"I'm part of a team." "I can't just bail on these guys." "Don't you understand?" " They're depending on me!" " You think I'm the one that's crazy?" "We're right in the middle of a project and I'm supposed to just bail?" " You understand how ridiculous" " Every time I try to explain myself" " Then explain yourself so it makes sense" " See?" "There it is." "Because I keep hearing the same thing over and over again." "How many times do we have to go through this?" " I don't know." "You tell me." " I said I was sorry!" " How many times, Jeff?" " I said I was" " Could you let me talk?" "Please let me talk without interrupting." "I said I was sorry." " Am I saying anything?" " I said I was sorry." " You're sorry?" " What else do you want me to say?" " What man misses the birth of his own child?" " Oh, you gonna go there?" " You have to go there again?" " You want your bottle?" "I can't just bail on these guys." "They're depending on me." "Don't you understand that?" "You have no idea." "You have no idea what's happening." "I don't know where you want me to go anymore." "I don't know what you want me to do." " First child, you missed it!" " Answer the question!" "How many times have I asked you, do you want to stay here forever?" "I'm doing this for us!" "No, I don't want to stay here forever." "There's your answer." "That's Heather." "That's my past." "Wow." "When was the last time you saw her?" "Ten years ago." "That's amazing, Jeff." "Took a job in Miami." "And I moved to Washington, D.C. That's where T.J. and I opened up BL." "And he talked me into moving the company out here." "And..." "I met a gorgeous real estate agent... who sold me a condo." "Tried to convince me that peach walls were classy." "They are classy." "Does anyone know what might have happened to her?" "I don't know." "Here's to your future." "Yeah." "To the future." " I let him read." " Oh, great." "Excuse me." "How's school?" "Good." "Biology lab tomorrow." " Here." " Thanks." " Thank you so much." "I appreciate it." "Good night." " Good night." " I'll walk you out." " Okay." "Hi, Daddy." "Hi, pal." "Actually, we're more of a graphic design company." "We do menus and logos and things like that." "This is our first real push into the marketing side of it." " Awesome." "Good luck." " Yeah, we're excited." " You're all set." " All right, I'll see you tomorrow." " There's the man." " Hey, Dave, what's happening?" " Good to see you." " Good to see you." " Well, how's Ethan doing?" " He's good." "He's ready for summer, man." " You coming to the game?" " Oh, yeah." "Max is ready to go." "He is so excited." " Good." "Good." " Hey, how's the deal coming?" " We're working hard." "We'll see what happens." " Yeah?" " How's the finance world?" " Can't complain." "Can't complain." " All right, man, good to see you." "Take it easy." " You take it easy." " Bye." "Good morning." " Good morning." "Don't think." "Which is better?" " Don't think!" " The left." " Mine or yours?" " Mine." " No." " Pippen stands out more." " I'm telling you." " Really?" " You hear from Beanwerks?" " Not in the last four minutes." " What?" " You just called." "Oh, yeah, that's right." "I did, didn't I?" "So, how'd it go last night?" "Good." "Told her everything." "What "everything"?" "Heather." "Heather everything." " So, how did it go?" " Very good." "Told her that Heather was my soul mate." "You told Katie that Heather was your soul mate?" "Used to be." "That Heather used to be my soul mate." "Yeah." "But that Katie is now." "Got it." " I think so." " You think so that you told her so... or you think so that she's your soul mate?" " You get this e-mail from Masterpiece?" " Yep." "You know, if I were smart, I would marry her." "Why?" "Katie's awesome, man." "She's beautiful, she's smart, she's funny." "Plus, Ethan needs a mom." "He really does." "I see it more now than ever." "And so you think Katie's the one, huh?" "What's wrong with Katie?" "Nothing." "I guess the real thing is, do you love her?" "Please." "What is love anyway?" "Do you love Tina?" " Of course I do." " Yeah?" "Then why don't you marry her?" "Man, there's 50 reasons before you should marry somebody." " Fifty?" " Fifty." " All right, reason number one." " Reason number one:" "She should be able to make a good sandwich." "It goes a long way." "All right, Katie's gotta work on number one." "How about number two?" "Reason two." " How's her relationship with her dad?" " I can see that." "If she's mad at her dad all the time, she'll be mad at you." " That's gonna trickle down to you eventually." " That's right." " Reason three." " Respect." "That should have been first." "You got to flip those." "Reason number one should be respect." "Maybe that should be number one." "Okay." "There's two parts to that reason too." " 'Cause that's gotta go both ways." " Both ways." "I'm out of here, man." "Minimum day." "I gotta go pick up the kid." " Call me as soon as you hear from Beanwerks." " Beanwerks, you got it." " I'll call you." " All right, man." " Fifty reasons!" " Fifty!" "Nice." "Very nice." "So, the only way for us to make the play-offs... is if we win and the Tigers lose." "But if the Mets win, you guys still open the play-offs with the Twins, right?" "Right." "No, actually, if the Mets win, we're still out of the play-offs." "Oh, sure." "Either way, we're gonna have a great summer, right?" " What should we do?" " What do you wanna do?" "Go on vacation?" "How about ThunderWorld?" "ThunderWorld, we could do that." "We could do that." "Maybe" "Maybe Katie could go." "Can she miss work?" "Yeah." "Yeah, you know, real estate's pretty flexible." " Cool." " That is cool." "It is cool." "How would you like that, if... you know, the three of us spent more time together?" "Sure." "But she's already kind of living with us." "That's true." "Yeah, we do spend a lot of time together." "What do you think of her?" "I like her." "Me too." "Come on." "Let's get out of here." " What do you think it's gonna be tonight?" " Your guess is as good as mine." "All right, gentlemen, start your taste buds." "This one is going to blow you away." " What is that?" " It's tofu." "Oh, tofu." "I forgot the mint jelly." "Come on." "No wonder you're winning." "Oh, that's bad." "That's so bad." "Wait." "I gotta take this." "Hold on." " I'll play with you." " Okay." "All right." "Wait." "Barrett told Marshall what?" "But I'm having a tough time with division." "Yeah?" "Well, division's tough." " But I can help you if you want me to." " That's cool." "Yeah?" "No, this is good." "This is good." "You tell Marshall to tell Barrett that he will have them on his desk by Thursday." "But see, Marshall's just our contact." "Just, you know, an old friend of T.J.'s." "Barrett Walker." "That's the guy." " But he liked your work?" " Yeah, that's what Marshall said." "I mean, we'll see." "Man, we really need this one." "Well, you guys have a very