Lou coming back to us meant some shifting around. She moved in with Emma once we all felt confident she was doing better. I know Rachel and Al never begrudged her being there but I also know they were still newlyweds and it had to've been nice to get their house back for themselves. Lou started working at the garage. It was a good situation. She could work the hours Jesse was in school and she could even have the boys with her sometimes. Al loved looking after Bobby and Jack.

Theresa stayed on with us. I know a part of her felt she should be with her sister so we took the decision right out of her hands. She'd dealt with too much already. And it wasn't just me and Joanie that made the call either. Lou was in on it too. By that time it had less to do with wanting her to be able to just be a kid than it did about her boyfriend living under the same roof. I know that if she moved in where her sister and nephews was then she would put too much into them and not enough into her studies or just being a teenage girl. But we couldn't forget that she and Jesse were dating and I mean by then they were really dating. They were together nearly every minute he wasn't working and she wasn't doing her homework. I worried for her, of course but it was cute. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't worried Jesse'd try something with her so much as I was worried she was getting too serious too young. But I guess that's a normal worry and sometimes they do get too serious and sometimes that's bad and sometimes it's not.

In the midst of all of this we had a wedding to plan for. Billy and Sherry were engaged after all. I'll tell you with everything we had going on that was sometimes so sad and worrisome, seeing those two together and happy almost made everything better. They were nearly as cute together as Theresa and Jesse and that took some doing. Well, Billy got into his head that they would get married on Valentine's Day but as it happened that year Valentine's was on a Monday so they settled for the twelfth which was the Saturday before and that worked out pretty well. Of course it was during school so they couldn't get away until her classes broke for the spring but I don't think either one of them cared a great deal about that at the time. They were together and when you're young like that not much else matters.

The wedding was huge but then so was Sherry's family. She had the one older sister and then it must have been at least five brothers and they weren't little guys either. I wondered how Billy got past them. The brothers were all in the wedding but he asked me to be his best man. I really was honored. Joanie was a bridesmaid because Sherry's sister was matron-of-honor. It was a nice wedding I guess. I told you once that guys don't really care. Hell to this day I can't remember the colors or anything. Wait, that's not true because there must have been some pink or something because I remember Joanie wearing a pink dress. Don't know about flowers or anything else. I remember Sherry beaming at Billy and him beaming just as bright and to me that's all that should matter anyway. He even got the band to play "The Way You Do the Things You Do" for their first dance. Now we did have to go up to Midland for this wedding since most of her family was there and all so that was different but it's a nice town and if you let go of the fact that it was mid-February and the roads were a nightmare it was almost a nice drive.

I think the only thing that was sweeter at the reception than Billy trying to grab every dance he could with his new wife was Jesse and Theresa dancing together. Yeah, they were in love whether any of the rest of us were ready for them to be or not.

"Were we that cute, I wonder," Joanie said as she rested her head on my chest while we swayed to some slow song or another.

"We weren't that young," I pointed out, "But I'm sure we were at least that cute, maybe even cuter."

"So why isn't Rosemary with Noah?" I asked, "Everyone else brought their kids. It's not like she had to stay home to watch Michael or anything."

"Oh she's not watching Michael," Joanie explained, "I don't even know where she is exactly. All I know is that Noah wasn't sure about coming up here alone with the baby and he was thinking about not coming at all and Uncle Saul volunteered. So he and Aunt Edna are watching Michael."

"Is something going on with them?" I asked as Noah was being dragged onto the dance floor by a woman I didn't recognize but he seemed to have eyes for her curves and bouncing curls.

"He won't talk to me about it," she said, "Maybe he would you."

"He looks like he's having a little bit of fun right now," I observed, "I'll ask him later when he's between dance partners."

Well, a few songs later and I had just that chance by the punch bowl. I wasn't really sure what to say but Noah led off the conversation anyway so that was nice.

"Joanie send you to check on me?"

"We're both a little concerned," I replied.

"It's over," he said with a finality that left me no question what was over.

"Did you try counseling?" I asked.

"Our priorities are different, Jimmy," he told me, "And she's been with other guys."

He shook his head sadly.

"I honestly thought she loved me but she just loved the idea of what marrying me did for her cause and not even the cause. It was how she looked to others in the cause. I usually consider myself smarter than that."

"We've all seen what we want to see where a woman is concerned," I said trying to make him feel better. It was true after all. I'm sure that goes the other way too. So often when we meet someone and we like them or fall in love with them we are seeing the things we want to see there and not what's really there.

"I know that's true but it's a huge mess now."

"How's Michael doing?" I asked and I guess that was just my job showing that the first question I had was how the kid was handling things.

