Chapter 22— Edge of a Breakdown

A/N: Special thanks to astridpizarro20 and ghost303 for reviewing! I really appreciate it!

[that night]

With Liz's permission, Randy explained to Michael that his biological father was a bad man. Of course, Michael had plenty of questions; so Randy only told him that Wade wasn't around anymore. Michael still wanted to address Randy as his dad and Randy was okay with it; so was Liz.

Randy and Liz had just slipped into bed. "Thank you for being so open to all of this, Randy," Liz said as she cuddled up to Randy.

He kissed her forehead. "You don't have to thank me for that, Liz. These last few weeks have been amazing. I'm glad to be here for those two crazy kids," he said.

Liz looked up at him. "Is that the only reason why you're here?" she asked. Randy looked at her and saw the concerned yet frightened look on her face; he frowned a bit. Liz sighed. "I'm just asking because I don't want you feel like you have to be with me because of Reby and Michael. But I need you to know that I love you and I really want to make sure you're okay with them being around," she said.

Randy pulled Liz closer. "Listen to me, Elizabeth. I love you and I know it's going to be a challenge to jump right into parenthood when I've been out of your life and theirs and for five years. It's going to be hard, but I'm with you for the long haul. I can't imagine being with anyone else," he said.

Liz smiled. "Really?" he asked.

He smiled. "Yes. Now, with that being said, shut up and go to sleep," he said lightheartedly.

Liz giggled and kissed his bare chest. "Good night, Randy," she said before quietly drifting off to sleep.

[the next morning]

Liz woke up and started to get out of bed, but Randy pulled her back. "And where do you think you're going?" he asked. Liz giggled and kissed him.

"I have to take a shower and start on breakfast," she said as she let Randy nibble on her neck.

Randy pulled away and thought for a minute. "The shower sounds good. I think I'll join you," he said seductively.

"I have an idea," Liz started as she straddled Randy's lap. She grinded her hot center on Randy's boxer clad manhood. "How about we just roll around right here, right now?" She scraped her nails across Randy's bare chest.

Randy smirked affirmation and leaned up and kissed Liz deeply. He flipped them over so that he was hovering over her; Randy used one of his hands to caress Liz's body. When his hand grazed her inner thigh, she flinched and panicked.

"No. Stop," she begged.

Randy did as he was told and pulled away from her. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Liz frantically pulled all of the bed's sheets over her body; she tucked herself into a ball and sobbed.

"I thought I was ready, Randy. I'm so sorry. I can't do this," she said.

He frowned. "What are you talking about?" he asked. He tried to touch her but she backed up until her back hit the headboard. Randy tried to get closer to her, but she wouldn't let him.

"No! Don't touch me!" she yelled with her arms outstretched.

Randy didn't know what was going on with her. One minute, she was seducing him; the next, she was begging him not to touch her. "Wha—"

Liz practically jumped off the bed and ran into the bathroom. Randy heard the shower running and tried to figure out what had just happened. When he finally put the pieces together, he took a deep breath.

I'm so stupid. He said to himself. He laid back on the bed and tried to think of the best ways to approach the situation. Before he settled on a plan, Liz had emerged from the bathroom. She was wrapped in a towel; hiding her body from Randy. She grabbed her body lotion from her vanity and escaped to her closet. She shut the door behind her.

Randy sighed and approached the closet door. He knocked softly. "Babe, can I come in?" he asked.

"I need to put on my clothes first," she said quietly. Randy waited patiently outside the door until Liz opened it to let him in.

He smiled when he saw her dressed in a BCBG Max Aria Panel dress. She was putting on her shoes while Randy gathered his thoughts.

"I'm made an appointment with a local sex therapist for Monday if you want to come with me. I figured I needed to keep up with my appointments even though I'm not back in St. Louis," he said.

Liz looked at him for a moment. "I'll be fine," she said as she pushed past him.

Randy sighed. "I know how you feel, Liz—"

Liz scoffed and looked Randy in his eyes. "Were you raped, Randy? Did someone tell you that they loved you but beat the shit out of you every day? Do you have to be reminded of that evil son of a bitch every single day because his son looks just like him? Huh?" she ranted.

