Author's Note: I even amazed myself by how fast I was able to write this out but when inspiration strikes... it strikes. This is a really long chapter, I mean it is over seventeen thousand words! The first quarter of this story is wrapping up mini-camp for the day and Anakin getting ready for the dinner. The rest of the story is the dinner date you've all been waiting for (myself included) and with the help of my beta, we've really fleshed it out and I am definitely proud of it.

I hope you guys like it!

Second Chances: Chapter Seven


Anakin Skywalker

On my way back to my group of kids, I pause and turn around. Padmé is walking towards the main doors where Luke awaits. He sees me staring off in his direction, and he gives me a little wave bye with a grin.

I smile and wave back.

Then I focus all of my attention on Padmé as she walks back towards him. She doesn't turn back around, but my eyes are glued to the sexy sway of her perfect feminine form in her snug jeans that show off her ass to perfection and her tight t-shirt, accentuating her breasts, which I noticed immediately are much larger than they were in high school. Obviously due to her pregnancy with Luke, I would imagine. God, it hurts so fucking much to see her walking away with her back to me. It brings me back to the night she tore my heart to shreds. I never experienced pain like that before and never want to experience it again.

With the exception of a very, very few people, she is the sole reason why I don't allow myself to become attached to others. Seriously, if there's even the slightest chance to be with her again though, for us to get back together and reconnect like what we had before, dammit, I'll take it.

And, this time, never let her go. She's all I've ever wanted...even above and beyond football.

Maybe I'm a masochist, but I've never loved anyone else like her, and I know deep down that she's it for me. She's the only woman I've ever wanted to share my life with. I've known that since I was just fourteen years old, and my love for her has only grown exponentially since then.

That love never went away, not even when she dumped me.

That love has only started to grow again, not quite like it was when I was eighteen and wanting to propose marriage to her, but it's rekindling into something stronger, more insistent, more fervent, and it's still strong enough for me to want to make her mine again.

As if that has ever changed.

No one could deny that she's done an amazing job raising our son, least of all me, and Luke deserves having a real family, all under the same roof. Something I've never had and never planned for any child of mine to have to endure. I know how hard it is growing up in a single parent household. Padmé may not have exactly been a single parent... but I doubt that sleazeball did much, if anything, to actually help her.

I can't even stop the flash of a snarl on my face or the growl that passes my lips just thinking about that asswipe.

Pushing that thing from my mind, a feral smile begins to form on my lips, as I think of my little man with a nasty spiral.

Being with Luke today was everything I hoped for- and more. I already knew that he looked like me, but I couldn't help but wonder if he got more than just my looks, and it was obvious to me from that very first spiral that he has indeed inherited my gifts for the sport.

My chest swelled with paternal pride at seeing his nasty spiral.

Like him, I was self taught at his age. My Pop Warner coaches may have taught me here and there, but the reason I'm the quarterback I am today is solely because of my personal dedication to the sport and the amount of time I put into practicing to, not only become better than everyone else, but to become the very best.

There is no second best. You're either the best or you're not.

"He's one incredible kid," a huge muscular arm slings itself around my shoulders. I don't even need to look up to know who it belongs to. I know that arm and voice well.

"Of course he is. He's my son after all." I smirk to Gray. "As if there was any chance he wouldn't be less than incredible."

Gray grins. "True that," he agrees. "Dinner still on for tonight?"

He must've seen me talking to Padmé. Let's be real here. I'm sure everyone saw us talking, especially those select few here who know about our past and are aware of the relationship between Luke and myself. Like Gray and the HC.

Still, it goes about unspoken.

My team is loyal to the core, and none of them would ever even think about throwing me under the bus and outing my personal business.

What journalist wouldn't be all over the story of Anakin Skywalker's secret son? The son that he didn't know about until just three weeks ago? It'd be on the front page of every newspaper across America and would be splashed all over the Internet and news media outlets faster than you could say 'football.'

Talk about 'trending on Twitter!', I snort to myself.

I would be furious - beyond livid - if one of my teammates did that to me, and I'm sure they're aware of that. All of them. My personal business is just that... personal, and it better stay that way, too.