bright future." "We have a bright future." "What do you think about our future?" "Yeah, but come on, T.J. Why are you messing with it, huh?" " Hey, Jeff." " Hey, how ya doing?" "The usual." " Got it." " Okay, great." "No, all I'm saying is that if he liked the sketches, he'll love the mock-ups." "So" "Yeah, you know what?" "That is a good idea." "Listen, I'm here now." "I'll see ya in a little bit." "All right, dude." " Hey." "What's going on?" " Hey, man." "What's happening?" " Sit down." " Okay, so what is it today?" "Disciplines of a Godly Man." " Good stuff." " Right on." "You ever read that book that I gave you?" "I never finished it." "I kind of got into it a little bit." "But it's a lot of the same stuff you and I have already talked about." "So, when are you gonna fill me in on this hot deal you got cooking?" "I don't like to talk about it." "Kind of feel like I'm gonna jinx it." "But I can tell you." "It's actually, you know, for this place." "Barrett Walker, the owner, he wants to redo the entire image of the place." "So he came up with the idea for this character." "It's kind of like a cartoon spokesman." "It's really cool." "We kind of tweaked it a little bit and submitted our ideas and he really liked it." " Hey, praise God." " Yeah, yeah." "To tell you the truth, that's why I come in here all the time." "Kind of feel like it's good karma or something." "So, you know, we'll see what happens." "I mean, a deal like this could really put our company on the map." "So" " Good." "How's Katie?" " She's good." " Yeah?" " She's good." " I got a good feeling about that one too." " Yeah?" "After my first marriage ended- It didn't end too well." "So, I think Katie might be the one." "Wow." " Here you go." " Oh, thank you." " We gotta get the boys together this summer." " Definitely, definitely." "As a matter of fact" " It's like a summer camp program going on at our church." "Ethan should come." "It's like a day camp." "We call it Kids' Fest." "It's a lot of fun." "I'm gonna be there, my wife will be there, Max, of course." " I just think Ethan would have a blast." " Get me some info on it." " I'll get you a brochure." " All right, man." "It's always good to see you." "Hey, you too, Jeff." "Have a good day." "Hey, what's happening?" "Yeah, II was just gonna call you." "What's going on?" " I think it's a great idea." " Yeah." "There he is." " Hi, Dave." " Hey." "How you guys doing?" " Great." " Good to see you." "Thanks for coming." "Thanks for coming." "Adam's gonna be along in just a few minutes." "So, what can I get you?" "Okay, one more time." "You guys won, but you're still not in the play-offs." " Nope." "Season's over." " Because the Tigers won." "No, they lost." "Mets won." "Got it." "All right, we're gonna get 'em next year." "Hey, buddy, there's something else I want to talk to you about." "I gotta ask you a question." "I'm thinking about asking Katie to marry me." "What do you think about that?" "I mean, do you like the idea of Katie and I being married?" "She would kind of be your mom." "I mean, Ethan, I want you to have a mom." "And at the same time, I would like to have a wife." "You know Katie loves you a lot." "And I really would like to ask her to marry me." "It's just, you know, I want to make sure that you're with me on this." "Can I ask you something?" "Of course." "Do you want to marry Katie?" "I do." "Do you want to spend the rest of your life with her?" "I'm pretty sure." "Then Dad?" "Yeah?" "Go for it." "We just need to eat out a lot." "I just want you to know that I love you... and that I want to spend the rest of my life with you." "Katie Saunders, would you marry me?" "That's it?" " You know, something like that." " Something like that?" " Well, not exactly that, but you know." " Well, I tell you what." "That's not the most original thing I've heard, but" " What do you think?" " I think you should have got a white gold ring." " This is serious." "This is a big deal for me." " Look, man, what do I know?" "Look, you're my brother, right?" "And you know that I love you." "Man, look, Heather, she tore you apart, man." "Well, maybe Katie- maybe she's the one to put you back together." "So you think I'm doing the right thing, right?" "Look, I don't really know the right thing." "I know Katie loves you." "She'll be a great wife for you, man, and she'll be a good mom for Ethan." " Good morning." " Good morning." "Hi." "Are you here for Kids' Fest?" " I think so, yeah." " Are you Jeff?" " Yeah." " I'm Leslie, Dave's wife." " I was gonna say, how'd you know who I was?" " It's great to finally meet you." " My pleasure." "This is my son, Ethan." " Hi, Ethan." " Hi." " Hey!" "Man, good to see you." " How you doing?" " We're doing great." "Glad you guys are here." " Thanks for inviting us." " I think these guys know each other." " Yeah." " Yeah." "Okay, we only have one last rule here at Kid Fest... and that is that we have to obey Philippians II, which says... that you are to treat each other as being more important than" " Yourselves!" " Oh, that is so good." "That's right- more important than yourself." "Which means that we don't just want to treat each other... the way that we want to be treated... but we would actually treat each other" " Better!" " Oh, man, what am I doing here?" "What am I doing here?" "You guys got this down." "Because if we treat each other better than ourselves, guess what." "We're not gonna have any problems this week." "It'll be a problem-free week." "Okay?" "Are you guys ready to have a good time?" " Yes!" " Oh, good." "Let me think." "What am I forgetting?" "Oh, yes, our staff." "We got big Josh on games." "Let's give it up for him." "All right." "We're not talking video games." "This is a video-free zone this week." "You hear me?" "All right?" "Oh, we have Miss Trissana on crafts." "Yeah." "We also have Miss Heather." "Miss Heather has a very important job." "She's in charge of food services." "So you're gonna want to be very nice to her, okay?" "Let's hear it for her." "And of course we have Mrs. Sherry." "And she is in charge of our choir." "What?" "You saw who?" "Where?" "Dude, Barrett Walker does not shop at Value Mart." "He just doesn't." "Trust me on this." "But you're still coming with Tina though, right?" "Why?" "What's she doing?" "You're still coming though?" "All right, so we'll see you in a little bit." "Okay?" "All right." "So what'd you think?" "Yeah, man." "I see what you mean." "Yeah." "You are off the clock now." "We will take it from here." "Go, go, go, go." " You two just want me out to talk shop." " No. no." "We got it." " I have no idea what you're talking about." " I'm not complaining." " Okay, go, bye-bye." "Dude." " What?" " Beans and bananas." " What you gonna do, man?" "Hey, whatcha reading?" "It's something we're doing at the show for Kids' Fest." " Neat." "How's that going?" " Oh, good." "We learn about God and