Adult Responsibilities

Chapter 31

Lila stood in front of the mirror in her little bedroom in the pool house, admiring herself in the blue and white dress she'd selected for her day with Andrew's parents. She fiddled with her hair and smoothed her skirt, twirling in the mirror. Kate poked her head in to see if her little girl was ready, and she couldn't help but laugh when she saw Lila.

"Honey, what are you doing?" Kate asked with a smile, and Lila giggled. "Nothing Mommy, just making sure I look perfect to meet Andrew's mommy and daddy," she said sweetly and Kate shook her head. "You look beautiful, but it doesn't matter how you look Lila. Andrew's parents want to meet you, they don't care how you look," Kate said, always trying to reinforce to her little girl that her mind and heart were more important than her beauty. Lila grinned at her mother smugly. "I mean, I know that, Mommy, but I can still look pretty," she said softly, and Kate nodded. "Fair point. Let's go tell Grammy and Pops goodbye, OK?" she asked, leading Lila into the main house.

Meanwhile, Andrew was sat in his living room, playing on his phone and waiting for his parents to finish getting ready for the day with Kate and Lila. Alan made his way down the stairs, greeting his son kindly. He sat down on the couch next to Andrew and cleared his throat.

"Good morning son," he said quietly and Andrew grinned. "Did you guys sleep OK?" Andrew asked, and his dad nodded. "Oh, yes, it was fine, thanks. Are you ready for the big day?" he asked, and Andrew nodded. "Yeah, definitely. What about you?" he answered, looking at his dad, and Alan took a deep breath.

"I am ready, and I have to tell you Andrew, Kate is really a remarkable girl. She's smart, kind, beautiful. I can see why you are so taken with her," Alan said, and Andrew smiled. "I'm glad you like her Dad. I've never felt like this about anyone," he confided, and Andrew's dad patted him kindly on the shoulder. "Andrew, I just... I want to make sure you understand what you're getting into when it comes to Kate's little girl," Alan cautioned, and Andrew sighed a little. "I know you guys have reservations," Andrew said, and Alan shook his head.

"It doesn't bother us that Kate is a mom," Alan told Andrew firmly. "It really doesn't. She seems extremely independent and she's obviously hard-working and focused. She clearly loves her daughter. We aren't concerned about Kate being a single parent or anything. It's just... well, I want you to really think about this little girl. If she gets attached to you Andrew, well... you need to be prepared to be there for her. Mom said Kate told her last night that she doesn't expect you to do anything for the child, and that's not surprising, given how determined Kate seems to be to provide for Lila all on her own. But emotionally, well... make sure you're ready for the responsibility of being something to this little girl before you get in too deep. If you aren't ready to commit to them both, then I don't think you should continue on," Alan told him seriously, and Andrew raised his eyebrows.

"What are you saying Dad? We've only been together for a few months, and when I tell you Kate was hesitant at first, I'm not even exaggerating a little bit. It took me a zillion tries before she agreed to go out with me," Andrew said. "What do you want me to do, propose?" The red-head rolled his eyes a little, and Alan shook his head. "Andrew, that's not what I'm saying," his father said with a frown. "I'm just telling you that... well, this isn't just some regular girlfriend, where you can be in the moment and not think much past that. With Kate, she has another person to consider. You don't have to run out and marry her or anything, but you do need to make sure that you see a future with her, or else it isn't fair to Lila to spend time with you, or to meet us," Alan said, patting Andrew on the forearm. Andrew bit his lip, thinking over what his dad had said.

"Can I be honest with you?" Andrew asked, and Alan nodded. "Yes, please, because I'm serious about this Andrew," his father answered. "I 100% believe that I'll marry Kate someday. I haven't told her that, but I'm telling you," Andrew told his dad, and Alan smiled. "Well, sounds like you've given it thought already," his dad said, opening his arms up to give Andrew a hug.