Tim looked up from the papers he was studying and watched Jolly take a seat on her side of the wide partner's desk. The tailored slacks and wool sweater pulled over a crisp blue shirt made her look like a businesswoman.

"Did I forget a meeting this morning?"

"No, I just need to spend some time in the office working on a house I'm redesigning. You didn't sublease my spot did you?" Jolly looked through her messages trying not to think about her new morning ritual. Mimi had almost convinced her to stay home, but figured she wouldn't be able to stand at her easel if Jolly touched her anymore so Jolly was allowed to leave.

"Christina called for you this morning," said Tim. Jolly was crumpling papers and tossing them into the trash as she weeded out the pink slips and mail that had been put in neat stacks by their a.s.sistant. "She sounded upset."

"Problem with the house?"

"Problem with not being able to find you more likely. She's probably at the site this morning looking for you."

Jolly stood up and reached for a fresh sheet of draft paper and the file she kept on Mimi's house. "If she calls back tell her I got Mimi pregnant and her father's demanding I do the honorable thing. The fact I'm getting married predicates I stop dating other people. Mimi's got a pinch that'll put the fear of G.o.d into you, so I'm not taking any chances."

The chair Tim was sitting in toppled over when he jumped up and ran to give Jolly a hug. "And Pam thought you were a clueless idiot."

"Thanks, I think."

"Whose house are you working on?" Tim followed her to the drafting table and leaned against the wall.

"You've been in Mimi's house, buddy. We need to draw up some s.p.a.ce for me to be able to fit some of my clothes and triple the size of that kitchen."

"This isn't too fast?"

Jolly snapped on the lamp attached to the table and thought about how many times she had asked herself that question since all this had begun. There was no denying how she felt and it helped that Mimi was so sure about her feelings for her.

"All my life I went from woman to woman trying to find one who I could stand to be with a week after I met her, thinking spending all my life with just one would be too much to ask for. With Mimi, I know in my heart, a lifetime won't be enough. I've been in love with her so long I feel like an idiot now that I didn't realize it sooner."

"If you talked to me like that, think about how much more s.e.x you'd be having," Pam said to her husband from the outer office. She walked in and kissed Jolly first and just patted the top of Tim's head before taking a seat in Jolly's desk chair. "Mimi called me bright and early this morning. Congratulations."

"Thank you."

"About time you came to your senses, but you took so long Madeline won't have to worry about your wild oats, will she? And I won't have to worry about Timmy living vicariously through your known exploits." Jolly and her partner laughed at Pam's observation knowing she was the only one in the world who could talk to the two of them like that and keep them in line.

They all looked up when they heard the front door of the office open and slam shut. Christy, their a.s.sistant wasn't in yet so their visitor just walked back to the large office.

"You weren't at the house this morning." Christina made the observation sound like an accusation.

"My job there's done for the most part and I have other clients. Ricky Mulle's taking over as foreman until you're done. Is there a problem?"

"I thought I was paying you to build my house?"

Jolly leaned back in the comfortable drafting chair and looked at the irritated blonde noticing the dark circles under her eyes. "You hired me to design your house and to build it, both of which are getting done. So I repeat, is there a problem?"

"Can I speak to you alone?" Christina ran her hand through her hair and exhaled. It had been a rough weekend and her Monday morning wasn't getting much better having found Lisa's letter of resignation on her desk when she went to the gallery.

Tim was ready to step out but Pam wasn't moving from her seat. Her husband leaned back against the wall when his wife gave him a meaningful look that meant don't move. "I don't think it's necessary. Go back to your life, Christina, and chalk this up as a learning experience," said Jolly.

"But what we..."

"We had nothing, have nothing now and will have nothing in the future. You get a house out of the bargain, and just think, you'll have a built in playmate to share it with." Jolly rolled up the blank page and picked up her briefcase. "Tim will a.s.sist you from here on out. If you will excuse me, I have a woman to see about making happy."

