"Gina honey are you there? It's dad... Please pick up... Roger, are you there?" Mr. Darrien said in the machine as Roger got out of bed to answer the phone.
"Hi Mr. Darrien... No Gina's laying down. She was tired... She's had a long morning and she's fatigued from the pregnancy. Is it anything I can help you with?... You want to meet with me? Why, so you can tell me that I'm no good for your daughter and get me to leave her again?... Fine, but we meet on my turf... The Life Cafe on Ave. B and 10th Street here in the East Village... 20 minutes? Where are you?... Oh, OK. I'll see you there... I'm not gonna lie to my wife. I'm telling her where I'm going... OK Bye." he said hanging up the phone as he put his head in his hands.
"Who was on the phone Roger?" Gina asked getting out of bed.
"Your dad. He wants to meet with me and talk." he said looking up at her as he put on his boots.
"Are you gonna go?" she asked sitting on the couch next to him.
"Yeah, Life Cafe in 20 minutes." he said putting his arm around her.
"What does he want?" she asked putting her hand on his leg.
"I don't know. But if he tells me he wants the baby to grow up up there, I'll tell him to piss off. I promise. I'm not gonna let him hurt us again." he said kissing her head as he brought her closer to him.
"Do you want me to go with you?" she asked leaning her head on his shoulder.
"Nah, I'll be fine. You stay here. I'll call Mimi to come down and sit with you. If you need me just have her call the Life Cafe." he said lifting her chin up to kiss her. "I love you Gina. You and our baby." he said smiling down at her.
"I know. I love you too Roger." she said wrapping her arms around him.
"Let me call Mimi." he said dialing the phone. "Mimi, hey can you come down and sit with Gina for a little while... no, I'm meeting with Gina's father to talk at the Life Cafe and I don't want her to be here alone worrying. I figured you two could start thinking of baby names for my child... Thanks. See ya in a minute." he said hanging up the phone and kissing her before putting his jacket on.
"Good luck sweetie. Remember, we love you." she said looking up at him.
"I could never forget. I love you guys too." he whispered leaning down to kiss her and put his hand on her belly when there was a knock at the door.
"Hey Gina, you're up. Go ahead Rog. I got my chica now." she said smiling at him as he grabbed his keys off the side table and left.
"How are you Roger?" Mr. Darrien asked politely as Roger entered the cafe and went to his table.
"You called this little get together. Start talking or I go back home to my wife and child." Roger said coldly as he took off his leather jacket putting it on the back of the chair.
"OK, then. I see she's driving the car you gave her again. I'm glad she got it out of storage." Mr. Darrien told him smiling.
"We got it last month. How did you know about her still having it?" Roger asked curiously.
"When we went through her papers after she left for rehab, we saw the bill. We went to see what she was storing and found that car. We thought we'd leave it until she got out and then we found out she was missing, and we forgot about it. Look Roger my wife and I are sorry for all the pain we caused you and our daughter. We didn't realize how strong your love for each other really was." he began looking down into his coffee cup.
"And the fact that Gina is pregnant with your grandchild has nothing to do with that realization?" Roger asked looking the older man in the eyes.
"Truth be told, yes. That and the fact that she ran away here to be with you." he said looking at Roger.
"She didn't run away here to be with me. She didn't even know where I was. She came here to run away from you and follow her dream. We ran into each other in this very cafe one night after she had been here a month.?" Roger asked as the waiter came over to pour Roger a cup of coffee.
"Whatever the circumstances, you two found each other after all these years and much effort by my wife and myself to keep you two from each other. And despite those efforts, you two are married with a child on the way. We need to respect that." Mr. Darrien told him half smiling.
"Yeah well sir, with all due respect. We tried to tell you years ago and you didn't listen then. Why are you all of a sudden listening now?" Roger asked looking down into his coffee mug.