the Bible." "And they pray a lot." "But I like it." " That's good." " Yeah." "And we play games too." "I think water play's my favorite because we get so soaked." " That's awesome." " Yeah." "So, what show are you doing?" "It's for the last day." "Actually, it's for you guys." "It's for Parents' Day." "So I hope you and Dad can come." "We wouldn't miss it." "Well, see, Mr. Walker, what we think- we think this character- we want it to be bold... yet very likable, very approachable." "Yeah, that's perfect." "I want approachable." "That's great." "Yeah, we think this character represents your product very effectively." "Yeah, and we would know, because, well, we drink it every day." "Really?" "What's your favorite flavor?" "Well, for me, I guess it would have to be Destiny Bold." "That's Starbucks, guys." "I'm kidding!" "No, listen." "Don't sell me." "I love the idea that you have the character changing with the season." "That's great." "Yeah." "I'm considering signing you guys to a two-year deal... to be the exclusive Beanwerks, Bean Jackson designers." "What do you think about that?" "Oh, we are so ready." "I want to rock the world, gentlemen." "I want to revolutionize the coffee industry." "Drinks are outside." "How about you?" "Cheese or pepperoni?" " Do you have bell peppers and mushrooms?" " Really?" " It's my favorite." " Me too." "But, unfortunately we only have cheese or pepperoni." " Cheese." " Okay." "You got it." "So, tomorrow's the big day." "What's tomorrow?" "Poppin' the question." "That's right." "Poppin' the question." "So what are you gonna do?" "I made reservations at Chantilly's." "I figure we'd have a little romantic dinner." "Then" " I don't know." "We'll see." "You the man." "Just have to get through Ethan's last day church thing." "He's doing a play over there or something." "Get through that, then it's showtime." "Yep." "So, what do you think she's gonna say?" "What'll she say." "Hi, Jeffrey." "I got your card." "The poem was cheesy." "But I do accept your "formal" invitation to dinner tomorrow night." "I love you." "Bye." "Well, we just want to welcome you all here." "It's just so good to have you." "And the kids have just had such a great week." "They have been memorizing their verses... and they have just had some great times in the word of God... and made lots of great crafts which you get to take home." "Now they're real excited to present to you their show." "And we're just thankful you're here." "So, without any further ado... we want to bring up our pastor, Chris Peterson, who's going to lead us in prayer." " Thank you, Dave." "Thanks so much." " You're welcome." "Hasn't Dave done a great job this week?" "We're so grateful for him." "We want to welcome you, the parents of Kids' Fest." "It's been an amazing week." "And we pray that your kids have had an awesome time this week." "We'd like to start our day with a word of prayer." "Would you join me?" "Let's pray together." "Gracious Father, we thank you for being such a great God... and for the gift of children." "I thank you today for their parents, and I ask, God... that you would guide them as they train up their children." " We pray it in Jesus' name." "Amen." " Amen." " Thank you, Dave." "Okay." " Thanks, brother." "Well, I know they're all excited backstage, so let's" " On with the show." "Well, again, we just want to thank you all for coming out." "But before we wrap things up here, I do just want to go ahead... and embarrass our staff a little bit." "They've just worked so hard this week... and put in so much time and effort and energy." "We just want to acknowledge them right now." "We want to say hi to Sherry Hamilton... and thank you for all her work with the kids and the choir." "All the singing." "And, yes, we have my lovely wife, Leslie... who was doing all of our administration work." "Yep, she was a great help." "Come on up here, sweetie." "And last but certainly not least" "We had many people that we just don't have time to say thanks to everybody... but everybody just did a great job." "But this lady was probably our most popular staff member... in that she handled all the snacks and all the yummy foods." "So the kids were like" " How many P.B. and J.'s did you make?" " A lot." "A lot!" "She made a lot of P.B. and J.'s." "And anyway... this might be her last time with us at our Kids' Fest... because she has just some new and exciting things that are going on in her life." " I want her to come up and" " Hey, what's up?" "You've got to be kidding me." "Heather Stroud, come on up." "No, no, no." "I realize that, T.J.... but Walker never mentioned that he was talking to another company." "Well, as Dave has just told you, this fall I plan on moving to Chicago... in support of a really amazing ministry called Hope for Chicago." "Marshall said this was a done deal though." "Is he on top of this or what?" "I feel so blessed, and I just wanted to thank you guys for your support." "So, thank you." "All right." "That's great." "I don't know, dude." "I don't like that." "I don't like this at all." "Especially what Marshall said." "He said it was a done deal." "Thanks, everybody, for coming." "Go get your kids." "Go talk to Heather." "And we'll see you next summer." "Yeah, I'm still here." "Thank you guys for stopping by." "I'm sure, as you heard me talk about on the stage... the name of our ministry is called Hope for Chicago." "I'm serious, call me." "All right, dude." "Feel free to take a flier." "Actually, where we're gonna be, it's a small suburb of Chicago called Tinsley... but most of the ministering that we'll be doing is in the city." " Where were you?" " I'm sorry." "T.J. called." "Are you ready for this?" "Emblem, one of our biggest competitors... has made Walker a counteroffer and he flipped." "These families that need help, and a lot of runaway teens actually." "So, I'm just feeling really blessed that's where the Lord wants me." "Oh, he's having a sleepover with Max." "Come on." "Oh, Mr. and Mrs. Crawford." "So good to see you guys." "So what are you gonna do?" "You know what?" "I'm gonna worry about it tomorrow." "Tonight, I have a big date." "Yeah, and, you know, I just thank you for your prayers." "I know that you guys have really been in support of this ministry." "Well, don't let me stop your big date." "Thanks for stopping by." "Hey, T.J., you there?" "It's me." "Pick up if you're there." "Listen, I need to talk to you about something, so call me as soon as possible." "Okay?" "All right, bye." "You look beautiful tonight." "Thank you." "Jeff, what's wrong?" "What's wrong?" "Nothing." "It's like you're not even here." "It's just a work thing, you know." "You said you were gonna take the night off." "You're right." "You're right." "Tonight... is a special night." "It's a beautiful night." "Jeff, what is with you?" "It's not like you to get so worked up over a deal." " Katie, you don't