Four Years Later

Ria smiled at her reflection in the mirror as she put on lipstick. She thought back to her favorite childhood movie, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. She could vividly remember Willy Wonka saying 'Don't forget about what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he always wanted - he lived happily ever after'.

She was living her happily ever after. That wasn't to say that there weren't hard times because that wouldn't be reality. She realized now that the hard times made the good times even sweeter. She was happier than she ever could have imagined as a child.

Ria graduated from college a year early. She felt truly proud of her accomplishment. She had overcome so many obstacles to achieve something she once believed was out of reach. She now possessed a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology. She applied and was accepted into a doctoral program. It was her dream to follow in the footsteps of Cal and Gillian with her formal education in psychology. In the fall, she would begin pursuing a Ph.D. in psychology. There was still a long road ahead of her but the future looked bright. However, it did not always look that way.

It took a while for Ria to heal from the psychological wounds Daniel Greene and her father inflicted on her. She spent more time than she cared to admit in a psychiatrist's office talking about her thoughts and feelings. Ria frequented support groups and even checked herself into an inpatient facility for two weeks not long after Daniel Greene's death at her hands. She struggled to find a medication regimen that actually helped and didn't make her an apathetic zombie.

There were days where she broke down and felt like she might not be able to carry on. She had bouts of depression so intense they crippled her and rendered her useless for days at a time. Ria hated what those days did to Cal and Emily.

She hated that her pain was causing them pain. She had always been friends with Emily and that relationship was only strengthened when Ria became her de facto stepmother. The months following Daniel Greene's death Emily tried her best to be there for Ria. She often made up excuses for not going out with her friends in order to stay home with Ria. It was a massive adjustment when Emily left home to attend college. The bright side was that Emily decided to attend school in New York instead of Chicago.

Ria's relationship with Ava improved greatly. The sisters worked hard to repair the damage of the past. Ria was determined to ensure Ava had a better chance than she ever did. The younger Torres sister began college on schedule.

Cal and Ria stepped up to help her after she aged out of the foster care system. She often spent weekends with Cal and Ria when she wanted a break from life in the dorms. It was a welcomed change in the once tumultuous relationship. Ava always spent the summers with Cal, Ria, and Emily.

For the first time if felt like she was part of a real family where people didn't hurt one another. There were so many things for Ria to feel hopeful about but for nearly a year she couldn't escape her demons.

The trauma of her past felt like weights meant to drag her underwater. However, whenever Ria felt like she was drowning, Cal was always there to pull her back. He could be a caring soul when that was what she needed. He could also be a massive asshole when she needed a swift kick.

He provided her with the love and stability she so desperately needed and in turn, she gave him love and understanding. The quirks that drove everyone else insane Ria accepted whole-heartedly and in most cases found endearing or at least tolerable. There were bumps along the way but after four years, they were still together and in love.

Over time, their improbable relationship blossomed into what it was today. Ria was his partner in life and in business. She helped him run the Lightman Group like a well-oiled machine. Her skills had only increased in her time working with Cal.

In four years, time the Lightman Group had grown considerably. Several profile cases helped propel the firm and Cal into the ranks of elite consultants. There was now a second location in Manhattan ran by Gillian and Loker.

Despite the baggage of their former relationship, Eli and Ria were able to maintain their friendship. He continued to work side-by-side with her until two years ago when Cal offered him the opportunity to manage the second location in Manhattan. Loker jumped at the chance to branch out on his own. The move turned out to be for the best because he met his wife there. Ria wasn't really shocked that Loker took the job. This was like the ultimate validation of all the hard work he'd put in over the years working as Lightman's protégé.

Ria was more surprised that Gillian decided to go to Manhattan as well. The psychologist was there a couple of months before Ria realized she moved there for her boyfriend.

However, the Manhattan office wasn't the only growth spurt the Lightman Group experienced. They had just opened a small satellite office in London. The Lightman Group often handled cases abroad and London was a good base of operations, much to Ria's delight.

She went from being a TSA agent, watching travelers come and go to being one of those people setting off on international flights.

Ria took a deep breath and brushed a few strands of hair away from her face. She smiled as her engagement ring came into view. That was another welcomed change; Cal finally bit the bullet and proposed to her. It had been a complete surprise as she assumed a proposal might never come. She was content with their life and didn't see the need to force a marriage he wasn't ready for. Leave it to Lightman to be full of surprises.

They set an October wedding date. Ria wanted an outdoor wedding where they would be surrounded by the vibrantly colored autumn leaves.

There was a loud knock on the bathroom door.

Ava's voice filtered through the wooden door. "You've been in there forever! You are late to your own party. Come out of there! I want to go out to dinner. This is supposed to be a celebration, Ria."

Emily chimed in. "Yeah! We can't cut into the cake until you come out of there."

Ria said, "I'll just be a minute. You can cut the cake without me."

"Well, Dad says that we can't…" Emily replied.

Ria laughed quietly. She could see through Cal even when they weren't in the same room. By telling the girls they couldn't cut the cake without her he had manipulated them into doing his dirty work. They could come upstairs to bother Ria and that way he didn't have to do it.

"I promise that I will be downstairs in five minutes."

Emily said, "Alright. If you aren't out in five minutes I'm coming back with Dad's lock pick set."

Ava said, "Let's go, Em. There has to be something in the kitchen we can snack on until she comes down."

Ria shook her head and then looked down at the picture on the counter. Just when she thought life couldn't get any better things went and changed again.

She took one last deep breath, slipped the picture into her clutch purse, and exited the bathroom.

Ava and Emily applauded as Ria descended the stairs.

Ria did a fake royal wave and said, "Let them eat cake!"

Laughter bubbled up from the group as Cal walked into the living room with the large cake.

