Author's Notes: Okay, okay, okay. I know. I know. Bobby's surprise, Angel's arrival and Angel and Alannah's chat are suppose to be in this chapter. As I was writing, I realized that all of that would have made this chapter extra super long. LOL I figured I'd pick all that up in the next chapter. LO:CI and its characters belong to Dick Wolf and company; I'm just letting them run wild in my imagination. As always, I want to thank everyone for reading and/or reviewing. I truly appreciate it. Any and all mistakes made are my own. Read, review and enjoy. :o)
Sunday, August 20
Residence of Johnny and Janet Eames, 3:17 p.m.
When Alex walked into the house, she found Janet and Loretta in the kitchen, cutting up tomatoes and onions, respectively. "Hey,
Lexi," Janet said. "Any sign of Bobby yet?" Alex shook her head. "No. Not yet," she replied. "He'll probably show up right at
3:30." "How old is he again?" Loretta asked. "45," Alex and Janet answered at the same time. "And he's not married?" "He's
single," Janet replied. "No kids?" "Nope." "Hmmm. That's interesting," Loretta said thoughtfully. Janet chuckled a little bit. "What
are you thinking about, Loretta? You gonna try to set Angel up with Bobby?" "Why not?" Loretta asked. "She's young, widowed
and has no kids. I think she'd make a good match for him." Janet laughed. "I don't think that'll be a good idea. Bobby's about to
have more women on his hands than he knows what to do with." Loretta gave Janet a funny look. "What do you mean?" Janet
then explained to her who Bobby had invited to the party. When she was done explaining, Loretta just said, "Oh. Well, that idea
was just shot to hell."
Alex remained quiet as she listened to Loretta and Janet talking. "Neither one of you have a clue," she thought to herself. Alex
wondered if she should tell them that Angel was the other woman, but she decided it against. "No need to make the situation
any more complicated than it already is." "Mom, did Alannah introduce herself to you?" Janet nodded. "Yes, she did. She
seems…okay," she replied. Alex smiled to herself. She knew what that meant. "That means you've got a whole lot of
questions to ask." Instead she said, "I'm going out to check on our guests," choosing not to press her mother for any more of her
thoughts about Alannah. "Okay, sweetheart," Janet said to Alex's retreating back. When she stepped out onto the porch, Alex
looked around to survey the scene that was laid out before her. Off to the left end of the porch, her father, Deakins, Mike, Antonio
and Ron Carver were sitting together, having a good laugh at Logan's expense. She overheard Deakins admonishing him for
having a new partner. "Geez, Mike! I haven't been retired a good 3 months yet and you already have a new partner. You've got
to work on that sparkling personality of yours." On the other end of the porch, Angie Deakins and Marisol were watching Eddie
Lee and Benjamin play checkers.
Sitting at one end of the picnic tables, Shane, Janelle, Drew and Jayson were playing dominoes and talking trash while Tonya and
Tamera looked on. Tamera waved her hand at Candace, inviting her over to join them. At another picnic table, Dr. Rogers was
sitting with Shannon, Lewis and Megan. John and Bryce were standing at the grills, deciding who was going to cook what.
Alannah and Chazen were sitting by themselves in a set of folding chairs. They were whispering to each other, giving each other
tiny pecks on the cheek and looking around at everyone. Alex narrowed her eyes at them from behind her shades. She was
seriously considering going over there and telling Alannah that she should leave because she was not welcome at this party. She
sighed heavily as she decided she had better not. As much as she hated to admit it, this was Bobby's party and he could invite
whoever he wanted. "I guess I should be grateful Alannah hasn't pissed anybody off yet."
