed and grabbed some lounging pajamas, then pulled on her robe and stepped into her slippers. "Let's go downstairs; I'll make the bed later." She pushed him gently into the hallway, and they headed down to the kitchen to make coffee.
"Is there time for me to take him to eat at the house with the other children?"
She looked over at the clock. "No, not really, not if you want to see Reenie." She got the coffee brewing and looked at the clock again. "I'd better go wake him up. You don't have to go outside. I'll tell him you're already here. You need to call Niles and tell him our cover story, though."
"Good idea, I'll do that while you're getting the children up."
"Oh, I'm not getting Ree up yet, I'm going to let her sleep as long as she can." She kissed him before heading up the stairs. "Help yourself to coffee when it's done, and if you feel like pouring me a cup, you can bring them both upstairs to the living room."
"I think I can handle that." He grinned as he watched her head upstairs, then clicked on the intercom to listen to her interact with Michael. He loved to watch her with the children. She was such a loving and patient mother. He listened to the boy complain about getting up, and then Fran played her ace.
"You have a visitor downstairs. He wanted to check on your sister, so he came over to take you back to the other house to ride the limo with B and Maggie."
"Dad's here?" He jumped out of bed and started pulling his uniform on. "That was so cool of him to come over and take care of Reenie last night. I wish we all lived together, Ma."
Fran tucked her left hand into her pocket. Max had the proposal worked out with the children; it was only fair that he be the one to tell them their plans fell through. She didn't think any of them would be that upset, though.
"Are you gonna get Ree up to see Dad?"
"No, Honey, she's really not feeling well. She got up in the middle of the night with her ear hurting."
"I didn't even hear her!"
"She didn't cry very loudly. I took her downstairs and gave her more medicine, then read to her until she fell back asleep."
"I'm surprised she didn't scream for Dad. That's all she ever does anymore."
"I know she does, Honey. I'm hoping it's just a phase she's going through."
"Like terrible twos?"
"Exactly like terrible twos."
"Well, don't worry, Ma, she's almost three, she'll stop then." He smiled and patted her arm. "How do I look?"
"Handsome, like always. Go comb your hair and come downstairs for breakfast."
"I'm not eating at Dad's?"
"No, I'll feed you both here. That way he can stay in case Ree wakes up before you have to leave. Do you have any requests for breakfast?"
"Can I have…" He sighed. "Sorry, MAY I have waffles?"
"Sure, Sweetie, I'll be downstairs. Come on down when you're done. Don't forget your back pack." She kissed his forehead and started down the stairs. "Do you want fruit with your waffle?"
"Sure, whatever you're having, Mom. You look kinda tired."
She looked lovingly at her son. He certainly was growing up. "Thank you, Sweetie, I am a little tired, but never too tired to take care of you. I'll see you downstairs." The smell of coffee drifted up the stairs, followed by another smell, what was that, bacon? Max must be helping with breakfast. She bounded down the last staircase and into the kitchen.
"Bacon?"
"I thought I'd get things started. I know how much he loves bacon with his breakfast. He and Brighton always fight over the last of it."
"Aren't you a doll? He wants waffles, too."
"Sounds wonderful."
She assembled the ingredients and started mixing the batter, while Max finished the bacon and started cutting up the fresh fruit. "You know, Fran, this isn't too hard."
"Honey, we're cooking for ourselves and one child. Wait until we have all five under running around underfoot, each one demanding something different."
"That's why we have Niles"
"That's why they need to learn to eat what's prepared for them. Once we get all five under one roof, we can't expect poor Niles to cook seven different things for each meal."
"You sound like you have this worked out."
"Mm-hmm. I was thinking; let the kids take turns planning a meal. We can teach them about nutrition, you know, picking a balanced meal, and they also will get what they want. The older ones can sit and discuss it, and even Grace is old enough to help. Ree is too young to help plan, but she eats everything in front of her, anyway. She so much like my mother, which is another reason to teach them good eating habits now."
"Fran, that's a wonderful idea, the children will love that."
"Love what?" Michael appeared in the doorway and rushed to hug Max. "Good morning, Dad. It's so cool you came back for breakfast!"
Max looked over at Fran and down at her hand, which was again hidden in her pocket. She shook her head at him to let him know she hadn't told him about the engagement. "Well, I was worried about your sister, and I thought this might be a good way to spend more time with both of you."
"Can I help with breakfast?"
"You can set the table, Sweetie, and take this plate of fruit into the dining room."
When Michael was in the dining room, Max whispered in Fran's ear, "You didn't tell him?"
"No, I thought you'd want to wait and tell everyone together. I can come over when the kids get out of school, and we can give them their Valentine's Day presents."
"I hadn't mentioned it yet, Darling, because I wasn't sure how you were feeling about it today."
She kissed his cheek. "I'm fine. I'm perfectly, absolutely fine with it. I think all the latest events made this day so much easier on me."
"I'm glad you're OK., Ma. I was worried about you. I remember last year, you were so sad on Valentine's Day."
"Why wouldn't I be fine? I have a wonderful man who loves me, and five perfect children whom I love VERY much. I think I can finally put the past where it belongs, in the past."
He looked at Max and grinned. "That's really cool, isn't it?
"Yes, Son, very cool. Is the table set? We need to get finished with breakfast, or you're going to miss the limo for school."
"Honey, can you put the bacon and waffles on the table, and I'll get the butter and syrup?" Irene's soft voice came over the intercom. "I guess I'll go up and get Irene, too."
"Want me to get her, Ma?"
"Oh, Honey, that's sweet, but I'm sure she'll need to be changed, and you need to eat so you can go to school."
"Yuck, yeah you can get her if she needs changing. How come she's still in diapers, anyway?"