understand." " I don't" "How can you say that?" "Of course I understand." "I've lost a deal before." " You haven't even lost it." " Katie, it's not just the deal." "Then what is it?" "It is the deal." "It is the deal." "You know what?" "I don't feel too good." "This is deep." " Yeah." " But look, man." "This type of thing happens all the time, man." "Okay, look." "You're about to propose, right?" "All right?" "But you're not sure." "Okay?" "Then you think you see some girl that looks like your ex" "And then you get cold feet." "That's what it is." " T.J., it was Heather!" " Listen to what you're saying, man." "You're telling me that Heather- drunk-on-the-floor Heather- works at a church less than 1 0 minutes from here?" " Apparently!" " She doesn't call you?" "She doesn't look you up?" " Man, I don't know!" " Come on." "She doesn't even call her own son?" " I don't know!" "Ask her that!" " Look, man." "Okay, it's stress." "That's all it is, it's stress." "I'm feeling it too." " Look, it's just one deal." "We'll get another" " This is not just one deal!" " What?" " And you get on the phone with Marshall... and you find out what Emblem is offering him!" "We are not giving up on this!" " Man, where you going?" " I'm going to find her!" " Hey." "Hi, Jeff." "How are you?" " Thanks for seeing me." " I appreciate it." " Come on in." "Have a seat." " Right here?" " Yeah." "Make yourself comfortable." "Yesterday, it was the weirdest thing." "I could have sworn... that I saw someone at your church that I know- or that I used to know." " Really?" " Yeah, her name's Heather Stroud." "Heather Stroud." "Do you know who I'm talking about?" "Yes, I do." "Yeah, I do." " So she goes here?" " Heather's a part of our church." "We used to go to high school together." "We went to high school." "She's an old friend." " I mean, we, you know" " Really?" "Yeah, and I was wondering if you had, like, a phone number... or, like, an address or something that I could get a hold of her." "'Cause I would just love to catch up with her and" "I'm sure you would." "I don't think I can give her phone number out." "But maybe I can take your number and have her call you if she'd like to." "That would work." "If you're willing to do that, that'd be great." " I'd be happy to." " That'd be great." "Let me get that from you." "That's awesome." " Yeah, he's a really cool guy." " Really neat man." "Absolutely." "Listen, I really appreciate you talking with me and taking time." " Absolutely." "I'm sure we'll do that again." " Okay." "I'm sure we'll talk." " God bless you." " Okay." " Hi, this is Jeff." "And this is Ethan." "Leave us a message." "Bye." "Hi, Jeff." "It's Heather." "Give me a call." "Let me leave you my number." "Hello?" "Hi, Jeff." "It's really good to see you." "Where you been?" "It's hard to explain the last 10 years." "I was more depressed than I thought." "Then the alcohol and the drugs." "I blamed you for everything." "I just kept running." "And then I hit rock bottom." "They took me to a shelter." "There was something different about her." "I started praying." "I wanted to live again." "I found my way out here, and... got plugged into the church." "I'm a receptionist at Trinity College." "I've been doing really well." "Jeff, say something." "Why didn't you try to find us?" "Jeff, I tried." "I did." "They wouldn't give me any information." "I kept petitioning the courts... and they kept saying they had no record of you." "I knew that you moved to Miami." "But then after that, you just disappeared and" "I've tried everything I possibly could to find you." "Everything." "What am I supposed to say, Heather?" "You want to hear... that I was devastated?" "You want to hear that I couldn't work?" "Couldn't eat?" "Couldn't sleep?" "Couldn't think?" "You want to hear... that I thought about you every day?" "You want to hear that there were some days... when I wished that you and I had never met?" "And that there were other days I felt so guilty... that I couldn't face my son." "I don't know what I'm supposed to say, Heather." "Just say... that you can forgive me." "I can't do that right now." "Katie, Katie." "It's not you." "It's not you at all." "It's me." "I'm the one that's acting all weird." "No, I don't know." "It's just stress, I guess." "Plus, I do think I'm coming down with something." "Or something." "I don't know." "No, I just need a couple days, you know." "No, I'm fine." "I never thought I'd see them again." "And my son was there for a full week." "How could I not have known he was my son?" "Oh, Heather, there's no way you could have known." "Sherry, he's my son." "How could I have not known?" "We both like the same pizza." "I've been praying for this moment for so long." "And now that it's here..." "I don't know what to do." "God has done an awesome thing." "He has brought Jeff and Ethan... back into your life at just the right moment." "And in an amazing way." "He is in complete control." " Thanks so much for letting him hang out." " Hey, any time." " I really appreciate it." "Thank you." " We love him." "Why don't you stay and hang out for a bit?" " No, we gotta go." "We should probably go." " You sure?" " You want to hang out for a little while longer?" " Yeah!" " Come on!" " Cool!" " I guess we can stay for a minute." " All right, good." "Hey, let's go in here." "I don't know." "She said she tried to find us and couldn't." "I guess I believe her." "I don't think she'd lie to you, Jeff." "She's talked with you guys." "She ever mention she has a kid somewhere?" " Here we go." " Thanks, honey." " Are you sure you're not hungry?" " No, I'm good." "Thank you." "This is intense, Dave." "Yeah." "Yeah, I'm blown away." "I mean, this is incredible, Jeff." "It was just so weird seeing her." "She looked amazing." "I really thought she was dead, Dave." "I really did." "I thought to myself... if I ever got a chance to see her again, what would I do?" "What would I think?" "What would I say?" "I played this scene in my head a thousand times." "I really thought that I would hate her." "I just wanted to hold her." "I'm okay." "How about you?" "Still feel like I'm dreaming." "That girl you were with, she seemed nice." "How did you guys meet?" "She was my real estate agent." "We've been together for a while." "Does she know?" "Know what?" "That your ex-wife is back from the grave." "How about Ethan?" "Does Ethan know?" "How long do they give you for lunch?" "About an hour." "Take a drive with me?" " You rockin' the world?" " Revolutionizing the coffee industry." "Hey, did you hear that" "You gotta be kidding me." "Hey, "T."" "Come here." "Give me a hug." "Let me look at you." "You believe me now?" "So this guy right here jumps like a little schoolgirl, right?" " Thinking it's a real mouse." " It was in a trap." " It looked real enough to me." "Come on." " Man, even so... what are you doing jumping at a mouse, let alone