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hands, “Brian has told me so much about both of you, it’s really nice to finally meet you.” She was a slender woman, five inches shorter than Brian, with long brunette hair, emerald green eyes that sparkled in the lights coming in the room from The Plaza. She was pretty in a subtle way, an honest beauty, not enhanced with make-up. Her smile lit up the room, displaying a natural confidence in herself. Kruger admired this in people, and he liked her immediately.
    The evening progressed nicely. Michele was not a vegetarian, but preferred food dominated by fresh fruits and vegetables, so the stir fry and rice prepared by Stephanie and Kruger was a hit.
    After dinner, Stephanie started the inquisition.
    “Michele, when do you graduate?”
    Michele smiled and looked at Brian. “We both graduate in August. I start my postgraduate work at the same time Brian does. We got lucky. The university offers programs for both of us.”
    Brian looked at his father. “Michele will be working on her master’s in child development.”
    Kruger nodded. “Good field.” He looked at his son. “Have you made up your mind about concentrating on software or hardware?”
    His son shook his head. “I’m not sure. I don’t have to make that decision for another semester.”
    Michele held Brian’s hand. “We have something in common,” she said by way of changing the subject.
    Stephanie smiled. “Oh, what’s that?”
    “We were both raised by single parents. My dad divorced my mom when I was young. I really don’t remember ever living with him. Kind of like Brian and his mom.”
    Kruger remained quiet, but looked at Brian to see his reaction. There was none.
    Michele continued. “He remarried and lives with his other family in North Carolina. I see him once in a while, but not very often.”
    Stephanie said, “Where does your mother live?”
    Michele was quiet and looked at the tabletop. Brian said, “Her mom lived in Hazelwood, but she passed away last year.”
    Stephanie reached for Michele’s hand and squeezed it. “I’m sorry, Michele.”
    She nodded, but remained quiet. Brain continued. “I met her dad a few weeks ago. He seems like a nice guy. He’s helping with her college tuition.”
    Kruger nodded and said, “Good. He should.”
    The conversation changed abruptly when Brian said, “Why’d you two suddenly decide to get married?”
    Kruger looked at Stephanie and nodded for her to answer.
    “Brian, your father and I have been friends for over four years. During that time we both discovered something missing in our lives. Someone to come home to. It’s something you don’t realize is missing until you find it. We knew we loved each other. Unfortunately we just hadn't taken the time to talk about it until last Friday night. Getting married is the just the first step. The second step will be adopting a baby brother or sister for you.”
    Congratulations exploded from both Brian and Michele, with the hugging lasting several minutes. Finally Brian said, “When? Do you know yet?”
    Both Kruger and Stephanie shook their heads, and he said, “No, not really, could be next week or it could be next year. They never know. We have the paperwork done, which took all week. We decided we would have a small wedding with just you two and Stef’s sister and husband in attendance. On Sunday, a reception has been planned at the Marriot over on Brookside. Her office surprised us with the news early this morning. So the plans are as follows, a minister will drop by here around six tomorrow evening, perform the ceremony, and then we’re all going to Houston’s for dinner.”
    Michele turned to Stephanie and said, “I didn’t bring any clothes for a reception. Is there somewhere around here I could find a nice dress?”
    Stephanie eyed Michele for a second and said, “Yes, there is. Let me take you to my apartment and show you a few things. Then we’ll know where to go tomorrow.” They both stood and grinned at Brian and