Yay! We finally have a return date! I just wish it wasn't so far from now :(
Again, thank you for all the kind reviews and encouragement you continue to give. It really inspires me to keep writing. You all are amazing!
Here is the next chapter. Some of you requested moments between Andy, Ricky, and Emily, and between Sharon and Jack. I hope this fulfills your wishes. As always, I love to hear your thoughts, so please R&R!
Chapter 3
Andy and Sharon had bid the kids goodnight after the movie was over. Ricky and Emily tried to convince them to watch a second movie, but they politely declined. Sharon wanted to get some sleep before their early day tomorrow. Since they had already changed into their nightclothes before the movie, there wasn't much to do before bed. She had used their en suite bathroom to wash her face while Andy turned down the bed and removed the 'ridiculous amount of throw pillows' that adorned the headboard. That had been a fun discussion between them. Well, more like Andy ranting, and her still getting her way in the end.
"Why do we need this many damn pillows? We don't even use them when we sleep. Why take them off, only to put them back on when the bed is made. I already hate making the bed as it is, I wouldn't do it if it weren't for you, and then you add all these pillows. They have no purpose but to sit there and 'look pretty.' They sit on the bed during the day and they sit on that damn chair at night." She was going to relent on the pillows because she was not attached to them. They came with the comforter set they had selected together for their new room. She could easily find a new place for them, but then he started in on her chair. "Why do we need a chair in the room? We have the bed. It's not like we are in here much any way. We don't use that chair...except to hold the pillows when we are in bed."
After it appeared he was finished, she had smiled sweetly at him and simply said, "I like the pillows and I love the chair."
He deflated. He couldn't deny her when she smiled at him like that. "Fine," he grumbled. "We will keep the damn pillows and the chair."
It never took much to convince him. If she liked something and wanted it, then she would have it. She offered him the same courtesy. That's why they had a kept all of his baseball memorabilia and set it up in one of the guest rooms. Since he had acquiesced so easily, she decided to show him just how useful the chair could be. Afterwards he informed her it was his favorite piece of furniture in their room.
Sharon smiled at the memory as she exited the bathroom and watched Andy remove the last of the pillows. He still grumbled occasionally about them, but it lacked any true irritation. Once the pillows were removed and the comforter turned down, he walked to their closet to pick out his clothes for the next day, just like he did every night before bed. It was a habit he formed early on in his career. He said you never knew what time the dirtbags of the world would decide to strike and when you got a call in the middle of the night, it was one less thing to worry about. He had a good point. She found herself doing the same some nights.
Sharon sat on the edge of the bed to go through her nightly ritual of applying lotion. She was the first to break the silence. "I heard that Jack is concerned about your wellbeing in our relationship."
Andy exited the closet quickly with one of his shirts and ties in his had, surprise evident on his face. "What? How do you know that? I do not for one second believe he enlightened you with the true extent of our conversation."
Sharon smiled, "Rusty. He and Gus arrived a few minutes before we did. He caught the end of your conversation. He didn't want to interrupt and make the situation worse." Sharon had pulled Rusty aside before everyone arrived to find out just what he heard. Turns out he heard enough. She detected a little pride in his voice on Andy's behalf about how he handled the situation. After Andy's latest heart episode, Rusty had really come around. He seemed to realize just how important Andy was to her, and possibly how important to him personally.
Andy grunted. "Yea, like I said, he really tried his best." He hung his clothing selection on the door before walking over and kneeling in front of her to help with lotioning her legs. He could honestly say this was his favorite part of her nightly routine and he loved 'helping'. "It's fine Sharon. Jack likes to think he knows everything, but he clearly doesn't. He also likes to project his misery onto others so he feels less culpable for his mistakes. That's something I have experience in doing." He would not go so far to say that he was like Jack, but he was well aware of the shared similarities of their pasts, but that's where the likeness ended-with his past. Unlike Jack, he was focusing on the now and continually working at being his best.
"Trust me. I know how he can be and the things he likes to say when he's trying to get a reaction. He hasn't changed much." She ran her fingers through the hair at his temples before placing a kiss there. "I'm so proud of the hard work you have done and continue to do."
He wasn't fishing for a compliment, so he continued on with the conversation. "So, how did he try to charm his way out of it this time?"
"There is nothing charming about him," Sharon muttered.