"She's still only two, give her some time, she's working on it. You two go ahead and start without me." She hurried up the stairs, got Reenie out of bed, and gave her a quick bath before dressing her. When Fran got to the bottom of the stairs, she put the toddler down. "Daddy's in the dining room, Ree. Do you want to go eat waffles with Daddy?"
"Daddy!" The child ran through the kitchen and into the dining room, leaping into her father's lap. "Hi, Daddy. Miss you." She hugged him tightly.
"How are you feeling this morning, Sweetheart? Does your ear still hurt?"
She rubbed her ear and nodded. "Hurts. Mommy, want two medicines."
"It feels like her fever's gone down a bit this morning."
Fran nodded and smiled. "Yes, Angel, here they are." She spooned the two pink liquids into her daughter's mouth. "I'm SO glad she likes these. They're good, aren't they, Sweetie?"
The child nodded. "Want waffles with Daddy."
Max lifted her into her chair, while Fran scraped some cut up waffle and fruit onto her plate. She picked up her fork and began stuffing the waffles in as fast as she could.
"Irene, slow down, chew and swallow first." Max pulled her plate away to allow her to finish what was in her mouth. "So, Darling, what's the plan for today?"
"Well, I have to bake some cookies for the party at the boys' school this afternoon, and then I was coming to your place after school to help the kids with their homework and to give them their Valentine's presents."
"Why don't I get Niles to bake the cookies?"
"Because Denise is bringing Grace over and the girls are going to help with the cookies. Grace is old enough to spread the frosting on the cookies, and Irene will sprinkle the red sugar. Don't worry, Denise will be here to help, we'll be just fine. She looked at the clock on the mantle. "You two need to get out of here, or you are going to miss your limo."
"We won't make it back to the house in time, Fran. I'll take him to school before I go home. Are you just about done, Son?"
"Yes, Sir. You're taking me to school? Cool! Brighton's going to just PLOTZ!"
"Why's that?"
"Because you never take him to school, he always has to take the limo."
Fran dishes more fruit onto her daughter's plate. "Well, Honey, I'm sure that's going to be changing soon, don't you think so, Max?"
He wiped his mouth and placed his napkin on the table. "I'm sure of it. Michael, if you're finished, go brush your teeth, you don't want to be late for school."
"May I be excused, Ma?"
"Sure, Sweetie, you got enough to eat?"
He jumped up and headed for the stairs. "Yeah, I'm full, thanks, Ma."
Max stood up and helped Fran clear the table, taking the dishes to the sink. "Will you be all right today? You still look rather tired."
"I am, but I'll try to get a nap in somewhere. I think I'll ask Denise to run the cookies to the school, and keep the girls here for a nap. Then I'll get some sleep, too. I don't want to be tired for my big date tonight."
He took her into his arms. "Oh, you've got a big date, do you?"
"Mm-hmm, you might have heard of him, he's a handsome British producer."
"As long as he doesn't try to steal my girl."
"There is NO chance of anyone eva doing that, Mr. Sheffield."
"Glad to hear it, Miss Not-for-long Fine." He kissed her softly. "Two weeks from tomorrow, you're sure you can be ready by then?"
"I'm ready right now." She lowered her eyes, realizing what she'd just said. "I'm sorry, I didn't even think."
"Well, I'm actually glad to hear that you're not thinking of him today."
She looked at the ring sparkling on her left hand. "The only man I'm thinking of today, or any other day, is you." She wrapped her arms around his neck as he leaned in to kiss her. As he deepened the kiss, they heard Michael in the dining room.
"Reenie, no NO! Ma is gonna put you in time out!"
"Uh-oh, we left her alone for too long." She pulled away from him and moved towards the dining room. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
"I love you."
She smiled and kissed him softly. "I love you, too. Now let's go see what kind of mishegas your daughter has gotten into." They hurried into the dining room, where the toddler had thrown her uneaten fruit all over the room, along with the waffles that were left too close to her seat.
"Irene Catherine, what have you done?"
"Hi, Mommy! Done!"
She looked over at Max and tried not to laugh. "I should say you're done!"
"Sorry, Ma, I tried to stop her, but she just kept on throwing food."
"It's not your fault, Honey; we left her alone for too long. Are you ready to go?"
"Do you want us to help you clean this up before we go?"
"No, Sweetie, I'll get it. You get him to school." She kissed her son. "You go home with B and Maggie today, all right? I'll be over about the time you get home."
"What about my cookies for the party?"
"Denise will drop them off at lunch. We're making them this morning, so they'll be nice and fresh."
He hugged his mother. "You're the greatest, Ma!"
"That's because I have the greatest kids. I love you, Sweetie; have a good day at school."
"I love you, too, Ma. Bye, Ree, I love you.
"Love you! Bye bye!"
Max looked over at Fran. "Now comes the fun part. Irene, be a good girl for Mommy today, I'll see you after work, all right?" He kissed her and tousled her dark curls. "Bye, Sweetheart, I love you."
"Stay, Daddy. Make cookies."
"Irene, you're making cookies with Mommy and Gracie."
"Racy coming?"
"Yes, Baby, Gracie's coming."
"Racy coming soon?"
Fran lifted her from her chair. "Yes, Sweetie, very soon. Now kiss Daddy goodbye, he has to take your brother to school. Do NOT get that look on your face, if you throw a fit, you will NOT bake cookies."
"Be a big girl for Daddy. Now, give me a kiss, I have to leave."
Her eyes filled with tears. "Bye, Daddy. Love you." She reached out for a hug.
Max wrapped his arms around the toddler. "What a sticky hug! Someone needs a bath!"
"ME!"
"Yes, you. Be a good girl." He kissed her again. "You be a good girl, too. I'll see you this afternoon. I love you, My Darling."
