The Neighbors, Colleen and Jason

We are so excited to be here today. It's funny to think Sharon and Andy are finally getting married because we used to think they'd been married for years. They just had a way about them, something that cannot be described. My name is Colleen, and my husband is Jason. We live next door to Nicole and Dean and met Sharon and Andy shortly after Nicole and Dean moved in next door to us. It's been such a relief to have great neighbors, and we never expected great neighbors would come with great parental figures too.

Jason and I are almost the same ages as Nicole and Dean. We have a boy and a girl, just a little older than Nicole and Dean's boys. It's worked out so nicely to have them as neighbors. We've become good friends, which anymore, is a rarity with your neighbors. We don't fight over cutting the grass, pruning trees, fences that need to be repaired-none of it. Instead, our four kids are good friends who play together all the time.

Nicole and Dean moved in about three years ago now, just over that, I guess. We were so excited to find out a family was moving in, and it was only after we met them did we realize that they'd married just a year prior, not that it matters, but we loved seeing just how much those boys love Nicole. She treats them like her own, and they love her like any child loves his mom. Our kids were thrilled when they pulled up and got out to check out their new house. It was the first weekend of the summer, and our kids were bored out of their minds already. They flew outside to stare at the new neighbors, and very quickly, I found they'd invited themselves over to meet the new kids next door.

We let Nicole and Dean get settled, and we kept our kids from bothering them 24 hours a day initially. It was a pleasant surprise when two weeks later, they came over to officially introduce themselves and invite us to a barbeque. Those first two weeks, we'd mainly just waved. I remember briefly meeting them one day when the kids were outside playing, but we hadn't really introduced ourselves until they stopped by on a Sunday evening.

"We wanted to come over and introduce ourselves," I remember her saying as I answered my front door.

"I'm the one who should be walking over to you! I'm so sorry! You've been moving in, and I've been busy. My grandmother broke her hip, and I am the closest family member. Please, come in," I remember gesturing to them.

"Oh, no," she waved, and her husband nodded. "We have to get the boys to bed soon, but I'm Nicole, and this is my husband, Dean."

"Jason," I called down the hall to my husband. I looked back to them, "I'm Colleen, and my husband, Jason, is down the hall. We've seen and met your boys."

"Oh, yes!" Nicole laughed. Dean shook his head. Both boys were playing in their front yard, and we all turned and glanced toward them as we talked. Our yards aren't large, so the boys weren't more than a few feet from us.

"If they have been a problem, I'm so sorry. I keep telling them not to bother you," he told us.

"No! My kids have been trying to spy on your house every minute of the day to tell us if you are home or not. They are excited for new friends," I told them. We talked a few more minutes about basic things, school, the neighborhood, and the kids, and then Nicole gave us an invitation.

"We are having a little housewarming barbeque next Saturday evening. We would love for you to come. I hope we will become good friends. Some family and friends will be coming as well," she smiled and handed it to me.

Jason finally appeared, and after brief introductions, I held up the invitation, "Thanks for this. I don't think we are busy. We'd love to come. I'll double check our schedule."

And, I did check our schedule. We were free for the party, and that is how that evening we first met Andy and Sharon.

Nicole and Dean had planned for most of the evening to be outside. They'd put the food in the kitchen to keep the bugs and flies away, but otherwise, the tables and activities were outside. They had put up a few games for the kids to play, and they had a picnic table and two card tables as well. The kids took off quickly, and I'm glad we went because there weren't a lot of other kids at the party. We found out that Nicole and Dean didn't know a lot of people with kids. Most of their friends were from work, where we learned they worked together.

I remember asking Nicole if she needed any help, and she just smiled and said things were under control. She pointed out her dad was at the grill, and I looked, noting he looked like a kind man. Jason had gone off with the kids, acting like a large child himself, so I decided to see if Nicole's dad needed anything at the grill.

"Hi," I walked up to him as he stood there turning the meat. He was grilling chicken and burgers, and when I approached he looked up at me.

"Hi, I'm Andy," he nodded to me. "I'm Nicole's dad."

"Colleen," I smiled. "I'm the new neighbor," and I pointed next door to my house.

"Oh great!" he grinned. "You are the one with kids, right?"

I nodded, "Yes, I like to call them spies because that's all they have been doing since Nicole and Dean moved in here. I wanted to ask if you need anything or any help? My husband is off over there," I gestured and grinned, "the overgrown child."

"Ha!" he said and looked to the group of kids. Jason was easy to spot. "I should thank him because the boys have been begging me to play with them. I normally don't mind, but I've had a crazy last few days at work and just finished a horrible case."

"Oh, case? Are you a lawyer?" I asked.

"No, no," he shook his head and frowned. "I'm definitely not one of those idiots. I'm a detective, homicide. I'm a lieutenant with the LAPD, Major Crimes." He paused as his words registered, and then he shook his head, "Let me guess-lawyer? I probably just insulted you."

"No," I shook my head and laughed. "I have a boring job. I sit in a cubicle day and process work orders for a large company. My husband is in advertising, so no lawyers."