"Dad, we really don't have time before everyone starts arriving. We will have to meet you afterward...Like we had originally planned." Emily tried hiding the annoyance and disappointment from her voice. It's not that Jack dropping by was a huge inconvenience; she and Ricky weren't needed for the party, but they had a plan for a reason. They didn't want their mom and Andy to have to deal with Jack. That's why they wanted to meet him at his apartment. She and Ricky would be more inclined to appease their father if he hadn't completely disregarded their plans for the day. They had made several attempts to spend a whole day with him while in town, but they were only here for a short time and Jack rejected most of their suggestions. Mostly claiming he had plans with his girlfriend, Celia. It was nice to see where they ranked in his life. Though with the way things have turned out, she suspected Jack just wanted to see her mother's new house.
"Well, I have my office party tonight and I don't know how late it will go. And I have your gifts in my car. I could just give them to you now and get it over with." He started walking toward the door.
Ricky saw Emily flinch and heard his mother's sharp intake of breath. His dad probably should've considered his words more carefully. Though Ricky had to admit, he didn't appreciate feeling like a chore for his father. "Dad, this may be convenient for you, but it's really not for us. Just let us know when you get done at the party, no matter how late it is."
He threw his hands up in the air. "That's ridiculous! I'm here now."
"We understand that, but we were not prepared for you to be here now. You said you would be available this evening and this evening only. Emily and I still have to wrap your gift." Ricky had hoped that mentioning his gift would distract his father from attempting to stay. Leave it to Jack to find the negative.
"Oh, I see. You left it for last minute. I guess I should be grateful that you even thought of me." Jack tried to play it off as a joke, but he could not hide the sarcasm in his tone.
"Dad." Emily sighed. There was no use in defending themselves. Just because it was a last minute purchase, does not mean she and Ricky hadn't been going bath and forth via text for a month deciding what to get him together. Telling Jack that wouldn't make a difference. "Please just let us know when you're party is over. It doesn't matter how late it is. We will be up."
Sharon had been standing back and letting the kids handle the situation. No matter how hard it is, she knew she needed to let them be adults. Besides, didn't she say she was neutral when it came to their relationship with their father? Remaining neutral became an issue when Jack showed up at Andy's and her house. Unexpected. She glanced at her watch. The guests would be arriving shortly and she would really prefer it if Jack was not around. She decided to interrupt the conversation that was clearly going nowhere. She didn't give Jack a chance to refute Emily's request. "Jack, I think the kids have made their decision. They will speak with you after your office party." She turned to face her children. " Emily and Ricky, will you please put away all the shopping bags while I walk your father out," she looked at them pointedly. They gave each other a knowing look, but did as she asked.
Once they had gathered all the bags and stepped further into the house she turned and addressed "Jack, this is Andy's and my house. You are not welcome to stop by when ever it pleases you. The divorce assured that." Jack was about to interrupt, but Sharon didn't give him the opportunity, "Even if Ricky and Emily are in town and staying here. If you want to see them, you make plans with them and stick to them. You don't change them on a whim because it suits you, inconveniencing everyone else in the process."
"Now, Sharon..." Jack tried to get one last rebuttal in, but again Sharon wouldn't give him a chance. She really did not care what he had to say. It would only be more excuses.
"There's nothing more to say. I think you should go now," she said sternly.
"Oh, you made it quite clear where you think I should go, Sharon," Jack seethed, referencing their last encounter outside the courthouse elevator.
"Yes, I did. Goodbye, Jack," She opened the door and waved her arm ushering him out. Jack glared at her as he walked out the door. She shut the door behind him and let out a deep sigh. Conversations with Jack always proved to be exhausting no matter how brief.
"I hope he heeds your warning, and stays the hell away from here," Andy grumbled. "It's bad enough we see him at work on occasion. I don't know how the hell he knew where we live in the first place."
"About that..."
"Ricky. Emily. I'm not sure how Jack has come to know my new address, but I was really enjoying the idea that he could not drop by...unexpected." She put emphasis on the last few words.
Ricky immediately began apologizing, "Mom, I'm sorry. It's my fault. Dad was in San Francisco last month when one of his clients found some trouble. After he finished with business, he stopped by. He wanted to take me out to dinner. I left him in the kitchen while I went to grab my jacket and shoes. I had some mail on the counter, and it included the birthday card you sent me...with your new address on it. I may have caught him looking at it when I stepped back in."
Sharon deflated. She was about to give them a lecture again on respecting Andy's and her privacy and not divulging information to their father. She could not blame Ricky for Jack's indiscretion. And she couldn't advise Ricky to not see his father. She had always encouraged them to keep an open line of communication with Jack in hopes they could mend things. Seems there is still a lot of work for Jack to do. "Honey, it's not your fault that your father can't make a simple visit with you just that, or respect your privacy. Though a warning would've been nice." She emphasized her words with a look. "I just wanted to make sure your father wasn't wheedling any more information from either of you about me, or Andy's and my relationship. He is not known for his discretion."
