Closing Remarks and Epilogue

**I fully intended to have this posted a few weeks ago, but then I got caught up in the STANLEY CUP excitement and then I was away on a little vacation.

When I first started writing this story, I never thought it would amount to all that it has. Without Heart & Soul I never would have met some really incredible friends (especially that girl from Training Camp...). Thanks for following along - I had a lot of fun writing this story and always loved reading your comments. I have a whole file of ideas for new stories, but haven't started writing anything new yet. When I do write something new, I have a feeling it might be a bit different than this one, but I'll be sure to keep you all updated.

Now, onto the epilogue - hope you like it!**

Epilogue

“Babe, I think we’re leaving here in about an hour, so I should be home by 2:30 or so.” Sidney said above the roar of his teammates celebrating and giving post-game interviews. They had just beat Philadelphia, and they were coming home from an eight-day road trip. “I just figured I’d call and say goodnight now since you’ll probably be sleeping by the time I get home. I love you.”

“I love you too, but I’m going to wait up for you tonight. I want to give you your surprise.” Lauren said.

“Lauren, it’ll be the middle of the night. I don’t want you to have to wait up on me. You can give me this big surprise in the morning, can’t you?” Sidney said. She had mentioned this surprise a few times since he had been gone and he was more than intrigued by what his wife of just over sixteen months had in store for him.

“No! I can’t wait any longer!” Lauren said, excitement evident in her voice.

“Any chance you want to tell me what this surprise is?” Sidney asked.

“Nope. You’ll just have to wait until I can tell your handsome self in person.” Lauren said, grinning.

“Okay.” Sidney conceded. “Well, then I’ll see you later tonight. Love you!”

“Love you too! Have a safe flight.”

Lauren decided to make the time go faster by writing some thank you cards. A few weeks earlier, the team had held a fundraising event for PAAR (Pittsburgh Action Against Rape) and there were a lot of donors she wanted to thank. After she was done with that, she spent some time cleaning the house, even though she had already cleaned everything from top to bottom earlier that day. Finally, she heard the garage door go up and a minute later, she heard the door from the garage to the kitchen open.

“Sidney!” She shouted with glee as she jumped off the couch and ran into the kitchen to greet him.

“Hey!” he said, pulling her tightly into his arms and kissing her. “I wasn’t sure you’d still be awake.”

“I told you I have a surprise. It’s very important.” Lauren said.

“Wow, you look serious. Is everything okay?” Sidney asked, his eyes filling with concern.

“Yes, everything’s fine. And I am serious. I think you’re going to like this surprise.”

“I will like anything you have for me. Now that you’ve got me wondering, where is this surprise?” Sidney asked.

“It’s in the living room. Close your eyes.” Sidney did as he was instructed and let her lead him into the living room. She eased him down onto the couch. Lauren stifled a laugh as she watched him for a second. He looked perfectly adorable sitting there with his eyes closed. She straddled his lap and kissed his lips intensely.

“Mmm this is a great surprise.” Sidney said, grinning at her, still keeping his eyes closed.

“Glad you like it stud, but that’s not even your surprise. I just couldn’t resist.” She said, kissing him again.

A moment later, she sat down next to him on the couch and placed a large box in his lap. “Okay, open your eyes.”

Sidney opened his eyes to find a beautifully wrapped box with a big bow on the outside. “What is this? It’s not my birthday or our anniversary or anything.”

“I don’t need an excuse to get my husband a present. Now open it!” she urged.

“Someone’s a little excited.” Sidney said, taking his time pulling the bow off. When he opened the box, he pulled back the tissue paper to reveal what looked like one of his jerseys wrapped around a rectangular object.

“What is this?” he asked with a smile.

“Just take it out of the box.”

He did as she instructed and when he pulled the jersey out of the box he realized two things: 1) the rectangular object was a picture frame, and 2) the jersey was very tiny. Very, very tiny.

He held the jersey out in front of him and looked at her with a questioning glance. When he saw the way her eyes were sparkling with tears, something in his brain clicked. “Is this-? Are you-? I mean, are we having…?”

“It might be a little big at first, but I think he or she will grow into it.” Lauren said quietly, placing a hand protectively over her stomach.

“We’re having a baby?” Sidney asked, tears springing to his eyes. Lauren nodded and threw her arms around him as he pulled her into his lap and kissed her.

“Alert the press - Sid the kid is going to have a kid of his own.” Lauren said, tears streaming from her eyes.

