One Night...

Chapter 26

The day they saw the Palisades house, Andrew called his realtor and made an offer, and after a day of negotiations, he got the house. It went under contract, and Andrew was thrilled. He brought Shane and Ryland to see the house, as well as his best friends Matt and Caleb, and everyone was on board, thrilled with how everything was falling into place for the red-headed cameraman and his new family.

Scarlett was too, although she still wasn't sure what to do about her own living situation. She thought she may confide in Andrew's mom when she came to visit, hoping Kara would be able to give her some insight. Scarlett couldn't deny how badly she wanted to live with Andrew and the baby and for all three of them to be together every day. But there was something in the back of her head that told her it was just too soon to move in with her boyfriend, no matter the situation with the Bean. Scarlett had always tried to do everything the "right" way, and she told herself that just because she'd gotten pregnant, that didn't mean she had to abandon all of her previous beliefs. However, Scarlett's heart was telling her to move in and fully embrace life with Andrew, knowing being with him was the happiest she'd ever been in her life. She was so torn, and so she continued to put off the decision.

It was Thursday morning and Andrew's mom was due to get into town that evening. Scarlett had work but she'd planned to leave early to meet up with them for dinner. Andrew was going to pick Kara up from the airport, and she had insisted on staying in a hotel, even though both Scarlett and Andrew had told her it wasn't necessary and she could easily stay at his apartment. He saw his mom coming out of the airport, and he hopped out of his car, waving her over and rushing over to grab her bag. She threw her arms around her only son, tears pricking as she saw him. Kara adored Andrew, and while she knew how much it annoyed him, she couldn't help but gush and dote on him every time she saw her sweet red-headed boy.

"Andrew! Hi sweetie!" Kara called, and Andrew smiled a little as he loaded her suitcase into his trunk, opening her door for her as she climbed in. As they drove off, Kara looked around. "I'm surprised you didn't bring Shane or Garrett or someone along with you," she said with a laugh. "I don't think I've ever seen you driving around alone since you moved here." Andrew nodded a little. "Well, I don't know, I just wanted to, you know, have time to chat and stuff." Kara beamed as he pulled onto the freeway, headed to her hotel so she could drop her stuff.

"You're looking great, son," Kara gushed. "How are you feeling?" Andrew smiled. "I'm good, you know, Shane and I haven't been going as full-throttle on work as normally, we're trying to chill out a bit with the wedding coming up and then, you know, with the baby and everything I have going on." Kara nodded approvingly. "That's good, dear. I really think that's important for you to focus on your personal life a bit. You and Scarlett are about to have a big life change with the baby coming. And you've already experienced a lot of other big life changes," she said pointedly, and Andrew shook his head in agreement. "Boy, you're not exaggerating there," he said wryly, and Kara smiled.

"How are you handling all these changes? I mean, I know how thrilled you are about the baby, and how pleased you are that you and Scarlett are together. But, you know, still. It's a big thing, having a serious girlfriend, having a baby on the way. Your life did a total 180. It would be OK if you weren't completely ready for it all," Kara said with a smile, trying to encourage her son to talk about his feelings and emotions. Andrew sighed a little, thinking about it. "Well, honestly, I am ready for it. Forever, all I've done is focus on work. I always wanted all this... well, maybe not the baby," he corrected himself, laughing a little, "but someone like Scarlett, you know, someone in my life to love. Like, that was something I let slide for a long time thinking I had to be 100% about work." Kara nodded, happy to hear her son's perspective.

"The only thing that makes me nervous or uncomfortable is there are still a lot of unknowns with Scarlett. Like, we love each other. And we're ready for the baby, and we..." he trailed off, looking at his mom, and she nodded in understanding. Kara let out a breath. "Sweetheart, I know with Scarlett and the baby and stuff, it feels like an instant family. And it is, I suppose. But you know, Scarlett has to do things on her own time." He looked at his mom, unsure if Scarlett had ever told her about her fiancée, but something told him that she had.