He placed the cake on the coffee table and said, "I believe the honors go to you."

Ria chuckled and placed her purse on the table. She looked around the room at the smiling faces and felt like she was truly at home.

Eli and his wife, Elena, attended. Gillian, her boyfriend, Ben, and their adorable little boy, Oliver, were there as well. Ava, Emily, and Lorenzo were also ready to take part in the merriment.

Cal said, "I think the woman of the hour should give some type of speech."

Eli echoed Lightman's sentiments. "Speech! Speech!"

Emily groaned.

Ria laughed. "I don't think anyone except for the two of you wants to hear a speech. They want the cake you've been holding hostage. I'll just say I'm lucky to have all of you in my life. Now, let's dig in." She picked up the knife and started cutting slices.

As everyone descended on the cake, Cal pulled Ria off to the side. He asked, "Are you okay? You were up there for a long time. I was starting to worry about you."

"Everything is fine. I just needed a moment to myself. I'm okay. I'm happy."

Cal read her microexpressions easily in this moment. There were moments when he couldn't and others when Ria was an open book because she wanted to be. "You aren't lying per se but you aren't being completely truthful either. What are you holding back?"

She shook her head. "It is nothing bad. I'll tell you later when we are alone. We have cake to eat and dinner reservations that we can't be late for."

Ria leaned in and kissed him softly.

Lightman grabbed her hand as she turned to walk away. He pulled her to him and said, "I'm proud of you and I love you. Congratulations, love."

She smiled looking into his eyes. "I love you, too. I always will. I am excited to tell you my big secret."

He asked, "Does your big secret have anything to do with yesterday's doctor's appointment?"

Her eyes widened and then she just laughed. Ria didn't tell him about the appointment but she shouldn't have been surprised that he knew about it. Cal was one of those people that had a curiosity about everything and sometimes he was just nosey. "You know?"

Cal said, "I had my suspicions even before the appointment. You don't throw up in the mornings as quiet as you think."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

Lightman grinned like the cat that swallowed the canary. "I figured if you were going to all of the trouble to keep it from me I should play along. I knew that you'd tell me when you were ready."

She shook her head. She didn't know why she thought she could hide something this massive from Cal. "I was going to tell you once I was sure."

He reached out and caressed the back of her hand with his thumb. "Are are you sure now?"

Ria nodded and said, "Very sure. I got the confirmation from Dr. Sellers yesterday afternoon. She did an ultrasound." She opened her clutch purse and pulled out the picture.

Cal took the picture and studied the grainy image in front of him.

She chewed her bottom lip nervously wondering what he was thinking. Cal's face was unreadable and it made her nervous. She knew in theory that he was open to having children but this was reality.

"How far along are you?" asked Cal. He continued to study the image.

"I'm ten weeks pregnant. Dr. Sellers said my due date is around December 16th."

Cal could remember the exact date he agreed to start trying for a baby with Ria. It was nearly seven months ago when she first came to him with the idea. He didn't agree immediately. Instead, Cal sat with the decision for a week. It was a major decision and he believed it deserved sincere thought. He wasn't concerned about his ability to be a good father because Emily turned out great despite his rocky relationship with Zoe. He also had no doubt about Ria's ability to be a great mother.

However, his advanced age did concern him. He would be in his late 60's by the time their child reached 18. He worried that he might leave Ria to be a single mother. Both of his parents died early in life for vastly different reasons but it still concerned him. He didn't think he could agree in good conscience without having all the facts. After getting a physical Cal decided he was in moderately good health and wasn't likely to keel over in the next couple of years.

"Cal?"

Lightman was brought out of his thoughts by the concern in Ria's voice. He reached out and caressed her cheek. He smiled at her. "This is amazing news, love."

"Really?" Ria felt the excitement well up inside of her. She had struggled all yesterday to contain the news. It just didn't seem the right time with all the work Cal had to do before they could leave for vacation in a couple of days.

"Yes! We have been trying for months now. I was starting to wonder if one or both of us needed to see the doctor to make sure everything was okay medically. I know how disappointed you were each time a test was negative. This is great. I can't wait to go to the first appointment. Did you already set a date?"

Ria had never been so relieved in her life. Cal's silence had put her on edge. She hated to think that she might have misjudged his interest in becoming a father again. "No. I wanted to wait to talk to you. I didn't know if you wanted to be there or not. If you did want to go to the appointment I wanted to be sure we could work around both of our schedules."

Ava walked into the kitchen. "If you two don't get a piece of cake soon it is going to be gone. Emily and Loker are on their second pieces of cake."

Cal asked, "How many have you had?"

The girl laughed and said, "I'm eyeing my third piece. What time is dinner again? That graduation took forever. Why did you go to a college with so many students?"

Ria chuckled and hugged her sister. "I told you to eat breakfast this morning but you didn't want to eat. We'll leave in a few minutes. I promise."

Ava smiled and returned to the living room.

Ria kissed Cal's cheek and said, "We'll talk about this later. I was hoping we could keep this to ourselves. I don't want to tell anyone yet. It is too soon. So many things can go wrong in the first trimester."

"Then it will be our secret."

She took his hand. "Let's go. We have a living room full of people ready to have dinner. We're being bad hosts."

Cal reached out and placed a hand on her still flat stomach. "I guess it would be bad manners to kick the lot of them out."

Ria laughed but her eyes sparkled with pure joy feeling Cal touch her stomach. She covered his hand with her own.

Ava and Emily were about to walk into the kitchen to bother them again but stopped in their tracks seeing the intimate moment.

Emily backed into the hallway pulling Ava with her.

Ava asked, "Do you think this means…?"

"That I'm a sister?"

Ava nodded. "And I'm an aunt!"