by: Music Diamond
"Šand they lived happily ever after." Kevin concluded, shutting the book.
"That was great daddy." said little Michelle from his lap.
"Yeah, it was pretty good." said Jacquie, interested in spite of herself.
"You and mommy are just like the prince and princess in the story." exclaimed Michelle, "only mommy and you are much handsomer." she looked adoringly at her father and mother.
"Yeah, a modern day fairy tale." Jacquie said dryly, "But, Michelle you ARE right when you say they're better looking than the people in the book."
Both Kevin and Leah, their mother blushed and laughed.
"HmmŠ You two are certainly romantic enough for the story, but it isn't exactly all perfect and happy is it?" Sam came out of the shadows, "I mean, Dad, you gave up your career and then Mom couldn't have children and-"
"Sam." said Kevin, cutting him off.
Michelle looked at everyone around the room. Mommy had a pained look on her face, Daddy seemed sad, and Sam looked angry. I don1t understand why everyone is so upset, even Mommy is upset, and Mommy never gets upset.
Jacquie, older than Michelle, had more understanding of why everyone was so upset. Damn, she thought, why did Sam have to go and get Mom and Dad upset again? Can't he just leaving things, he couldn't just leave without sending Dad on a guilt trip? I know Sam's upset that Dad can't afford to have him go to Harvard, but he has no right.
"Shut up Sam." Jacquie said sharply.
"I-I think you should go to bed now." said Leah shakily, "You've stayed up long enough."
Michelle dutifully went up to sleep, and Jacquie followed, seeing that they needed to talk. Even Sam didn't feel like rebelling, and went to sleep too.
"We'd better go to bed too." Leah stood up and went to their bedroom.
Kevin, after turning out the lights, found Leah in her nightgown looking as beautiful as when he first met her 5 years ago.
"LeahŠ" he whispered, wrapping his arms around her waist.
"Kevin, Sam is right, because I got so illŠ"
"Don't speak like thatŠ"
"No." she twisted around to face him in his embrace. "if I hadn't gotten so ill, you never would have dropped out of the Backstreet Boys, to take care of me-"
"What else would you expect me to do?" he asked, gently pushing a stray hair from her face, "You were my fiancée. I love you."
"See? You felt OBLIGATED to be with me. And then, when I got well, I found out we couldn't even have children." she bit her lip as tears started to form.
Kevin watched silently as she turned away and walked to the window. "Leah, I didn't feel obligated to be with you, I chose to. It was my choice."
"But if you had stayed, you might have had the money we need for Sam's education." she stopped suddenly, realizing what she'd just said, "Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't meanŠI mean it was my fault too. When I became ill, I lost my modeling contract andŠit was all my fault. Who knows what you might have done, had it not been for me." A tear trickled down her cheek.
"Leah, it was NOT your fault. If I hadn't dropped out, you might have died-not that I'm saying I played such a huge part in your recoveryŠ"
"You did." she turned quickly, "I never would have made it without you. When I lost the contract, I lost my career. I wasn't prepared for that, and I thought I'd lost everything. But you-you were there for meŠ" she trailed off.
"As for Sam's education, I really wish I had the money to send him to Harvard too. He deserves it, they all do." he looked down.
"What are we going to do when Jacquie has to go? I would try to find a job, but," she laughed a bitter laugh, "there aren't many openings for one armed, impaired people like me."
"DarlingŠ"
Leah whirled around to face him, "Can you honestly say that even after all the trouble I caused, you still care? Even after you gave up a career to die for, all your money, the chance of ever having a flesh-and-blood child, and probably a cushy life with some perfect wife who doesn't care what you do, all for me? To have a hard job, hard labor, have to take care of me, to live in a small house and not even have the money to send your child to one of the finest colleges in the country? Can you honestly say you have no regrets?"
Kevin looked down into the eyes of the one he loved so much, the eyes that held so much pain that he felt his heart breaking, and the eyes that would never see the handsomeness of their adopted son, and the beauty of Jacquie-the eyes he'd given up everything for. He touched her cheek and said in a gentle but firm voice,
"I have no regrets."