“This is the best surprise ever! I love you so much.” Sidney said, kissing her again. “And I love you too.” He said, leaning down to kiss her belly. “I can’t believe this! I couldn’t be happier.”

Lauren laughed as he kissed her belly again. “Is it a boy or a girl?” Sidney asked excitedly.

“Right now…it’s just a baby. We won’t know for a little bit yet. Do you have a preference?”

“That’s tough. Of course I want a boy to play hockey with. But a little girl could play hockey too – maybe she could be a goalie like Taylor. I guess I want both…boys and girls. Lots of them.”

“Well, let’s start with this little one and we can work our way up to that starting lineup you’ve imagined.”

“I like that plan.” Sidney said, kissing her again.

“Aren’t you going to ask about the picture?” Lauren asked.

“The picture? Oh, yeah. I forgot about it for a minute.” Sidney said, picking up the frame. The picture was of the two of them, and it had been taken at a charity event a few weeks earlier.

“This is a great picture.” Sidney said, admiring their happy faces but not quite understanding why she was giving it to him.

“That picture, Mr. Crosby, is the first known picture of our family.”

Sidney’s eyes lit up as more tears fell down his cheeks. “In that case, this is the most beautiful picture I have ever seen. How did you know?”

“Well, after my doctor’s appointment on Monday, I did some math and figured out that this would’ve been taken a few days after we got pregnant. I was thinking you might want to hang it up in your stall. That way, you can look at your family any time you want, even if we keep this secret between us for a while.” Lauren explained with a smile.

Sidney kissed her again and rested his forehead against hers. “My family. Now I really have it all.”

Chapter 87

A year passed. Sidney and Lauren settled into their new home, frequently having the team over to celebrate wins. They still spent most of the summer at the house on the lake in Nova Scotia, but Pittsburgh was their true home. They had decided on a June wedding, after the season was over.

A few days before the wedding, friends and family started arriving in town. The day before the wedding, Lauren spent most of the day being pampered, getting a manicure and a pedicure with her bridesmaids and Sidney’s mom, her mom, and Nathalie. After the rehearsal dinner, the ladies and Sidney arrived back at Sidney and Lauren’s house. Sidney had to pack his bag because he was going to stay at the Lemieux’s for the night, since Lauren wouldn’t break tradition and let him see her before the wedding.

While the rest of the women looked through takeout menus to determine where they were going to order a late-night pizza from, Sidney stole Lauren away and they went upstairs to their bedroom for a few minutes alone.

“Baby, are you sure I have to go? I’m going to miss you too much.” Sidney said, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her neck.

“I’m going to miss you too. Hopefully tonight goes by really fast. I hate the idea of sleeping all by myself when you’ll only be a few blocks away.”

“I don’t have to go, you know.” Sidney said, a hopeful smile on his face.

“It’s tradition. You, of all people, should understand that. If you get to grow that awful scruffy playoff beard every year, then I get to have my wedding traditions.”

“I sure hope your wedding traditions include a traditional wedding night.” Sidney said, continuing to kiss her neck and the sensitive skin behind her ear.

“It wouldn’t be right if we didn’t finish the wedding night off right, would it?” Lauren said, smiling into his lips.

“No, babe, it would be terribly wrong.”

They continued standing there for a few minutes, whispering back and forth and stealing kisses. Finally, Sidney looked at the alarm clock and sighed. “I should get going. Mario and my dad will be wondering where I’m at.”

“Five more minutes…they’ll understand if you’re late. You’re the groom, after all.”

“I like the way you think.” Sidney said, pulling her even closer against his body.

Five minutes passed and pretty soon they were both sulking as they continued to kiss each other good bye.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Sidney murmured in between kisses.

“Promise?” Lauren said, looking at him. “I mean, you’re not going to go fall in love with someone else tonight, are you?”

Sidney smiled. “Babe, think about it. It took me 21 years to find you. Do you really think I’m capable of finding someone else that’s willing to put up with me overnight?”

“I think you’re capable of anything.”

“Well then just keep in mind that I am absolutely, positively, crazy in love with you and it would be impossible for me to ever find someone else who makes me feel the way you do.”

“I love you. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.” She said, kissing him again.

“I love you too. And I can’t wait to see you either. Have a good night.” Sidney replied, kissing her softly on the lips.

“You too. Sweet dreams.”

“That shouldn’t be too hard with you as my muse.” Sidney smiled, kissing her one last time before picking up his bag and leading her downstairs.