There isn't one player on this team that I haven't pushed around. It doesn't matter their position. If I see them slacking off during practice or showboating, I put them back in their place, and I do it hard.

I'm not the coach, but some of these guys sure think I am. I put the fear of God in them, and I'm proud of that. This isn't college anymore, and it's definitely not high school. We make the big bucks. We're where all of those college and high school players want to reach, but they have no idea what it's like playing with the big boys.

It's not easy, and if my teammates' heads aren't on straight, then I might as well get used to being knocked on my ass, play after play. I'm supposed to be their coordinator, their brains. They're just supposed to follow the play as I call it, and if need be, improvise in a way that I can see what they're about to do and adjust my actions accordingly. We are supposed to function as one flawless unit. That's how this game works. There's no room for showboating here. That type of arrogance only gets you knocked on your ass and out of the playoffs faster than you can run a forty yard dash.

If we don't click as a team, then we have no reason to play together. That's why I emphasize unity amongst the team so much during practice. There are no do overs or redo's in the NFL. This isn't the NHL, NBA or MLB. We just get one game in the playoffs, and if we win, awesome, we go on to the next round, but if we lose... that's it.

Season over.

Go back to the stadium, pack up your shit, and go the fuck home until next season's training camp.

That's life in the NFL, ladies and gentlemen.

It's all about trust.

Trust in yourself.

Trust in your teammates.

Trust in your coaches.

If any or all three of those aren't in sync, then there's a problem that needs to be rectified. That is why practice is so important, and so is separating your personal life from your professional life. The fans, much as we love and need them, do not need to know what goes on in our personal lives, even if they think they do. I don't know about their lives, and they don't need to know about mine- off the field. It's my life to live, no one else's, and my business better stay my business. If I choose to reveal something, like my favorite type of ice cream, for example, so be it, but otherwise, butt out and keep your nose away from where it don't belong.

And, that's another thing...If you bring your personal woes out onto that field with you, then your head won't be in the game. And, your head needs to be in the game. You need one hundred percent focus on the field. Otherwise, you or others could get seriously hurt. Let's be honest. We're a bunch of big hulking massive slabs of muscle running around on the field, and no one likes to see any player get seriously hurt. We've seen it happen too many times before. Hell, we all remember what happened to Joe Theismann (even if I wasn't born yet when that happened, name one football player or NFL fan in general that hasn't watched that video...). No one wants to see something like that happen again... least of all me.

Since I found out about Luke, though, my head hasn't been in the game. It's been focused on just him and Padmé. That is a problem, a big one, but then again, the season hasn't started yet, and I got time to handle my personal business before training begins.

I know I can't turn back time, and I know I can't change the past. Nor would I; otherwise, Luke wouldn't have been born, and despite the pain of not having him in my life for the last eleven years, I wouldn't want him to not be here. I love him already, just like I love his mother.

The only thing I can do is be there for my son now and be there for him in the days, weeks, months, years, and even decades ahead, and there isn't anything or anyone that will ever be able to keep me away now.

Once I've made up my mind on something, there's no changing it. Padmé knows this well, and from our very short conversation this morning, it definitely sounded like she wants me to be a part of his life, and that was confirmed just a few minutes ago when I told her I wasn't keen on keeping the truth from Luke. I'm glad she's in total agreement with me on that, and I agree with her. This is a seriously delicate matter we're dealing with here, and she knows Luke better than I do. I'll let her take the reins on how best to tell him, and when, but I know for damn sure it better be soon.

We've already lost eleven years together, losing even another one- now that I know, is too unbearable to even think about. The only silver lining here is I'll be with him for the rest of the week here at the mini-camp. It's what happens after that, that worries me.

Training camp is starting soon, and then the pre-season, and then the regular season after that.

Once those begin, my schedule will become hectic like it always is during the season. I've liked that though, there really wasn't much I did outside of playing football all these years.

When everything else was taken away from me, football was always there.

And, I know it always will be.

But, now that I've gotten something back, something truly unexpected and miraculous, you can bet your ass I won't let it slip through my fingers again. No way, no how. I will have my son and his mother in my life. Just like they always should've been, but that is a moot point seeing as how what's done is done.

