Chapter 8

"Congratulations, you two," Michelle told her father and Lynnette.
She and Spencer had just returned from their honeymoon a few weeks ago and they had just been told that Lynnette was pregnant.
"Yes, congratulations from me to," Spencer said, even as he hugged his sister and kissed her cheek while Michelle did the same for her father.
"Thank you big brother," Lynnette said smiling, as she returned Spencer's affection.
"You're welcome," Spencer said smiling. "I'm looking forward to the baby's birth."
"I know you'll be a good uncle to them and spoil them rotten," said Dave smiling.
"Oh, absolutely," Spencer grinned a rather unusual expression on his face, but he was so happy with Michelle in his life that it was hard not to smile sometimes. He had nearly denied himself happiness and all because of a father who hadn't cared about any of his children.
"I'm so happy for you dad," Michelle said. "I know you had me and James and Tristan, but I know you're happy to be having your own children."
"I am, but you and your brothers have brought me great happiness Michelle, never doubt it," Dave said. "I never imagined I would ever have children of my own, which is why I adopted you and your brothers in the first place thanks to my mate being murdered so many centuries ago now. Of course, since I rescued you as a baby from your mother's burning home I could never have abandoned you after that, which is just as well since it turned out your father was immortal. That your father had sex with your mother enough to turn her immortal, as she wouldn't have gotten pregnant otherwise, was totally irresponsible of him, especially if he wasn't going to stay with her. Now though, things are looking much brighter than they have ever since that one event derailed my life. Unfortunately, fire is one of the few ways you can kill one of us and I barely got you out of the house before the whole place collapsed so there was no chance of rescuing your mother. You already know I'm sorrier about that than I can say, but there was nothing to be done."
"I know and you aren't to blame for what happened. I also know you love us dad and that you having children of your own blood won't change that," Michelle assured her father kissing his cheek again.
"Of course not," Dave agreed grinning at the thought of his upcoming child. He was really looking forward to Lynnette giving birth and he didn't care if it was a boy or a girl.
"Hopefully, I'll be having a child soon as well, but we'll see," said Michelle smiling at the thought of a little copy of Spencer running around.
"Well, now that we know how far along I am I think it's time that we inform my mother of the pregnancy," Lynnette finally told Dave having broken away from her brother. "We've had time to absorb the news now, even though I went to the doctor while Michelle and Spencer were on their honeymoon."
"Yeah, it probably is," Dave agreed smiling, as he took, Lynnette's hand.
"She'll be very happy for you and Lynnette," Spencer said. "We all know she's really been looking forward to grandchildren and considering you just married less than two months ago Lynnette getting pregnant so soon will make her very happy."
"Now that is god's honest truth brother mine," Lynnette said grinning, as she anticipated her mother's reaction when they told her the news.
Lynnette gave Dave's hand squeeze and the two of them headed to tell Diana the good news.

~~~Dave and Lynnette~~~

"This is terrific news," Diana said over the communicator screen. Lynnette's mother looked so happy at the news she was practically glowing. "So how far along are you?"
"Less than two months," Lynnette said. "About 6 weeks more or less according to the doctor that I went to. It had to have happened on our wedding night as that's how long we've been married."
"So, you started experiencing morning sickness, though it's a bit early for that," Diana asked her daughter who nodded.
Lynnette didn't tell her mother that she hadn't had morning sickness at all, as that would have been unusual at least. Apparently, immortals didn't get morning sickness but her mother didn't know she was no longer mortal.
Immortals were human and everything, they just couldn't die by ordinary means and her mother was the kind that would never believe in immortality. If she hadn't been having those dreams where she saw her own death in the far past she probably never would've believed in reincarnation either, much less in immortality.
Now that she had her memories of Lettice back she knew that she and Dave were supposed to be together and would've been for centuries if not for those three idiots. They could've had multiple children by now and instead she had been foully murdered in her own home.
That was in the past though, as she would never let her guard down again and she knew Dave would go out of his way to protect her like he couldn't before.
