Chapter Three

Tiffany's words keep ringing in his head as he brushes the hair back from his Godson's face. Lucky was asleep in the seat next to him on the plane.

"A man does not forget to sign divorce papers Robert. I do not care how angry you were. Sean is right. It was not an accident. You are still in love with her."

"Why does everyone keep saying that? I am not in love with her. How could I be in love with her after everything she did?"

"Do you even hear yourself? You are trying to convince yourself that you could not possibly love this woman…Robert you married her…you loved her madly from the way you speak of her…It is not that much of a stretch for you to still love her, even when you don't want to. The heart is funny that way."

"Tiffany…"

"Robert, Please. We both know your heart has not been here since we started this. Now I know why. As much as I love this little boy, I am not going to marry a man who is clearly still in love with the woman he married. Go to her Robert. Let her help you with Lucky. It is what Luke and Laura would have wanted. They would want their son raised in a family that loves each other."

Robert's eyes snap open at the sound of a child's scream. For a moment, he forgets where he is. Lucky is looking at him with pleading eyes. He is his responsibility now. He has to do right by him.

He picks the boy up and sits him on his lap. His arms immediately go around his neck and he settles against Robert's chest. The crying has ceased. He just wants someone to make him feel safe. For the life of him, he cannot figure out why that is him. When was the last time he made anyone feel safe?

"You're good with him," a woman across the aisle mentioned. "You shouldn't second guess yourself. You'll figure it out."

"How could you tell," he asked her.

"Your body language screams new father. Relax. Children only need for you to love them."

He pauses as he looks at Lucky and then back at the woman. "You know, you never think when you agree to be a child's God Father that you will ever have to take that to heart. He has lost both his parents. I am the only person he has to count on and honestly, that scares the hell out of me. I don't know the first thing about being a father."

"You're doing it. Just look at him. He loves you. That's half the battle."

Robert looks down at Lucky, whose tiny fingers have curled around his larger ones. Lucky buries his head in the crook of Robert's neck as he sleeps. He smiles as he rubs his Godson's back. He would give anything to go back to when life was that simple.

Robert stood at Anna's door for quite some time before he could even muster the courage to knock. What was he supposed to say to her? It's not as if he could just walk in there and ask for a divorce…As far as she knows they already are divorced.

"Robert."

She is standing in front of him in nothing but a robe. Do not look Scorpio. Whatever you do, do not look in her eyes. You know you will just fall in love again.

It was too late. He hasn't seen her in just over a year and she is still as beautiful as she was on the day that he left her in that hospital in Paris. He never thought he would see her again and seeing her now…It hurt.

"Anna," he gasps. "I think we need to talk."

She steps aside and lets him enter, even if she longs to let their eyes linger just a little longer. Maybe if Robert looked in her eyes longer than he would remember why he loved her once.

He takes a seat on her couch, as Anna lets him know it is okay for him to lay the sleeping child down.

"Who's the little boy," Anna asks?

Robert wishes he could tell her that Lucky was his…if only to see her hurt as much as she hurt him. In all the months that he spent without her, he was convinced that he wanted to know she was suffering…if only to acknowledge that she felt even a fraction of what he felt. Now that he was sitting in front of her, he knew that hurting her would not make his pain any less.

"He's Luke and Laura's son. Luke was one of my best friends. His name is Lucky and he is my Godson. Both his parents are dead now…for some reason Luke thought it would be best if I raise him."

Anna smiles at him. Just watching him with this child makes her think of Robin. If he stays here much longer than he is going to find out about their daughter. Somehow, though, she does not mind. She has dreamed of this moment when she could finally see him again. She would not push him out.

"Maybe he knows that you would make a wonderful father," she says.

Robert does not say anything then. He knows she has to wonder why he is here.

"You seem nervous Robert. Is there something wrong?"

"I need to tell you something and I'm not quite sure how to do that."

"You know you can tell me anything Robert. You might not want to but you can. "

I still love you Robert

He takes a deep breath as he looks at her. He wipes the sweat from the back of his neck. Why was he so nervous?

Why can't I stop loving you?

"Anna I…"

She boldly moves her hand to cover his own. She expected him to resist but for some reason he just left it there. She would not complain. She always loved to feel his warmth on her skin.

"As much as I hate to admit that I made a mistake, "he continues. "I think it's the only way you will believe what I have to tell you?"

"I thought you didn't make mistakes," she quipped. She meant it as a joke but he looked far more serious than she expected and she worried that he thought she sounded bitter.

"Sometimes I do," he said, before she could admit that she was kidding. He handed her the papers and she seemed confused at first…until she got to the end of them.

"You didn't sign them? So that means…"

"We are still married. That is correct."

"So what was the mistake Robert…That you didn't sign them or that you drew them up in the first place?"

"Anna…"

"Hasn't this time apart taught you anything? You left me in that hospital and you never let me explain. Maybe if you had, you would believe me when I say that I love you. What do I have to do to show you how sorry I am? Can't you find it in your heart to show me just a little bit of forgiveness...Or did everything that we shared not mean anything at all to you? I love you Robert. I just want a chance to earn your forgiveness…and your love. Can't you ever love me again?"

She presses a finger to his lips when she knows he is about to object… "Don't say anything Robert. Just give me this moment. I promise I won't mention it again."

She tilts his chin so she can look at him…those dark expressive eyes telling her everything she needs to know…and then she kisses him. He feels just like he did when they were together. It amazes her how even with one kiss; it still sends shivers throughout her body.

"Anna," he pants, his forehead now resting against hers.

"Don't tell me you don't feel anything because we both know that's a lie."