a gummy one, right?" "I can totally picture it." "Man." "Man, I can't believe you're back." "Seems like we had pretty much given up on you." "Seeing you two together again is" "It's been a while." "Yes." "It's been a long while." "So, we'll see." "If the Beanwerks deal comes through, that would just" " That would be huge." " You guys were always the best." "T.J. hasn't changed a bit." "No." "He's the same old "T."" "Yeah." "So... tell me about this Chicago thing." "Jeff, I've got to ask you something." "Hey, big man." " Can I talk to you for a minute?" " Sure." "Well, it's kind of serious." "What did you do?" "What'd I do?" "Ethan, there's something I have to tell you... and I don't know how to tell you." "So, I'm just gonna come out and say it." "Okay?" " Okay." " Okay." "Do you remember the lady... that served you guys lunch at church?" "Yeah." "You remember her name?" "Miss Heather." "Miss Heather." "That's right." "That's right." "Miss Heather" "Miss Heather is your mom." "You're gonna marry Miss Heather?" "Miss Heather is- is your actual mom." "I mean, your real mom." "Like my real mom?" "Yeah." " That's weird." " That's weird." "But I thought you said my mom did bad stuff." "I know." "She did." "But, see, she doesn't anymore, see... 'cause... she's changed." "And she would really like to meet you." "I already did." "Yeah, I know." "Yeah, I know." "See" "But she had no idea that you were her son." "She had no clue." "And I didn't know." "I mean, I had no idea that she was even at the church." "I would have never done that to you." "I'd really like you to meet her." "Hi, Ethan." "Hi." "You're such a big, handsome boy." "Did your dad tell you who I am?" "Good." "I can't tell you, Ethan... how much, with every part of me..." "I have been looking forward to this moment." "Would it be okay if I give you a hug?" "Is that present for me?" "Yes." "Yes, it is for you." "I don't know what you want me to say." "What happens now?" "Does she get Ethan on the weekends?" "Does she come to birthday parties?" "What?" "Katie, I didn't plan it this way, you know." "I mean, she is his mother." "She's his biological mother who was never there." "What do you want?" "I don't know what I want anymore." " You don't know what you want anymore?" " I didn't mean it like that." "Then how did you mean it?" "I did not plan it this way." "You still love her?" "You could have the decency to tell me." " I can't believe this." " Katie, please don't" " Please don't go." "Just don't go." "I love you." "Come on, Katie." "Can we just" "Can we just talk about it for a minute?" "You don't look too good." "Long couple of days." "Yeah?" "How's Ethan handling everything?" "Well, he's fine." "He just rolls with everything." "He's always been like that." "It's crazy because I barely know him... but I love him so much." "And he is so smart." "You should've heard the things he was saying at dinner." "I think he is the smartest 1 0-year-old on the planet." "I'm sure he is." "Katie and I are through." "Man, I'm sorry to hear that." "I don't know." "Maybe it's a sign that Heather and I are meant to be together." "You think?" "Yeah, I think." "I've had 1 0 years to think, Dave." "How is Jeff handling all of this?" "I think it's okay." "We were it." "She was my girl, you know?" "When we were together, it was the best." "We had a rough spot and it kinda slipped away from us." "But we can get it back." "I mean, she's here." "This is second-chance time." "I want to make it work." "I want it back, Dave." "Do you still love him?" "Oh, Sherry, I mean..." "I've loved Jeff since I've been seven years old." "I've never loved anybody else." "Heather's not the same girl that you knew back then." "I know that." "I mean, she's changed." "We all change, right?" " She's a Christian now." " I just want him to know the Lord." " And Ethan" " I know" " I know, Heather." "Dave, I get it." "I get the point." "She's a Christian." "I'm okay with that." "Well, I'm glad you're okay with it." "I'm fine with it." "Is Heather okay with it?" "Do you have any idea how many people are praying for you?" "And for Ethan?" "And Jeff?" "I don't know how to thank you." "Look, all I'm saying is... it just might be a bigger deal than you think." "Let me ask you." "What do you think it means to be a Christian?" "Where you going?" "Nice." " That was the fastball, right?" " That was the fastball." "Show her the curve." "Here comes the curve." "That was a curveball?" "It's actually the same pitch, but he never knows it." "You've done such an amazing job with him, Jeff." "Well, I try." "Really." "Thank you for raising our son." "Hey, watch this!" "Good one, sweetie!" "So how's church going?" "Good." "Church is always good." "You know, you and Ethan should come sometime." "And, you know, bring Katie." "Katie and I broke up actually." "Oh, I'm sorry." "Yeah, it's for the best." "You know, in fact, I've been thinkin' that maybe... you could, you know, spend more time with us." "Maybe even... move in." "Heather, move in with us." "I know it's crazy." "I know it's fast, but let's be crazy again." "Come on." "It's me." "It's us." "We're your family." "I can't." "Hey..." "I forgive you." "I forgive you for everything." "I won't ever bring it up again." "Heather, move in with us." "Jeff, I can't." "Why not?" " You wouldn't understand." " I do understand." "I understand you think if you do anything outside the church... that you're just gonna fall back into that life with the drugs." "I'm not gonna let that happen." "Heather, you and I were the real deal." "You know it." "We had "happily ever after." We had it!" "And it just slipped away from us." "This is worth fightin' for." "We can get it back." "I know that when you needed me, I wasn't there for you." "I wasn't." "I'm not gonna let that happen again." "I'm gonna protect you this time." "I do not deserve... your forgiveness." "And I'm so sorry... but I can't." "I brought something for you." "What is it?" "Ethan, we gotta go, buddy." "Come on." "We gotta go." "Come on, Chris." "I don't know what you teach here." "I mean, you seem like a decent guy." "All I know is that my wife left me and my 1 0-month-old son hanging!" "She left us hanging, Chris." "And now, all of a sudden, she's back, boom, a miracle." "And you know what?" "I want her back." "I actually want her back." "And you're telling me that she can't be with me... because she's a Christian?" "I mean, come on." "Help me understand this." " Jeff, you've been through so much." " Okay, help me understand." "I would love to." "Have a seat." "Let's talk about it." "No." "No." "I need to pace right now, okay?" "The first thing that you need to know is... she believes, as I do, that the Bible is the word of God." " Okay, I'm fine with that." " One of the things that he's told us... is that a Christian cannot marry a non-Christian." "You're telling me that the Bible teaches that a