Ricky delivered the turnkey job four months later. He was thrilled to hand Christina the gold key ring Tim and Jolly always gifted their clients with. It was his last official act as the project's foreman. Christina had done everything she could think to delay the project adding two months to the completion date. Every complaint was a ploy to get Jolly back to the site to deal with the imaginary crises.

It hadn't worked and now all there was left to do was have her slip the bra.s.s key in and turn to unlock the front door. Their job was done and from the look on her parent's and Christina's face, Jolly and crew had been successful at garnering another satisfied customer. Ricky shook hands with all of them before getting on his bike and heading back uptown. The Lord willing, Christina was now a page of history.

The Harley pulling up couldn't drown out the hammering and sawing coming from the back. Ricky was living with Jolly and Mimi at the loft until the house's new kitchen, two extra bedrooms, workshop and walk in closet in the master bedroom were finished.

Jolly's design went through extensive revamping by Mimi before the first nail was driven, but even the architect had to admit the finished product would flow well with the other historic houses on the block. The crew who had been with Jolly the longest had been hired to complete the job, and both women felt better about leaving Ricky in charge when Jolly and Tim got the contract in Atlanta. Mimi wasn't thrilled Jolly would be gone for so long, but kept in mind the first trip Jolly had taken to Atlanta to present the ideas to city planners was a cause for celebration. Those extra days had brought Jan Shaffer into their lives, ending Christina's time with Jolly.

For the first time in his life Ricky was content to stay and work with Jolly and his daughter, watching with an amused eye as their relationship grew. Where Mimi had learned to become such a master manipulator when it came to Jolly was beyond him, but Jolly was so smitten he didn't think she minded being tweaked too much. The phone bill Jolly was going to get after being in Atlanta for three weeks was going to be painful, but Ricky was ready to pay it himself so long as the architect came home.

Jolly was actually shaving three days off her trip leaving Tim behind to take care of any last minute problems with the historic renovation project they were working on for the city. It was her thirty fifth birthday and Mimi would never forgive her if they didn't celebrate the day for the first time as a couple. Ricky knew Mimi had been working on a special present for Jolly, but like the No Aids painting, his daughter had been extremely tight lipped about it.

Ricky found her sitting and staring at a blank canvas in her studio when he got back. It was the only room in the house Jolly had left untouched in the new design. Mimi thought it was perfect the first time she had walked in after Jolly had built it two years before so there was no need for alterations.

"Hey, baby girl." Ricky tried to snap her out of her trance so the paint she had mixed and put in her pallet wouldn't go to waste. Mimi was one of those artists who mixed her own paint so the hues were truer, and they dried better, but they didn't keep too long on the wooden pallet she used.

The artist looked up and tears filled her eyes when she saw her father. Ricky thought it was just a case of missing Jolly so he just held her until the tears pa.s.sed. "I'm going to lose Jolly." The voice was soft and full of regret.

The hand rubbing her back stopped and Ricky pried her off his body to look at Mimi's face. "Nothing in the world could make that happen, Mimi. She loves you."

"I did something for her for her birthday thinking at the time it was a good idea, but now I'm thinking she's going to be really mad, Daddy, I can't lose her." Mimi talked fast in between sobs and hiccups not making much sense to her father.

"Baby, what's wrong?" The concerned voice behind Ricky made both blondes jump in surprise not having heard Jolly enter. The architect wasn't due in until that night but had sweet-talked her way onto an earlier flight. When she reached for Mimi, it only made the crying worse. "Come on, baby, nothing can be that bad. Are you sick?"

Mimi cried and shook her head against Jolly's shoulder. She had been sitting in the studio for hours trying to find a way to tell Jolly what she'd done, but no words were enough to cover the scope of what she had to say. Now there might not be a way to undo her choices.

"Rick, could you go and get Mimi a gla.s.s of water, please?" Ricky shuffled his feet but went to do Jolly's bidding. He wanted to stay and make sure nothing upset Mimi further especially if her prediction of Jolly's leaving her had even a remote possibility of being true.

It took them thirty minutes but finally after two gla.s.ses of water and plenty of cuddling from Jolly, Mimi stopped crying. Jolly knelt in front of the chair Mimi had been sitting in and looked at the red puffy face hoping her partner was ready to start talking. All Jolly had been able to decipher from the bobbing head was that Mimi wasn't sick or hurt, and she hadn't done anything to upset her.