Alex looked out to the far end of the huge yard. Jayson's 2 teenagers and Megan's nephew were sitting together under the cool
shade of a tree, laughing. If she remembered correctly, Alex thought Ian went to the same school as Jayden and Tatiana. She made
a mental note to herself to ask Megan when she got a chance. The rest of the kids were either playing on the playground
equipment or running around playing tag. Sean and J. J. each had a large remote controlled truck, driving them around to chase the
other kids. Even 2 year old Christopher was trying his best to keep up with all the older kids. 9 year old Barbara and Courtney
were playing with him, helping him get up and down the slide. Alex saw Jill, digital camera in hand, laughing while trying to take
pictures of the kids. Rob was there with Jill, too. He had a small camcorder in his hand, walking around and telling them to look in
the camera. Alex smiled as she watched the kids having fun.
Rob spotted Alex standing on the porch. He pointed the camera in her direction as he walked towards her. "Here she is ladies and
gentlemen," he said as he got closer to Alex. "The gracious hostess of Bobby's birthday party, Alex Eames." Alex laughed.
"Would you like to say anything to the birthday boy?" Alex took off her shades, looked straight into the camera and said, "Happy
birthday, Bobby. I hope you enjoy your special day, the party and all of the gifts you'll get. I also want to say I am honored and
have enjoyed being your friend and partner for all of these years. Love ya." Rob smiled as he lowered the camera. "That was great
thing you just said," he said. Alex shrugged her shoulders as she put her shades back on. "I meant every word," she said with a
smile. Rob chuckled, saying, "Well, I'm sure Mr. Goren needs to be reminded every now and then that his friends care for and
love him." "Yeah. You do have to beat that fact into his head. Otherwise he'll forget." They both laughed a little.
Alex pointed with her head towards Courtney. "Seems like Courtney is having a lot of fun." Rob smiled, nodding his head. "She's
having a blast," he answered. "She just found out from your niece Barbara that they share the same birthday. I think they may have
just bonded for life." Alex chuckled. "Well, birthdays sometimes do that." "Courtney hasn't said anything yet, but I think she may
ask me if she can hang out with you all more often." "Hey, it's no big deal. She'd be more than welcome. My family loves
welcoming more people into the fold." Rob chuckled. "Yeah, I can tell. I'll talk to Lizzie when I drop Courtney off and see what
she thinks." While Alex and Rob were talking, Courtney and Barbara walked up to them. "What are you two up to?" Alex asked.
"I'm gonna show Courtney where the bathroom is," Barbara replied as they walked passed them. Rob tugged playfully at
Courtney's ponytail. "Daddy! Stop!" she squealed with laughter. Rob moved as if he was going to tickle her, but Courtney rushed
quickly into the house before he could get to her.
When the girls had gone into the house, Alex turned her attention to Alannah. "So, uh, have you met the infamous Ms. Fitzgerald?"
she asked. Rob nodded his head as he turned to look at Alannah. Alannah noticed he was looking at her, so she winked her eye
and blew a kiss at him. "Oh, brother," Alex said. Rob blushed slightly as he massaged his neck. "She's very, um, forthright, for
lack of a better word," he said. Alex raised her eyebrows. "Really? How so?" "Let's just say her hands have become intimately
familiar with certain parts of my body within 30 seconds of meeting her." Alex looked at Rob, her eyebrows raised again. He
looked at her and nodded. "Wow," was all Alex could manage to say.
"I don't have a problem with a woman who knows what she wants sexually. What I have a problem with is a woman who
assumes I will just jump into bed with her because she thinks I'm only looking for sex." Alex smirked. "So, Alannah has pissed
somebody off already," she thought. "I can't say that I'm not too surprised," she said. "Alannah is very aggressive." Rob snorted.
"Aggressive is an understatement." Just then Rob's cell phone rang. He took it out of his pants pocket and looked at the caller i.d.
"Excuse me for a sec. This is Lizzie," he said as he walked into the house. "No problem," Alex said. She stood there, shaking her
head at what Rob just told her. She seriously reconsidered her thought about telling Alannah to leave. "No, don't do that. Today
is Bobby's birthday. This is a happy occasion. Don't let Miss Sexually Insatiable ruin anything." Alex shook herself from her
thoughts. She decided instead to mingle with the guests, so she put on a smile and headed towards where her dad was holding
court.