"Don't worry, Mom, I learned my lesson the last time... and I made sure to pass the message along to Ricky loud and clear," Emily smiled sweetly.
"Well, you can't hold Ricky responsible for Jack taking advantage of being invited into his home," he said absentmindedly. He was trying to focus on their conversation, but the task before proved to be quite the distraction. He was now working on lotioning the second leg. He really loved her legs, and he told her often. "Did he even have an office party or did he just want to have an excuse to drop by and find out where we now live?"
"I have a feeling it's both. He knew his office party was tonight, but he wasn't truthful with the kids about it. He probably had plans to stop by all along knowing we were having our own get together with team. I think he miscalculated. He expected everyone to be here and that we wouldn't turn him away since the kids are here, giving him a chance to see the new place. When he arrived and found only you home, he changed his tactic and went on the attack. He was hoping to get a reaction out of you .I really am sorry you had to deal with him."
He had finished with the lotion and he straightened so he was now almost eye-level with her as he knelt in front of her. He had a hand on each thigh, just above the knee, and he lightly stroked her soft skin with his thumbs. "Please stop apologizing. No matter how much we wish otherwise, he gonna be apart of your life in some way because of the kids. It's a hardship I'm more than willing to bear for you. I'm not gonna lie, I will most likely want to plant my fist in his face if each encounter is like today's, but that's what he wants and he's not worth it. It would upset my lady, and I gotta keep her happy." He wiggled his eyebrows at her.
She let out a soft laugh. She gripped the sides of his face as she leaned down to place a deep kiss on his lips. When she leaned back she studied his face. Despite his best efforts she could see something was still bothering him. He had a sadness in his eyes. She believed him when he said he was no longer bothered by Jack's visit, so that left only one option. "I'm sorry your kids couldn't make it tonight."
Andy let out a deep sigh. He was hoping they would avoid this conversation. He wanted her to enjoy her kids, and not worry about his relationship with his, which was still a work in progress. He looked down to where his hands still rested on her thighs and continued to stroke her skin, while he gathered his thoughts. "I knew Daniel wouldn't come so I wasn't expecting him. I understand why Nicole and Dean couldn't make it. Jake is far more important."
She tipped his chin up with her fingers so he would look at her. "Yes, we both always agree kids come first. I know you were looking forward to spending time with Nicole without Vicki being around, and you will get that chance again. We still get to see them tomorrow, so what else is upsetting you?"
He tried looking away, but she wouldn't let him. He could never get anything past her; he didn't know why he still tried. "I just wish Nicole would be more willing to rely on me and let me help her out. We live closer than Vicki and Greg, but she still had Daniel drop Ethan off with them, and she also asked Vicki to help her get ready tomorrow. She didn't even think to call me during the whole thing. She forgot." There were unshed tears in his eyes that he refuse to let fall. "I know I have only myself to blame, but it's still hard."
"Oh, honey." She hurt for him. He felt he still had something to prove and many mistakes to overcome. Sharon thought he had already done that, the kids just needed more time. He just had to keep doing what he was doing. The waiting was always the hard part. She knew how much he tried and how much he wanted to be active in their lives. It was a huge part of the reason that he wanted this house. It was close to Nicole and her family. Nicole seemed excited about him living closer as well. "I don't think it's that she doesn't want to rely on you, but calling Vicki is just a habit for her. You've made so much progress with your kids; it's just going to take more time. We will continue to show them that we are here for anything they need, and at some point her habit will change. You will be who she thinks to call."
He loved that she always said 'we' when it came to his kids. He had begun doing the same with Rusty. He had not spent much time with Ricky and Emily to know if they wanted there to be a 'we.' "I know and I'm not going to give up. I just wish it would change faster. I will be fine, I promise. I will get to see them tomorrow and I will feel better." He put on his most convincing smile.
His smile didn't quite reach his eyes, but she knew he didn't want to talk about it anymore, so she gave him a reprieve and tried to instill some levity in the moment. "Come on, let's get you up. I'm not sure how much longer your knees can handle being down there." She gave him a quick kiss on the lips, then another on his forehead.
He narrowed his eyes at her as he began standing. If his knees happen to pop, he wasn't going to acknowledge it. "I'm not that old." He started glancing around the room in search of something, "I think I left my phone on the island in the kitchen. I don't want to it to disturb any of the kids if it goes off, plus I need to place it on the charger before we go to sleep. Be right back," Andy leaned down and placed a kiss on Sharon's forehead.