"Have a great day. I'll see you around three. I love you more!" She kissed him and walked up the stairs to the den where Michael was waiting. She kissed the men she loved one more time, and watched them get into the sports car and drive off. She looked at her daughter. "Looks like it's just you and me, kiddo. Do you want your bath in the big tub?" The baby nodded her head up and down as Fran carried her upstairs and began the bath. They had just finished when the doorbell rang. "That must be Denise and Gracie!" She pulled a towel around her daughter and carried her downstairs. Oy, what was she doing here?
"Hi, Meredith, what are you doing here?
"I'm sorry I didn't call first, I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
"No, I was just bathing Ree, but we DO have company coming this morning to bake cookies."
"I won't keep you; I just wanted to make sure that you're all right, this being your anniversary, and all."
Fran sighed. Like she needed another reminder. "I'm fine, why don't you come upstairs with us, I need to get Ree dressed. She's got an ear infection and I don't want her getting any sicker."
She reached out and stroked her granddaughter's head. "Does your ear hurt, Baby?"
The child drew back and tightened her grip around her mother. "Want Daddy."
"Oh, Honey…"
"She isn't talking about HIM, she doesn't remember him."
"Then who…oh."
"He's the only father she's ever known, and as far as I'm concerned, the only one she's EVER gonna know."
"Frannie…"
"My mind is made up on this."
"What about Grace?"
"What about her?
"I'd really like to see her."
"She'll be here any minute. Denise is bringing her over so we can bake cookies for the boys' class party."
"Denise?"
"Our nanny, Denise Spencer. She's really great with the kids."
"Since when do you have a nanny? You used to fight with Tony about that."
"She's actually Max's nanny, but since the kids are over there so much, she was hired for all five of them." She pulled the child's t-shirt over her head, and then helped her step into her overalls.
"You and Max are getting pretty serious, aren't you?"
Fran took a deep breath. He hadn't told her NOT to tell anyone. She held her left hand out to show her ring. "VERY serious."
"Oh, I see. So are you planning a big wedding?"
"No, just a small one at Max's house, just family and a few close friends. You and Tony are welcome to come, if you like."
"I don't know how Tony will feel about that, Honey, but I'll ask him. You know you've always been like a daughter to him-To both of us."
Fran sighed. "I know. I still want you to be part of the kids' lives, but it has to be ALL of my kids, not just Tony's. If you and Tony can accept Brighton and Maggie as your grandchildren, and I mean as though they were Tony's children, too, then you'll be able to see the kids whenever you want. We're doing this with all the grandparents. The most important thing is the kids. To them, we're a family. Maxwell is the father; I'm the mother, to ALL of them. I don't give a DAMN what the medical tests say, Grace is Maxwell's daughter; no piece of paper is going to change that. I've already signed legal custody over to him, well, it's a joint agreement. We're sharing custody of her for now, and I've changed her name. Her legal name is now Grace Mary Sheffield. I didn't want to have to explain to her one day why she's named for my first husband's mother."
"I'm her grandmother, Frannie."
"Mary is your nickname, that's close enough. I'm sorry; I don't want her associated with Tony in any way." She took a deep breath. "There's more. My son wants to drop Anthony from his name, legally."
"He can't do that. He's Anthony Michael James Bergman IV!"
"He's going to be Michael James Sheffield the first. That's HIS choice. He wants Maxwell to adopt him, and the two of them have discussed this at length."
"Don't his grandfather and I have a say in this?"
"No, you really don't. You talked Tony into making his son Anthony IV, and I had no say in the matter. He doesn't want the burden of carrying on his family name, he wants his OWN name. Since Max is adopting him, he's not going to be a Bergman anymore, so we agreed to let him change his name when the adoption takes place."
"We'll contest it."
Fran stood up and frowned. "Reenie, go downstairs to your playroom, Mommy will be right there." She waited until her daughter had left the room, and then faced her late husband's mother. "How DARE you! If you even THINK of contesting this, you'll NEVER see ANY of these kids again! You kept Grace's parentage secret for FOUR years; you think the courts will like THAT? You do NOT want to get into a custody battle with me. There are things that will come out about your precious baby boy that you REALLY don't want to know."
"Fran, I didn't mean…"
"I mean it, if you do ANYTHING to hurt one of my kids, your son's name won't mean squat in this town!" She turned as she heard the doorbell. "That will be Denise and Grace. You're welcome to stay, just don't upset my girls, and not a word about the wedding. We haven't told the kids yet." She turned and headed for the stairs.
"Fran, I'm sorry, I didn't come over here to upset you, especially today."
"Today? It's Valentine's Day, and I'm going to a romantic dinner with my fiancé and our friends. It's also my first day as the future Mrs. Maxwell Sheffield. THAT'S all today is to me." She headed down the stairs and stopped in the playroom. "Look at you; you're such a big girl. You want to go get Gracie?"
"Racy here?"
"Yes, Angel, she's at the door." The toddler ran to her mother's arms.
"Dee here, too?"
"I sure hope so!" She laughed and scooped up her daughter. "Come on, let's go let them in." She carried the toddler down the stairs and opened the front door. The child squealed with delight when she saw her sister running into the house.
"I'm not too early am I?" Denise stepped into the den struggling with two large grocery bags.
"No, I just finished Ree's bath. What's all that stuff? Lemme guess, Niles."
"He said he wanted to make sure you had everything you needed."
"ONE time I called him for something, and now he's always schlepping groceries over here. You know what I think; he's just making space in HIS kitchen by filling up MINE!"
Denise giggled. "I think you're right." She looked up when Meredith came down the stairs. "Oh, you've got company?" Fran took one of the bags from her.
"Dee, this is my late husband's mother, Meredith Bergman. Meredith, our Nanny, and my friend, Denise Spencer."
"It's nice to meet you, Denise, Frannie's told me quite a bit about you." She stared at the children, still hugging each other.
"My GOD, they could be twins."
"Thanks, Mer, we know this. They look alike because they look just like their Daddy, MAXWELL."