Sunday, August 20
Residence of Johnny and Janet Eames, 3:28 p.m.
"Daddy, what are you doing?" Courtney asked. She and Barbara had come outside to the front yard, looking for Rob. They
stopped and stood on the porch while he made his way back up the steps. "I was just shooting some video of the front of the
house," he replied as he sat down on the swing. "What's new, Pussy Cat?" Courtney and Barbara giggled as they sat down next
to him. "Grandpa Johnny says that to me sometimes," Barbara replied. "He says it's from a song that came out a long, long, long
time ago." Rob chuckled as he shook his head, realizing his daughter and her new friend were doing a very good job of making
him feel like a dinosaur. "I was only 4 when the song came out. It's not THAT old," he thought. "Daddy, Barbara said her
family is going to have a big get together for Labor Day. Can I come? Please?" Rob smiled as he lightly tugged at Courtney's
ponytail. "Let me talk it over with your mom," he answered. "If she says it's okay, then I'll talk to Bobby and Alex about getting
you here. Deal?" "Thanks, Daddy," Courtney said, a big smile covering her whole face. She wrapped her arms around her dad's
midsection and gave him a big squeeze. Barbara just clapped her hands.
Rob kissed the top of Courtney's head and gave her squeeze back before standing up, pointing the camera at them. "Here we
have 2 very lovely young ladies," he said. "My daughter Courtney and her new found friend Barbara. Wave for the camera, girls."
Courtney and Barbara put their arms around each other, giggling as they waved at the camera. "Is there anything you'd like to say
to your Uncle Bobby?" "Happy birthday, Uncle Bobby. I love you," Courtney said. "Same here, Uncle Bobby," Barbara said. "I
love you a whole bunch." Courtney was the first one to spot the black Saturn Vue coming into the cul-de-sac. "There's a car
coming, Daddy." Rob lowered the camcorder and turned around to see the car. He walked to the top of the steps and stopped,
Courtney and Barbara right behind him. He put one hand on top of the rail to block them from running down the stairs. They
peeked out from behind him. Rob watched warily as the unknown driver parked the car. As soon as the driver's door opened and
Bobby's head emerged, a smile spread across Rob's lips as he held up the camcorder. "It's Uncle Bobby!" Barbara exclaimed.
She and Courtney tried pushing their way passed Rob, but he still had his arm up, keeping them from going anywhere. "Give your
Uncle Bobby a chance to get his gym bag and get closer to the house before you knock him over with hugs and kisses," he said
playfully.
Bobby raised his hand and waved at the 3 people waiting for him. His 2 very excited "nieces" waved frantically back at him. Rob
just nodded his head at him. Bobby chuckled to himself as he pushed his shades down over his eyes and went to the back of the
car to get his gym bag, "They're gonna knock Rob down with excitement if he doesn't move out of their way soon," he
thought to himself. He pulled the bag out, closed the back door and headed towards the house. As soon as Bobby had walked
passed the parked cars that were directly in front of the house, Rob moved out of the girls' way. They ran down the steps and
made a beeline straight for Bobby. He dropped his gym bag on the ground and leaned down so that the girls could wrap their arms
around his neck. Bobby laughed as they each kissed his cheeks. He straightened up, lifting them off the ground in his arms. "Happy
birthday, Uncle Bobby!" Courtney said. "I've missed you!" "Thanks, sweetheart," he said. He rubbed his nose against hers. "I…
I've missed you, too." "Happy birthday, Uncle Bobby," Barbara said. He turned to her and kissed her cheek. "Thanks, Babs
Bunny." She giggled.
Rob came down the steps, pointing the camcorder at the happy group. "Well, ladies and gents, the man of the hour has arrived.