He sighed and hung his head. "No, but I can understand why you don't want anyone in your personal business. I get that,"

"Don't you think I've been looking for help since I've come back home?" she asked.

"You have?" he asked.

Liz nodded. "Just about every professional I saw told me, in so many words, that I should have left him when the opportunity made itself present. They said that I had a chance to leave him, but I chose to stay. That I chose to be abused. I didn't choose any of this Randy, but I have to live with it for the rest of my life. And that's something that no one can fix," she said.

"I'm not saying that this therapist can 'fix' you, Liz. I'm just saying that she could make you feel a little less broken," he said.

Liz sighed. "I don't like feeling like this, Randy. I don't like hating my son. I feel so much hatred and anger inside me when I look at him. I love that little boy so much, but I can't help but hate the sight of him," she said.

Randy took a deep breath. "Do you really think Michael was a mistake?" he asked cautiously.

She shrugged. "I think everything happens for a reason," was her answer.

He nodded. "I think so, too. I think maybe you and I could go see the therapist Monday. Her name is Dr. Meredith Richardson. You can do all the researching and Googling and background checking all you want. I just hope you agree to come with me," he said.

Liz nodded. "Thank you, but I'll have to think about it," she said.

"Okay. So, where are you headed?" he asked.

Liz was putting on her earrings as she answerd. "I'm going to make a quick breakfast for the kids then head off to the office," she said.

Randy frowned. "What for? It's a Saturday," he said.

Liz chuckled. "Yes. But people wear clothes every day. Plus, I have a receptionist starting today; I have to get him trained on how to do his job," she said.

"Did you just say 'he'?" Randy asked quizzically.

She nodded. "He's not single if that's what you're wondering. Even if he wasn't, why would I pick him over the most amazing man I've ever met before in my life?" she asked rhetorically.

Randy smirked. "True. I'll do breakfast, so you can go straight to the office. I'll bring you some lunch, later, if you're still there," he said. Liz smiled. "Thank you so much, babe. I'm already running late. I'll see you later," she said as she rushed out the door.

Once Liz was gone, Randy picked up the phone and called Teddy, who answered as if he was still asleep

Dude. It's not even noon yet. What do you want?

Sorry, man. Listen, could you watch Reby and Michael for a few days? I really want to do something nice for Liz this weekend and it would go so much smoother if the kids weren't here.

Yeah, no problem. Do you want me to pick them up or what?

Nah. I'll drop them off in a few hours; maybe around 1 o'clock. That way, you have about 4 hours to sleep.

Cool. I'll see you then, I guess.

Thanks, Ted. I owe you one.

With that, Randy took a quick shower before waking the kids for breakfast.

Later that afternoon, Randy packed 2 overnight bags for Michael and Reby. He took the luggage downstairs but he was intercepted by Reby.

"What's that, Daddy?" she asked.

Randy smiled at the bright blue eyes that watched his every move. "You and your brother are going over to Mr. Teddy's for a few days so your mommy and I can have a playdate," he said.

Reby squealed in excitement at the news of spending a few days with Teddy. "Yay! Are we leaving right now?" she asked.

"Not yet, baby girl. How about you go find some shoes to put on while I go change my clothes?" he suggested.

The four year old nodded and skipped away to the play room to find her shoes where she left them the day before.

Only minutes later, Randy went back downstairs dressed for a surprise date with Liz. Reby gasped and grinned when she saw him.

"You look pretty, Daddy!" she said. Randy smiled. Michael butted in. "No, Reby. Pretty is only for girls! Daddy is a boy and that means that he's ham some," Michael said matter-of-factly.

Reby pouted; she looked as if she was about to cry. Randy shook his head. "It's okay, baby girl. I like being pretty. You're pretty, too," he said before he kissed her forehead. "And anybody can be pretty, Michael. Not just girls. But the word you're looking for is handsome. Not ham some," he said.

"Oh. Well, you look handsome, Daddy," Michael said. Randy smiled at the raven haired child.

"Alright. Let's go see Mr. Teddy," he said with a smile.

The drive to Teddy's wasn't even a whole five minutes. "Thanks, again, Ted. I owe you big time. If you need anything, call me. Please don't call Liz; she needs as little stress as possible right now," he said.