"It's been rather mild at least so far," Lynnette lied smoothly.
"That's good sweetheart," Diana said smiling brightly. "I am really looking forward to their birth. You let me know how it's going and if it's a boy or a girl when you find that out."
"We will," Dave who had been silent promised. "You're welcome to come up here anytime. That's why I gave you a free access to use any of my shuttles so that you can visit often. It's not that long of a trip, not with how fast shuttles have gotten in the last few decades."
"True," Diana said again appreciating Dave's generosity.
That her daughter was happy was all that mattered and since Lynnette was practically glowing that told her that her daughter had made the right choice when it came to marriage.
"I'll come up when your farther along Lynnette," Diana decided.
"You're welcome to bring Roxie and Rocky with you, as I haven't seen them since my brother's wedding," Lynnette said.
"They also have free use of my shuttles," Dave added. "Just give us a little warning when you are coming, so your rooms can be prepared in advance. You know dusted, sheets changed that kind of thing."
"What about Michelle and Spencer?" Diana asked.
"Not yet. You have to remember they haven't been married as long, as they got married about a month later," Dave said.
"I'll make sure they tell you as soon as they announced they're expecting," Lynnette promised smiling. "That might not be for a while for all I know."
"Thank you. It'll happen when it'll happen, as you can't rush those kind of things along, which I know very well," Diana said smiling.
"We'll just have to be patient," Dave said. "I'm looking forward to grandchildren, just as much as you are. Michelle is the only one that is married as James and Tristan have yet to find anyone to settle down with. That doesn't mean they haven't dated plenty, just like I did before I met Lynnette. I'm hoping they'll marry sometime in the next few years but I also know I can't force them to settle down as much as I would love more grandchildren then what Michelle is going to provide."
Dave didn't tell Diana that the reason that neither of his sons had settled down was they had yet to meet their mates and that might not happen in Diana's lifetime.
"Children are such a blessing," Diana said.
"Yes, they are. I agree with you 100% there, which is one reason I adopted my three in the first place," Dave agreed smiling as Diana signed off.

~~~Dave and Lynnette~~~

"I'm so happy for you little sis," Roxie told Lynnette smiling hugely when she heard the news that her baby sister was pregnant.
"I expect you to play a major part in their lives, Roxie," Lynnette told her sister. "You're free to use one of Dave's shuttles to come and see us. Dave gave the family access for a reason, so that all three of you could visit anytime. Dave and I as well as Spencer and Michelle want to see you and Rocky as often as you can manage."
"It's so good to see you happy Lyn," Roxie told her sister. "Especially after what happened with that boy in high school."
"Let's not dig up the past and leave Mr. Drake Savic, where he belongs in the past," Lynnette told her sister firmly. "I won't deny he hurt me with the way he just so rudely dumped me for another girl, but it's not like it's uncommon. I haven't thought about him in a long time, and I have no intention of ever doing so again."
Drake Savic and Lynnette had dated in high school and he had been the quarterback of Las Vegas high's football team. It had turned out he had been cheating on Lynnette behind her back, not exactly uncommon, especially for high school students and when she had found out, it had hurt her deeply.
At the time Lynnette had believed that she loved him and thought that they would marry once they finished college.
Spencer had tried to tell her the statistics of a marriage to your high school sweetheart actually lasting until one of them died, but Lynnette hadn't wanted to listen at the time, as she had believed she was in love. Of course, she had been all of 17 at the time and the emotions when you were younger were always stronger than those that were older. Spencer of course, had been in his mid 20s, since he was the oldest while she was the baby.
It had been a very emotional break up, as Lynnette had been devastated. She had also learned a valuable lesson. She was actually glad that she hadn't married Drake Savic now or she might never have met Dave whom she loved so much more than her high school sweetheart. Spencer, of course had been right when he had told her about those statistics of the percentage of break ups of high school sweethearts and Lynnette was going to have to remember to apologize for not taking his advice, even if it was years too late. Her brother deserved at least that much.