Mr. Birthday Boy himself, Bobby Goren!" Bobby laughed as he set Courtney and Barbara back on the ground. "You got anything
to say for the camera, Bobby-Boy?" Bobby shook his head as he continued smiling. Courtney and Barbara both clung to him,
hugging him around his waist. "Say something, Uncle Bobby," Barbara said. "Yeah, Uncle Bobby" Courtney echoed. "You gotta
say something for your birthday." He looked down at them and smiled, giving them a squeeze. "Okay, okay," he said. He looked
into the camera and said, "I'm very glad to be here and am very happy to have been mobbed by 2 of my many favorite people."
Alex walked out onto the porch, wondering where in the world Barbara and Courtney could have disappeared to. She smiled as
she watched Bobby smile and laugh with the girls.
"It's about time you got here," Alex said playfully from the porch. Bobby looked up and waved at Alex; she waved back at him.
Barbara and Courtney gave Bobby one more squeeze before letting him go. "Come on, Courtney. Let's go tell everybody that
Uncle Bobby's here," Barbara said. Courtney nodded her head as she followed Barbara into the house. Alex barely had enough
time to move out of the way as the girls barreled passed her into the house. "Slow down before you hurt yourselves!" Alex said.
She sighed heavily and shook her head as the screen door slammed firmly in her face. Bobby picked up his gym bag, slung it over
his shoulder and walked with Rob towards the house. When he got up the steps, Bobby looked down at Alex, a huge smile on his
face. Alex looked up at him, returning the smile. She grabbed his hand and squeezed. "Happy birthday, partner," she said. Bobby
squeezed back. "Thanks, partner." Alex let go of his hand and opened the screen door. "Come on. I'll show you where you can
change clothes."
Rob held the screen door open, letting Alex and Bobby walk through first before walking in himself. "You certainly dressed up to
visit your mom today," Alex said as she led them down the hall. "I…I went to church this morning before going to see my mom,"
Bobby replied. He and Rob practically knocked Alex over because she suddenly stopped to look back at Bobby. "You? The
lapsed altar boy? Went to church?" she asked. Rob snickered while Bobby huffed. "You and my mother both are making a big
deal out of it. It's not THAT big of a deal." Alex scoffed. "I beg to differ," she replied as she started walking again. "Alex's right,
Bobby-Boy. You probably haven't set foot inside of a church for a couple of decades." Bobby turned around, hit Rob in the
shoulder and said, "Don't you start." "Ow!" Rob exclaimed as he rubbed his shoulder. "Dammit, that hurt!" "Serves you right,"
Bobby said as he started walking.
Alex opened the door to a spare bedroom and stepped aside. "You can change in here." She and Rob hung back in the hall while
Bobby stepped inside. "Is Angel here?" he asked as he placed the gym bag on the bed. Alex and Rob just exchanged glances with
each other, not saying anything. Bobby frowned as he turned to look at them. "Is Angelica here yet?" he asked again, looking from
Alex to Rob and then back again. They just glanced at each other, then looked at the floor, avoiding Bobby's gaze. "I'm waiting,"
Bobby said. Alex sighed heavily. "Angel's not here yet, Bobby," she replied quietly. She looked up at him and saw the look of
disappointment cross over his face as his broad shoulders slumped a little bit. "Oh." Bobby tried to quickly regain his composure
by taking a deep breath and pasting a smile on his face. "Maybe…maybe she's in the…the cab, lost somewhere," he stammered
as he massaged his neck. "Of course, she is," Alex said. "She's probably on her way now." She hoped she sounded reassuring to
Bobby because she sure didn't feel it. Rob nodded in agreement. "Yeah, she'll be here soon," he said. He didn't feel too sure,
either. Bobby looked at both of them and gave them a small smile, knowing they were just trying to be positive for him.
"Um, uh, I…I'm gonna get changed," Bobby said as he wrung his hands. "I'll catch up with you in a minute." "Okay," Alex said as
Rob nodded. They both turned around to head back down the hallway. It took Bobby 2 steps to cross the room and close the
door. He took a deep breath and held it for a minute before letting it out. He started shaking his head as he turned back towards
the bed to open the gym bag. "You promised you'd come!" he thought angrily to himself as he kicked off his shoes and changed
out of his suit and into a white polo shirt and khaki cargo shorts. He sat down on the bed and took another deep cleansing breath.
