"Daddy, can I have money for the juke box? Please?" Rosie asked looking up at Roger as they all sat at the table eating dinner.
"Here you go sweet girl. Make sure you play something for me and your mom, OK? I wanna dance with my girl." he smiled looking up at her as he handed her a 5 dollar bill.
"OK daddy." she smiled taking the money before rushing to the jukebox.
"OK guys, we've had drinks, appetizers and dinner. Are you gonna tell us what this pow wow is all about or are we gonna order dessert?" Mark asked impatiently.
"OK fine, me and Brenda wanted to take you guys out to tell you that Brenda's pregnant." Roger smiled as Brenda smiled looking up at him.
"NO WAY!!! Babygirl is having another baby. That's incredible news." Collins shouted rushing over to hug Brenda.
"Really?" she smiled looking up at him.
"Are you kidding? You and this boy here make such beautiful kids, you should have a billion of them." he laughed holding her face in his hands before leaning in to kiss her head.
"I wouldn't go that far, but thank you sweetie." she laughed looking up at him.
"Bren, this is the best news. You and Roger deserve this." Chelsea smiled looking over at them as Mark filmed them.
"Yeah, it's amazing news guys. Congratulations." Mark smiled looking over at them.
"Thanks Mark." Roger smiled as Rosie rushed over to them.
"Daddy, is this a good song for you and mommy?" she asked as they listened.
"It's perfect sweetie." Brenda laughed looking up at Roger.
"Do you wanna dance Baby?" he asked looking down at her.
"Of course I do." she smiled looking up at him before getting up and going over by the juke box to dance.
"And I remember how you loved me. Time was all we had until the day we said goodbye. And I remember every moment of those endless summer nights.." he sung smiling down at her.
"Can you believe how long ago this was?" she smiled looking up at him.
"I know. But now look at us. We have a beautiful little girl, a baby on the way and tons of friends who love us and are happy for us." he smiled leaning down to kiss her.
"Yeah, we're a long way from where we were." she smiled remembering when they met as she looked over at their friends who were smiling watching them.
"You play that really good." she smiled looking up at him taking her sunglasses off.
"Thanks. I've been playing since I was 12." he smiled looking up from the guitar.
"Did you just move in?" she asked sitting on the top step.
"Not really. My parents have owned this house since I was about 10. We come here every summer. But I've never seen you here before." he said taking the guitar off of his lap and standing it next to him on the porch.
"Yeah, we moved in this past winter." she smiled looking up at him. "Where do you live normally?" she asked looking up at him.
"Elizabethtown. It's upstate." he smiled looking down at her.
"That's cool. Do you go to school up there?" she asked before looking down at her hand. That was a stupid question, of course he went to school up there.
"Yeah. Well I used to. I graduated last week." he smiled looking down at her.
"That's cool. I have one more year to go. I can't wait until I'm out of school. I never want to go back again." she said smiled as she looked up at him.
"What about college?" he asked looking down at her.
"I'm not going. At least I don't want to. My mom wants me to go, but I wanna be a writer and I figure if I don't have it, college is not gonna teach me how to be one." she said looking up at him.
"I guess. I'm Roger by the way." he smiled looking down at her.
"Right, names. It's funny. We've been sitting here talking and we have no idea what each others names were. I'm sorry, I'm Brenda." she smiled looking up at him
"Brenda, do you wanna eat with us? My dad's barbequeing and we have plenty." he smiled looking down at her.
"I can't. I have to help my grandmother make dinner. Maybe I'll see you around." she smiled getting up.
"It was really nice to meet you Brenda. I hope I do. See you around that is." he said getting up.
"I'll be at the beach around the corner tomorrow. I usually go about 11. Maybe I'll see you there." she smiled starting down the stairs.
"I'll be there. Bye." he smiled looking down at her as she put her sunglasses back on and started back down the block to her house.
"We made it though." Roger smiled looking down at her.
"Yeah we did. And look at all we have." she smiled looking over at their friends.