"My period didn't start yesterday."

It was a simple statement really, Jolly thought later. Precise and to the point, not a lot of meaningless words attached to flower it up. But right after Mimi said it, Jolly mentally wiped her brow and checked the box labeled PMS of possible things wrong with her upset lover. It was an easy problem with a ready solution at hand. "An aspirin will fix you right up, baby, don't worry about it."

Mimi put her hands on each side of Jolly's face and said it again. "I don't think you understand, honey. My period didn't start yesterday."

"It's the house, trying to get another show mounted and moving. All these things cause stress, which is bound to mess up your cycle. I wouldn't worry about it," said Jolly.

"Jolly, I'm going to explain something to you and I want you to listen carefully, ok? Do you think you can do that for me?" Mimi would have laughed at the confused face looking back at her had the seriousness of the moment not dictated she remain calm.

"Of course I can do that, don't be silly."

"I went to the doctor the day after you left to pick up a little something Tim left me. I'm sorry I didn't talk to you about it, but I wanted to give you something no one else could for your birthday."

The color was fast draining out of Jolly's face and beads of sweat had broken out on her upper lip. "What does that mean?"

"I'm not real sure yet, but I think we're going to have a baby."

In hindsight telling Jolly that way had been both good and bad. Good in that the canvas she fell into was blank considering her head ripped right through it, and bad in that it took Mimi and Ricky forever to get her to wake up. Now father and daughter were sitting on the floor across from Jolly who was staring at them like she didn't know where to begin.

Mimi was about to speak again when a finger went up silencing whatever was about to come out. It was Jolly's turn to speak and she wanted no interruptions. "Let me see if I understand this. You went to a doctor and got yourself pregnant with the help of my cousin. My cousin Timothy Andolini, with whom I just spent three weeks and who never mentioned any of this to me?"

"Yes, I asked him and Pam not to tell you so I could surprise you, honey." The finger went up again and Mimi quit talking.

"Are you pregnant?"

"I don't know, I thought I'd wait for you to come home and we could find out together. This was the only way I could think of to give you a little piece of yourself, me, your grandfather and Tim all rolled up into one little person."

Jolly's head dropped to her chest before she stood up. Tears filled Mimi's eyes again knowing Jolly was getting ready to walk out on her and their possible baby. They didn't fall until she felt the hands pulling her to her feet and Jolly pulling her into a hug so tight her feet came off the ground.

"Mimi, I figure you're going to kill me before I turn forty, but that doesn't matter. What does matter is no matter how long I live, I'll never find another person who loves me and thinks of me more than you do."

"I love you, Jolly."

Jolly put her down and went to get something out of her briefcase. "Then it's a good thing I got this. You can't tell me no now." She opened the lid of the small box and showed Mimi the emerald cut diamond in a platinum setting.

"I love you too, Mimi, and I want you to be mine. You and our baby." Jolly pulled the ring out and slipped it on Mimi's finger kissing the adorned digit when she was done. "It's impractical I know for someone who paints so I thought you could wear it on this when you're working." A platinum chain came out of her coat pocket and Jolly slipped it over Mimi's neck.

"Does this mean if we're not, we can try again?" Mimi wanted to do a cartwheel she was so thrilled.

"It means you'll get whatever you want, love."

"I just want you, Jolly."

"See how easy your life is then."

Ricky left to pick up a hammer so he could get to work. He had every faith in Jolly, but it never hurt to stick around for Mimi, just in case. Ricky wasn't the best father, but it wasn't too late to learn. Who knew, maybe he could teach Jolly and their kid a few things. Jolly wasn't the only one getting a gift. Ricky was getting to be a grandfather and that meant a second chance to get it right.

CHAPTER 4.

"YOU'RE ALL RIGHT, Jolly. I never have taken the time to tell you that. All those miles I cover, the one thing I never worry about is Mimi." Ricky stopped working when he saw her step outside to survey the progress they had made in her absence.