As he was walking down the hall, he expected to find the kids in the living room watching another movie. The movie was in fact playing, but there were no viewers. He then heard voices coming from the kitchen. "Seems like old habits die hard for dad. Some things never change with him. At least he wasn't drunk this time." When he stepped around the corner, he found Ricky and Emily sitting at the table with the container of leftover bonbons between them. He momentarily wondered where Rusty and Gus went, but seeing as how the kid seemed anxious about Gus staying with everyone here, he figured they escaped to hide out when they got the chance.
"Didn't get enough during the party, huh? I'm surprised Provenza left any," Andy joked. When they just stared at him he became nervous and decided he needed to make his own escape. "Uh, I'm sorry to interrupt. I just need to grab my phone then I will be out of your way. I didn't want it to disturb your movie if it went off," Andy explained as he walked around the island and picked up his phone. He almost made it out of the kitchen before he was stopped.
"That's okay, we don't mind. You knooooow," Emily began, "since we've been here, we haven't had much time to catch up with you. You've either been working or mom has us swept up in her holiday spirit," she joked.
Andy chuckled, "Yea, I know how she can be."
"So we heard you had a friendly chat with our dad today," Ricky spoke up. He was never one to beat around the bush. He was definitely Sharon's kid.
"Yea, he thought we could chat like the good ol' days," Andy said cautiously. He wasn't sure where this was going. Sharon might understand, but her kids could be a different story. He wanted to be prepared for all possible ways this discussion could go.
Ricky continued, "We didn't realize you were such good friends with him back in the day."
Andy nodded, trying to decide what would be the best way to go about discussing this. "Well, we weren't necessarily friends. More like acquaintances... uh, drinking acquaintances to be more precise." He nervously ran his hand on the back of his head and neck.
"To be honest, that's what worries us; your shared history. Mom has already been through hell because of Dad's bad habits. We would hate for her to endure more heartache for similar reasons," Emily said point blank.
Andy let out a huff as he leaned against the entryway. "I understand your concerns and I promise I don't take them lightly. I can't make any big declarations or promises to you, just like I can't make them to your mother. What I do know is that I have twenty-plus years of sobriety behind me and I have worked very hard for that. It has not been easy. For most of it, I only had my job to keep me going because I had already lost my wife and kids. Now, not only do I have my job, but also my kids are in my life again and I have Sharon... and Rusty. Just don't tell him that because he still gets weirded out about my role in his life." Andy chuckled mirthlessly. "The point is, I have even more reason to work at remaining sober. I don't want to lose any of it."
"Another way of looking at it is you also have more reasons to relapse if something goes wrong," Ricky said in concern. In his experience, having more people rely on you also created more stress, and that tended to have a negative effect on Jack.
"Uh, yea." Andy nodded his head from side to side as he considered Ricky's words. "That's true, you could look at it that way, but I don't. I like to focus on the positive aspects. I can't think about the what-ifs of the future, I have to focus on the now. And right now, I don't want to drink. Tomorrow I will wake up and reassess. If I feel like I may want a drink, I take my butt to a meeting or call my sponsor, and I continue doing that until the immediate need passes."
Ricky and Emily sat quietly considering Andy's words. Andy wasn't sure how often they had this kind of conversation with Jack or with Sharon about Jack, but he could guess that they were given a lot of empty promises or uncertainties. He had been there with his own kids. He wasn't going to make that mistake again.
"Look, like I said I can't say that I won't ever have a drink again, but I can promise you I'm going to try my hardest not to. If I slip, I will work my ass off to fix it and try even harder to not hurt the ones I love in the process. The last thing I want to do is cause your mom or Rusty any more heartache. I think they both have had to endure more than any one person should. I don't want to be the one to add to it."
Emily spoke up for the both of them. "Thank you for your honesty and for not making promises that you won't be able to keep. She paused before adding, "Just remember we know where you live."
Andy chuckled. "I will keep that in mind."
The moment was quickly becoming awkward after such an intense discussion. No one knew what to say next. Ricky said the first thing that came to his mind, "Lieutenant Tao's show seems to be doing well. Didn't he win an award for it?"
Emily let out a loud laugh. Her mom had told her how much it irritated Andy that Tao was a consultant on the show. Anytime the show was mentioned, Andy would gripe about it. It both amused and annoyed her mother.
"Oh my god. It's not his show!" Before he could get worked up, he excused himself. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight Emily. Ricky. I will see you in the morning." Andy turned and began walking away but not before Ricky said, "Was it something I said?" Which only made Emily laugh harder. Andy decided not to encourage him any more, but that didn't stop him from mumbling "Badge, badge, badge. It's not even a good show."