He flashed a smile, "We are already off to a great start."

"Andy, here's the platter you wanted," we both turned toward the voice, and as I looked between the two, I quickly figured out they were here together.

"Thanks, Sharon," he smiled brightly at her. It was a different smile than anything he'd given me, one I could see only meant for her. She handed him the platter, and then Andy turned back toward me, the tongs in hand.

"Sharon, this is Colleen, Nic and Dean's next-door neighbor," he nodded toward our house. "Colleen, this is Sharon, my sous chef today," he turned and smiled back at her. She returned that smile to him, and she nodded at me.

"Oh, it's so lovely to meet you," she held out her hand for me to shake it. "Nicole has mentioned you already and is so glad you have kids close to the same age as the boys."

"Yes, Nicole isn't the only one excited about that. My kids are thrilled. My husband and I are too. There aren't a lot of kids that age here in the neighborhood. It's going to be great. They can all ride to school together," I explained.

"Oh, that will be nice," she nodded. "This is a lovely neighborhood. I just love this part of L.A., nice neighborhood streets." She looked to Andy, "How's the grilling?"

I watched as he turned over some of the chicken and nodded. He turned to her, put his arm around her, and she wrapped her arm around his back and then leaned her head on his shoulder. He winked at her, "The grilling is coming along just fine. Thank you for volunteering me for it because I'm too exhausted to run around with the boys. I'll save that for the younger generation."

I watched as Sharon looked at him, and the two smiled at each other like no one else was around them. I almost felt awkward, but I just added, "My husband would be one of the large children out there playing. I'll leave you two to the grilling. I just wanted to see if you needed anything."

"Oh, you don't have to leave," Sharon reached for me and shrugged. "We don't want to run you off right now. Tell us about yourself, the neighborhood," she added. "I'm sorry, but we are both exhausted and not great company right now," she said as she shook her head. "We'd love to hear about you."

So, I started to tell them my story. We talked for the next few minutes while Andy finished at the grill. We laughed, and I remember learning Sharon was a police officer as well.

"Sharon, what do you do?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm a police captain," she said easily as she helped Andy plate the food from the grill.

"Wow! Really?" I asked, my eyes wide as I looked at her. "I'm sorry," I shook my head. "You just don't strike me as a police officer."

"I have the same thoughts," Andy said, nonchalantly. "She's too beautiful to be a cop, but she's the best. She's a better shot than anyone else I know," he squeezed her shoulder with his free hand. She shook her head at him as she tried to play off his compliment. "She won't admit it, but she's the smartest cop I've met."

"Oh, stop," she shook her head. She was turning red, and I just laughed. "You don't have to butter up the boss."

"You're his boss?" I chuckled.

"Hmm, yes," she grinned at me and then rolled her eyes in gesture toward Andy. He just shrugged. "See what I have to deal with at work?"

"Oh, that's great," I laughed. "Didn't Nicole tell me she works with her husband? It must be a family thing."

"She does," Andy told me. "Dean would probably agree that these ladies make great bosses."

We laughed over that, and then I drifted toward my kids who were getting hot and hungry. I spoke to them a few more time during the evening, and when we were getting ready to leave, I walked over to where they were sitting to say goodbye.

"Nice to meet you both," I told them. They were sitting side by side, and Sharon had one of the boys in her lap while the other was seated between them. "Looks like you two have great seats."

Andy nodded, and Sharon smiled. He said, "Working rough cases like the last one we have put things in perspective. We just had to deal with a murdered teenager. That was a rough one, a really rough one," he sighed. "Anyway, the boys help to ground both of us."

"Oh, I can't imagine," I sighed. "You two enjoy the boys. It was great meeting you, and I suspect we will be seeing more of you."

"Great to meet you," Sharon told me.

That evening was the start of many barbeques with Nicole and her family. We started having them more and more, and usually Sharon and Andy would be there too. I remember telling Nicole that her dad and Sharon were really nice; I always enjoyed chatting with them when they would come over to the house. Sometimes, they were there for a meal, and sometimes, Sharon and Andy would come over to babysit. I knew Sharon wasn't Nicole's mom early on. I'd heard the kids call her Sharon, and I'd even met her mom on a few occasions when she'd come by the house too. It never dawned on me, at least back then, that Sharon and Andy weren't married. I'm not a jewelry person; I don't wear my wedding rings much, so the fact that they didn't wear rings didn't seem odd to me.

It wasn't until over a year later that I finally found out they weren't married. It had just never come up with everything. I saw them several times that summer and into the holidays. We always just talked about the kids and general things like that. Sharon and Andy were always together, and Nicole was always great with her dad and Sharon. That next summer, it was early July, just not long after the 4th of July, and I remember that because my kids were just back from a week at camp, when I learned they weren't married.

