CHAPTER THREE: LETTER AND A DAY IN THE PARK

I woke up to find that Mitchie was gone, of course. I still couldn't believe that I had yelled at her the day before.

But the way she had reacted was uncalled for. She knew that Connect 3 was important to me, after all I had been in the band since I was fifteen. And she had practically called it useless.

She didn't even seem worried about the kids, which really burned me. She didn't care about the beings that we made together!

Today was Saturday, which meant that Hope and Cameron would wake up later than usual, and Emily and Shay would come into my room so we could catch up on things.

On time as always, they came running in, taking a seat on the bed. Except today their faces were serious.

Emily spoke first. "Dad, what's going on with Mom?"

I looked down for a moment. "Em…I think that your mother has moved on from me."

Both their eyes widened and they simultaneously shouted, "What? No!"

Shay whispered, "But I thought you loved each other."

It was amazing how such a small statement could make me want to sob. "I love your mother, but I don't think she loves me."

"So is that why she hugged us and left with her suitcase this morning?"

My heart stopped. "What?"

"Mom told us she loved us, grabbed her suitcase, left her house key on the counter, and left."

I instantly got out of bed and ran downstairs. Her keys were lying on the counter, next to a folded letter. I picked it up. It read:

Shane,

I'm sorry for leaving you, but it seems like you've been doing fine by yourself.

Even though I'm gone, I refuse to divorce. I just need to get out for awhile. I quit my job.

I love you and will be back soon, make sure Hope and Cameron don't forget me.

Love,

Mitchie

My eyes flooded with tears. I didn't know whether it was the fact that she had quit her job or promised to come back. For whatever reason it was, I was still crying.

She still loves you, my mind nagged. Then I smiled the first true smile I had in months.

Emily and Shay came running down and looked at me with wide, hopeful eyes. "What does it say?"

I smiled at them. "She's gonna come back soon and she quit her job."

They broke out into smiles and we hugged until we heard Hope and Cameron waking up. "Twins are up. Help me, will you please?"

The girls eagerly nodded and we quickly got the twins ready. As we ate breakfast, I told them about the plan for the day. Caitlyn, Nate, and I had made plans to spend Saturday at the park with the kids. Everyone was excited to go, even Hope and Cameron, who probably didn't even comprehend what I was saying.

Cam smiled. "Pawk! Pawk!"

Except for Hope, we all gaped at him. Emily laughed. "He just said a word other than 'Dada'! Can you believe it?"

I smiled and kissed Cameron's forehead. "Very good, buddy!"

After we finished, we all hopped in the car and sang road trip songs all the way to the park, but we weren't too loud for poor Hope's sake.

When we got there, everyone went running to Caitlyn and Nate, who were playing with Devin. Caitlyn ran over and started hugging everyone. Nate said hello to Cam and then started complimenting the girls. I smiled. I knew that Nate loved Devin with everything he had, but he had always wanted a girl.

Caitlyn smiled. "I can't wait until we have our little girl."

I looked over Caitlyn. She looked tired and like she had gained a few pounds. There was no way…"Cait, are you serious?"

She smiled wider than possible. Nate just looked at us, confused. "Am I missing something?"

Caitlyn took Nate to the side and they talked for a minute. When I looked back over, they were embraced in a hug and Nate was laughing while twirling Caitlyn around.

I smiled, though my heart ached at the sight. Nate and Caitlyn, still in love, still happy. I looked back towards the children, forgetting my pain as I watched them laugh and play together.

Soon it was late and we all headed to McDonald's for some shakes and soda. I couldn't help but watch Caitlyn and Nate the whole time, wondering if Mitchie and I could ever get back to where we were before our fight.

And as I stared at my shake, I knew that a shake wouldn't be a good enough apology this time.

a/n: Who understood the shake joke? You should understand the joke if you are a true fan of Shane Gray: Expectant Father! Please review, I'm trying to get at least a hundred reviews! (No, I'm not a review freak, I just want to have at least one story with 100 reviews!) Hope you enjoyed! Peace. Love. Jemi Obsessed.