Christian... can't be married to a non-Christian?" "What I'm telling you is that a Christian can't enter into a marriage with a non-Christian." "Okay, let me see if I understand you right." "Two people are married." "They get a divorce." "One of 'em becomes a Christian." "Those two people can't get remarried." "That's true." "And it's because God wants to protect us." "And just as you want to protect Ethan... he wants marriages to be whole, and he wants people moving in the same direction." "And the truth is, is that if you and Heather got married... you'd be moving in two different directions." "Hypothetically, what if- what if they were still married?" "Well, that would be a whole different story." "In that case, the Bible would tell the Christian to stay married to that non-Christian." "Maybe somebody comes to Christ after they've already been married... and so they would remain married." "If those same two people were still married... then she could- they could stay together?" "They should remain married." "The believer should remain married to the unbeliever." "And the reason for that is because God hates divorce." "But in this case, you're not married." "All right, pal." "Good night, okay?" " See you in the morning." " Okay." " Hey, Dad?" " What?" "Can we go back to the church?" "I really liked it there." "Yeah." "Yeah, we can go back sometime." "Cool." "All right." "Good night." "Hey, Dad." "What?" "Can you pray for me?" " You want me to pray for you?" " Yeah." " Right now?" " Yeah." "Okay." "God?" "Thanks that you're a good god." "Appreciate that." "Thanks for Ethan, that we're together." "We like being together." "Make him strong... and help us to be happy." "Amen." "How was that?" "Needs work." "But, thanks." "All right." "All right, go to sleep now." "Good night." "Hey, Dad?" "What?" "I really like Mom." "Good night, pal." "Okay." "So you call me the second you hear something." "I don't care when, where, why, how- You call me, okay?" "Yeah." "Oh, hey, can you watch Ethan tomorrow?" "Yeah." "I had a really interesting talk with the pastor of her church." "Yeah." "All right, I'll talk to you later, dude." "Bye." "Heather, we need to talk." "So I had a really good talk with Chris... and I need to tell you something." "It's not that I never meant to not tell you." "It's just that with everything that's been going on, it just-just never came up." " Pastor Chris?" " Yeah." "And with everything that's been happening, I've been confused about it." "I wasn't sure until I talked with Chris." "Jeff, what is it?" "Technically... we're still married." "What?" "I never signed the divorce papers." "I don't understand." "See, the only reason I'm telling you this... well, aside from the fact that you should probably know that we're still married" "It's just that..." "I got so confused by the idea." "See, I thought that you thought... that because you're a Christian and I'm not a Christian... that you wouldn't be with me, and that nothing else mattered." "But, see, after talking to Chris... he made it sound like- that because we're technically married, that that seemed to matter." "That it made a difference." "And if there was a reason why you wouldn't be with me... that that's not a reason." "Jeff, you- you never divorced me?" "After everything I put you through?" "How could I?" "I just thought I would tell you in case it changes anything." "It changes everything." "You guys are still married?" "Well, yeah, technically" "Legally, yeah, we're still married." "So what are you gonna do?" "What can you do?" "I mean" "Well, I don't know." "What should I do?" "This is deep." "Yeah." " You didn't sign the papers?" " That's not the point, T.J." " Something's not right here." " I'm supposed to submit to him." "I don't even know what that means." "You know, he's a nonbeliever, Sherry." "What if he tells me I can't go to church?" "What if he tells me I can't pray, I can't read the Bible?" "Look, ever since before I met you, it's been all about Heather." "She's back, bro, and she wants you back." "Tell me what's not right about that?" "That's not the way they made it sound." "You're trying to tell me that the church is forcing her to be with you?" "I don't know." "I mean, that's the way they made it sound." "Oh, come on, man." "Look." "You trying to tell me that when they thought that you guys were divorced... they tried to say that you couldn't be together." "But now that they find out that you guys are still married... well, you guys have to be together." "Well, no." "I mean, it's just" "Well, yeah." "You know what, man?" "This is getting freakier by the minute, all right?" "Why didn't he just divorce me?" " I deserved to have been divorced." " Oh, Heather." "Everything would be fine." "My life is finally starting to make sense." "We prayed about this." "You remember how long and hard we prayed about this?" "I think I'm supposed to go to Chicago." "I think that's what God wants from me." " Don't you want her back?" " Of course I want her back!" "I want her back." "But I want her to want to be back with me." "I don't want her coming back like she's shackled to me." " I mean, what is that?" " Okay, okay." "Well, what did she say?" "That's just it!" "She didn't say anything." "You should've seen the look in her eye." "She just said to this Chris guy... that she wanted to honor God... and just do what the Bible said." "Dude, but you didn't sign the papers." "I couldn't sign 'em, T.J.!" "I couldn't sign 'em!" "I picked up that pen a thousand times and I couldn't sign 'em." "Everybody gave up on her, and I couldn't do it!" "Don't you understand that signing those papers... meant saying good-bye to everything good" "It's all right." "It's all right." "and decent in my life?" " And I couldn't do it!" " It's all right." "It's all right, man." "Heather, I don't know Jeff... but I do know our God." "We need to keep our focus on him." "Just think." "Think of the influence that you could have on Jeff... in a way that no one else could." "And Ethan- Think of how you could influence Ethan." "I want you to come." "I know." "But this is your day with your mom." "Go have fun." " Good morning." " Hi, Mom." " I love it when you say that." " All right, chief, go have fun, man." "Enjoy your day." "He looks very handsome." "Hi, sweetie." "Bye, Dad." "Max!" "I'd love it if you wanted to come to church today, if you want." "Next time." "Come on." "This is your day with the little man." "Hey, I was thinking maybe about taking him to lunch... and then, I don't know, showing him where I work, if that's okay." "That's okay." "He's your son." " Yeah." " You want to meet for dinner later?" "Yeah, sounds good." " All right, I'll call you." " Okay." " Isn't it a pretty building?" " It's big." "I know." "I used to get lost all the time when I first started working here." "Now this is where all the excitement happens." " You want to