They kissed one more time at the door, causing a chorus of “awwws” from the women in the house. “Good night everyone! I will see all of you beautiful ladies tomorrow!” Sidney called out.

“Bye baby.” Sidney whispered to Lauren, kissing her forehead one last time.

Lauren closed the door behind him and turned around with a heavy sigh.

“I think we’ll need to make sure all the doors and windows are locked tonight so that boy doesn’t try to sneak back in. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone so smitten.” Nathalie chuckled. The rest of the women nodded in agreement.

“At least you don’t seem nervous.” Leanna observed. “Remember the day before my wedding? I was a wreck.”

“I don’t feel nervous, just excited. I can’t wait to marry that man.” Lauren said wistfully.

The next morning, Lauren woke up and opened the curtains to find the sun shining in the perfectly blue sky.

She picked up her phone off the nightstand and dialed the first speed dial. He answered before the second ring.

“Babe? Are you okay? What’s wrong?” Sidney said, his voice filled with panic and concern.

Lauren smiled, even though he couldn’t see her. “I’m fine. Everything’s fine. I just missed you and I wanted to say good morning.”

“Oh.” Sidney said in relief. “I thought it was bad luck for the bride to talk to the groom before the wedding.”

“I think it’s only bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding. And since you can’t see me, we’re good to go. I just wanted to hear your voice.” Lauren explained.

“You’re not getting cold feet, are you?” Sidney asked, a hint of teasing in his voice.

“No way. I’m just anxious to see you, that’s all.”

“I’m anxious to see you too. I just can’t even imagine how beautiful you’re going to look. Who am I kidding? You always look beautiful.”

“You’re sweet. Hopefully I’ll live up to your expectations.”

Sidney laughed. “You’ve already surpassed them. I guess I should let you go now so you and the ladies can get all dolled up.”

“See you at the church. Love you.”

“Love you too. I can’t wait to see you coming down that aisle.”

“Was that Sidney you were talking to? Couldn’t stay away, could you?” Lauren’s mom asked, appearing in the doorway.

“Yeah, I just wanted to say good morning and talk to him for a few minutes.”

“Well it looks like he couldn’t stop thinking about you either. Jordan dropped these off a few minutes ago.” Her mom said, producing a dozen pink roses from behind her back. “I guess Sidney sent him over with them. Here’s the card.” Her mom said, handing her an envelope and leaving the roses on the dresser before exiting the room.

Lauren smiled and bent down to smell the fragrant flowers before opening the envelope.

Lauren,

These are the last flowers I will ever send to my fiancée. From now on, I’ll be sending them to my wife. I love the sound of that. I am so excited for our life together. I can’t wait to see you later today.

Love you forever, Sidney

Lauren sent Sidney a quick text message.

The flowers are gorgeous – thank you. I can’t wait for the next time you send some. ;)

Just wanted you to know I was thinking of you – as I always am. See you at 2!!!! J J

Lauren headed downstairs to start the day with mimosas and French toast with the ladies before heading off to the salon to have her hair and makeup done. After that, she returned home to finish packing her overnight bag. She and Sidney were staying in the honeymoon suite at the Omni William Penn hotel downtown that night, and then leaving for their honeymoon in Europe a few days later.

Meanwhile, Sidney had spent the day relaxing at the Lemieux’s and even played some hockey in the driveway with Austin and Colby and Jordan.

“So you sure you’re ready to do this, man? After today, there’s no turning back.” Colby said.

“That’s exactly the way I want it. Besides, I’m sure your wife would like hearing your wonderful outlook on marriage.”

“Mel would just roll her eyes at me, just like she always does. But seriously, it’s not so bad. She even still lets me hang out with my friends sometimes.”

Sidney rolled his eyes. “I’m getting married – not going to prison. Besides, Lauren loves my friends. If she ever tried to keep me away, that would mean she’d have to stay away from you guys too, and I don’t think she could ever do that.”

“Yeah, she does love me, doesn’t she?” Jordan said, that infamous smirk on his face.

“I don’t know…Austin here might give you a run for your money. She goes to quite a few of his games and practices.”

“Maybe she has a crush on you, Austin.” Colby said, causing Austin to blush profusely.

“Go Austin! Dude, she’s hot.” Jordan said, high-fiving him.

“Hey! That’s my almost-wife you’re talking about!” Sidney exclaimed.

“Dude, she is hot.” Colby agreed.

“How would you like it if we talked about how hot your wife is?”

“I would join in. Have you seen her? She’s gorgeous.” Colby said proudly.