I just know one thing for certain when it comes to those that I love. And, that one thing is that as hectic as my schedule may become, I'll always make time to be there for those I love and cherish, and that most definitely includes Padmé. Especially her.

I can't help but feel a surge of pride for her. She's done an awesome job for the last eleven years. I'm sure she can always use a break. She deserves one. Parenting...single parenting especially, is hard work, and I'd love to be able to spend some quality time with my son.

That's something I can bring up later, though.

Right now, I've still got some things to handle... and Gray is staring at me like I'm a hydra from Greek mythology with nine heads.

Damn, what's the last thing he asked?

Oh, right.

Dinner. How could I have forgotten about that?

"Yeah, dinner's still on." I confirm, raising an eyebrow. "I'm fine, just got a little sidetracked."

He doesn't look like he believes me, but he doesn't push. He releases me from his hold and pats me on the back. "Don't worry. It'll all work out," he says with an encouraging smile, walking back over to his group of kids.

I do the same, walking back over to mine hoping that it will work out. We have some serious issues to work out, and I won't let her leave until we do get them worked out. She's been avoiding me like the plague for the last eleven years. I think I deserve some answers.

I think I deserve the truth.

More parents come to get their kids, and I do the same with them as I did for Luke. I'm not about to allow them to think that I'm giving Luke preferential treatment, even if I am because he's my secret son, but they all did a really great job today, and I want each of them to know that.

As soon as the last kid gets picked up, I make a beeline for my Chiron and hop in, start her up, and begin my drive home.

I've got to shower and change before dinner with Padmé, and I'm going to look my best.

My very best.


Arriving at home, I park my car outside the hotel where the Valet comes out automatically to park it for me in my private underground garage. Walking inside, the evening attendant, Mike, is on duty tonight. I wave to him and slide my key card over the call slot for my private elevator. It opens a second later. I enter, and I ride it all the way up to the second to the top floor. My penthouse suite actually consists of two floors, but only the first floor of my penthouse is accessible by the elevator. The second floor is only accessible by the stairs or the small private elevator inside my suite.

The doors slide open, and I step out to the corridor beyond and slide my key card again over the slot in my door. The light flashes green, and twisting the knob, I step inside, shut the door, and make my way over to the stairs leading to the second floor, where my master bathroom is. Reaching my room, I walk inside and head straight for my en suite master bathroom. Honestly, the bathroom space is enormous and really too much for just me, but it's certainly nice with all the glass, marble, and chrome.

It's a little past six o'clock now, not giving me much time to get ready. I walk into my bathroom, open the glass encased tiled shower, turn the knob for the faucet, and strip naked, throwing my dirty clothes in the hamper and then stepping into the stall, shutting the door behind me.

I waste no time cleaning myself up. I'll be damned if I'm late to the single most important dinner of my life. Padmé and I may not be girlfriend and boyfriend like we once were, and this may not be what you could call a date date, but I'm still going to show up like it is. Like I said...if there's even a wisp of a chance of getting her back, I'm taking it. And, I'm going to dress to impress.

Speaking of which...How does one dress, after all, for an occasion like this? Something of this magnitude? I doubt there's a manual or a guide for such things.

After I finish cleaning the filth and sweat off of my body. I step out and dry myself off quickly. After doing that, I brush my teeth until they're shining brighter than the stars at night, and put on some deodorant.

Looking at myself in the mirror before I finish up, I notice the short dark blond hair along my jaw and scowl. Didn't I just shave this morning?

No time to ponder that. I pull out my electric shaver and shave as best and quickly as possible. I'm on a tight clock here, and wasting time isn't acceptable. After a couple of minutes, it looks good. Brushing my hand along my jaw, neck and cheeks, I can barely feel anything but my smooth skin.

Now that that's done, I dry off my short spiky blond hair and pull out my brush to brush my hair down. I don't normally brush my hair, seeing as how I typically wear a hat most days when I'm out in a crowd and trying not to be noticed, or I'm going to football practice or to a game, and there's no point of brushing my hair if it's only going to get ruined by my helmet. Talk about 'Helmet Head,' that would be me, I snort.

