766 Sleepover
Candace and Andy didn't take too long before joining the rest of the family members downstairs for dinner.
As curious as they all were, nobody asked Andy any questions about what happened between her and Cassidy or where he had taken her because Jamal was present at the dining, and they didn't want to talk about what had happened in front of him. As a result of that, Jamal did most of the talking.
Jamal told Andy all about Tom and Lucy, and then he went on to tell her about Tom's parents and Lucy's parents, especially his two grandmothers, and then about his fight with Dawn and how they had made up.
Because they all understood just how excited he was to see his aunt, and they knew that he would be going to bed after dinner, no one bothered to remind him that it was bad table manners to talk while eating.
Andy listened with delight and even asked him questions, eager to hear all he had to say since she had missed him so much, and Jamal was more than happy to supply her with all the information in his head which he had been storing for her.
He even told her how he had held Grandpa Aaron's hand at the hospital when he was sad, and how that had helped heal him.
"Wow, you really do have healing hands," Andy said and Jamal nodded.
"I do. Have I told you I went on a date with Lucy?" Jamal asked when he remembered that he was yet to mention that.
"Jam, if you feed your aunt with all this information today, what are you going to tell her tomorrow? Won't you run out of things to say?" Candace asked and Jamal paused for a moment.
He shook his head, "I don't think so. There will always be something to talk about," he said with a shrug and the others laughed.
Immediately after eating, Harry offered to do the dishes and signaled Jade to join him so that Andy and Candace could have some time alone together.
Matt offered to read Jamal a bedtime story and tuck him in, so that Andy could get some rest, and Andy promised to tuck him in the next day.
As Andy and Candace rose to retire to her bedroom, Andy looked at Aaron, "Thank you for being so warm and welcoming…."
"You don't have to thank me for that, Andy. I'm happy to have you. I had too many empty bedrooms, and now everywhere is filled. What more can I ask for?" Aaron asked and Andy smiled.
"Thank you," Andy said once again before walking away with Candace.
"I never would have thought that our little Jam had a thing for older women," Andy said, and they both laughed.
"I could hardly believe it myself, but Lucy is a wonderful person after all. Talking about Lucy, I should call her to let her know you are back. I can't believe we were just talking about you two nights ago, and here you are. Lucy and Sonia are going to be happy to know you're back. You remember Sonia, right?" Candace asked and Andy smiled.
"How can I forget her? She touched my boobs, remember? And asked us to make Bryan feel better," Andy said, and Candace laughed as they walked into the bedroom.
"Yeah, she did."
"By the way, I didn't want to ask any questions while Jamal was speaking, but Jamal said something about Lucy being your cousin. Is that so?" Andy asked curiously.
Although Cassidy had explained the relationship between Candace and everyone in the pictures he brought her, he had not mentioned Lucy being cousins with Candace and Harry.
"Yes. She has a twin brother too. Lucas," Candace said as they both got on the bed.
"We have a whole family, Candace. What about your mom? Is she late? And how did you end up at the orphanage if you have such a large family?" Andy asked, and Candace sighed.
"It's a really long story. You know what? Let's give Lucy and Sonia a call to inform them you're here now, and after that, we can spend the rest of the night talking," Candace suggested as she picked up her phone to call Lucy and Sonia.
Before she could dial their lines, a knock sounded on the door and Jade poked her head in.
"Sorry, girls. I know you're dying to catch up on each other's lives, but I'm also dying to know what happened to you, Andy. I can't wait until tomorrow," Jade said and Candace rolled her eyes.
"You never mind your business, do you?" Candace asked and Jade nodded.
"My business is to mind other people's business. Have you forgotten that already? Besides, I was involved in all that happened and knew about her abduction before you. And how dare you talk to me that way because Andy is back? I was your best friend in her absence, remember?" Jade asked with a scowl as she got on the bed.
Andy giggled, "I thought you were doing the dishes with your boyfriend?"
"He is doing the dishes alone. He volunteered to do it, but I didn't. Besides, I'm just here for a quick chat so I can join him in the bedroom when he is done with the dishes. So? What happened?" Jade asked excitedly.
"We were going to call Lucy and Sonia first to let them know she is back before talking about it," Candace said and Jade shrugged.
"Let's do that then. I have some time to spare," she said with a wide smile and Andy giggled.
"I wouldn't have thought you were this fun. You always looked stiff and unfriendly," Andy said and Jade shrugged.
"I think I preferred her back then to now. Now she is so noisy and annoying," Candace said and Jade scowled.
"You don't mean that. We both know you don't mean it. I know you love me," Jade said as she placed her arm around Candace's shoulders and pecked her, and Candace giggled as she pushed her away, while Andy grinned as she watched them.
Watching them, Andy was glad to see that Candace had been happy in her absence. She had always worried about her and Jamal, but seeing how she was surrounded by these wonderful people, she was glad to know she had been worried for nothing.
Candace and Jamal had been in good hands, and even if she had not returned, they would have been alright.
"It's getting late, if you're going to call them you should do so now. Or we can just chill and call them tomorrow," Jade suggested.
"I'd rather share the good news with them right now," Candace said as she did a group call.
"Andy, hide behind us so that we can surprise them," Jade said as she and Candace covered Andy from view.
Lucy who had just finished having dinner with Tom and was now taking a tour around the yacht with him, paused when her phone started ringing with a video call and she took it out of her handbag.
"It's Candace," she said, looking at Tom.
Hearing that it was Candace, Tom could guess what she wanted to tell Lucy, so he nodded, "It might take a while, so you can go take the call in the cabin. I will be at the deck," he said and Lucy kissed him lightly on the lips before walking away.