"Yes, of course."
"Irene, Grace, are you two going to say 'hello' to your grandmother?"
"Bubby Meri!" Irene ran to her open arms, followed quickly by Grace. Meredith gave Fran a surprised look.
"What one does, the other follows, the boys are the same way. The only one that doesn't share a brain with a sibling is Maggie. She keeps everyone in line."
"Maggie is how old?"
"She'll be twelve next month.
"You've definitely got your hands full."
"It's not as bad as it sounds. The girls stick together, the boys keep themselves occupied, and Maggie usually sits and reads. If she gets up to do anything, the little ones are right behind her. She adores her little sisters. Actually all the kids get along great. The little ones try to get into the boys' things; they just find something else for them to do. The only one that gives me trouble is the baby."
"Oh, her little ears are bothering her?"
She looked at Denise and laughed. "Let's take this stuff downstairs and get started on the cookies. No, Mer, it's not her ears, she's two, EVERYTHING bothers her. Her biggest problem is if Max is out of her sight for more than five minutes. I'm surprised she's not already kvetching about it." They put the grocery bags on the kitchen counter. "Ready to make cookies girls? You're welcome to stay and help, Meredith."
"I'll just need to call Tony, I didn't tell him I was stopping by." She pulled out her cell phone as the girls put away the groceries. Denise kept an eye on the children while Fran assembled the ingredients for the cookies and pulled the table into the middle of the room.
"All right, girls, up on your chairs." The girls scrambled up on the two chairs at the table, and Fran handed them each a cookie cutter. She quickly mixed the dough and rolled it out on the table, then turned on the oven as Denise helped them cut the heart shaped cookies.
"What can I do to help?" Meredith had finished her phone call and was looking longingly at the girls.
"Sugar, Bubby." Irene was pointing to the cupboard.
"Honey, I think Mommy already put sugar in the cookies."
Fran laughed. "No, she wants the colored sugar. We make part of the cookies with frosting and sugar, and the rest with just sprinkles of sugar. Her job is to make a mess with the sugar."
"Oh, I see, and it's in this cupboard?" The child nodded. "What's Grace's job?"
The child looked at her grandmother, and then hid her face on her sister's shoulder.
"Just give her a little time, Mer, soon you won't be able to shut her up. Grace are you ready for the frosting?"
"Can we have blue frosting?" She looked at her mother and grinned.
"No, Angel, these are for Valentine's Day, we're making pink frosting."
She giggled. "B and Mikey don't like pink."
"I know, Sweetie, but these are for the whole class, so we're making pink."
"Mikey?" Meredith looked at Fran.
"These two have nicknames for everyone. Let's see, we have Ree, Racy, Mikey, B, Maggie, Aunt C, Dee, they don't have one for Niles yet."
"Where Niyals, Mommy?"
"Oh, boy, here we go. He's at our other house, Honey."
"Niyals and Daddy?"
Grace stuck her finger in the pink frosting and licked it clean. "Uh-huh, Daddy and Niles are home."
"Wanna go home. Want Daddy."
"Honey, Daddy's at work, you can see him after your nap."
"Please, Mommy? Need Daddy hugs." She looked up at her mother, smiling.
"Sweetie, we have to make these cookies for your brothers."
"NO! Want DADDY."
Meredith stepped up and moved the red sugar closer to the toddler. Fran shook her head; she knew what was coming next. Before she could grab the bottle, Irene had it across the room, spraying sugar everywhere. Grace looked at her sister and giggled. "You're gonna get in trouble, Ree. Mommy's gonna put you in time out."
"You aren't kidding, Gracie. Irene Catherine, come with me, right now."
"No, Mommy, make cookies."
"No, Ma'am. You're going to go sit in the corner."
"Want Daddy. Please Mommy?"
"After your nap." She picked up the crying child and placed her in a corner of the room. "Now, you sit right there until I tell you to get up."
Denise pulled the baked cookies from the oven and set them on the counter to cool. When Fran reached in the drawer for the spatula, Irene got up and ran from the room.
"Ree Cat-er-ine Sheffield is in trouble."
"I know, Gracie, she's in time out, she'll be here in a minute." Fran looked over at the empty spot on the wall where her two year old should be. "Grace, where did she go?" The three year old pointed to the stairs. "Damn! Denise, watch Gracie, please, I've got to find Reenie."
"Sure, Fran."
Fran rushed up the stairs to find Irene trying to get out the front door. She was pulling on the doorknob sobbing.
"Ree, where are you going?"
"Wanna go home. Want Daddy."
"Sweetie, this is your home. Daddy doesn't live with us."
"Want home with Daddy and Racy."
"Can I come, too?"
"Uh-huh, and Mikey, too. Please, Mommy?"
"We'll go soon, Honey. Would you like to call Daddy on the phone and tell him you love him?"
She nodded her head and hugged her mother. "Ree bad girl?"
"No, Sweetie, I don't think you're bad. You're just tired of this whole mess. Come on; let's go call Daddy from the kitchen so we can finish the cookies." She scooped up the child and carried her back downstairs to the kitchen, plopping her down in her chair next to her sister. Fran picked up the phone and dialed Max's number. After a quick conversation with him, she handed the phone to Irene, who cried a bit then nodded her head several times.
"O.K., Daddy, love you, too." She handed the phone back to her mother, smiling. "I Daddy big girl. See Daddy after nap."
Fran smiled. "Thanks, Max, I love you too. I'll see you this afternoon."
She put the phone back in its cradle and returned to her cookie baking adventure with the girls. By lunchtime both girls were tired and hungry, Fran was exhausted. Denise helped her box up the cookies, took them to the boys' school, and then returned to the Sheffield house. Fran fed the girls and said goodbye to her former mother-in-law, then ushered the girls upstairs for their naps. The girls were so tired it only took one story before they were sound asleep. Fran went to her room, set her alarm and laid down for a nap of her own.
