"Um.. mom. What are you...? What are you doing here?" Brenda asked looking up as she answered the door to the loft.
"Roger called me and told me that you were home. We were so worried about you." Mrs. Durlach said leaning in to hug her daughter.
"Roger called you? Really?" she smiled hugging her mother back.
"Yeah, he told me you called him a few months ago and he brought you home. You look so beautiful sweetie. Your hair looks great short." she smiled as Rose and Roger came out of Rose's room.
"Daddy, come get me." Rose laughed as she ran across the loft.
"Mrs. Durlach. Um... hi. I didn't know you were here." Roger laughed stopping by the door as Rose kept running.
"Come on daddy. Come and get me." she yelled going into Roger and Brenda's bedroom.
"Daddy? That would make you..." Mrs. Durlach said looking over at Brenda.
"Mommy. Yeah mom. She's ours." she smiled looking up at Roger.
"When? I mean, you've been gone for 5 years." she asked looking over at them.
"I was pregnant when I left. It's a long story. Um... Roger, you called my mother?" she asked looking up at him.
"Yeah, um... when you first left I called her to see if you went back home. I promised her I'd call her if I found you or if you came home. I've been so excited having you and Rosie home, I forgot to call her until just now." he said looking down at her as they still stood in the doorway.
"Daddy, come get me." Rose yelled coming out of the bedroom.
"In a minute sweet girl." he smiled looking down at her.
"So you thought you'd surprise me?" she smiled looking up at him with her arms folded across her chest.
"Um.. yes?" he answered cautiously as he smiled down at her.
"Excuse me. I hate to interrupt you two from this wonderfully entertaining conversation, but can I come in and meet my granddaughter?" Mrs. Durlach asked smiling over at them as they turned to her.
"Oh. I'm sorry mom. Yeah, come on in." Brenda laughed stepping aside to let her mother into the loft.
"Rosie sweetie, come here for a minute." Roger smiled as Mrs. Durlach entered the loft.
"Daddy, you're supposed to catch me. I can't go to you." she smiled looking up at him standing across the room.
"Rosie, we want you to meet someone." Brenda smiled looking over at her.
"OK, but time out, OK daddy? No cheating." Rose smiled pointing at him before going to them.
"I do not cheat." Roger told her as his voice squeaked.
"Roger, you do so cheat." Brenda laughed leaning down to pick Rose up.
"Why do you two have to gang up on me all of the time?" he asked poking Rose in the belly.
"Because you make it so easy." Brenda laughed looking up at him. "Mom, I would like you to meet your granddaughter Rose Michelle Davis. Rosie, this is your grandma. My mommy." she smiled looking up at Rose.
"Hi grandma. How come I never met you before?" she asked looking over at her.
"It's a long story sweetie, but you're meeting her now." Brenda smiled looking over at her as Roger reached over to take her out of Brenda's arms.
"We wanted to wait until the right time."Roger smiled looking over at her.
"She is so beautiful. She looks just like you Roger." Mrs. Durlach smiled looking over at them.
"Thank you." Rose smiled looking over at her.
"You're very welcome sweetie. And such good manners too." she smiled looking up at her.
"Why don't we sit down? Mom, do you want anything to drink?" Brenda asked looking over at her.
"Sure sweetie. Water is fine. Thank you." she smiled sitting on the couch as Roger put Rose down. They sat and talked. "You really do look great Brenda. And so grown up." she smiled as Brenda gave her a glass of water.
"Well, I am 26 mom." she smiled looking over at Roger and Rose.
"And you're a wife and mother. The wife part I knew about, it's the mother part I'm shocked by." she smiled looking over at Rose.
"Yeah well, it's a long story." she said sitting next to Roger on the couch.
"Why did you run away in the middle of the night and get married?" she asked as Brenda looked over at Rose.
"Rosie sweetie, why don't you go play in your room for a little while, OK? The grown ups have to talk." Brenda smiled looking over at her.
"OK mommy." she smiled running into her room.
"Mom, we did it because we were young and in love and we just wanted to be together." she told her as Roger took her hand in his.
"We don't regret it Mrs. Durlach. Not a second of it. No matter how many mistakes we've made." he told her looking over at Brenda.
"But why did you have to run away in the middle of the night Brenda? You could have at least waited until you got out of high school." she said as Brenda got up from the couch.
"Mom, is this why you came? To lecture us about getting married so young? Because if you are, save it. We have no regrets." she said beginning to walk around the living room.
"So why did you run away from Roger too." she asked looking up at her.
"Mom, it's a long, complicated story. Roger and I have talked about it and we're past it. I made mistakes, but I always loved Roger and he always loved me. There was never a question about that." Brenda said looking over at her.
"And why didn't you tell him you were pregnant with his daughter? Why did you run away instead?" she asked looking up at her.
"Mom, please. That's something between me and my husband and no one else. Why do you care anyway? It's not like I ran to you when I ran away." she said pacing around with her hands on her hips.
"Brenda, I'm just wondering what you got yourself into to make you run away from Roger, scared and pregnant." she asked as Roger got up.
"That's enough Mrs. Durlach. Mistakes were made by both of us but we moved past it and now Brenda, Rosie and I are together like we're supposed to be. It doesn't matter what happened all those years ago. All that matters is now." Roger said looking down at her as he went to Brenda.
"You're right. I'm sorry. I've been really worried about you. I would just like to know what happened here that made you leave the man you ran away from home in the middle of the night on your 18th birthday to marry." she asked looking up at her.
"It doesn't matter now. None of it does. I ran away and I shouldn't have. It took me 5 years to realize it, but I fixed everything and I would really like to keep it fixed. Rehashing it is not gonna help anyone. Especially me." she said looking down at her.
"OK honey. I'll leave it alone. It looks like you and Roger didn't miss a step." she smiled getting up and going to them.
"Yeah well, we were always in love mom." she smiled looking up at Roger.
"I'm glad you two made it. You have a beautiful, happy little girl too. You're obviously great parents." she smiled looking over at them.
"Thanks mom." Brenda smiled looking up at Roger.
"Can you believe her? She was acting like she could sit in judgment of us. I haven't seen her in 8 years, but she comes in here like I'm still a stupid kid." Brenda ranted pacing around the bedroom getting ready for bed as Roger sat on the bed.
"We both know you're not a stupid kid. You were never a stupid kid. Baby, it doesn't matter what she thinks or says. All that matters is us." he said getting up and going to her.
"I don't know why it bothered me so much. I didn't give a damn about what she thought when I was younger, why do I now?" she asked looking up at him.
"Because you're a mother now." he smiled looking down at her as he brought his hand up to her face and kissed her.
"Maybe." she smiled looking up into his green eyes.
"Bren, all that matters is that you, me and Rosie are together. Everything else is secondary." he smiled looking into her blue eyes.
"I know. You're right. It just drives me crazy." she laughed putting her arms around his neck and holding him close.
"I know Bren. But Rosie seems to like her." he laughed looking down at her.
"Well she's only 5. What does she know?" she smiled looking up at him.