"You can't be mad at Angel, you idiot! If she's not ready to meet your extended family, then she's just not ready. You
can't force her to be here." Bobby took off his socks to slip on his sandals, then reached into the gym bag and pulled out the
gifts he had bought earlier this week from Rossi's. He placed Janet's and Alex's gifts in one of his cargo pockets. He held Angel's
gift in his hand, staring at it, contemplating whether or not he should even bother giving it to her. A small smile flitted across
Bobby's lips as he placed the ring in a separate pocket. "Of course, she deserves it. Angel will be here. I know she'll be here.
I hope."
A knock at the door interrupted Bobby's thoughts. "Bobby, you decent?" Alex asked. "Can I come in?" "Yeah, Alex. Come on
in," he replied. Alex opened the door and stepped inside, closing the door behind her. She walked over to where Bobby was
sitting and sat down next to him. "You okay?" she asked. Bobby nodded. "I'm okay. No big deal." Alex rolled her eyes. "Of
course it's a big deal. Do you honestly think Rob and I didn't see that look of disappointment in your face?" "It wasn't
disappointment. I was just…just surprised. That's all." Alex scoffed. "Robert Goren, I've known you for over 5 years now. I've
been a cop longer than that. I'm pretty sure I know the difference between surprise and disappointment." Bobby looked at Alex,
then looked at the floor. "Can't fool you for a second, huh?" Alex shook her head. "Not when it comes to my partner," she
answered. She gave him a small nudge in the side. "It's okay to admit that you have feelings for Angel."
Bobby didn't say anything. He just continued staring at the floor, wondering how to put into words what he was truly feeling. Alex
chuckled a little as she looked at him. "Oh my God. Robert Goren at a loss for words. Where is Rob and his camcorder when you
need it." Bobby looked at Alex and laughed. He knew he could always count on Alex to know what was going on in his head
sometimes. "I like Angel," he said softly, turning his attention back to the floor. "I like her a lot." "I know you do," Alex said. "I
can tell." Bobby looked at Alex skeptically. "Oh, really? What's telling you that? Your cop instincts or woman's intuition?" Alex
shrugged. "Both," she said with a smile. They both laughed. Bobby looked back at the floor. Alex leaned on him a little. "Bobby,
Angel will be here. She doesn't strike me as the kind of person who would tell you that she'd do something and then not do it."
Bobby nodded. "You're right."
Alex let out a sigh of relief. She stood up and grabbed Bobby's hand, pulling him off the bed. "Come on," she said as she headed
towards the door and opened it. "Your arrival has been heralded by Barbara and Courtney. Your guests are anxiously awaiting
your presence." Bobby touched the top of his head to make sure his sunglasses were still there as he let Alex pull him down the
hall towards the backyard. He stopped, squeezing Alex's hand which made her stop to look at him. "Thanks, Alex," he said. She
smiled. "You're welcome," she said as she started pulling him down the hall again. When Bobby and Alex reached the kitchen,
they found Janet and Loretta sitting down, sipping some lemonade. Janet clapped her hands and stood up as Bobby and Alex got
close to her. Alex let go of Bobby's hand and moved out of the way, so that Janet and Bobby could hug. "Happy birthday,
Bobby!" Janet exclaimed as she pulled back to look up at him. He smiled at her as she patted his cheek. "Thank you, Janet." She
patted his cheek one more time before pointing to Loretta. "Bobby, this is Loretta Hamilton," Janet said. "Loretta, this is Bobby
Goren."