Jolly put her hands in her pockets and rocked on her feet as she looked at the studs of the new roofline. "You knew about this?" she asked, c.o.c.king her head toward the studio. Inside Mimi was setting up a new canvas trying to salvage some of her paint.

"You mad and just not saying? A baby's a big commitment and not everyone's up for the long haul." Jolly arched her brow at his philosophy considering how often he was gone. "I didn't say I was a shining example of parenthood, I just figured you would be. No matter what life throws at you, Jolly, you're a stand up guy. Taking responsibility even when you didn't need to is how best to describe you. Is that what that was in there? Mimi decided for the both of you and now it's too late to be honest about how you feel?"

"This is a little unorthodox granted, but I think she would've stopped taking the pill if I'd different equipment. Am I mad?" Jolly looked at the whirlwind with the fast brush and laughed. "Rick, had anyone else done this I'd be half way to the state line by now because I'd have seen it as a trap to get me to commit."

"But with my daughter?"

"I don't believe entrapment was her motive. Mimi would leave me before she'd manipulate me into something I didn't want. What've I discovered about myself these past few months though, is she could ask me to wail at the moon naked in the middle of that park," Jolly turned around and pointed. "And I'd ask her for how long just to see her smile. I just wish I'd been here so she wouldn't have had to do this alone. How about you?" She reached out her hand and slapped Ricky on the back. "Some little person starts calling you grandpa, it's going to ruin your long haired hippy image."

"You forgot freak."

"No I didn't. I just think Anthony's more of a freak than you ever thought to be. Now knock off for the day and go take a shower. I made dinner reservations and I'd like to get something into my system before Mimi tells me she invited her mother to come and live with us, or something else as bizarre ." She looked at Mimi painting and snapped her fingers just remembering something.

"I'll meet you two at the loft," said Ricky as she dropped the hammer into the box at his feet.

"Baby, put down the brush," ordered Jolly from the door of the studio.

"I'm not finished."

"Mimi, you're done for the day." Jolly put her hand up to stop the 'but the paint is a pain to mix' argument. "Pregnant women are not supposed to be inhaling paint fumes. Think of this as your time to experiment with water colors."

The brush ready for its next stroke on the canvas fell to the pallet next to her. It was the one thing Mimi hadn't figured into this whole equation. No painting for the next eight months would drive her insane.

"I don't like water based paints," whined Mimi. The trembling lip and watery green eyes were the beginning of what Jolly came to refer as Mimi's blue phase in shades of red.

The next morning Jolly sat next to Mimi as they waited for the nurse to call them into a waiting room. They had successfully celebrated Jolly getting a year older and were waiting to see if Mimi owed her a sweater as a backup birthday gift.

"Ms. Mulle." The receptionist opened the gla.s.s part.i.tion and called out the name. None of the staff commented when Jolly followed Mimi in holding her hand.

Two nurses attended to Mimi quickly, getting all the necessary tests out of the way before sending the doctor in to see her. It would still be a couple of days before they would receive the final confirmation, but as soon as Dr. Eschete saw them, they would have an idea if they needed to start buying baby clothes.

"Good morning, Mimi," Ellie Eschete opened the door and walked in reading the chart the nurse had handed her. She noticed Jolly when she looked up to smile at her patient. "I'm sorry, it's been a rough night. My partner Sam and I delivered eight babies that started arriving about ten last night," Ellie explained accounting for the dark circles under her eyes. "My name's Ellie Eschete," she held a hand out to Jolly.

"Nice to meet you, doctor, I'm Mimi's partner, Jolly Andolini."

"Are you ready to be a mommy you two?" asked Ellie.

"You tell us," countered Jolly.

"Start stocking up on diapers, guys, we're having a baby. I'll call you in a couple of days with the final lab results, but the preliminary stuff says we're on our way." Ellie jotted some notes in Mimi's chart and wrote out a script for vitamins and tried to ignore the kiss Mimi was giving the tall stunned woman she had come in with. The doctor figured she would just wait for their next visit to get any talking accomplished.