"She was never around before so he doesn't even notice the difference," Noah told me and then dropped what at that time was quite a bombshell, "I'm going to be going for full custody of him. I just can't take the chance that she'll be as inattentive as she has been. And she just uses him too. Nothing like a little caramel-skinned baby with those dark curls for the cause. The whole firm is behind me and they're going to help me."

Now times are different now but it still takes an awful lot to get full custody of a child. At that time there was even less shared custody and I don't even think those shared arrangements went through the courts like they do now. It was just people who had a more amicable divorce and saw the reason of playing nice for the sake of their kids. Usually mothers just got custody and I think a lot of fathers still just moved on. It was changing because I think that was near to the time when a man's role in parenting kind of started changing but for a man to receive sole custody was nearly unheard of. He would have to prove the mother was unfit. I will say though that having the power of an entire law firm the caliber of Berger, Cohen and Shapiro behind you nearly guaranteed a win. I suppose that's one thing that hasn't changed through the years. If you have the right resources you can always win. I think at the time I still had some antiquated idea about a child needing his mother. Now I am not putting down mothers but why I would hold any ideas about a concrete right and wrong in custody was beyond me. My own mother hadn't been any better than the old man in the end and neither one of them was any good. Still Michael wasn't being abused or anything. I got what Noah was saying though. Michael deserved to have a parent who was invested in his care. I had seen Noah with Michael a lot and he was a good dad. No one on this earth loved that little boy more.

Eventually the party wound down and everyone including the happy couple headed for their homes or hotel rooms. Billy looked relieved to be heading out. He paused to talk to me a moment and barely got out two words before his bride sidled up to him.

"Will, dearest, aren't you coming with me?"

Her eyes sparkled as she batted her lashes. However bad of a time Noah was having, Billy was going to have a terrific night. That woman wanted her man and I'll say as a man, that's an enviable position to be in. Though I was in the same one that night. Joanie had gotten to do herself up and weddings put women in a romantic mood anyway. Pretty soon I was being dragged off too. Lou had a separate hotel room she was sharing with Theresa and the boys so it was just me and Joanie and I'll say I love the rest of my family but times when it was just me and Joanie were the best times of all.

It had been a long and stressful day with helping get those two hitched but it was a beautiful wedding and seeing how in love Billy and Sherry were made a few other things easier to take. I even saw Lou smiling and dancing. So even as tired as we were by the time we got into our hotel, Joanie and I were still plenty ready for some good alone time and we took full advantage of it too. There is nothing better than falling asleep with my Joanie naked in my arms and that's how I finally fell asleep that night. And it felt good to know that Billy was learning what that was like. He was falling asleep the same way, I'm sure, and he was letting it sink in that she would be in his arms forever. That's a good feeling right there.

The next day we got ourselves back to Detroit and our regular lives. The roads were pretty clear and we made good time home. Theresa had some homework to finish before school the next day and to be honest so did me and Joanie. I was seeing the light though. Joanie was still going to have another year of law school but I was nearly done. I only needed a master's degree after all. A law degree—and I didn't know this until Joanie told me—is actually a doctorate. You don't call them doctor or nothing but technically that's what it is so it's three years instead of two like my degree.

Monday we just went completely back to real life and it felt kind of empty to not be planning a wedding. I know I say I don't care about weddings and planning and I don't really but having something to think about other than Kid being gone and Lou and Theresa trying to get back on their feet. There wasn't any other distraction to be found once we got Billy and Sherry married off.

I guess we settled into things pretty good again. I would usually drive over to the garage after work to pick up Theresa and then head for home with her. We'd get supper started before Joanie got home and on nights I was lucky enough I actually got to eat before running off to class. Weekends I was at the library. I loved my girls but I had a lot of writing to do and being at the library had fewer distractions for me. One afternoon I went to get Theresa and when I didn't see her hanging around inside I went out back. I found her and Jesse too. Her back was against the wall and he was tight to her. I guess I knew they probably did a fair amount of kissing but I didn't want to think about it and I definitely never needed to see what I was seeing there. They were connected at the mouth for sure and his hands were roaming all over under her heavy coat.

"Jesse!" I yelled at him and he jumped away from her like he'd been burned. "Theresa get on inside with your sister. I'll deal with you later, young lady."

Oh I know I hauled out the 'young lady' and when I thought on it later I wondered who had actually said that. Once Theresa was inside I turned on Jesse and I felt bad too because the first thing he did was shrink against that wall and curl into a ball. I had to soften a little at that. He was so happy with Emma and Sam and little Sarah Jean that I sometimes forgot that he was used to a different life. Now with someone his own age he would have been ready to fight back but I was bigger and stronger and had been something of an authority to him. He really expected me to beat on him. Instead I just sat against the wall a few feet from him.