Cutting my musings short, I go about getting ready quickly.

Next up is getting dressed. Still naked, but now dry, I step out of my bathroom and walk over to my huge walk-in closet and look at the hundreds of outfits that line it on the hanging racks. I can honestly say that I didn't buy them all. Shopping is most definitely not my thingI'm no fashionista here. There's no way I could possibly need all of them, but a personal concierge ran into me one day a few years ago and wouldn't take no for an answer.

I admit, she impressed the hell out of me with her knowledge. So, I accepted her offer and hired her new start-up company to be my personal concierge for a one time service. She asked me what I needed, and I told her nothing, I'm a simple man living a complex life, true, but I have all that I need. She didn't buy that. So, she told me what she thought I needed, and after I thought about it, I realized she was right.

So, she and her team came by one day and looked around my suite. She was practically a fish out of water in this environment and saw what I meant. What else could I possibly need... besides a wife and a kid- or kids to share my life with?

And, that wasn't an offering on the menu for herand I never even mentioned that (despite the looks I noticed she threw my way).

She took a look in my closet last, and it was practically empty. I'd had maybe a few handmade suits in there, some everyday clothes, and my team apparel and gear. That was it.

Now, I have literally hundreds of different outfits in probably just as many colors, a rather impressive watch collection to go with them, ditto for the shoes, ties, handkerchiefs, and other rather mundane accessories that I'd never actually wear. I even have a couple of tuxes for formal events, too.

Still, she impressed me, and I'm glad I took her up on that offer. The rather large collection of clothes gives me plenty to choose from, and that's another problem, in and of itself.

There's too much to choose from!

My usual polo shirts and blue jeans aren't an option tonight. I'm going to dress my very best, and that simply isn't my best, never mind very best. Nope. Casual won't cut it tonight.

Skipping that section, I walk on over to my dress clothes and find the perfect outfit calling my name.

It's an open neck, white dress shirt with navy blue dress slacks and a blazer to match. This is an outfit that she definitely chose, not me, but I'm glad she did. I grab a dark brown leather belt that I know I never wore before, and a pair of dark brown Magnanni Marco slip-on dress shoes that lie underneath. Perfect. I grab a white V-neck t-shirt, a pair of navy boxers and navy dress socks from my chest of drawers, and begin to dress. Then, for good measure, I spray some of my Cool Water cologne by Davidoff on. I smirk. It was always Padme's favorite cologne on me, and I've never stopped wearing it since.

Across from me in my closet is a large floor to ceiling mirror, and I can't help but admit that I'm definitely one sexy man. I grin wolfishly. Dare I say hot? What woman wouldn't want a piece of me dressed like this? I doubt they'd even know it's me, not until they got face to face with me anyway.

But, there's only one woman though that I want to have a piece of me from now on, and that woman is, you guessed it, Padmé.

The one and only.

No.

My one and only

Feeling more than satisfied and more than ready to get going before I'm late, I call downstairs for the valet to get my Chiron ready, and I get my things together.

Cell phone, check.

Wallet, check.

Watch, I peer around at my collection in my closet again and find one that I never wear but looks like it'd match. It does, check.

Anything else? I think I'm good, and if I'm not, it's not like it's anything serious. If it was, I'd remember...

No wait! I snap my fingers, making a quick decision.

Right! There is one more thing. I may not need it, but then again, I just might. I rush over to my nightstand, open the drawer, and take out the small black velvet box and stick it in my blazer pocket. I pat it, feeling completely ready.

Now, having everything I need, I make my way out of my room and downstairs, towards the front door.

Leaving my suite, I press the call button for the elevator. It opens, and I push the L button for the lobby. The ride down is only a minute or so but it feels longer than that now that I'm this close to hopefully finding out the truth.

Once I know it, I can't unknow it though, and they say the truth hurts.

Yeah. It does. But, as much as I'd like to say the past is the past, it doesn't matter... I can't say that, because it does matter.