Bobby managed to hide his surprise as he and Loretta shook hands. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Hamilton." "Thank you, Bobby," she
said. "Happy birthday. Please, call me Loretta." "Thank you, Loretta." "Mom," Alex said, "Has John and Bryce started grilling
yet?" Janet shook her head. "Loretta and I are going to bring the meat out as soon as Bobby steps outside." "Okay." Alex looked
up at Bobby. "You ready to greet your guests?" she asked. Bobby sighed. "As ready as I'll ever be. After you," he said,
motioning for Alex to walk ahead of him as he put his shades on. Alex pulled on Bobby's sleeve to make him bend down to her
level. Alex whispered in his ear, "Janelle and Drew didn't know they were coming here today." "Oh." Bobby straightened up as
Alex walked towards the screen door. She opened it and walked through, holding it open for him. "Look who I found!" Alex said
loudly. She stepped to the side as Bobby walked up to stand next to her. Shouts of "Happy birthday, Bobby" could be heard from
everyone. Bobby laughed as he looked around to see who was here. "Thank you! Thank you! The party can begin now!"
Everyone laughed. Bobby started to head over to where Deakins and company were standing, but decided against it as he saw all
of the Eames grandchildren head towards him, Justina and Sean leading the pack. He went down the steps and laughed as he was
swarmed by the kids, giving him hugs and talking over each other to wish him happy birthday.
"Okay, you guys," Jill said loudly as she walked up with Christopher in her arms, "give Bobby a chance to breathe. Am-scray.
Am-scray." The kids groaned as Jill shooed them away like flies. Bobby just watched and laughed as the kids went back to what
they were doing albeit reluctantly. "Happy birthday, Bobby," Jill said, reaching out to hug him. Bobby hugged her back. "Thanks,
Jill," he said as he ruffled Christopher's hair. The little boy giggled, then held out his arms to Bobby. "Unca Bobby!" he said as
Bobby took him in his arms and hugged him. Jill and Rob were both ready with their cameras. "Smile for the camera, guys," Jill
said. "Christopher, look," Bobby said, pointing his finger and angling his body so that he and Christopher were facing the cameras.
Jill snapped the picture quickly and clapped. "Yay, Christopher!" she said as she approached them. Bobby handed Christopher
back to her, ruffling his hair one more time before heading back up the steps to walk over to where Johnny's group was sitting.
Alex had gone back inside to see if Janet and Loretta needed help with anything.
Johnny, Mike, Carver, and Antonio each took turns wishing Bobby happy birthday. When he got to Deakins, Bobby just looked
at him and smiled. "I…I'm glad you could make it, sir," he stammered. Deakins scoffed. "I'm not 'sir' any more. You can call me
Jimmy." Bobby shook his head as he reached out to shake Deakins' hand. "Maybe someday I'll take you up on that offer."
Deakins shook his head as he pulled Bobby into a brief hug. "You hang in there," he quickly whispered in Bobby's ear before
letting him go. Bobby nodded his head, giving him a lopsided smile. He stepped back to look at all of them. "I need to be a social
butterfly for a second and mingle with everyone. I'll be right back," he said. Antonio grunted. "Biggest butterfly I've ever seen."
"Ha. Ha. Ha," Bobby said dryly as he made a face at him and walked off to speak to his other guests. After he finished talking to
the others, Bobby inhaled and exhaled deeply as he turned to look at Alannah. She pulled her shades down to the tip of her nose,
looking him up and down. Bobby smiled when Alannah winked at him before pushing her shades back upon her nose. He started
to walk towards her, feeling as if everyone was watching him. "Oh, shit!" he quietly exclaimed to himself as Alannah stood up, her
green t-shirt and white shorts accentuating her curves in all the right places. "Can't blame her for looking really good," he
thought to himself .
