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- As Things Change
- Part XXX
Rex and Matt come through the door of the loft, laden down with
grocery bags. Lauren is in the kitchen, putting the finishing
touches on her dinner. Rex drops the bags on the table and goes
over to kiss her. He puts his hand over her belly. “How
are my girls doing?”
-
- She pushes his hand away,
laughing. “Rex! We don’t know it’s a girl. If
it’s a boy, you’ll give him a complex.”
-
- Matt drops the bags on the
table, staring at them. “What did you just say?”
-
- They both look over at him.
“Oops! Can you keep a secret, squirt?”
-
- “You’re having
a baby?” They nod. “Seriously? You guys with a kid?”
-
- Rex frowns. “Don’t
sound so shocked. We can handle it… Well, Lauren can and
I’ll do whatever she tells me. What gives? You don’t
think we’ll make good parents?”
-
- Matt shakes his head. “I
didn’t mean that. It’s just everyone seems to be in
the parenting biz these days.”
-
- “What do you mean by
that?”
-
- “Never mind.”
-
- Rex pulls away from Lauren.
Matt takes a seat at the table as Lauren busies herself putting
away the groceries. Rex joins Matt at the table. “What’s
going on with you?”
-
- “Nothin’.”
-
- “Not nothin’. You
said you had a fight with Stevie and took off.”
-
- “I told you before,
I don’t want to talk about Stevie. That’s between us.”
-
- “Fair enough. How ‘bout
us? You dissed me at the airport the other day and ignored me
at your grandpa’s funeral. I let it go because I know you
miss him, but I’m not going to let your behavior slide forever.”
-
- Lauren stops behind him.
“Rex!”
-
- He turns to her. “Let
me handle this. It’s between Matt and me.”
-
- She frowns at him before
slowly nodding. “Okay. I’m going to go change for dinner
so you two can talk.” She leans down to kiss him. “Be
nice,” she whispers.
-
- “Thanks.” He watches
her disappear into the bedroom before turning back to Matt. “It’s
just you and me now. You came to the PI office, which usually
means you want to talk, so spill.”
-
- Matt sighs. “I don’t
want to bother you...”
-
- Rex leans back in his chair.
“I want to be bothered. Talk.”
-
- Matt watches him, slowly
shaking his head. “I just miss my grandpa a lot, that’s
all. I’m sorry about what I said about you coming to the
ranch.”
-
- Rex narrows his eyes, knowing
Matt is doing avoidance. He nods toward the bedroom. “Now
do you understand why we wanted to come down to the ranch? I
wanted to surprise your folks and tell them about the baby. It
wasn’t about a free vacation.”
-
- “Yeah, I shouldn’t
have said that. Man, I just can’t picture you as a dad.”
-
- “So what did you mean
everyone is getting into the parenting biz? Who else do you know
that’s pregnant?”
-
- Matt shakes his head. “Nobody.”
-
- Rex narrows his eyes at him.
“Kallie?”
-
- “NO! Geez, Rex. Kallie
and I are friends. If she’s pregnant, it certainly has nothing
to do with me. But I doubt she is…”
-
- Rex grins, amused by his
outburst. “Okay, so who else?”
-
- Matt sighs. “I might
as well tell you. Mom and Dad are thinking of adopting…
Some little girl Mom met at the Center.”
-
- Rex smiles. “Miki.”
-
- “You know about it?”
Rex nods. “Guess they told everyone they’re in the
market for a better kid.”
-
- Rex cracks up. “What
the hell are you talking about? You get into less trouble than
most teenagers. Certainly less than I did at your age.”
-
- Matt rolls his eyes. “Yeah,
but you weren’t a Buchanan.”
-
- “Is that what you think
it’s about? Your parents don’t think you’re Buchanan
stock, so they’re going to start over with a 3-year old?”
Matt shrugs. “Geez, squirt. You need to get out of your
own head for a change. Have you even met Miki?”
-
- “No. Mom just dropped
this bomb on me at the ranch.”
-
- “Well, from what I’ve
heard, Miki is a cutie, so I can understand why Nora would want
to take her in.”
-
- “Thanks, Rex.”
-
- “But you’re going
to have to uphold the Buch name all by yourself because Marcie
and Michael are adopting Miki.”
-
- Matt is shocked. “They
are? Do my parents know?”