When he got back to their room, he found Sharon sitting against the headboard with a book open in her lap. She looked up when she heard the door click shut. "What took you so long?"
"I got cornered," Andy smirked.
Sharon raised her eyebrows in question. "Cornered by who?" She removed her glasses to set them and the book on the nightstand beside her.
"You're two oldest." Andy grinned. "You know got the usual 'what are your intentions' and 'you hurt her I know a hundred different ways to torture you' discussion."
"Oh." She tried to suppress the smile that was threatening to form. "It seems you made it out unscathed. I guess I didn't train them as well I had originally thought. If they were home longer, we would work on that."
"Ha. Ha." Andy mocked. "If it makes you feel better, it was a half attempt at best. I don't think they gave it any real effort. They already like me so much. Not that I'm surprised. I am iiresistable." He put on his most charming grin.
Without missing a beat, "Well it's not hard to be an improvement over the last guy." Sharon rose to her knees and met Andy at the foot of the bed, wrapping her arms around her neck.
Andy's face fell and he loosely draped his arms around her waist. "That's their father you are referring to, you know."
"Yes, I know." Sharon sighed, "Can we just blame it on the ignorance of my youth." She never regretted marrying Jack because she had two wonderful kids as a result from it. She did however wish she didn't hold onto the marriage for so long. She can't help but wonder if she had done it sooner, maybe her children would be more inclined to maintain their own long-term relationships. Dwelling on it wouldn't help though. Perhaps seeing her move on with Andy would give them encouragement.
"I could call you many things, but ignorant would not be one of them." He kissed the tip of her nose.
"I'm not sure I want to know what those many things are. I'm certain you can come up with numerous descriptive words." She smirked at him as she ran her fingers through the hair at the base of his neck.
Andy nodded empathically. "I can." He kissed on eyelid. "Beautiful." He kissed the other eyelid. "Kindhearted." He kissed each cheek between saying, "Strong...Sensuous."
Sharon was enjoying the special attention he was giving her. He always knew how to make her feel beloved. "Someone is wheedling for something. Tell me, what is it you hope to gain from all this sweet talk." She spoke into his ear as his last kiss lingered on her cheek.
"I was hoping to get one of my Christmas presents early." He tugged at the belt of her robe. Not enough to untie it, but enough to get his point across.
"Oh?" Sharon arched an eyebrow at him when she leaned back loosening her hold from around his neck. "You are making an awfully big assumption that you are receiving more than one gift. If I remember correctly, you already have a gift that's wrapped and under the tree." She ran a hand down the buttons of his nightshirt. "You know the rules, no one gets to open any gifts until we are all up tomorrow morning. It's still Christmas Eve." She smiled sweetly at him.
Andy snaked an arm around her waist and tugged her closer. She had to brace herself on his shoulders so she didn't fall forward off the bed. "Maybe we should start a new tradition together." He tugged her robe aside and placed a kiss on her shoulder. He trailed his lips up her neck. "On Christmas Eve." Another kiss placed on her pulse point. This one he let linger a little longer as he felt her heart rate increase. "Just you and me" He nipped the underside of her jaw. "Don't want anyone else to see me unwrap this gift." He then drew her bottom lip into her mouth and nibbled it.
She had completely melted into him. "If you continue in this approach, it might as well be my Christmas Eve gift," she spoke on his lips.
Andy turned his head and brushed her hair aside with his nose. He chuckled lowly in her ear. "I am perfectly fine with that." He nuzzled the sensitive spot right behind her ear. "So what do you say to new traditions?"
"I think..." Her breath caught as he continued to tease that same spot behind her ear. It was her weakness and he was exploiting it. "I think it's one of your better ideas. And if you do a little unwrapping, you may find that you do indeed have another gift."
Andy let out a grumble from deep in his throat. He really loved this woman. As he began slowly gliding his hands up her thighs Sharon stopped his movements with her hands. She then leaned back and moved her hands to grip his face. "You really okay?"
He exhaled deeply. "I am. I promise." Even though a lot had happened in the past year to give her cause for concern, he really hated that she worried so much. He loved her all the more for it though. He knew if their positions were reversed, he would hover just as much, if not more. He brushed a kiss across her lips. "Please, please, let me enjoy my gift now."
She laughed quietly and relented as she wrapped her arms back around his neck. The laugh turned to a low moan when he returned to that sensitive spot. "Merry Christmas, Sharon." Merry Christmas indeed.
Possibly TBC
A/N: I may continue this story with Christmas Day and maybe a New Years Eve chapter if I can find the inspiration. Hope you enjoyed!