I need to know the truth, like I need to have my next breath. It may not be pretty. In fact, I don't expect it to be, but once I know it, I can deal with it, and then move on.

If she broke up with me because of something that I did, unknowingly, other than knocking her up, then I need to know.

There isn't any other option.

I'm Anakin Skywalker, the starting QB for the San Francisco 49ers, I can handle getting tackled by linebackers twice as big as me. If I can handle them, then I should be able to handle the truth from a time when things weren't as simple as they seemed.

Right?

Damn it!

This isn't getting me anywhere! I'm just going to have to man up, drive over there, and let Padmé tell me the cold hard truth- if it is in fact, cold and hard.

The elevator door slides open, and I step out and walk straight to my car without stopping once. I'm never this way. Usually, I'm a polite guy, but I'm bugging out right now, and when I do, a nice ride in the car usually helps.

This time better be no different.


Unfortunately, this time was different.

Dammit!

I'm usually calm, cool, and collected.

If anyone saw me, they'd probably think I'm the most laid-back person ever. That or invulnerable.

Well, I'm surely no Superman. If anyone saw me now, they'd wholeheartedly agree with that. I'm the farthest thing from invulnerable at this moment.

I'm just as vulnerable as the next guy.

Physically, I may be able to handle my own, especially out on that field.

But, emotionally... mentally, I'm a wreck.

The doubts have come back.

The same doubts from high school when I tried to get up my nerve to ask her out! I knew she liked me, whenever I saw her, her eyes were always glued to me!

Just like my eyes were always glued to her.

But, I'm bad at this.

Nope, I'm not bad at this.

I'm terrible at this. Maybe there's a reason why I'm still single, and one that doesn't necessarily have to do with Padmé. She may have made me wary and cynical in the wondering-why-women-really-want-to-be-with-me department (like she always wondered of me, almost every single day of our relationship), but maybe it was because I suck so much at dating that I didn't want to put myself out there on display and only end up embarrassing myself... or getting hurt.

Man, I sound like a dud.

I'm a sorry excuse of a manly man, that's for damn sure. I can handle almost anything, but, when it comes to displaying or verbalizing my emotions, that is definitely the almost anything part.

But aren't most men bad at that?

Hell if I know. It's not like I'd ask Gray. I know he's the same as me when it comes to the display of emotions.

Or lack thereof, really.

A good football player knows when to deke out the enemy. Mental games are all part of the game, let them think one thing and do the opposite.

My emotions are the same. No matter what I'm feeling, I don't let the other players see. It could be a weakness they'd be more than willing to exploit, and I'm not about to allow them that kind of opening. That's why I schooled my game on the field over the years to make me appear like the invulnerable man. I'm really not. Let them think I'm invulnerable, let them think that they'd never be able to keep me down.

If they believe in it enough, maybe they'd end up convincing themselves that its the truth.

Having them believe that of me certainly isn't a bad thing, so long as they don't try to disprove that by trying to keep me down.

Sweat trickling down my forehead takes me out of my freaked-out mind. I wipe it away with equally sweaty hands and dry them off on some napkins from inside the glove box. I really need to stop freaking myself out. It's not like I'm going on a blind date or anything.

This is Padmé

The girl... woman, of my dreams! The woman I share a child with, and the same woman who went out with me literally hundreds of times before. The first woman I ever knew intimately. Despite our last real night together- being twelve years ago when she dumped me, I have nothing to worry about.

She's probably more freaked out than I am, anyway, to be honest.

I have nothing to worry-

A loud rattling noise drags me out of my mind and calls my attention to a beat up, nearly decrepit red Chrysler Town and Country minivan that just pulled into the parking lot here at Kitster's. I'm sitting in my Chiron, trying to get the nerves out of my system, but while I was trying to do just that, I ended up doing the opposite.

Padmé still hasn't arrived. I know. I went inside and checked and came right back out here to wait for her, to make sure she doesn't stand me up. That'd be embarrassing to be waiting in there for her, just for her not to show up for our... talk. Nobody does that to me, but I know her well and didn't want to take my chances by waiting inside for her when she may just show up, try to calm herself down- like I'm trying to do now and then leave because she doesn't want to embarrass herself.