-
- Rex nods. “They found
out at the funeral the other day. Guess they haven’t had
a chance to mention it to you, with you sulking in your room
all the time.”
-
- “Funny. You’re
sure it’s the same kid?”
-
- “Yeah, I’m sure.
So you can go back to being the self-absorbed teen you’ve
become and keep all their attention.”
-
- Matt looks down. “I
didn’t mean it like that.”
-
- “Well, that’s how
it comes across. You know how your mom is when she sees someone
who needs help. For once, this wasn’t about you – even
though Nora spends more time worrying about you than she should.”
-
- “I get it, Rex. I’m
a jerk. Kallie said so too.”
-
- “Maybe you oughta listen.”
-
- Lauren opens the door and
walks back into the room. “Everything all right in here?”
-
- Rex slides his chair back.
“We’re good, right?” Matt nods. Rex turns to Lauren.
“Let’s get this dinner packed up. It smells delicious
and I’m starving.”
-
- Rachel and Nora are setting
the table when Bo walks into the kitchen. “What time is
Rex bringing dinner? I’m starving.”
-
- Nora looks at her watch.
“They should be here soon. Any luck with the envelope?”
-
- Bo digs in the fridge and
pulls out a beer. He holds it out to Rachel. “Beer?”
She shakes her head. “Red?” Nora nods and he hands
her the beer before pulling out another for himself and taking
a seat at the table. “We can talk about the envelope later.”
-
- “Do you think it will
help?”
-
- “It’s given me
an idea…”
-
- “Care to share?”
As Nora asks her question, they hear the front door open. “They’re
here. We can talk later.” She makes her way to the living
room, meeting Rex, Lauren and Matt. Nora takes a dish from Matt
and turns toward the kitchen. “Do you need help with anything?”
-
- Lauren follows her into the
kitchen. “We’re all set, I just need to pop this in
the mic and it’s ready to go.” She opens the microwave
and puts the dish inside.
-
- Rex sets a salad on the table
and holds up a loaf of garlic bread. “This could use a few
minutes in the oven.” He walks over and sets the temperature
on the oven and puts the bread inside.
-
- Bo opens the fridge. “Beer,
Balsom?”
-
- He shakes his head. “We
brought wine.”
-
- Lauren digs the bottle out
of the bag she’s carrying and hands it to Bo. “None
for me, though.”
-
- “Would you like a beer
instead?”
-
- “No, thanks. Water is
fine.” Lauren gives Rachel a hug now that her arms are empty.
“How are you doing? It’s good to see you again. I’m
sorry your visit is for such a sad reason.”
-
- Rachel pulls back. “It’s
not the ideal reason for a visit but I’m enjoying being
here for Mom and hanging out with my little brother.”
-
- Matt takes a seat at the
table. “More like trying to boss me around.”
-
- Rachel playfully pinches
his cheek. “I keep telling you, it’s the privilege
of being the older sister. Too bad you don’t have anyone
to take advantage of like that.”
-
- Matt looks at Nora. “I
hear that little girl at the Center is getting adopted.”
-
- Nora nods. “Miki is
getting a home.”
-
- Lauren smiles at Nora. “You’ve
met Miki? Isn’t she the cutest thing?”
-
- Nora smiles. “Yes, she
is. I’m thrilled that Michael and Marcie are adopting her.”
-
- “Marcie is over the
moon. She’s hoping the legal stuff gets taken care of quickly.”
-
- Nora takes a seat. “I’m
going to talk to Andrew this week and see if there’s anything
I can do to hurry it along.”
-
- Matt grins smugly at Nora.
“Guess you’re off the hook.”
-
- Bo frowns at him as he takes
Nora’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “We’re just
happy Miki’s getting a home. Leave it at that, okay?”
-
- Rex can see that an argument
is about to start. “Bo, why don’t you pour the wine?”
He pulls out a chair for Lauren. “Have a seat and I’ll
get the food out of the mic.”
-
- Lauren kisses him before
taking a seat. “Thank you.”
-
- Rex sets the dish on the
table and grabs the bread out of the oven before joining them.
Nora surveys the feast as everyone helps themselves and begins
to eat. “This looks wonderful. Thank you so much for doing
this.”
-
- Lauren shakes her head. “It’s
no trouble, Nora. I wanted to do something for you since you’ve
always been so kind to me.” She takes Rex’s hand. “To
both of us.”
-
- Nora smiles. “So, have
you two decided on a date for the wedding yet?”