“Fair enough. I think we better get inside and hit the showers.” Sidney said, looking at his watch.

“We have plenty of time, bro.” Colby said.

“I don’t want to be late to my own wedding!” Sidney said, his cheeks turning pink.

“Are you nervous?” Colby asked, staring him down.

“Nope. Just excited.” Sidney said, giving him a lopsided grin. “Today’s going to be the best day ever.”

After they gathered up everything they needed from the house, the women headed down to the church to get dressed right before the ceremony. As Liz and Leanna helped Lauren into her dress, she couldn’t keep the smile off her face.

“I’ve never seen a bride so calm before her wedding.” Lauren’s mom said.

“What is there to be nervous about? Unless Sidney’s not here yet, in which case I’m just going to kill him.” Lauren said.

Her mom chuckled. “He’s here. I saw him a few minutes ago.”

“You did? How’s he look? What did he say?” Lauren fired questions.

Her mom smiled. “He looks dashing, as he always does. That man and his groomsmen certainly wear tuxedos well. And I just saw him from across the room, so he didn’t say anything – he just smiled. It seemed like he was just excited to get the show on the road.”

“Well, let’s not keep him waiting any longer.” Lauren said, waving her mother out of the room to be seated.

Sidney stood up at the front of the church, with Colby at his side and Jack right next to him. He couldn’t choose between them, and Lauren couldn’t choose between Leanna and Liz, so in the end they decided to have two best men and two maids (or in Leanna’s case, matron) of honor. Jordan and Lauren’s brother Jake were the groomsmen, and Beth and Taylor were the bridesmaids.

As the bridesmaids made their way down the aisle, Sidney got more and more anxious. Not that he didn’t enjoy being surrounded by his friends and family, but at that moment, there was only one person in the world he wanted to see. People always talk about how little girls dream of their wedding day, but Sidney had been dreaming of this day for a long time too. When he first broke into the NHL and exploded into fame, he couldn’t help but think how difficult it would be for him to meet someone who loved him for who he was and not his occupation. He could’ve never imagined it would be as easy as lending his shampoo to a charming girl after practice one day.

Now his life was perfect. They had been through a lot together, but she had never left his side. She held him in her arms and kissed him when they lost, and lost her voice cheering for him when he went on scoring streaks. Lauren waited up for him when he came home from long road trips, and sat proudly next to him as they rode down the streets of Pittsburgh in the Stanley Cup victory parade. She understood him better than anyone, and he understood her too. He could sense when she wanted to talk and when she just wanted to sit in silence. He knew when to wrap his arms around her and when to give her some space. He knew all her favorites, what her dreams were, and how to make her eyes light up. They weren’t each other’s ‘other half’, because each of them were whole before they met, but they completed each other, made each other better, stronger, happier.

The music changed and the minister motioned for everyone to stand. Colby patted Sidney on the back, but Sidney’s concentration was focused completely on the doors in the back of the church, that were slowly being opened to reveal the woman who would be his future, his life, his true love, his heart and soul.

The End

**So, don't hate me. It had to end sometime, so it's only fitting that it should be done with chapter 87 :). And there's an epilogue coming. I think you'll like it.**

Chapter 86

A week later, Sidney and Lauren moved into their new house.  Most of the furniture had been delivered and they had been gradually packing up their personal belongings from their houses.  When Sidney had a few days off in a row, they packed up and with the help of Marc, Vero, Jordan, Max, Liz and both Lauren and Sidney’s families, they got their stuff moved in and most of it unpacked.  After Lauren and Sidney thanked them profusely, their families and friends went home and Sidney and Lauren sat down on the couch.  Sidney pulled Lauren close to his body and she rested her head on his shoulder. 

          “Hey Lauren?”

          “Hmm?” 

          “Welcome home.”

          She grinned and lifted her head to see his face.  “You too, darlin’.” 

          They sat in silence for a moment, each of them taking in their new surroundings.

          “Well, we don’t have cable yet, and we don’t have internet yet, and we forgot the DVD player in your room, so we’re kind of limited on things to do this evening.”  Lauren remarked.

          “Good, because I was hoping we could just go straight to bed.”  Sidney answered.

          Lauren raised an eyebrow at him.  “Oh, really?” she said with a smirk.

          He wiggled his eyebrows up and down at her.  “Yeah.”  He said in a husky voice.  “Because…I’m completely exhausted.”  He finished.

          She laughed.  “Oh, good.  I didn’t know how much longer I could keep my eyes open.” 

