Ryan walked into Summer and Seth's to see the baby, but when he found Bridget, she was in Marissa's arms, sleeping quietly. Marissa was in the nursery, rocking Bridget in her arms and humming quietly. Ryan leaned against the doorway and smiled, watching her quietly.
When Marissa saw Ryan, she put the baby into her crib and walked out into the hallway, closing the door to the nursery quietly.
"Summer and Seth are in their room, they needed a break for a few hours." Marissa whispered to Ryan as they walked downstairs into the kitchen.
"You're good with Bridget." Ryan said with a smile, sitting next to her at the counter.
"Well, I've had some experience." Marissa said to him.
Ryan nodded, and looked at her "Um, I don't know if this is gonna be weird, but they have that charity dinner tomorrow at the Yacht Club, and I was wondering if you wanted to go with me? You know…as friends."
Marissa thought for a second then turned to him "Yea, I'd love too."
"Hey Ryan." Jake walked in from the backyard where he was playing basketball.
"Hey Jake, whatcha doing?" Ryan asked as Jake sat next to him.
"Nothing. Mom, I'm bored." Jake put his head on the counter.
"What do you want to do?" Marissa asked.
"Hmmm." Jake thought for a second.
"I have a friend who has some extra tickets to the Lakers game in a few hours. I wasn't gonna go but if you and your mom wanna come…" Ryan offered.
Jake looked at his mom "Please Mom!" he begged "Please, please, please!"
Marissa looked at Ryan "You're sure?"
Ryan smiled "Positive."
"Go upstairs and get showered and dressed" she told Jake.
"Yes!" Jake jumped up.
"Don't wake the baby." Marissa warned as Jake tiptoed upstairs.
"Thanks." Marissa said to Ryan.
Jake sat in the middle of Ryan and Marissa the whole game, enjoying every minute of it. Every few minutes, Marissa would catch Ryan looking at her, but she tried to ignore it.
"Ready to go?" Ryan asked at the end of the game.
Jake, who was extremely tired, nodded "Yep."
Marissa and Ryan got onto the main highway, and were stuck in bumper to bumper traffic. Jake was asleep in the backseat, and Marissa turned on the radio.
'Well folks' the announcer said 'It looks like there is a 20 car pileup on I-405. So if you're heading that way, don't be expecting to move anytime in the next few hours.'
Marissa sighed, knowing there was no other way to get home "Well, what are we gonna do?"
Ryan turned off the exit they were sitting near "Holiday Inn?" he asked.
Marissa shrugged "I guess we don't really have a choice."
Ryan went in to get a room, and Marissa woke Jake up and walked with him inside. By the time they got to their room, Jake was wide awake "Can we rent a movie?" he asked "I saw the movie store right across the street."
Ryan smiled "Sure buddy, I'll walk you over."
"Thanks." Marissa said as Ryan and Jake left the room. She sat on the bed, looking at the fact that it was a very, very small room with a king size bed. Her phone rang a few minutes later "Hello?"
"Coop!" Summer whispered happily "Shouldn't you be home by now?"
"Yea, well there was a pileup on the Interstate so we're staying at a hotel tonight." Marissa explained.
"You and Ryan?" Summer asked "In a room together…allllll night."
"Not helping Summer." Marissa said with slight laughter in her voice.
"Wasn't trying to Coop. Well, I guess a night in a hotel is a start." Summer said.
"For what?" Marissa asked.
"You and Ryan."
"Jake's here." Marissa reminded her best friend.
"Oh yea." Summer said as Marissa heard Bridget start to coo "I have to go. Have fun tonight. Tell the boys I said hi."
"Will do. See you in the morning." Marissa hung up the phone as Ryan and Jake walked back in the room.
"We got Pirates!" Jake showed his mother the movie and popped it into the television. Jake sat at the end of the bed, close to the television, but Marissa was sitting against the headboard and Ryan came and sat next to her. Sure enough, just as Marissa predicted, Jake was asleep in a few minutes.
"So much for that rental." Ryan said as Marissa put a blanket over Jake and slipped off his shoes. "You did great with him, you know."
Marissa shrugged "I don't know sometimes. He's a good kid though."
"He has a great mom."
Marissa smiled and Ryan slowly moved a bit closer to her "Thanks for today. He had a great time."
"And what about you?"
"Me too." Marissa told him.
"When you came out here, did you ever think we might be able to start again?" Ryan asked
Marissa sat up "Ryan….I don't know." She wasn't happy he brought it up.
"You can't tell me you never thought about it."
"I did, okay Ryan? I thought about it everyday for the past ten years. I've thought about you, and maybe if I called we could talk, and maybe we could get back together. But it's just too hard."
"What is Marissa? Relationships are always going to be hard. I mean, if they were easy then everyone would have that one person they love forever, but it doesn't work like that." Ryan said, locking his eyes with hers "And yes, I know that we never were the most functional couple but we got by because we loved each other. I'm tired of not going after what I want Marissa, and I want you. I've always wanted you since the first time we met."
Marissa leaned in closer and kissed him lightly, then more passionately. It wasn't just a kiss though, it was the kind of kiss people share when they are falling for each other…..again.