"She gave up everything. She moved someplace where no one would know where she was, the last place anyone would know her and you two found each other anyway. Now I don't believe in destiny, but this was no coincidence, you two running into each other in this little cafe. We realize now that your hearts have always been connected. Now, I don't expect a happy reunion with my daughter any time soon and would never ask you to speak to her on our behalf. I just wanted to tell you, we see it now. We see your love for Gina and her love for you. I just wanted to congratulate you, father to father. I'm gonna be in town until Sunday on business, so if you want to reach me, I'll be staying at the Grand Hyatt hotel. Room 428. I brought this for you, son. Welcome to the family." Mr. Darrien told him handing him a cigar before holding his hand out to Roger.
"You do know that I can't make Gina do anything she doesn't want to do? I mean, that guy Glenn for all those years... it hurt her." Roger said taking the cigar and shaking the man's hand.
"I know. She will never know how sorry we are for that. Just tell her we love her. You don't have to tell her anything you don't want to tell her. I respect your loyalty to her." Mr. Darrien said buttoning his suit.
"I will tell her everything. We have no secrets between us. I respect you coming here today and speaking to me. I'll think about what you said." Roger said standing in front of Mr. Darrien.
"Very good. Well it was nice seeing you again Roger. Congratulations again on your wedding to my daughter and your impending fatherhood." the older man said stiffly before leaving.
"Roger, how'd it go?" she asked jumping up from her spot next to Mimi on the couch.
"Good. He doesn't expect a reunion. He just wanted me to know how sorry he was for everything and that he respects the fact that we found each other in the last place anyone would know where you were and we're married with a child on the way." he told her as she walked away from him.
"So the last 7 years of hell was for nothing. Great." she yelled at him crying as she paced around the apartment.
"Baby, calm down. You're gonna upset the baby." Roger said as Mimi went after her.
"Roger, don't you think it's a funny coincidence that my father calls you after I call my mother to tell her I'm pregnant? Don't you realize what they're doing? He's trying to get to me using you. He knows how much you love me and want to see me reunite with them." she said as Mimi tried calming her down.
"Baby, I couldn't care less if you reunite with them. I just wanted you to know what he said. Please come sit down and we can talk calmly." he said as Mimi led her to the couch and sat her next to Roger.
"I'll be upstairs if you guys need me. Gina, listen to what he has to say." Mimi said kissing Gina on the head as she took Roger's hand and squeezed it in support before leaving for upstairs.
"Roger, he played you like a fiddle. They don't care about how much we love each other or how happy we are here. They want to control us. This is one way to do it. He sweet talks you using the bond of your impending fatherhood and then he goes in for the kill. Sweetie, it's what he does." she told him crying.
"I don't know. He sounded sincere. He said that he understands now that with all the separation we found each other because our hearts were always connected. He doesn't think it's a coincidence that we found each other. He said he realizes now how much we always loved each other." Roger told her holding her hand.
"He said that?" she said wiping her eyes.
"Yeah. He's changed. I guess your mom yelled at him to make peace with me or she'd kill him or something." Roger told her laughing.
"Did he go back home?" she asked smiling up at him.
"No, he's in town until Sunday on business. I know where he is if you want to see him." he told him caressing her face.
"I don't know if I'm comfortable seeing him just yet. I need to think about things." she said leaning in to him.
"OK. I just told him I'd tell you what he said. He knows not to expect me to plead their case for them." he said kissing her head.
"Are you ready to go upstairs?" she asked looking up at him.
"Not yet. I wanna sit here for a little while with my wife." he said holding her in his arms as they sat back on the couch.
"OK. Works for me. Oh, Mimi and I came up with some names." she said smiling up at him.
"Oh yeah? What did you come up with?" he asked caressing her head.
"Well, if the baby is a boy I want to name him after you. Roger James Davis." she said looking up at him.
"Don't you think I heard that name yelled enough when I was younger?" he said looking down at her smiling.
"But Roger, I want to name our son after you." she said sitting up.
"OK what if our son is a daughter? Do we get to name her Gina Marie Davis after her mother?" he asked sitting up to face her.
"No, girls don't get named after their moms. Boys get named after their fathers." she told him sitting back again caressing her belly. "Don't worry baby, I'm not gonna let daddy name you after me." she said to her stomach laughing.
"And don't you worry. I'm not gonna let mommy name you after me." he said leaning down t her stomach as they both laughed with Roger's head pressed against her stomach.