          They went upstairs to their bedroom and found some pajamas to change into.  As they were curled up in bed, they whispered quietly back and forth to each other. 

Neither could explain why they always whispered, especially know that no one else was even in the house to hear them, but they liked to whisper to each other, as if they were telling important secrets.  Eventually, their whispering died off as they both fell asleep. 

          They woke up in the morning to the sun blaring at them through the large bay window.  “First thing on the agenda today is to get some curtains for that bloody window.”  Sidney groaned, covering his eyes with his arm. 

          “Agreed.” Lauren groaned in response, burying her face against the side of Sidney’s body. 

          “So how did you sleep during our first night in the new house?”  Sidney asked.

          “Mmm wonderfully.  But that’s kind of a silly question.  I always sleep well when you’re next to me.  It’s when you’re gone that I toss and turn.”

          “I always feel like I’m forgetting something when I climb into a strange hotel bed alone.  Then I just start missing you even more.  A year and a half ago, if you had said I’d be so dependent on someone else, I’d have laughed at you.  But now I hate being away from you.”

          “I know exactly what you mean.  But somehow you’re going to have to manage without me for a few hours today.” Lauren said.

          Sidney turned on his side so he could face her.  “What do you mean?” he pouted.

          “I have to go out for a few hours with Liz.”

          “Do you have to go?”

          Lauren smiled and ruffled his hair.  “Yes, I have to go." she said, mimicking him, "We have things to do and besides, I have a surprise for you.”

          “What is it?” He demanded.

          “If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise, would it?”  She smirked.

          “You’re not playing nice.” 

          “You’re always surprising me.  Can’t I surprise you? Just this once? Please?”

          “I hate it when you do that.  You know you always win.” Sidney sighed, but he had a smile on his face.

          “I know.  That’s why I save this pouty face for special occasions.” She said, satisfied with her victory.  “Besides, be good today and I’ll let you win later.”

          “Promise?”

          “Promise.” She confirmed, kissing his lips before climbing out of bed and heading toward the shower.

          An hour later, Lauren grabbed her purse off the table and called out to Sidney that she was leaving.

          “Bye! I love you!” she called, not realizing he was just around the corner.

          “When will you be back?”

          “Probably around dinner time.  How about I come home and pick you up and we’ll go out somewhere?”

          “Okay.  Have fun today.  I love you.”  He said, kissing her cheek before retreating to the living room.

          Lauren met Liz at a café for lunch.  “So how was the first night in the new house?”  Liz asked, wiggling her eyebrows up and down.

          Lauren laughed.  “We collapsed on the couch as soon as you guys left.  We were asleep in bed about an hour later.”

          “No worries – you have a lifetime to break that house in.”

          “Is that all you think about? You’ve been spending too much time around the boys.”  Lauren chuckled.  “Speaking of boys, what did you and Jordy-poo do last night after you left?”

          “Sat around at my house playing with Sam.  I’m going to miss him.  Are you sure I have to give him back to Sidney?”

          Lauren laughed.  “You can come visit him anytime you want.  But yes, I think Sidney will want his dog back.  He loves him.”

          After they finished lunch, they settled the bill and stepped out into the sunlight.  “Ready to shop?”

          “Of course!”

          They spent the afternoon picking up supplies for the dog and odds and ends for the house.  Around four o’clock, Lauren and Liz were relaxing in a coffee shop when Sidney called.

          “Hey babe.  When are you coming home?” he asked.

          “A little anxious for your surprise, are we?” 

          “Well, I have a surprise of my own.  Actually, Jordan and I have a surprise for both of you.” 

          Lauren looked over at Liz with a confused expression and Liz looked just as confused.

          “Uh oh.  You two are trouble.”

          “You’ll like it…I hope.  But I gotta go get things ready.  What time do you think you’ll be here?”

          “Is five-thirty okay?” 

          “Sounds perfect.  See you then.  Love you.”

          “Love you too.”

          The girls finished their shopping and picked up Sam at Liz’s apartment and then it was time to head back to the house.

          “So you have no idea what this surprise is either?”  Lauren asked as they pulled in the driveway.

          “I have no clue.  I didn’t even know Jordan was over here.”

          “Okay, can you go in and ask them to come out?  Make up a reason.”  Lauren said.

          When Liz got to the front door, there was a note attached to it.

          Beautiful ladies,

          Please knock before you come in. Thanks!

          Love, your handsome men 

          Liz laughed and knocked loudly on the door.  A moment later, the door opened a little bit and Sidney peaked his head around the corner.

