Always There

Welcoming the husband you kicked out for cheating on you back into your home when you've been guilty of the same deed, is never an easy task. It's easier said than done, as the adage goes.

A few days after Billie Joe left, Maria called Mitch and asked him to come over when he got out of work, which ended up being closer to seven in the evening. She had him sit down with her in the kitchen. She poured him a cup of coffee just the way he always liked it; cream and one sugar.

"So, what's the special occasion?" he wondered, leaning back in his chair and bringing the coffee mug to his lips.

"To talk."

"Well, clearly. Talk about what?"

Maria sat down across from him and leaned forward a little, just holding her own mug. Licking her lips she looked down at the steaming brown liquid. "About me. And Billie Joe."

Mitch sighed and rolled his eyes. "Great. What about him?"

"After I...asked you to leave, Olivia called him. She was upset. I was, too. I felt really stressed. And Billie showed up and helped Olivia deal with the problems she'd been having in school. But then we were talking. I...was talking mostly, about how I was feeling and he let me cry on his shoulder," Maria began, half-lying about it all. "One thing led to another."

Mitch quirked his eyebrow at that. "One thing led to another, huh? D'ya fuck him?"

Surprised by her husband's bluntness, she looked him in the eye and frowned. "We slept together, yes."

"Well, we're separated right now, so it's water under the bridge. You do your thing, I do mine."

"It doesn't end there, Mitch."

His blue eyes narrowed as he set down his mug. "What's that mean?"

"I'm eight weeks pregnant."

"He the father?"

Maria nodded. "Yes. And he's been here a few times since then. In March when I told him I was pregnant. He flew out so I could tell him in person. Then Olivia went out to spend Easter with him, which you already knew, but then he just left two days ago. He went with me to my first doctor's visit."

"You still sleeping together?"

"No," she shook her head. But then she tilted her head at Mitch. "Are you still sleeping with whatserface?"

Mitch shook his head. "No."

They stared at each other for a few moments until Maria sighed and offered a small smile. "The boys miss having you around."

"They've seen me on the weekends."

"It's not the same, Mitch. They need you." Gathering her courage, she reached her hand across the table and held onto his. "I need you too."

"Do you? Do you really?" he asked, as if making sure.

"Yes. I want you to move back in, just...from now on, we need to be open and honest at all times with each other."

"Starting now?"

"Well, yeah," Maria nodded.

"Alright. I'll go first," he commented, confusing her. What the hell was he gonna admit? "This baby of yours...it's not mine. Never will be. I understand you sleeping with Billie Joe, given the circumstance surrounding it. But you got yourself knocked up. And this is your child to raise. I will support it, financially. I'll be there if it needs me, but I'll be doing it for you."

Maria nodded, forcing an understanding smile.

"There's still a little over three months left on this trial separation, so me moving back in can be like a test run of working out our problems. See if we can come to some sort of settlement, for lack of a better word." Mitch leaned forward as well and lifted Maria's hand, kissing the back of it. "I love you, Temperance. Don't get me wrong. I know I'm a fucking prick sometimes, but I was raised here in New York where everything's more fast-paced, in-your-face, get-the-fuck-outta-my-way-or-I'll-push-you-out-in-front-of-a-moving-taxi."

Maria smirked. "Got that right. But, that's what initially attracted me to you. That hardass who didn't take 'no' for an answer. Who knew what he wanted and knew how to get it. I liked it."

Smiling, his blue eyes sparkled with slight mischief. "And you're the only woman who's ever been able to call my bluffs and knock me off my high horse."

"Yeah, well, what can I say? I'm good like that."

* * *

So, as it was, Mitch moved back in that weekend. But of course his mother saw to it that she was there when he did, throwing out her condescending remarks at Maria in a way that sounded like she was trying to play nice and in a way that always seemed to go over Mitch's head. Maria simply bit her tongue and flashed Ruth Conner a faux smile the entire time. Why couldn't her father-in-law be there to come to her rescue like he usually did?