"Yeah, look at them all." he laughed looking over at them as Rose sat on Collins lap and everyone smiled at them.
"Daddy, is mom OK?" Rose asked passing the bathroom as Brenda threw up from her morning sickness.
"Yeah sweetie. Just the baby making it's presence known. Why don't you sit down and eat breakfast? We have to leave for school." he said drinking his coffee at the counter.
"You expect me to eat after hearing mom yack her guts out? Ewww." she said looking up at him.
"Honey go easy on your mom, OK? She hasn't been pregnant in a really long time. This is hard on her." he said looking down at her.
"I know dad. I'm sorry. Is she gonna be OK?" she asked looking up at him.
"Yeah sweetie. Morning sickness is a normal part of being pregnant. But don't worry, it'll go away before you know it." he smiled looking down at her.
"Baby, do you remember the morning sickness I had with Roger?" she asked looking up at him as she came out of the bathroom.
"I'm sorry Baby. Do you want some toast? It'll settle your stomach." he asked looking over at her.
"Do you remember what I told you back then when you made the same offer to me?" she asked putting her hands on her hips.
"That you can't eat anything because you were afraid you were gonna throw it up." he said looking over at her.
"Exactly. I have to go anyway." she told him as she got her coat.
"Wait a minute. Where do you think you're going so early?" he asked coming out from behind the metal counter.
"I have to go to the hotel. We're still looking for a new guitarist and I'm gonna be in auditions all day." she said looking up at him.
"And do you think it's realistic for you to do that while you're still running into the bathroom every 5 minutes with morning sickness?" he asked looking down at her.
"Roger, I'm gonna have to. I can't blow it off. With the baby on the way, we need to money." she said looking up at him. "I'll be OK Roger. I promise. I'll be back in time to get Rosie from school." she smiled leaning up to kiss him.
"Bren, I wish you would slow down. At least until the morning sickness goes away." he said putting his arms around her.
"Roger, women work while they're pregnant all the time. You can't expect me to quit my job and sit around the loft getting fat. The doctor said activity is good for me. You need to stop worrying so much about me." she said looking up at him.
"Never, but I'll try not to show it so much." he smiled leaning down to kiss her.
"I guess I'm gonna have to take it." she smiled holding him tight.
"I love you Bren." he smiled kissing her head.
"I love you too Roger. Bye sweetie, you better hurry up. You don't want to be late for school. I love you." she said looking over at Rose.
"I love you too mom. Be careful, OK?" she smiled looking up at her.
"Always your father's daughter." she smiled looking over at her before leaving the loft.
"Daddy, can you tell me about Roger?" Rose asked putting her book bag on her shoulder.
"Um, what did your mom tell you about him?" he asked looking down at her.
"Just that he was my older brother and that he died when he was born. And that I look like you and him." she said looking up at him.
"You do my sweetheart." he smiled looking down at her as he sat at the table.
"Daddy, how did he die?" she asked looking up at him.
"When he was in mommy's belly, he was so active, he wrapped his umbilical cord around his neck and he died. It was really hard for me and mommy." he said looking over at her.
"Is that why mommy ran away with me?" she asked looking over at him.
"Sweetheart, when mommy ran away, she was scared. She was having a really hard time getting over losing Roger and she just needed time to think. Then she had you and she was afraid I wouldn't understand her leaving and having you without telling me." he said looking over at her.
"But when you came to Florida, where mommy and me used to live, you weren't mad at her or anything." she said looking at him.
"That's because I always loved mommy and when I found out about you, I was the happiest man in the world. I had mommy back and I had the most amazing little girl there ever was. I could never have been mad at her. Not in a million years." he said opening his arms for her as she walked to him.
"Daddy, I'm sorry about Roger. I know he's looking down on us like Angel and Mimi are. Like Uncle Collins said." she smiled looking over at him before hugging him.
"Yeah he is my sweet girl." he said leaning over to kiss her head.