The doorbell rings at eleven o’clock sharp.

Me – “If my grandparents are nothing else they are punctual.”

Brian – “I think I’m going to go hide in the kitchen.”

Me – “Don’t hide it will only make things worse.”  I open the door.  “Hi everyone come on in.”  Everyone includes my parents, Grammie Shirley and Sean and Vanessa.

Vanessa – “Oh honey you look so wonderful.”

Me – “Well I don’t feel so wonderful.”

Goldie – “What’s wrong?”

Me – “Nothing mom I’m just still a little tired.”

Shirley – “Well of course you are.  Now where are those boys.”

Me – “Upstairs.”  Brian is standing there no one has said anything to him yet.  “Gram, Gramps this is my friend Brian”

Vanessa – “Hello Brian, how are you?”

Brian – “Good thank you for asking Mrs. Connery.”  She smiles at him.

Vanessa – ‘I think we need to sit down and have a long talk but first I want to see my great grandsons.”

Brian – “Come on I’ll show you.”

Everyone follows us upstairs.  Vanessa and Shirley just gush over the boys.  Who thankfully sleep very heavy otherwise I’m sure that they would have woken up.  We head back down stairs, but not quick enough.  Kurt and Sean are at the end of our little train.  The door to my bedroom was open and Kurt notices that both sides of my bed were slept in.  Sean notices him looking in so he does to.  Then they look at each other and then follow all of us downstairs.

Me – “Why don’t we sit out on the deck.  It’s not too hot yet.”

Goldie – “Sounds like a good idea.  Why don’t you all go out and Brian and I will bring some drinks.”

Me – “I can get it.”

Brian – “No you don’t need to be doing stuff like that already.  Go sit I’m sure your mom and I can find everything.”

Me – “All right.”  All of us except them go outside.

Goldie – “Come on.”  They get in to the kitchen.

Brian – “I think the glasses are up here.”  He opens a cabinet and gets seven glasses down.

Goldie is in the fridge, she gets out the lemonade.  “Brian I need to warn you about my husband and my father in law.”

Brian – “Why?”

Goldie – “They were talking on the way over here, they want to know exactly what you are going to do now.”

Brian – “let me guess if they don’t like the answer they’re going to take me out back and whip me.”

Goldie – “No I think it would be more like a shot gun wedding if they still did those things.”

Brian – “Don’t worry Ms. Hawn.  I already know what I’m going to say to them.”

They come back out.  Kurt and Sean are just sitting there with very sour expressions on their faces.  Brian sits down the tray and starts handing out drinks.  Shirley never one to have any tact starts the ball rolling.

Shirley – “So Brian, I heard you’re not getting married now.”

Brian decides it would be best to be truthful with her.  “Yeah, Christine was not dealing with the fact that Jess had my kids very well.  A real ugly side of her came out and I just couldn’t marry some one who was going to resent Tommy and Noah.”  Shirley nods satisfied with his answer.

Sean – “So what exactly are planning on doing here now with my grand daughter.”

Vanessa – “Sean you promised.”

Sean – “I know I did but then we saw that he had slept in her bed.”

Kurt – “We want to know what exactly is going on right now, young lady.”

I get up and put my hands on the table.  “Dad I am 25 years old, the mother of two boys and I refuse to let you talk to me like I’m six.”

Brian puts his hand on my shoulder.  “Jess just calm down.  They are only worried about you.”  He sits me back down in my chair.  “It’s okay they have ever right to ask what I’m going to do.”  He turns to them and takes turn looking each one in the eye as he speaks.

Brian – “Okay it’s true that I left Jess.  I didn’t know she was pregnant, but I should have.  She was my friend before we got involved, so after we broke up I should have still tried to keep in touch with her at least make sure she was okay.  But I didn’t, I disappeared because that was the easy thing to do.  That would also be the easy thing to do now but I’m not going to.  I plan on helping Jessica raise our sons.  But what happens between the two of us, we’re not sure yet.  Right now we’re just trying to be friends again.”

Kurt – “Are you planning on living here?”

Brian – “No.  I’m only going to stay until Jess’s nanny is able to start.  I want to make sure that she’s going to be all right.  Then I’ll probably get a place close while we figure out what we are going to do about the boys.  I’m not going to take them away from her but I want to be part of their lives too.”

Sean – “How are we supposed to trust you?”

Brian – “I can’t tell you anything to make you trust me.  But I have no intentions of hurting anyone.”

Goldie – “Of course you don’t.  I think that’s enough now.  You two have asked your questions now let’s leave him alone.”

Me – “I think I hear some one awake upstairs.”  The women get up to follow me upstairs.  “Are you coming?”

Brian – “No I’ll wait here with your dad and Gramps.”

Me – “Okay.”  Once we are inside.  “I think he’s went nuts.”

Vanessa – “Well he’s got guts I’ll give him that.”

Back outside…

Brian – “So what do you two really want to know?”

Kurt – “Are you going to hurt my daughter again?”

Brian – “God I hope not.  I do love her.  I love her very much.  We just have had some problems.”

Sean – “For some reason the younger generation of our family feels the need to have babies before they get married.  Do you ever see yourself marrying her?  Making things legal.”

Brian – “Honestly I don’t know.  Things are just too crazy right now to even seriously consider that.”

Sean – “Well Brian we appreciate you being honest with us.”

Brian – “Avoiding your questions or hiding behind Jess’s skirt wasn’t going to help anything.  I am realistic enough to know that if I want the boys to grow up happy we should all get along.”    He looked right at Kurt when we said that.

Kurt – “I guess you’re right.  Okay I will try too.”  He reaches over and they shake hands.

We had come back out by then.

Me – “Suddenly I’m afraid.”

Brian – “Don’t be.  Hey guys.”  He reaches over and touches Noah’s head.

Vanessa – “Sean you should have seen the two of them up there.  It seemed like they were just talking to each other.  It was so cute.  Here this is Tommy and that’s Noah.”  She hands him to Sean and Goldie hands Tommy to Kurt.

Kurt – “I still can’t believe how little they are.”

Goldie – “Jess was smaller then that.”

Kurt – “She couldn’t have been.”

Goldie – “Trust me she was.”

They visit for a while, then everyone was suppose to go have dinner with Loren and Kevin.  Brian and I were invited but I declined stating that we had plans.  After they left and they boys were feed and back asleep.  Brian asked if we could talk.

Me – “Sure.”  I sit on the couch and Brian sits opposite of me.

Brian – “I just wanted to talk to you a little bit about earlier.” 

I just nod because if I was to speak I would start crying

“Jessica I want to be here with the boys but you are just as important.  If you don’t want me here I can go.”

“I want you here Brian.”

“Are you sure?  I can just as easily rent a room somewhere or get an RV and park it in the driveway.”

He makes me giggle which was his goal.  “No I want you to stay here.  Take the room next to the nursery and do what ever you want to it.  I just want you here.”

Brian – “do you think that’s a good idea.”

Me – “Probably not but I like having you here.  Like you said we were friends at one time.”

Brian – “Okay I’ll stay for now, but if it starts getting to be too much you know having me here you tell me before the emotional break down?”

Me – “Well now you are just taking all the fun out of it.”

Brian – “I’m serious Jess.  I don’t want you hurting because of me.” 

Too late I think.  “Come on enough serious stuff, what time is it?”

Brian looks at his watch.  “About 3:30.”

Me – “Let’s call and see what everyone is doing.  I feel like having a BBQ.”

Brian – “Okay I’ll call the guys.”

Me – “I’ll call Vivian.”  We both get up at the same time and end up bumping into each other.  “Sorry.”