It's happened before with her. A few times actually.

The minivan draws my attention once more as it parks across from me and a few spots down. The lights turn off, and I see one person inside- a woman by the looks of it, and my breath catches in my throat, my eyes widen, and my jaw drops when the driver opens the door and slowly steps out.

Padmé's driving that piece of crap?! For real?! Is she trying to get herself killed? The thing has more dents in it than I've ever seen in a car before, and its obviously well used... that's me putting it lightly!

Truth is, she's driving a death-mobile.

An accident just waiting to happen and with her driving... I can't help the chill that runs down my spine at that thought. I swear to God!

There are very few things in the world that I can think of that are more horrifying than her driving.

Off the top of my head though, I can't think of one at this moment. There was a valid reason why I did all the driving when we were dating, not her.

And, she's driving our son around in that broken down contraption? Not good. I don't like it one bit.

If I knew she was driving such a piece of junk, I would've given her my Range Rover already. It's not like I've ever driven it except for when I drove it to my hotel from the dealership. Honestly, the valet probably drives it more than I do. They keep it running in good order for me. Leaving a car in a state of unuse will only be good at one thing and that is rusting it up.

I sigh. Knowing her, she probably wouldn't accept my offer anyway. She's never been anything but self-reliant and independent. She never liked having to count on anyone else for anything. It's the way she was raised.

She steps away from the minivan giving me a full look at her, and I'm sure I just heard my jaw snap shut.

If she's dressed like that, then I'm sure glad I dressed like this. She's more dressed up than I am though. She looks absolutely spectacular- even that word doesn't do her justice.

Beautiful.

Divine.

Angelic.

Even those words don't accurately describe her.

A beautiful red bodice wraps around her slender, yet very feminine, form with a flared out skirt going to just below her knees. A white pearl necklace sits around her neck with what look to be pearl stud earrings in her ears and at least four inch stiletto black pumps on her dainty feet that make her look at least a few inches taller than her five foot three, give or take an inch.

She's always been petite. It's something that's always made me feel more protective of her, more attracted to her. It always brought out the cave man in me, made me feel more masculine, like her knight in shining armor, like I wanted to shield her and protect her from everything and everyone in the universe. I realize with a sudden thrill that I still feel that way, but even more so than I did twelve years ago.

One thing about her though, that I always loved was that despite her diminutive size, she always had a presence about her that made her seem bigger and tougher than she really was. It's hard to explain, really, but it's just something about her that when she talked, really talked about something she was passionate about, everyone would stop and listen to every word that came out of her beautiful mouth.

That was why I always thought she'd make a great lawyer- or politician. I may not be a fan of either, especially not the latter, but my feelings for both would change instantly if she was either, or both of them. Looking at her vehicle, I have a sneaking suspicion she didn't get to go to Harvard and get that law degree like she really wanted.

Because, she was raising our son all these years. I realize with another jolt just what she had to have given up...for me.

Move it, Skywalker, I mentally kick myself.

Right. The dinner date, talk, or whatever we're calling it. Maybe both?

Enough stalling.

Clearing my mind and calming my nerves, looking at her finally accomplishes both. I'm not that tall, lanky, awkward teen I first was when I met her.

Much has happened since then, and twelve years have passed. I may be nervous about this, but I'm sure she's down right terrified. She doesn't like these kinds of things. Confrontations aren't something she handles well.

Or handled, well.

She's also not a sophomore anymore who's being bullied and hiding it from me. Now, she's a grown ass woman who has been hiding an eleven-year-old boy from me.

Two completely different issues, but I'm not here to confront her. I've already done that this morning. This dinner is just us talking about the last twelve years and deciding on how best to break the news to Luke.

Alright then, I can do this.

My car is already off, key's in my pocket. I open the door and step on out. Padmé spots me immediately, hearing my door open, and with her walking directly across from my car. I shut the door and lock up my car. It makes the noise and the blinkers blink.

Padmé doesn't move, she just makes a subtle movement with her left hand that's holding her black clutch purse.

I knew she'd be like this. She needs reassuring. I can do that, something I've done many times with her in the past.