          “Where’s Lauren?”  Sidney asked.

          “She’s around in the driveway.  Can you guys come help us bring some stuff in from the car?”

          “Uhh, yeah.  Just give us like two minutes.”  Sidney said, and promptly closed the door in her face.

          “Ooookay…”  Liz chuckled to herself and went back around to the driveway where Lauren was waiting with Sam. 

          A few minutes later, they heard the boys coming around the corner and Lauren straightened the bow around Sam’s neck. 

          Sidney froze in his steps when he saw his dog and Sam immediately took off running towards him.  

          “SAM! Hey buddy! What are you doing here?” Sidney said, wrestling Sam to the ground and hugging him.  Sidney looked up and saw Lauren smiling down at him.  

          “I thought since we have our own house here now that you’d want your ol' pal here with you too.” 

          “How did you get him here?”  Sidney asked in disbelief.

          “Your parents brought him down when they came down last week.  He’s been at Liz’s.”

          “He’s a great dog, Sid.  I loved having him around.”  Liz spoke up, and Jordan shook his head in agreement.

          “You knew about this?” Sidney exclaimed, looking at Jordan.

          “Well, yeah.  Why do you think I was spending so much time at Liz’s?”

          “I thought it was because you wanted to spend time with her!”

          “Well, of course,” Jordan said, blushing shyly at Liz, “but we could’ve hung out together at my place too.”

          Sidney stood up and brushed himself off and threw a stick for Sam to retrieve.  “You are incredible.  Thank you so much for doing this.” He said, pulling Lauren into his arms and kissing her passionately, not caring that Jordan and Liz were standing right there.

          “So is this is an acceptable surprise then?” Lauren said, kissing the tip of his nose. 

          “It’s perfect.  I got my girl here, my dog here, what more could a man want?”

          “How about some dinner?  I’m starving.”  Lauren grinned.

          “DINNER! CRAP!” Jordan and Sidney both said in unison, running back into the house.

          Liz and Lauren exchanged a look and laughed at the two boys.  Lauren called for Sam and went inside.  As soon as they opened the door, they could hear the smoke alarm going off.  Panicked, they ran into the kitchen to find Jordan and Sidney pulling something burnt out of the oven.

          “Dude, I think it’s done.”  Jordan said, waving his hand through the smoke over the pan.

          “Yeah, I certainly think so too.”  Sidney groaned.

          “Babe?” Lauren said, trying not to smile.

          Sidney looked at her with a sullen expression on his face.

          “Some surprise…” he mumbled with a heavy sigh.

          “What is it?  Or rather, what was it?” Liz asked, earning a glare from Jordan.        

          “It was homemade stuffed shells.  We were going to surprise you with dinner that we made all by ourselves.  But now it’s ruined.” Sidney said, sulking down in the chair.

          Lauren walked over and sat down in his lap.  “I love you, you know that? This was so thoughtful of you.”

          “Yeah, burning your dinner is just so thoughtful.”

          Lauren laughed and Sidney scowled at her.  “Baby, this place wouldn’t feel like home until there was at least one dinner ruined.  So you made this place feel even more like home.  Home sweet home.”

          “Yeah, I guess.” Sidney said, still sulking.

          “I’m proud of you.  And this was really thoughtful and I am very touched that you two worked so hard to do this for us.  And unless my eyes are playing tricks on me, it looks like there is still a delicious looking cake sitting over there on the counter.  Is that chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting?”  Lauren said, smiling at him.

          Sidney nodded, looking very much like a little boy.  “Your favorite.” He said quietly.

          Lauren kissed him.  “You’re my favorite.  But yes, that is my favorite cake.  And the fact that you and Jordy made it makes it even that much more special.  Thank you.”

          “You’re welcome.”  Sidney said, finally smiling.  “But now what the heck are we going to do about dinner?”

          “Well, we’re all adults, right?”  Lauren looked around at each of them, and they nodded in agreement.  “And adults get to make their own decisions about what they do, and what they eat for dinner, right?”  More head nods.  “In that case, I say we have cake for dinner.”

          “You’re a crazy woman.”  Jordan said as Lauren put the cake in the middle of the table and handed each of them a fork.

          “Maybe,” she grinned.  “But are you telling me that you aren’t going to eat this beautiful looking cake too?”

          “Well, of course I’m going to eat it!” he exclaimed, digging his fork in and stuffing a huge bite of cake into his mouth.  Sidney, Liz, and Lauren all laughed and dug their own forks into the cake.