Teddy nodded. "No problem, man. I've got everything under control," he said. Randy nodded and said goodbye to the two toddlers before he left.

Randy stepped out of the car and smoothed out his shirt before he entered the building. He eyed the receptionist when he walked in, but he ignored the man's presence as he walked passed him.

"Excuse me, sir. Do you have an appointment?" the receptionist asked.

Randy frowned. "I don't need one," he said as he kept walking.

The receptionist stammered. "I'm afraid you do. My boss gave me specific instructions to make sure she wouldn't be bothered unless there was an emergency." he said.

"Trust me, buddy, I don't need an appointment. Let's just say I'm your boss' very private client," Randy said dryly.

Nerves filled the receptionist; he sighed and started begging. "Please don't go back there, sir. This is my first day; I can't afford to get fired on the first day here. My boss is already a bitch. You'll only make it worse for me," he said.

Randy stopped and turned to the receptionist. "She's a bitch, huh?" he asked. The man nodded. "How so? What makes her a bitch?"

The receptionist stopped to think. "Well, she showed up late this morning but she was pissed off at me like it was my fault. She gave me this huge stack of design sketches to scan and file alphabetically by client name and when it's supposed to be done. Then she told me that she wanted me to be done before three o'clock today. She expects me to get all this crap scanned and filed in two hours!" he said as he was pointing towards the stack of sketches.

Randy chuckled humorlessly. "Well, I'll be sure to tell my girlfriend your opinions about the way she runs her business," he said.

The glorified secretary gasped. "Oh, no. I'm so sorry. I was just really stressed out and nervous. Please don't tell her. Please!" he begged.

"I'll tell you what. Let's make a deal," Randy proposed. "If you can finish all these scans by two o'clock today, your secret will be safe with me. If not, well, you might want to look for another job," he said.

"But that only leaves me with an hour to be done!" the receptionist said anxiously. Randy shrugged. "I guess you better get to work, then, huh?"

The man nodded and sat back down at his desk and frantically went to work. Randy smirked and went towards the back of the building to Liz's office. He knocked on the door only to have Liz yell. "I TOLD YOU NOT TO BOTHER ME! I HAVE TOO MUCH WORK I NEED TO GET DONE!" Randy pushed open the door anyway.

"You work way too hard, babe," he said.

Liz smiled at the sight of her boyfriend. She ushered him in and told him to close the door. "I really don't have a lot to do. I just wanted to establish a baseline for my most busy seasons so the receptionist can know how bad I can get. I assume you met him already," she said.

Randy nodded. "Yeah. I don't think he's too fond of you or your business, though. He called you a bitch," he said.

She laughed. "Good. Now he knows not to cross me. You have to make them fear you, baby. That's the only way they'll get work done," she said.

"Smart and beautiful. Where have you been my whole life?" he asked.

Liz chuckled but answered anyway, "Underage," she said.

Randy laughed heartily. "Funny, too, I see. But the reason I'm here is because I want to take you out to lunch. Are to too busy for that, or…" he asked.

Liz smiled. "I would love that, babe. But what about the kids?" she asked.

"I took them to Ted's for the weekend. It's just us for a few days. You deserve a little quiet time, don't you think?"

"God, I love you. You're so good to me, Randy," she said.

Randy smiled and took her hand as they walked towards the lobby.

Liz stopped to check on the receptionist. "My boyfriend and I are going to lunch. I want you to stay here until all of your work is done. Call me when you leave so I can lock up remotely. My office is off limits. Take all calls but make sure the callers leave messages. If anyone comes in for a consultation, have them call me so I can reschedule. I'm expecting a shipment of sample pieces at 2:45. Sign for them and leave them in the studio; make sure you hang them up away from my own samples. They will be in plastic; keep them in the plastic. Do NOT open them! I'm not expecting it, but if Tiffany Miller calls, forward the call to my cell. No one else; only Tiffany Miller. Any questions? Good." She didn't give him time to ask questions before she walked out.

"So," Liz started once she and Randy were in the car. "Where are we going?" she asked.

Randy smirked. "It's a surprise," he said simply. Liz smiled and sat back to enjoy the ride.

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