know why?" " Why?" "'Cause it's my desk." " You want to see what I do every day?" " Yeah." "Well, this is my trusty computer... where I can, you know, send my e-mails, or I can I.M. people." "'Cause there's a lot of messages that come really quickly... and I have to make sure that they get to the right person in enough time." "And this is where I actually have to wear this silly thing on my head." "And I answer the phone and I say..." ""Thank you for calling Trinity Bible College." "This is Heather." "How can I help you?"" "And this is my trusty notepad." "So I say, "Yes, Mr. Thomas." "I'll make sure that your wife gets that message."" "Or sometimes if someone wants to talk to someone that's here in the building..." "I can just transfer them, and I just push these little buttons here... and transfer the call." " It's pretty boring, huh?" " No, it's cool." "You think it's cool?" "And this is also where I get to order lunch." " You ready for lunch?" " Yeah." "Me too." "Let's go." "Ethan, it has been so exciting... being able to spend time with you today." "You too, Mom." "And..." "I know that there's- there's really no way for me to be able to make up for these past years." "But I want you to know that... for the rest of my life... there's nothing I want more than to be the best mom to you that I can possibly be." "Now I've asked this of your father... but I wanted to ask it of you too." "I'm just wondering if there's any way... that you can somehow... forgive me for not being there for you." "I forgive you, Mom." "Oh, thank you." " Are you hungry?" " Yes." "Me too." "Okay." "Bell peppers and mushrooms?" "It's my favorite." "Is it okay if I pray for our meal?" " I liked it." "It was fun." " That's good." "But that guy just kept talking and talking." "I know." "It's not easy for a kid to sit through a 45-minute sermon." " Sometimes it's not easy for Mom." " Did better than I would." " I'm proud of you." " But I liked it." " Good." "I'm glad." " Can I go play?" "Yeah, go." "Here, I got it." " Thanks, Mom." " You're welcome." "He has really taken to you." "I love him." "Heather, I've been thinking about this a lot... and I just don't know how else to say it." "I'm not gonna force you to do anything you don't want to do." "Jeff, I know that." "I've just been so happy to be spending time with you and Ethan." "I really want to thank you for letting me take a little bit of time" "See, that's what I'm talkin' about." "What?" "I'm not allowing you to do anything." "This is about you taking the time that you need." "If you need to take time, you take time." "You tell me you need to take time." "Heather, I want to be with you." "I do." "But if that's not what you want, then you tell me." "Then you tell me." "You just say the word, and I'll sign those papers tonight." "You can go to Chicago and do whatever it is... you feel like you're being led to do." " Obviously I'm not gonna" " Wait." "I gotta take this." "One second." "Hey." "What's up?" "I can't talk right now." "No, just real quick." "Really?" "Well, that's good news, right?" "Yeah, but if it's a matter of financing, we touched on that." "We can shave some points off the front end." "That's not a problem." "I've got a team that are relying on me." "I'm making" "Babe, it's our anniversary." "We have to work around him." "In order to win this client... we have to sort of dance with him, you understand?" " All I need" " Do you understand what's happening here?" "I know, baby, but it's just a couple hours." "A couple hours." "I go make the presentation, I come back." "We're still gonna have time to go out." " Babe, it's our anniversary." " Seriously." "Honey, please." " Just a couple hours." "Okay?" " Go." "You're already gone." "You think we should just tell him to drop dead, or what?" "Okay." "Listen." "I gotta" "I gotta call you back." "Yeah, I'll call you back." "All right." "And the latest one is her thanking me... for giving her time to think about it before she moves back in." "Well, she's just trying to show you honor as her husband." "Honor, Dave." "I'm not really looking to get honored." "Well, I mean, I wouldn't be put off by it, Jeff." "It's just the Bible talks a lot about the role of the husband and the role of the wife." "And she's just wanting to show you respect as the leader of your family." "I guess I'm just" "Every day I'm just seeing how different she is." "Good different?" "Yeah." "Yeah, almost too good." "I can't put my finger on it." "It's just that she's just changed so much." " Yeah." "Yeah, she's a believer now." " I'm sure that's part of it." "No." "No, It's not part of it." "It's everything." "I mean, it is everything that you and I have talked about, okay?" "I'm not saying it's a bad thing." "I didn't take it that way." "I guess I just am not sure... who she is now." "Well, then find out." "Really." "Hey, there's a reason you never signed the divorce papers." "Ever think about that?" "Why don't you" "Why don't you start coming with her to church?" "Or come over to my place for Bible study." "Get to know her." "Get to know who she is now." "And would you please take your wife out on a date?" "I love his little cheeks." "I just want to squeeze them." "Well, he's definitely got your eyes." "Wait till he shows you." "He's got a little race car collection." "You're gonna love that, the way he describes them." " He's so smart." " Too smart." "You're not gonna believe this... but I happen to love country music." "No, you don't." "Oh, yes, I do." "Oh, you've got to be kidding me." "Really?" " You want me to sing right here?" " No." "You sure?" "It is an incredible ministry." "Of course we want to bring them food and supplies... and education, you know, for the runaway teens... and the parents and the broken families that are out there." "But, you know, we don't hide who we are." "Was that an earful?" "No." "Man, I'm just blown away by your" "So passionate about this ministry." "That's amazing." "Yeah." "What?" "Nothing." "You're just" "You're so beautiful." "Can I tell you a secret?" "Or actually... can I show you a secret?" "Is that your ring?" "Yeah." "I always kept it really close to my heart." "You know what?" "He wouldn't call if it wasn't important." "I'm sorry." "It'll take one second." "Hey." "What's happening?" "Hey, don't mess with me." "Are you serious?" "That's nothin'." "I don't care if he wants Bean Jackson in polka dots." "Is that what's been holding this up?" "Are you kidding?" "Let's get on with it." "Yeah, anytime." "Absolutely." "Okay." "Now we go in for the kill." "Every time I try to explain myself" " Then explain yourself so it makes sense." " See?" "There it is." "You ask me" " I keep hearing the same thing over and over." " How many times..." " do we have to go through this?" " Go through what?" " I don't know." "You tell me." "How many times?" " I said I was" "It's like a war." "It's like I'm a