When she awoke, her two daughters were sitting on the foot of her bed giggling. "Hi, Mommy!"
"Hi, Baby! Did you girls have good naps?"
The girls nodded in unison. "Go see Daddy?"
"Yes, my darling child, we're going to see Daddy. Go pick out some toys to take with you while I get dressed." The girls ran off to their room, and Fran slipped on a pair of jeans. She'd get dressed for dinner at Max's. She packed a bag with her makeup and jewelry and slipped her dress into a dress bag. She placed these by the door, and then moved to the girls' room to pack for Irene. The girls weren't in their room. "Irene, Grace?"
Grace popped her head out of the bathroom. "Here, Mommy. Ree had to go potty."
"Wha?" Could it actually be possible? Could her diaper days finally be over? She stuck her head into the bathroom and looked at her smiling daughter, who had obviously achieved her goal. "Reenie, what a BIG girl! Gracie, did you teach her how to do that?"
"Uh-huh. Dee told me."
Fran made a mental note to tell Maxwell to give that nanny a raise. Fran grabbed a pair of pull-ups for her youngest daughter.
"No, Mommy! Want Racy panties."
"Soon, Angel, let's wear Ree panties until we're sure you've got this down, OK?"
"O.K., Mommy. Show Daddy?"
"Well, let's get rid of THIS, but we can show Daddy at his house, how's that?"
The child nodded and giggled. "Ready go, Mommy?"
"Yes, we're about ready to go. Your backpack is on your bed, let's get some jammies and clean clothes for tomorrow. You're sleeping at Daddy's house tonight." The girls ran to their room and pulled pajamas from the drawer, stuffing them into the backpack. Fran pulled a clean outfit from her closet and folded it carefully. She set it on top of the backpack, then added socks and fresh pull-ups, and a pair of big girl panties for good measure. After tonight, their lives would be different. After tonight, she would be publicly known as Maxwell's future wife, and Michael and Irene his children. She hugged both of her girls. "Grab your coats; let's go see Daddy, Maggie and the boys will be home soon." She bundled them up and headed for the door. She smiled when she saw Grace's car seat in the Rover. She'd left it unlocked, and Denise had moved the car seat over for her. Yes, that nanny definitely deserved a raise. She strapped both girls into their seats and headed home. Home. She'd always thought of her townhouse as home. Now she needed to call a Realtor and put it up for sale, unless Maxwell had done that already. He was putting the mansion up for sale as well, they could use the same Realtor, or she could talk Maxwell into using her townhouse as offices for Sheffield Productions.
She pulled up in front of Maxwell's house a few minutes later. "O.K, Angels, here we are." She released the girls from their car seats and helped them onto the sidewalk. "Go on up to the door. Gracie, hold Reenie's hand." The girls held hands and started up the steps while Fran unloaded the bags. The girls were in the entryway by the time Fran made it up the stairs. She opened the front door and both girls ran for Max's office. Niles met her in the entryway and took her load from her.
"Good afternoon, Miss Fine. Shall I take these upstairs for you?"
"Yes, thanks, Niles. The little backpack is Reenie's, and the rest of that stuff is mine for tonight."
"Do you want it in Mr. Sheffield's room?"
"No, he'll be using his room to get ready, could you just put it in my room for now?"
"Certainly, Miss Fine. Mr. Sheffield is in his office, I think the young ladies found him already."
"Oh, I'm sure they did. Irene has been crying for him all morning. She's going to have a fit when she finds out we're going out tonight."
"Miss Spencer should be able to handle her."
"Val's coming over, too. I'm afraid that if Ree starts in, Grace will follow her. Maggie and the boys will be fine, but Denise won't be able to deal with two screaming little girls alone."
"That's a good idea. I'll take these things upstairs for you. I'm sure Mr. Sheffield's anxious to see you."
She smiled. "I'm sure he is. Thanks, Niles." She headed for the office as Niles took the bags upstairs. He hadn't mentioned the engagement, Max must not have told him. She stood in the office door and watched the man she loved with their daughters, one on each knee. "I think they missed ya, Honey."
"What about you?"
"I KNOW I missed ya. You gonna let me sit on your lap, too?" She walked around his desk and picked up each girl and placed them on his desk, then lowered herself onto his lap. "Much better. Hi, Honey." She kissed him softly.
"So how was your day? Did you and the girls have fun making cookies?"
Fran sighed. "Well, most of the time it was fine, when a certain toddler wasn't kvetching about wanting her daddy."
"Reenie was bad. Ran away."
"She did what?" Max frowned and looked at his youngest child.
"She decided that she was going to find you and tried to get out the front door."
"That's when you called me. You just said she was misbehaving, you didn't mention the door."
"Oh, she didn't get out, I keep the deadbolt locked. The worst part was that Meredith was over. She showed up just before Denise arrived with Grace."
"So she saw Grace?"
"Yeah. I told her the rules, and invited her to stay and bake cookies with the girls. She's hardly seen Ree, and she really wanted to see Grace." She sighed. "I told her, Honey. I told her everything. She threatened to fight us."
"She didn't."
"Yeah, she did, but I told her that she'd better think about that, or we'd see to it that she didn't see ANY of the kids. She's also not happy about Michael's name. I told her that it was none of her business. This was Michael's decision and WE supported it."
"Hmm, THAT must have gone over well."
"She backed down when I told her she'd lose this battle AND her grandchildren. Then she saw Irene crying for you, calling you Daddy. She knew she couldn't stop that"
"Tell Daddy what Reenie did today."
"What, Honey? OH, THAT!" She laughed. "Your little girl used the bathroom all by herself today."
"Irene, I'm so proud of you, Darling. That's such a big girl!" The toddler smiled and reached out for her daddy. Fran hopped up so her daughter could cuddle with her father.