"Hello, Robert," Alannah said when Bobby reached where she and Chazen were sitting. "Hi, Alannah." Bobby stopped about a
foot away from her, his hands behind his back. She chuckled lightly. "Why are you all the way over there?" Bobby shrugged. "Just
am." Chazen stood up, extending his hand out to Bobby. "Hi, I'm Chazen Caldwell." Bobby shook his hand and said, "Robert
Goren. Thank you for coming." "Thanks for inviting me." Chazen placed his arm protectively around Alannah's waist, pulling her
close to him and squeezing. "Alannah insisted that we come. So, I'd do anything to make Her Highness happy." Bobby raised an
eyebrow. He was slightly amused by Chazen's jealous attitude. Alannah just rolled her eyes. She turned to him and said, "Chazen,
would you be a sweetheart and go get me something to drink?" "Of course," he replied. He kissed her lightly on the lips, nodded
his head at Bobby and walked off.
Bobby let out a chuckle once Chazen was out of earshot. "I see Chazen has staked his claim on you," he said to Alannah. Alannah
scoffed. "He hasn't quite learned yet that I'm the only one who makes the decisions in this relationship." She decided to close the
gap between her and Bobby by stepping up to him and putting her hands on his shoulders. They stared at each other. Bobby
involuntarily moaned slightly as Alannah slowly moved her hips against his groin. She stopped and smirked as she got the desired
reaction out of Bobby. He silently cursed himself for letting her get to him like that. He took a couple of deep breaths to control
himself while still looking into Alannah's eyes. Alannah continued smirking, running her fingers through his hair. She clicked her
tongue as she stepped back to look him up and down again.
Bobby crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. "What's wrong?" he asked. Alannah shrugged slightly. "Nothing really," she
replied. "I just noticed that you've gotten a little more grayer and put on a few pounds, but you still look damn good." He sighed
heavily as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Her complete and unabashed honesty is another thing you gotta admire," he
thought sarcastically. "Oh, there you go again," Alannah said condescendingly, "getting all huffy because of some flaws I've
pointed out that can easily be fixed." Bobby chuckled. "I'm not getting huffy. I'm just…just finding the humor in what you've said."
"I haven't said anything funny," she snapped. A faint smile crossed Bobby's lips as he tilted his head to the side. "I do believe I just
cracked the calm coolness of Alannah Fitzgerald." Alannah took a deep breath and released it before she smiled and said, "You
haven't cracked anything, Robert. I just don't understand why you're dismissing my concern about some silly little flaws you
have." Bobby silently thanked the heavens that the sunglasses he was wearing were very dark so that Alannah couldn't see him
rolling his eyes.
"What you see as flaws," Bobby said, "I see as a normal part of me, of who I am. I look fine." "Of course, you look fine, Robert,"
Alannah said. "I'm just saying with a little help from me, you could look and be better than fine." Bobby shook his head. "Alannah,
I don't want to fight about this," he said quietly. He was wondering why in the hell they were having this stupid discussion anyway.
"Robert, I didn't come here to fight. I came here to help you celebrate your birthday. And to check out my competition." He
raised an eyebrow. "Competition? I didn't know there was contest going on," he said. Alannah looked at Bobby over the top of
her shades. She chuckled. "Oh, Robert, you're so silly. I've just got to meet the woman whose pussy is powerful enough to make
you turn down mine." Alannah stepped towards Bobby to close the space between them again, putting her hands on his chest.
"Maybe I can convince her to take her eyes off the prize," she said in a low sultry tone before stepping back.
Bobby opened his mouth to tell Alannah that he was not some prize to be won in a contest, but something lightly bumped into his
leg. He looked down and saw it was a toy truck. "Sorry, Uncle Bobby," J. J. said as he walked up to Alannah and Bobby. "It's
okay, J. J.," Bobby said, smiling at him. J. J. held the remote control out to Bobby. "You wanna come try out the new trucks me
and Sean got?" Bobby looked at Alannah. She smiled as she slightly shrugged. "Go ahead, Robert. We'll finish talking later."
Bobby nodded as he took the remote from J. J., driving the truck ahead of them as they walked towards where the kids were
playing. Bobby glanced back at Alannah. She blew him a kiss before turning her attention to Chazen, who had walked up with a
plastic cup in his hand. He shook his head as he thought, "Alannah, you can't have everything your way. Not today."