"Roger, we have 7 and a half months to think about this. Why don't we go upstairs? Collins and Joanne will be over soon and I'm sure Mimi and Mark need to be saved from Maureen." she said laughing as he leaned up.
"Good idea Baby. Come on my little one. Let's meet Auntie Maureen." he said to her stomach before pulling her up into a sweet kiss.
"Isn't that how we got here to start with?" she asked laughing.
"No, this is." he said kissing her more passionately.
"Oh right. I remember now." she said pulling him into an embrace before leaving the apartment to go up to the loft.
"Hello Mommy and Daddy." Maureen said running for Roger and Gina.
"Hi Auntie Maureen." Gina said laughing as Maureen leaned down to her belly and began to whisper to the baby.
"Hello my little sweet. You are gonna be the most spoiled baby in all of New York City. Maybe even the world." she said quietly to the baby in Gina's abdomen.
"Maureen, the baby can't hear you yet. It'll be another couple of months before he can." Joanne said going over to them to congratulate them.
"How do you know about those things?" Mauren asked looking up at Joanne strangely.
"I read it in a book. My secretary is pregnant." she told her smiling as she pulled Gina and Roger into an embrace. "This is so great guys." she said getting teary eyed.
"Thank you Auntie Joanne." Roger said smiling as he hid behind Gina seeing Collins coming right for them. "Oh shit." he continued laughing.
"Come on man. I gotta give you a big wet one." Collins said reaching out for Roger.
"Why can't you give me a hug like a normal person?" Roger said still hiding behind his wife.
"Because it's not everyday you find out you're gonna become a father." he said reaching around Gina as she snuck away, out of Roger's grasp.
"You gotta be kidding me Baby." he said as Collins grabbed him by his shoulders.
"Sorry sweetie, you're on your own with this one." she said laughing in Mimi's arms.
"Come on give Uncle Collins a wet one daddy." he said trying to kiss Roger right on the lips.
"No Collins, I'm not gay, dude. Kiss Gina." Roger said closing his eyes as she shook his head back and forth like a 4 year old.
"Come on Rog, just one." Collins begged laughing.
"Come one man. Not in front of my wife, man." Roger said still shaking his head.
"Sweetie, you're gonna make yourself dizzy. Just kiss him already." Gina said holding her stomach laughing with Mimi and everyone else.
"Fine, but if I turn gay, it's your fault." he said as they all broke out in more hysterical laughter.
"I'll risk it sweetie." she said crying now from laughter as Collins planted a big sloppy kiss on Roger.
"You're not a bad kisser Rog. No wonder you get all the hot chicks." Collins said as Gina and Mimi fell on the couch laughing and Roger gave him a look.
"Not funny, man. And you sold me down the river, Baby. My own wife. The mother of my child let a gay guy kiss me on the mouth." he said beginning to laugh.
"It made for good entertainment." Joanne said between laughs.
"Gee thanks. I see it's bust on Roger day again." Roger said wiping his mouth as he sat down on the couch next to Gina, where she was still laughing with Mimi. "And you better erase that tape. I don't want my kid seeing me kissing his Auntie Collins." Roger said to Mark as Mark tried hard not to drop his camera from his laughter.
"Oh come on Rog. I'm gonna put that on the gangs funniest moments reel. I was thinking of ending with that one." Mark said laughing turning off his camera and setting it on the table.
"Yeah, yeah. Very funny. So what's new with you guys?" Roger said laughing as he pulled Gina close to him and hold her stomach.
"Oh, what happened with Gina's father today?" Collins asked getting a beer out of the fridge.
"Oh he just wanted to apologize for everything he put us through and finally make peace with me." Roger said reaching out for a beer.
"And? Does that mean you guys are speaking again?" Maureen asked sitting on the coffee table.
"No. We're not." Gina said caressing Roger's leg.
"But you can if you want to." Joanne told her handing Maureen a beer.
"But I don't want to. I have my family right here. Roger, the baby and you guys. I'm not gonna open myself up to them having access enough to interfere in our lives. I'm too happy for that." Gina said smiling up at Roger.
"Then we won't call them. We'll just live our lives the way we've been." Roger said kissing Gina on the head.