-
- Lauren shakes her head. “We’re
still working on that.”
-
- Bo chuckles. “Cold feet
already, Balsom?”
-
- Rex frowns at him. “No…
It’s kinda complicated.”
-
- “What’s so hard?
You choose a season and pick a date.”
-
- Nora frowns at him. “Bo!
If they want to take their time, it’s perfectly okay. We’re
hardly ones to talk about long engagements.” She turns her
attention back to Rex and Lauren. “But whenever you decide
to have your wedding, Bo and I would like to pay for it.”
-
- Bo nearly chokes on his wine.
“We would?”
-
- “Yes, we would.”
-
- Lauren shakes her head. “That’s
not necessary, Nora.”
-
- “Yeah, Mrs. B. You don’t
have to do that.”
-
- She smiles at them. “Of
course I don’t have to, but I want to.” She takes Bo’s
hand. “Rex, you played an important part in our second wedding
and this is my way of saying thank you.”
-
- “I just pointed out
the obvious, that’s all.”
-
- “You did more than that.
And I will never forget what you said. You’re part of this
family, Rex.” She looks at Lauren. “Both of you are.
I’d like you to have the wedding you’ve always dreamed
of and not have to worry about how much it costs.”
-
- Lauren has tears in her eyes.
“That’s very kind of you, Nora. We’re not thinking
of anything extravagant. I’d prefer something small. Especially
given the circumstances…”
-
- Nora smiles. “Well,
I just want you to have a special day, however you define it.”
-
- Bo nods. “Absolutely.
We know all about unconventional weddings, right honey?”
-
- Nora chuckles. “You
don’t have to follow our lead. Just do what makes you happy.”
-
- Rachel stares at Lauren.
“Wait, what do you mean, ‘given the circumstances?’”
-
- Lauren looks at Rex. “Well…”
-
- He takes her hand. “We’re
having a baby!” he blurts out.
-
- Bo nearly chokes on his wine
again. “What?”
-
- Nora lets out a small squeal
as she gets up and hugs both of them. “Congratulations!”
-
- Rachel pulls Lauren into
a hug after Nora releases her. “That’s wonderful news!
When are you due?”
-
- “Mid-November. That’s
why we haven’t decided on a date yet. I’m not sure
if I want to wait until after the baby is born…”
-
- Nora smiles at her. “Either
way, my offer stands. A wedding and a baby! I can’t believe
all this exciting news.”
-
- Lauren grins at Rex. “We
were pretty surprised ourselves.”
-
- Bo smiles. “Congratulations,
Balsom. You’re going to love fatherhood.”
-
- Rex grins. “I’m
going to have so many questions for you, partner!”
-
- Bo shakes his head. “I’m
no expert.”
-
- “You got that right,”
Matt chimes in.
-
- Nora frowns at him. “Matthew!”
-
- “Sorry. I was just kidding.”
-
- Rachel turns to her brother.
“You don’t seem surprised by this. Did you know?”
-
- Matt nods. “I just found
out. Rex told me this afternoon.”
-
- Nora frowns at him. “After
you ran out of the house and left Stevie in the yard?”
-
- “I just needed some
air. And I didn’t invite Stevie over in the first place.”
-
- “That’s no reason
to be rude.”
-
- “I went to the PI office
and hung out with Rex. It’s no big deal.”
-
- “We’ll discuss
that later, young man.”
-
- Matt pushes back from the
table. “I’m going to my room. Thanks for dinner, Lauren.”
-
- “You’re welcome.”
-
- Matt walks out of the room.
Nora stares at Bo. He slowly shakes his head. She turns to Lauren
and Rex. “I’m sorry about his behavior. I hope he wasn’t
too much of a bother this afternoon.”
-
- Rex shakes his head. “We
talked. He’s cool. Just going through a lot right now. He’ll
be okay.”
-
- Nora smiles at him. “Thank
you, Rex. I’m thrilled he’s opening up to someone.
I know you’ve always been close.”
-
- Rex pushes back his chair.
“Let me go talk to him. There’s something I want to
ask him anyway.”
-
- Nora turns her attention
back to Lauren as Rex leaves the room. “So how are you feeling?
Omigosh! This is why you were ill before we left for the ranch,
isn’t it?”
-
- Lauren nods with a smile.
“Yeah, Rex thought I had an endless case of the flu.”
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