soldier." "I can't just bail on these guys." "They're depending on me." "Don't you understand that?" " They are!" " See how ridiculous that sounds?" " I'm part of a war?" " Do you want to live here forever?" " First child-you missed it!" " Answer the" " We've talked about this a thousand times!" " Not gonna hear it." "That's why I'm so tired of it!" "I am so tired of it!" " You just need to calm down." " No, I don't need to calm down." "You need to wake up!" "You got it." "That's beautiful." "All right." "Talk to you later." "I think we got it." "I think we got it." "Anyway, let me see your ring." "I wanna see your ring." "Feels good!" "Yeah, I'll feel better once we sign the contract." "You know what?" "Let's go out and celebrate tonight." "Let's shoot some pool." "I thought church boy had Bible study." "Come on, man." "How long have we been working on this deal?" " Let's go celebrate!" " We've been working on it for a minute." "Yeah!" "Plus, it's not like I have to go tonight." "You know?" "Or any night." "I mean, just 'cause she's changed her whole life around doesn't mean I have to." "That's her thing." "She does her thing, I do my thing." "You know?" " It's all good." " My man." "I think you're finally coming to your senses, brother." "You're right, You know what?" "You're right." "I should go to Bible study tonight." "I'll go to Bible study tonight- then we celebrate." "Hey, man." "Do what you gotta do, dude." "All right, so I think that- that about wraps us up for the night." "So why don't we" "Why don't we go ahead and... just thank the Lord for the time that we've had." " Wanna get that?" " I'm sorry, I gotta" "That's okay." "No, go ahead." "It's fine." "All right, let's pray." "Father, we just thank you for this great evening of fellowship and studying your word." "And, Lord, we thank you that you are sovereign in salvation... that you are the one in control... you are the one that saves us by your grace and your mercy and your great love." "Lord, we just thank you for your son, Jesus... that he would die on the cross for our sins... and that, Lord, he rose from the dead, conquering sin and death... and allowing us all to have that free gift of eternal life." "We just thank you and praise you until we meet again." "And we all said, amen." " We did not lose anything!" " Wait." "Did you hear what I said?" "I said we lost it." "It's over." " Barrett signed Emblem last week." " No, that's not good enough." "You get on the phone with Marshall and find out what changed his mind." " Dad, I scored 86,000!" " Maybe we came up high." " Dad, I scored 86,000!" " We came up high on the top end." "Remember?" "We talked about that." "No, T.J., that's not good enough!" "I'm telling you, we are not giving up on this!" " Dad, I scored 86,000!" " Can't you see I'm on the phone?" "Hey, Jeff." "Everything okay?" "Yeah, it's good." "Everything's fine." "Well, we have some snacks in the kitchen." "Anybody like some coffee?" "And Stephanie's cookies." "Thank you." "Hey, buddy, hey." "No, no." "I'm not mad at you." "Wasn't your fault." "I'm sorry." "Hey, you want to stay with Uncle Dave?" "You want to stay with Uncle Dave and Aunt Leslie?" "Is that okay?" " Absolutely." " Okay." "I'm not mad at you." "It's not your fault." " Okay?" " Okay." "Let's go get a snack." "Okay, sweetie?" "I'm sorry." "It's okay, man." "No worries." " It's just a work thing." " Yeah." "Well, listen, it's okay." "Why don't you stick around." "No, I'm gonna go." "I'm gonna take off." "All right." "I'm sorry." "Hey, it's all right." "Don't worry." "Can't you see I'm on the phone?" "Heather's not the same girl that you knew back then." "She's a Christian now." "I'm okay with that." "Is Heather okay with it?" "Heather has Jesus Christ living inside of her." "So, yeah." "Of course she's gonna be different." "Because God wants to protect us." "And just as you want to protect Ethan... he wants marriages to be whole, and he wants people moving in the same direction." "Every day I'm just seeing how different she is." "Good different?" "Yeah, almost too good." "There's just... no excuse for the way I acted." "I just" "I just blew it." "But it's good in a way." "It's good." "I mean, it's just gonna be you and me." "Right?" "The way it's always been." "We're going to go to ThunderWorld, do all that stuff we talked about." "We're gonna have a great time." "So we're good, right?" "We're" " It's all good." "What about Mom?" "We'll talk about that later." "Right now I gotta go talk to Uncle Dave." "You wanna hang with Max for a while?" "I see it now." "For the first time, it all makes sense." "I see it." "It's real, isn't it?" "I see it in you." "I see it in Chris." "I see it in Heather." "It's real, isn't it?" "For the first time, it makes sense." "That's why I know..." "I'll never be the man that she needs me to be." "I'm releasing her, Dave." "I signed the papers." "Yeah, you're right, Jeff." "You're right." "You never will be the man that she needs." "Not on your own." "Not apart from Christ." "Listen." "You know that I care about you, right?" "Right?" "Okay." "So what I'm gonna tell you, I tell you out of love." "You're a fool." "You are a fool." "Do you really think this is some big coincidence?" "Do you really think that Heather leaves you... and then God saves her, and then she comes back into your life?" "Do you really think it's a coincidence that you or I met... or that our kids are friends, or that Heather was serving at the camp?" "No, this isn't some chance thing, Jeff." "See?" "There's no such thing as chance, okay?" "Because God is sovereign, and he is always in control." "And God gave Heather to you to be your wife." "And, yes, what she has is real." "It is real, authentic faith." "And that can be your faith." "So sure- sure, you can divorce her." "You can keep running away from God." "And, frankly, that would probably be the easier road." "The question you have to ask for yourself is... which road are you gonna take?" "Yours or God's?" "Mom!" "It's a nice place." "Could use a woman's touch." "How did you get in?" "You gave me the key." "I think I'm gonna leave you two alone." "I thought maybe you'd gone on to Chicago." "Heather, I can't promise I'll change." "I can't promise that I'll be the man you need." "God gave me you." "You are the man that I need." "All I know is that for some reason, you're back." "The reason I am back... is because of Jesus Christ." "And the more I love him, the more I love you." "And I do love you so much." " I don't want to lose you." " You won't, ever again." "I promise you, I will never leave you again." "And I promise I will never let you." "I want what you have!" "Really?" "Wow." "This is a lot scarier than I thought it was gonna be." "I should warn you now that I am not the world's best cook." "But I promise I will try to get better." "But for tonight... spaghetti and meatballs." "I love you."