"Was that the kids coming home?" Fran looked at her watch. The time was right. She walked over to the office door and saw their older children hanging up their jackets. "Honey, do you want them in here or in the living room?"
"Let's do it in the living room, that way we can include Niles. Have you called C.C. yet?"
"No, I assumed she'd be here."
"She's working at the theater today, but I told her to get home at a decent hour to get dressed for tonight. Maybe you can just hold your hand out and see how long it takes her to see the ring." He appeared behind her, holding Irene, with Grace clinging to his leg.
"You are a cruel man. How can we do that to our friend? Anyway, you know Niles will tell her before we get there." She looked down at her daughter. "What's wrong, Sweetie?"
"I'm hungry. My tummy hurts." She moved to her mother's legs and began to cry.
"How about we go into the kitchen and get snacks for everyone, then?" She took her daughter by the hand and started for the kitchen. "Max, why don't you get everyone together, Grace and I will get snacks, and join you in a couple of minutes. Maybe you can get started, soften it a bit for them?" She hurried off to the kitchen with little Grace in tow.
"Children, why don't you come in here and have a seat." Max walked into the living room and motioned them to the sofa.
"What's up, Dad, you look so serious. Are we in trouble?" Brighton sat down slowly.
"No, Son, no one's in trouble. Well, I might be in trouble when you children find out what I've done."
Brighton laughed. "That's funny, Dad, you never get in trouble."
"Remember the secret for the pageant that we talked about the other day?" The children all nodded. Irene wiggled from her father's arms to sit with her sister. "Well, I'm not going to be proposing to Fran at the pageant."
"What happened? You guys didn't have a fight did you? You can't break up, you just CAN'T!" Maggie's eyes filled with tears. She pulled the toddler onto her lap and held her close.
"Oh, no, it's nothing like that. I won't be proposing at the pageant, because I proposed last night."
"What did she say?"
Fran came walking into the room with a tray filled with fruit, cheese and crackers.
"She said YES!" She smiled at her children, who jumped up and ran to her. Max took the tray from her so she could hug the three older children.
"So, when's the wedding? We ARE allowed to ask that, now that you're engaged, right?"
"Of course you are, Maggie. The wedding will be March 1."
"That's two weeks away! Can you really plan a big wedding that fast?"
"Well, Sweetie, we're not planning a big wedding, just a small ceremony here at the house."
The boys looked at each other, then at their parents. "Where are we going to live?"
"That's something else we need to discuss with you children. Neither house is really big enough for our family. This is the bigger of the two houses, and there is no way you boys will be able to share a room once you get older and the same with the girls. If we decide to have more children, there won't be any room for them."
Fran took a deep breath and continued. "So we thought we'd look for a bigger house, one with a lot of room for us to grow."
Maggie smiled brightly. "One where we can have horses?"
"We're looking into that, Sweetheart. We thought we'd go house hunting this weekend. Niles has Saturday off, so we can go check a few places then."
"What about our houses?"
"Well, we'll sell the houses, children. We don't need three of them."
"What if we keep one small townhouse as offices for Sheffield Productions?"
"I know you hate the idea of parting with your townhouse, Fran. I'll tell you what; we'll put this house on the market first, and discuss the office idea with C.C.."
"Thanks Honey."
"Can I see your ring?"
"Sure, Maggie." Fran held out her hand for Maggie to see the large diamond her father had picked out.
"Wow, it's beautiful. It's too bad he couldn't do the pageant surprise. That would've been fun."
"Yes, it would have, but that's another month away, and we don't want our families to be apart any longer than necessary." Niles walked into the room and caught the sparkle from her ring.
"Oh, Sir, you proposed TODAY?"
"No, Niles, yesterday, actually last night."
He walked over to Fran and gave her a hug. "Congratulations Miss Fine. Congratulations, Sir. Do we have a date picked out?"
Max looked over at Fran. "Want to see a grown butler cry? The wedding will be March first, Niles."
"Two weeks? I have two weeks to plan the wedding of the decade?"
"Relax, Niles. We're only having a small ceremony here at the house, just a few finger foods is all we'll need.
"What, no cake?"
"Oh, of course there'll be a cake, Brighton. I'll let you three kids help me plan the menu."
"That should be easy, Miss Fine. Peanut butter, lunch meat, cocktail weenies…"
"Niles, I LIKE cocktail weenies." She grinned at him. "Don't worry; I want this wedding to be perfect, too. We'll come up with a good menu. Not tonight, though. I need to get upstairs and get ready for my date tonight. I found a perfect dress to accessorize this ring." She grinned and hugged the children before heading upstairs. She stopped at Denise's room to let her know the children would need her attention downstairs, and then headed to her room to get ready. Only two more weeks of having to hide in the guest room.
She filled the tub with warm water while she pulled up her hair. She stepped into the warm bath and lowered herself down until the water reached her neck. She poured a bit of rose water into the tub, then closed her eyes and tried to relax while inhaling the fragrance. After about thirty minutes, she toweled herself dry, and then applied a lightly scented lotion. She pulled the dress out of the bag and stepped back. The red mini dress was a perfect choice for tonight. She'd been lucky to find a pair of shoes and a small purse that matched perfectly. She chose her red lace bra and thong for under her dress. She pulled her hair up and loosened several tendrils around her face, and curled them into long spirals. She picked up the diamond earrings Max had given her for her birthday five years before. She smiled as she held them in her hand, admiring them. He'd bought them in London, before they decided to return home to their respective spouses. She'd never worn them, just locked them away in her personal safe deposit box. She could never let Tony see them, or let Max see her wear them. Now it was safe. Once again, they belonged to each other, but this time there was nothing to pull them apart. She put the earrings on, stood up, and smiled again. Maybe it was the ring, but as she checked her reflection in the mirror, she was sure she'd never looked better. A soft knock on her door shifted her attention.