Her feelings for Dave were much more intense and deeper than what she had felt for Drake years ago, as there simply was no comparison.
"I realized a long time ago that I should've listened to all of you and mom, but I believed I was in love with him," Lynnette said. "When you're young, you often don't listen to even the people that love you unconditionally. I now realize that I really didn't love Drake at all and that I just had a huge crush on him at the time. I love Dave so much more than I ever did Mr. Drake Savic that the feelings are in a different universe altogether. There is simply no comparison."
"That's very good," Roxie said pleased. "I'll have to make sure I visit sometime soon."
"You'll always be welcome so feel free to visit as often as you can manage," Lynnette told her. "Just because I'm married now doesn't mean I don't want to see you or Rocky or mom. The only person I don't want to see is our father and I'll be happy if he never discovers he has another daughter or that I married someone who is very, very wealthy."
"Yeah, that wouldn't be good," Roxie said soberly. "He might try to get money out of Dave for some scheme of his."
"He might try to supposedly tug on my heartstrings, even though he has no idea I exist. He might even try to claim that he wants to spend time with me since he didn't know about me all these years," Lynnette speculated.
"And what will you say if he does find out about you and does what you think he will?" Roxie wanted to know.
"What do you think I will do Rox?" Lynnette wanted to know with a raised eyebrow, even as she patted her slightly rounded belly.
"Throw him out with a flea in his ear," Roxie suggested, and Lynnette grinned maliciously confirming what Roxie had said.
"See? Why did you bother to ask if you already knew what I would do if he ever show's up in our lives?" Lynnette inquired. "You're absolutely right that he will receive nothing from us it, except to be shown the door and told never to come back. Dave has already promised if he finds out about me and shows up that he'll be given short shrift and be escorted out of the building depending if he shows up at Dave's office or here at the house or even at one of my concert venues. If he shows up here, the police will be called and the same thing will happen."
"That could just make him more determined so that he makes a nuisance of himself," Roxie said. "He could claim that he has a right to get to know his grandchildren and also the daughter he never knew he had. He could say that his other children poisoned you against him."
"Even if he does what can he do? I mean, seriously Roxie, do you really think any lawyer in the world would take such a case? Just because we don't want anything to do with him doesn't mean that we broke any laws, because we haven't. I mean, the man abandoned his wife and the three children who he knew about for no real reason, so really he has no legal leg to stand on."
"That doesn't mean he won't still make a nuisance of himself," Roxie said.
"Dave will make it very clear that he could easily ruin his career if he doesn't leave well enough alone," Lynnette said.
What Lynnette didn't say was that they had already damaged her father's career by damaging his credibility. Unfortunately, he hadn't been fired from the law firm he worked at. William Reid's employers now knew that he had abandoned his wife and children for no real reason so the excuse he had given them originally about why he had divorced her mother had been proven nothing but a lie. The firm that William Reid worked for had a reputation to protect and prided themselves on never lying to their clients so to find out that one of their employees had lied about the reason he'd had to divorce his wife wasn't enough to see him fired, but it did show him in a darker light. It showed that he was willing to lie to save face, to not be honest about why he had divorce his wife.
"I've actually been hearing rumors that our dear father has been having job related difficulties for a while," Roxie said.
"It couldn't happen to a better man," Lynnette said with a devilish grin.
"I guess I can't blame you for your feelings, but you should be glad you never actually knew him Lyn. All the rest of us carry the emotional scars of his abandonment, especially Spencer, which is why I'm really glad that he met Michelle and allowed himself to fall in love," Roxie said.
"That was only thanks to some stern talking to by yours truly," Lynnette said, pointing at herself. "He was all set to deny himself happiness, and if it hadn't been for me plus the lecture you gave him he would've done just that, all because of that man."
There was no need to ask who that man was as both women were well aware of who she meant.
"Well, thanks to us he's actually allowed himself to admit his feelings," Roxie said, "sand I'm very glad."
"Me too," Lynnette agreed before she and Roxie signed off.

~~~Dave and Lynnette~~~