"I thought we talked about this once, Jesse," I said, "About not taking liberties."

"I swear to God, Jimmy I wouldn't ever hurt her," he said turning those big blue eyes of his toward me, "You got to believe me. I wouldn't do anything against her wishes. And it's cold out here besides."

"Spring's right around the corner," I pointed out, "I know you wouldn't hurt her on purpose but there's things you don't understand about how girls think."

I then proceeded to tell him how insecure some girls can be. I'd like to think that Theresa wasn't but she was going through a lot and had some serious issues with abandonment and specifically men. If she ever thought for even a second that he might dump her for not putting out, well, I knew where that would probably end up. I told him as much along with explaining that no matter how much we don't want to hurt a girl, the first time a girl has sex, it's going to hurt. It also carries an importance that guys don't always pin to it.

"I need you to take the responsibility in this to not push her and not try to get too far."

"I try not to," he replied, "But she's so pretty and her skin is so soft and…"

Those two put me in a tough spot I will say. Jesse was like a little brother to me and I cared a great deal for him but then Theresa was like a baby sister and I was the closest thing to a dad she had right about then. Trying to give advice and stay objective was hard. And hearing Jesse talk about her like that was even harder.

"She's a lot more than a pretty face and soft skin," I growled at him.

"I know that, Jimmy," he said, "She's kind and sweet and smart. And talented too. Her school is having tryouts for a play and I know she'll be the best. I'm trying to convince her to tryout. She did the scene for me and she's really good. I think she's better than most of the women on TV."

"She likes acting?" I didn't know this about her and she had been living at my place for three months.

"Yeah but she doesn't think she's good at it," he answered, "She is though, real good."

He looked down at the ground for a bit.

"I know she's more than the things that drive me crazy when I'm with her but the rest of it is hard to remember when she's near me and she smells so good and kissing her feels so good. I don't want to push her. I really don't. I don't want her to hate me and I don't want to mess things up for her either. I just don't know what to do."

"You might want to better acquaint yourself with Miss Michigan," I said and chuckled a little at the confused look I got from him. "What's our great state shaped like? The lower peninsula, I mean."

"A mitten," he replied.

I held up my hand.

"She's not much in the way of personality but she serves a purpose," I explained, "I spent a lot of time exclusively dating Miss Michigan here. Someday it'll be right whether it's with Theresa or someone else but until then I think you got two choices for your perfect match, the right or the left."

I think I have never seen a person blush harder but I know it was a talk better coming from me than from Sam. Brothers are the ones who are supposed to have those talks with you after all.

"All I'm trying to tell you is this," I went on, "You're older and you need to take control of this. Someday it might be right for the two of you and I'll try to be cool with that but it ain't right at this time. You know that and I know that and Theresa knows that. I need to know I can count on you to take care of her feelings. Can I do that?"

"Yes," he said earnestly and I think he really felt the weight of what I was asking him which made me feel better about things. "I won't let you down—or her."

Driving Theresa back home that day was quiet and I could tell she was seething mad at me.

"So Jesse tells me there's a play coming up at your school," I said trying to break the ice and talk about anything other than catching her making out with her boyfriend.

"So what if there is?" she sulked glaring out the window.

"Are you going to try out?"

"I don't know," she said trying to stay mad and yet the longing and insecurity crept in. She really wanted this but was just too scared to go after it.

"According to your boyfriend you've got a good shot at the part you want," I told her, "You're grades are good so I don't think Joanie or your sister or me would have any objections to you taking on an afterschool activity."

"He said that?"

"He did," I said, "We had quite a nice talk. I'm not against you seeing Jesse if that's what you were thinking. I like Jesse. He's a good kid. I just don't think you need to be moving so fast. So are you going to try for getting in this play?"

"I'm really scared, Uncle Jimmy."

Right there I knew we were okay again. She might've been angry before but she was back to being my little Theresa then.

"I think you'll do just fine," I assured her. We were quiet a while longer and then I felt I needed to say something else before we got home. "That boy really cares about you. He won't dump you for not putting out. You think about what really feels right and it's okay to put your foot down. He won't be angry. I know that. Have some faith in him, sweetie."

She didn't say much after that and I don't know if I was out of line telling her that or not but I thought it couldn't hurt. We rode the rest of the way in silence and had supper ready by the time Joanie walked in the door.

I know it has been two months since I updated this story...sorry...J&J were still dealing with the emotions of getting Lou back and then I got the chapter half written and they've been in that hotel room in Midland for the last 2 wks! With the Do not disturb sign on the door...nothing else I could do. But here we are again. And yes, Miss Michigan is a term we use around here...not sure if men in other states use the term or not but we do around here...really, look at a map if you don't get it.-J