"Fran, Mr. Sheffield wants to know if you're ready. He said it's about time to leave."
"Thanks, Denise, I'll be right out." She smoothed the dress and gave herself one last check in the mirror. Look out Maxwell Sheffield! She dabbed on a bit of perfume before stepping into the hallway. No sign of Max. He must be downstairs with the children. She started down the stairs, and could hear her children laughing with the nanny. Max and Niles were in the foyer, watching her descend the staircase.
"Whoa, Miss Fine, that is some dress!"
"Thanks, Niles, I thought it might make a good Valentine's Day dress."
"It certainly does, Fran. You look breathtaking." He reached up and touched her ears. "Those earrings look familiar." He smiled as she turned her face to kiss his hand.
He noticed! "Thanks Honey. I'll be ready in just a second, I just want to say goodbye to the kids."
"Fran, Darling, don't mess with a good thing. Listen to them. The minute Irene realizes we're going out, she'll be screaming."
"Is Val here, yet?"
"She's in the kitchen popping popcorn for the movies she brought over."
"Max, did you check the movies? This IS Val we're talking about."
"Yes, they're completely appropriate for the children. Stop worrying so much, Darling."
"Max, Ree's been sick, and..."
"She's fine, Fran. I took her temperature, and it was just a little above normal. The medication seems to be working well. Let's go and have a good time with our friends." He offered her his arm, and led her to the limo.
After stopping to pick up C.C., the two couples were driven to the Rainbow Room, where Niles couldn't stop staring at C.C.. Fran had helped her pick out a black cocktail dress, which showed off every sensual curve of her body. She wore her hair up in a French twist, with drop diamond earrings. Every man in the room stopped to stare at the two women walked into the room.
"It seems our dates are creating quite a stir, Sir." Niles beamed as he watched C.C. walk across the floor. "She certainly is a beautiful woman, isn't she?"
Max hadn't taken his eyes off of Fran. "She certainly is, Niles. Did you tell C.C. about the engagement?"
"No, Sir, I didn't, and it took just about all the restraint I had. I knew Miss Fine wanted to be the one to tell her."
"Thanks, Old Man, she really did. She wanted to see how long it would take C.C. to notice the ring."
The four sat down at the booth and looked at the menu. "I think champagne is in order tonight, don't you, Niles?"
"Absolutely, Sir."
"What's going on?" C.C. leaned over and whispered to her friend.
Fran grinned at Max, put both hands on top of the table, and began tapping her fingers. "I have no idea." C.C. looked over at Niles, then back at Fran's hands.
"Oh, my GOD! Maxwell, you didn't! Well, I can see that you DID, but when?"
Fran smiled brightly. "Last night. He came over when Reenie got sick, and after he rocked her to sleep, came into my room and proposed."
"You DID say 'yes' didn't you?"
"I said I'd have to think about it." She giggled. "Of COURSE I said yes."
"I thought you were going to wait until…oh, sorry, does she know about your plan?"
"Yes, she knows. I just didn't want to wait that long. I love her, she loves me, and we've waited five years to be together. I didn't want to wait another month to propose. Besides, it's getting very hard on the children, being shuffled from one home to the other, back and forth between parents."
"So have you set the date?"
"March first. We didn't want it in February, for obvious reasons, so that was the soonest we could do it. It will be a small ceremony at the house, just friends and family."
"Let me know if I can do anything to help."
"Oh, I'm sure there'll be plenty you can do, thanks, C.C.."
The waiter came by and took the drink orders. Max ordered a bottle of Dom Perignon to celebrate the engagement. After the couples had toasted, the band started to play. Max escorted Fran to the dance floor, leaving Niles and C.C. alone in the booth.
"You look lovely tonight, C.C., more beautiful than I've ever seen you look."
"Thank you, Niles. You don't look so bad yourself. You always look dashing in a tux."
"Would you like to dance? I'd love to show off my beautiful date to the room." Niles could have sworn he saw her blush as she took his hand. He led her to the dance floor and took her in his arms. They moved as one, seemingly floating around the room. C.C. was amazed at how comfortable she felt in his arms. It was as if she fit him perfectly. This feeling terrified her. She felt him pull her closer as the dance continued, and she laid her head on his shoulder. She glanced over at Fran and Max, who were totally lost in each other. How could she have been so damned blind all these years? She let her life pass her by because of a sick crush on a man who didn't know she existed. That was over. From now on, she was going to live life to its fullest. She just had no idea of how to begin. Before she knew it, Niles was twirling her around the room, dipping her, pulling her close. The entire restaurant stopped to watch the couple. Max led Fran back to their seats to watch. The couple in the next booth leaned over to Fran.
"How long have they been married?"
Fran smiled. "They've known each other about 20 years, but they're not married." She chuckled. "Not yet." She turned back to Max and took his hand. "Look at them, Honey, they look so happy."
"Darling, when they get back to the table, I need you to get C.C. away for a couple of minutes. Can you get her to go to the ladies' room with you?"
"Are you kidding? You know women can't go alone. It's a rule or something. What's up?"
"It's a surprise; now don't ask so many blasted questions." He leaned over and kissed her cheek. Have I told you just how beautiful you look tonight?"
"Yes, several times, but I love hearing it." She smiled and leaned against his shoulder. "I love you."
"I love you, My Darling."
"The waiter hasn't come to take our order yet, has he?"
"No, that's because it's a special Valentine's Day dinner. Everyone gets the same thing tonight."
"What if I don't like it?"
"Well, if you don't like lobster and filet mignon, we can stop and get a burger on the way home."
"Mmm…I think I can suffer through the meal." She stood up as Niles and C.C. returned to the table. "Come on, Ceece, I need to check my make up." She grabbed her friend's hand. "You can have her back in a couple of minutes, Niles." She pulled her arm as she led her to the ladies' room.