To make matters worse, Mitch had told his mother about Maria having Billie Joe's baby. Just another reason for the old coot to think Maria was unworthy of her 'golden boy who could do no wrong.' She practically idolized her son like Scott Peterson's mother idolized him even when he was found guilty of murdering his wife and unborn baby.

Shit.

That didn't sound pleasant anytime soon. Especially since she was pregnant.

On top of the moving-back-in bustle and dealing with the bitch-in-law, Maria was also trying to handle a moody preteen who had just gotten her first period. The house was crazy again, to say the least. As if Maria really wanted to deal with everyone else's problems when her body was changing and she was having her own pregnancy hormonal mood swings. And the cravings for odd things at different hours of the day and night.

Then, a few days before the opening night of Olivia's school musical, Maria got a call from Billie Joe, informing her that when he came to see the show, Adrienne and his boys would be with him.

Great.

So now there was mother-in-law from hell, husband, her sons, moody daughter, pregnancy, and Billie Joe's wife. Could it get any more crazy?

Yes.

Let's throw her parents into the mix; her parents that had flown in from San Diego to see their granddaughter's musical. Thank God they had the decency to stay at a hotel. But it was nice to see her mom and dad, enjoying their company during the day while they visisted her at home. One of the days before the musical's first show, Maria's dad stayed at her house to watch Nate while her and her mom went shopping in the city.

"When were you planning on telling your own mother that she was gonna be a grandmother for a sixth time?" Lynn Cevallos wondered. "What with the three you already have and Catcher's two..."

"I was gonna tell you, just...didn't know how."

"Very simple," Lynn began shuffling through a rack of blouses in a Soho boutique. "You pick up the phone, dial my number and say, 'Hey mom, Mitch and I are having another baby.'"

"It's not that simple, mom."

"Why's that? You start speaking Japanese the moment you pick up a phone? So, send me an email."

"Mom," Maria looked her mother in the eye, touching the older woman's shoulder. "The baby isn't Mitch's."

Lynn quirked an eyebrow. "Really now? Temp...what has been going on in your life?"

She was thankful her mom never got on her case about things like this and gave her the space she needed when it came to discussing her problems. "I slept with Billie Joe on New Years and...several times after that. It wasn't until after I told Mitch to leave and when Billie Joe flew out here to help Liv that one of the nights we spent together, kinda...sealed the deal."

"Does he know?"

"Yeah, I told him in March, after I found out. He flew back when I called him, asking him to come."

Lynn grinned. "He sure came alright," she joked.

"Mom!" Maria whined. "There is no couth with you, is there?"

"Well, c'mon...that boy has soldier sperm. Doesn't matter if you were using protection or not, his boys get the job done."

Maria grimaced. "Ladies and gentlemen, my mother."

"Honey, I'm not trying to tease you on purpose, it's just...kinda funny. I mean, remember when you were trying to have another baby right after Nathan was born, and then you had that miscarriage? You thought you were at fault? That you'd become infertile. Turns out it must've been Mitch all the while, because the moment Billie Joe comes back into your life and sleeps with you, you're pregnant," Lynn explained. "So, like I said. Soldier sperm. And he has two of his own, right?"

Maria nodded. "Yeah. Two boys."

"There ya go. Billie Joe is a baby factory."

"No, I would be the baby factory. He's just the supplier. The...sperm donor, if you will," Maria smiled.

Lynn smiled back. "See? I'm getting a smile out of you."

"Yeah, well, don't get used to it. When Billie Joe shows up for the musical, his wife and sons are coming with him. So, imagine how exicted I am."

"Eh...don't worry about it."

"How do you honestly expect me to do that?"

"Well, when I ran into Billie a couple years ago in San Diego when I was with Kelly, he mentioned to me how him and his wife wanted a daughter someday. And from the looks of it, that hasn't happened for them. But you gave him a daughter, and you never know, with this baby on the way, he might be dishing out all the X chromosones to you."

Maria just rolled her eyes and smacked her mother's arm, playfully. "Whatever, mom. Let's get out of here. I need to start eyeing maternity wear."