"Eeeww, yuck, Grandpa Andy and Sharon are here, but they are kissing!" Chris said as he ran from the sliding door onto the deck area where we were sitting. I was out there with Nicole. Our husbands were at the grill, and Andy and Sharon hadn't arrived yet. The boys had been on watch for them; they always got excited about their arrival. Nicole and I had been sitting in the comfortable patio chairs while the kids were running around playing. They'd been around the house, through the house, and Nicole and I had laughed we were tired just watching them run around the place. When Chris ran through announcing that, he stopped and made a face at Nicole.

"Chris, wait," Nicole stopped him before he started to run again. "Grandpa Andy and Sharon are here?"

He shook his head and grinned, "They are getting out of the car. We saw them," he pointed toward the street. "They're coming. Grandpa Andy was kissing Sharon by the car," he made another face and shook his head before he continued, "like you kiss Daddy. Yuck."

I started to laugh and covered my mouth. I looked to Nicole who was smiling brightly. Chris ran off, and I just met her gaze as she stood, "Oh, this is great news!"

I wasn't following her train of thought, and I shook my head at her, "I'm sorry?"

"Dad and Sharon! Finally! It's about time," she grinned. I looked to her with a blank expression, one that she recognized as being completely lost, and she explained, "We have been on them for a long time now. Maybe since the boys saw them, they will admit they are dating. It's about time."

"Dating? They aren't married?" I asked, horrified that I had misinterpreted the whole situation.

"Married?" Nicole started to laugh. "No, they've barely admitted to dating," she shook her head and sighed. "The two have been dating for quite some time now, but they won't admit it. I can't get much out of Rusty, and the rest of us have been waiting for the official announcement."

"I had no idea! I thought they'd been married a long time. They are so sweet and so good together. They are always here, always together," I shook my head.

"Exactly," Nicole smirked and nodded. "That's exactly my point. They are always together. They do everything together. Sharon is good for Dad, and he's good for her. The two are so in love they can't even see it. I've seen it now for a year at least. Oh, this is great," she clapped her hands together. Dean called to her, and she shook her head. "Dad and Sharon are here. I'll be back."

I watched Nicole disappear into the house. I never heard that conversation, the one Nicole had been wanting to hear for apparently a long time. They did talk in the house for a few minutes, and when they walked outside, Andy was holding Sharon's hand. I'd seen it before, but as I thought about it, I always seemed to catch them in these brief intimate type moments alone. Come to think of it, I knew I'd see her kiss him, and I'd seen him lean over and kiss her on the check, all when I believe they thought they had a stolen moment alone. I'd always thought it was sweet. I remember seeing that at New Year's and at a barbeque we had back in June too. I'd just never thought about them as anything other than a couple.

When Nicole returned to the patio with Andy and Sharon, she nudged her dad toward Dean. It was easy to hear everything. We were all sitting together, and as she did that, Andy pulled Sharon along with him. Andy shook Dean's hand and my husband, Jason's hand. He turned back toward Dean and gestured toward the kids and then Nicole.

"It appears your bloodhounds here are on the prowl. I was told the boys spotted us outside when we got out of the car, and to go ahead and put everything on the table, yes, Sharon and I are officially dating," he smiled. I saw him squeeze Sharon's hand, and she smiled brightly as she started to laugh. Sharon started to blush, and I'd seen her do that around Andy before.

"Oh, that's great!" Dean grinned. "Congratulations. I can hope this will end the sibling chats about this very thing."

"Sibling chats?" Sharon asked.

"Oh, your kids," he gestured between the two of them, "have been talking about this for a long time. Rusty does not want to be involved, but the rest have been waiting for this. I'm guessing by the end of the day, all the kids will know."

Jason and I started to laugh. I stood to greet them too, "For what it's worth, I thought you two had been married for years. I don't know how it never came up, but I did. I just assumed you were together."

I remember Sharon grinning at me as she shrugged, "It might have taken me some time to get to this point, and I might have been in denial about what was really going on, but I have no doubts now, none," she looked to Nicole and reached to squeeze her hand.

"Dad, what made you two decide to date now?" Nicole asked to break the silence.

Andy shrugged and looked at Sharon, "It was the right time. We're ready."

"What made this official?" Nicole gestured. "Obviously, you two talked about this."

"Hmm, we did," Sharon grinned. "Andy asked. It was that simple. He asked me to dinner at Serve. Something was right; the timing was right. He knows me that well," she added.

I remember we eased into conversation about their dinner, as the evening continued. I still remember that conversation and the idea that the two know each other that well. I think that is the sign of a true couple, knowing each other-good and bad-and still loving them. Jason and I now know a lot more about Sharon and Andy. Obviously, we know their story now. We know what they have been through in their lives, and we are so happy they are here today. They know each other so well, and I've seen that for a long time. I'm excited for them; I'm excited for Nicole, Dean, and the rest of the family. They are a great family, all of them, and I'm so glad we happen to live next door, to get a glimpse into the lives of these amazing people. So, here we are sitting, on the groom's side, even though, really, we could sit on either side. It's hard to pick a side when you've only known the two as a couple, a happy couple whose devotion to each other has brought them to this day.