"Fran, what's going on?"
"I don't know, Max told me to take you and go away for a few minutes. Oh, you'll never guess what the lady at the table next to me asked! She leaned over while you and Niles were dancing and asked how long you'd been married!"
"Oh, God!"
"Wha? You two make a beautiful couple!" She reached down, put her hand on her stomach, and burped softly. "Oy, I wish that would stop."
"Are you feeling nauseous again?"
"Yeah, this just can't be possible. I mean, we haven't been, you know, for that long."
"Well, Sweetie, you know what they say. It only takes once! So when are you going to tell Maxwell?"
"Not until I know for sure there's something to tell. No sense getting him all worked up, especially with the wedding coming up, the lab results for Gracie hanging over our heads."
"Maybe a new baby is just what he needs." She rubbed her friend's arm softly. "Are you all right now?"
"Yeah, I think it's gone. Thanks, C.C.." She peeked out the door to see if the men were ready for them to come back. She saw a large bag on the table. That must be C.C.'s present. "All right, it looks like we can go back now." They washed their hands and returned to the table.
Max pulled out a long box from his pocket and handed it to Fran. "Happy Valentine's Day, Sweetheart."
"Oh, Max, you already gave me this ring!"
"That wasn't a Valentine's Day present. This is." She carefully unwrapped the box and opened it slowly. Inside was a black velvet box. She opened the box and found a rainbow sapphire tennis bracelet.
"Maxwell! This is beautiful!"
"I saw it and had to buy it for you. All the colors will make it go with everything."
"I love it. Thank you so much!" She put her arms around his neck and kissed him softly, then whispered in his ear. "I'll thank you properly when we get home, Mister."
He helped her put the bracelet on, and then she showed it to Niles and C.C. She'd actually seen this bracelet on one of her shopping trips and fallen in love with it. C.C. must have told him about it, or maybe he just knew her that well.
Niles was holding the bag, looking extremely nervous. "C.C., I put a lot of thought into what to get you for today. I know how you love diamonds, but I didn't want to appear to be rushing our relationship."
"Just give her the present, would ya, Niles?" Fran laughed and squeezed Max's hand with excitement.
"Happy Valentine's Day, C.C.." He handed her the bag. She reached in and pulled out a Godiva teddy bear, complete with little red foil hearts. Around the bear's neck was a string of pearls.
"Niles, this is perfect! Thank you so much!" She put her arms around him and kissed his cheek. He unfastened the pearls from the bear and helped her put them around her neck. "Oh, they are so beautiful!"
"There's one more thing." He produced a piece of paper from his jacket pocket and handed it to her. As she began to read, tears formed in her eyes. She put her head on his shoulder and buried her face in his neck.
"What is that, C.C.?"
She sniffed quietly. "It's a certificate good for one childhood. Niles is taking me to Coney Island to be a child for a day." She looked at Fran through her tears. "Can you believe that?"
She smiled at her friend. Actually, knowing Niles, she could believe it. He'd always been the type to try to give a friend everything they needed. This was all C.C. needed rolled into one small package. She got to be a child, and it showed her how much Niles truly loved her.
"Niles, how are you going to get a Saturday off to take me?"
"That's all taken care of, C.C.. I'm taking Fran and the children house hunting on Saturday, so Niles has the day to himself."
"You knew about this? Thanks, Maxwell."
"My pleasure, C.C.. I just want to see you as happy as Fran and I are."
The waiter appeared with their meals. Fran's eyes grew large as she saw the size of the lobster on her plate. Max ordered another bottle of champagne for dinner. By the time the dessert arrived, everyone was content. C.C. was leaning back in the booth possessively clutching her teddy bear.
Fran laughed at her. "You look like Grace, when she thinks Irene is going to take HER bear."
"Hey, I love those kids like they were my own, and they can HAVE the chocolate hearts, but they are NOT touching my bear." She grinned at Niles, who reached over and stroked her cheek.
"Fran and I will be getting dropped off at her townhouse on the way home, Niles will you see that C.C. gets home all right?"
"Of course, Sir."
"If Irene's fever goes up, please call us, though?"
"We will, Fran." C.C. looked shocked at her words. Had she just said she'd be spending the night at the mansion? Niles patted her hand reassuringly. He wouldn't rush anything. If she wanted to stay and just be held and cuddled, then that's all that would happen.
The two couples returned to the dance floor until Fran began to yawn, burying her face in Max's chest to hide it. "Are you ready to go home? You look like you're about to fall asleep standing up."
"I just don't want this night to end. Everything is so perfect." She laid her head on his chest and closed her eyes. "I am tired though. I feel like I didn't even nap today."
"I'll have the car brought around, then." He led her back to the table and then requested the limo. He signaled to Niles that they were ready to go. He and C.C. took one last turn around the dance floor before joining Max and Fran at the table. Niles gathered the gifts and carried them to the limo. The car stopped at Fran's townhouse to drop off Max and Fran.
"Good night, we'll see you in the morning, Niles."
Max ushered Fran into the house before she could start thinking about the children again. While she was changing, Max made a quick call to the nanny to check on Irene's fever. Aside from the normal tantrums, she was fine.
Fran emerged from the bathroom in a white negligee trimmed in red. She'd taken her hair down, and her dark curls cascaded around her shoulders and down her back. "My, God, Fran, you look beautiful." He gathered her in his arms and kissed her, then noticed that same tiredness in her eyes. "If you're tired, Darling, we can just hold each other and go right to sleep."
Her dark eyes sparkled. "I'm never THAT tired, Sweetie."
He smiled, then picked her up and carried her to the bed, depositing her under the covers. He undressed quickly, but by the time he crawled into bed next to her, she was asleep. He pulled her into his arms and held her close, quickly falling into a deep sleep, himself.