"Hey! Guess what, girls," Lucy said excitedly since she could see that Sonia had joined the call as well.
Candace and Jade exchanged a look at Lucy's excitement since she had taken the question out of Candace's mouth.
"What?"
"Tell us," Jade and Sonia said at the same time while Candace decided to wait to hear Lucy's news before sharing hers.
"Tom got me a yacht," Lucy announced in a giddy singsong voice, and they all looked at her in surprise while Sonia screeched happily.
"A yacht? That's huge, girl! Congrats baby!" Sonia said happily and Lucy smiled happily as she turned the camera around so they could see the cabin view.
"Thanks, love. Take a look," she said as she showed them the interior of the cabin and as she moved around her voice bubbled with excitement as she told them how the jet had brought them to this place and how Tom had led her to the yacht and what he had said as he presented the gift to her.
"Aww!" They all echoed as they listened.
"Your boyfriend is so romantic," Andy said, forgetting that she was hidden from view and both Lucy and Sonia noticed her presence for the first time and Lucy quickly switched back her phone so she could see who had spoken.
"Who is that?" Lucy asked curiously.
"Brandy?" Sonia asked doubtfully.
"The only one and original," Brandy said with a wink as Jade and Candace moved to the side to reveal her, and Sonia screamed happily, shocking Bryan who had been busy going through a script beside her.
"It's Brandy. Candace's sister. Remember her? She is back," Sonia quickly explained to Bryan before returning her attention to the group call.
"Oh, my! That was the reason you called and here I was going on and on about myself when you were the one who called. Sorry, I hijacked the conversation…."
"It's fine, Lucy. Your news was just as important," Candace assured her.
"It is nowhere close to this. Welcome home, cousin. I've heard a lot about you and I'm glad you've finally come home," Lucy said to Andy with a happy smile.
Cousin, Andy mused with a happy smile. Candace's family never ceased to surprise her with how warm and welcoming they could be.
"And I've heard so much about you from Jamal," Andy said with a grin and Lucy giggled.
"He must have been very excited to see you," Lucy said and Andy nodded.
"He sure was," Andy said with a grin.
"What happened? How are you here? Did you escape or something?" Sonia asked curiously.
"Remember the business Harry and Tom claimed to have at the hotel? Apparently, it was a meeting with Cassidy, the guy who kidnapped her," Jade supplied and both Sonia and Lucy looked at her surprised.
"Really?" Sonia asked and both Jade and Candace nodded.
"Why were they so secretive about it then?" Lucy asked and Candace shrugged.
"Harry said Cassidy asked him not to tell anyone, and they wanted it to be a surprise to us. Andy didn't know she was being sent to us either," Candace explained happily.
"And to be honest with you, I don't really mind. I absolutely loved the surprise. Imagine going to get the door and seeing Andy standing there. At first I thought it was a dream and I couldn't believe it," Candace said happily and Andy giggled.
"I thought so too. I'm happy to be back," Andy said happily.
"So, tell us what happened," Jade said eagerly.
"Well, that night he took me, we jumped into the water and had to swim a long distance to where a cargo ship was waiting…."
"Swim? But you can't swim," Candace cut in with a worried frown.
"Yeah. I almost drowned before the idiot realized the flaw in his plan. But somehow he managed to get me there," Andy said before going on to give them the rest of the details.
22:55
Sonia grinned, "This means I just got an extra wedding planner and bridesmaid," she said happily and they all laughed.
"You're getting married to Bryan?" Andy asked and Sonia lifted her hand to show her the engagement ring.
"Yep. And I'm pregnant for him too," Sonia said happily and Andy smiled.
"After getting married to him, will you still take him to clubs and ask ladies to make him feel better?" Andy asked curiously.
"That's something I can still do," Sonia said with a wink and Lucy shook her head while the others laughed.
"I can't wait to see you when you come for my wedding, Andy," Sonia said happily.
"And maybe we can have your bachelorette party in my yacht," Lucy suggested and they all happily gave their consents.
They discussed for a couple of minutes again before Candace decided it was time to hang up.
"As much as it's fun catching up with you girls, we've got to go now. I have a lot to talk about with Andy," Candace said and they all nodded in understanding.
"I need to get back to my man, anyway," Jade said as she rose, satisfied since she had gotten all the information she came for.
"And me to mine," Lucy said with a grin.
"And I to my fiancé," Sonia drawled and Candace rolled her eyes while Andy giggled at the silliness of them all.
"Go to your men then, goodnight everyone," Candace said before hanging up.
"You've made yourself some really funny friends. I didn't expect to return back to so much fun," Andy said after Jade had left.
"I'm so glad you feel at home," Candace said happily and they both turned when a knock sounded on the door.
Candace went to get the door and smiled when she saw Aaron standing there with a bag of snacks and another containing can drinks.
"I wasn't sure what you girls would want. But I read somewhere that girls like to have snacks when they have a sleepover. This qualifies as a sleepover even though it's your home, right?" Aaron asked and both Candace and Andy, who had come to join them at the door on hearing Aaron's voice, laughed.
"You're doing too much, Dad. You don't have to go through so much trouble," Candace said as she took the things from him.
"I want to. If you prefer to have wine…."
"I know where to get it," Candace assured him.
"Alright. Goodnight then. Have fun," Aaron said before walking away, while the sisters stood there looking at him as he left.
"Is it too soon to say I have fallen in love with him?" Andy asked and Candace giggled as they shut the door and returned inside to begin their 'sleepover'.
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