"Hey," I say, breaking the dead silence between us. I move closer to her, walking across the parking lot so we're face to face. "You, uh..." damn! Is it hot out here? The back of my neck itches. I scratch it and try my best to continue. "You look... great. Perfect, really."

She can tell I'm nervous. I think it helps her to relax. It's kind of funny in a way. She was the one reassuring me on our first date. I was a mess then, unable to believe she actually said yes, she'd like to go out with me sometime.

Only then did I actually think of what to do. My mother is the one who gave me the idea of taking her out to the local park and having a nice picnic, which we both enjoyed tremendously.

Thinking of my mom brings a hard pang to my chest. Now isn't the time to be thinking about her though.

"Thanks," Padmé says looking down at the concrete shyly. I reach out and cup her chin gently in my hand. She doesn't resist or try to push my hand away as I guide her up to face me. "You look great, too."

I smile, trying to make her feel at ease. Trying to remind her that it's just me here with her. Nobody ever made me feel as nervous to be around as I do when I'm with her, but we're not going to get anywhere if we continue as we are.

It's time for me to make the move and get the conversation going.

"Padmé, relax." My voice is soft, comforting. A tone that I don't normally use with people, but for her... for her, there's nothing I won't do. "It's just me here. Just the two of us. After all of the initial awkwardness between us, in the beginning of our... relationship, we clicked like we were old friends who've known each other forever and knew each other best." I can't help the grin that makes its way on my face. High school was a blast, and it was always because of her. "I know things have changed between us, and that there's a gap of twelve years since we've seen each other for more than just a couple of minutes, as has been the case in the last three weeks, but it's still the two of us here. Just you and me."

Maybe I could've said it better, it sounded good enough to me though.

And, the smile that makes it way on her face...Yeah, that smile is worth it. I'd give anything to see that smile on her face all the time. It makes me melt.

That smile is what I remember most about Padmé.

It usually took some work to get a smile from her, but the work was always worth the effort once I saw her face light up.

That smile always tugged at my heart, and apparently that hasn't changed. I feel that lurch in my chest, and the flip-flop of my heart somersaulting in my rib cage.

Yeah, there's no doubt about it. I can't deny it, and I won't even try.

I'm still crazy for her, and I'm pretty sure there's nothing she can do to make me feel otherwise.

Without her in my life, my life just feels bleak, barren, and empty.

With everything I have materialistically, it's all meaningless without having her to share my life with. She's my other half, my soulmate. Without her, I'm incomplete.

Her and Luke.

My woman and my son.

The latter is a sure thing. It's just going to take a little bit of time to make the former mine again.

But, we'll get there. I'm suddenly sure of it.

I've been waiting eleven long agonizingly lonely years to see her again, to feel her in my arms and to mold my lips and body to hers. In that time, I've learned patience. I may not like it, but to be able to spend the rest of my life with her... it'll be worth it in the end.

I just need to convince her of that. And, I will, or my name's not Anakin Skywalker.

"Shall we go inside?" She nods silently. I offer her my arm, trying to act like the gentleman I am, and she wraps her arm in mine. I'm kicking myself now for wearing a blazer, despite the fact that I'm wearing a long sleeve shirt, too.

Her beautiful red dress is sleeveless, and I'd give anything to feel her silken soft skin pressing against mine. I can't help the small shudder that races through me at that thought. Maybe it's a good thing I'm wearing a blazer though. If I actually felt her skin against mine...Well, let's just say dinner would become a little tight and uncomfortable...for me.

Then, I'd just be imagining us doing other things, things that I long to repeat with her day in and day out for the rest of my life, and I can't afford to be thinking of such things. Not right now. Maybe later after I'm home...

We reach the front door, thankfully, and I open it, and we step inside. The waiter standing at the podium, the one I met with earlier to check if Padmé was here yet, guides us right back to the VIP room immediately. It's a private room with blacked out windows preventing anyone from peering inside, just the kind of privacy I enjoy.

I don't need nor want any fan to interrupt us. Our conversation is too personal and private to be overheard or interrupted by anyone.

Being the gentleman I am, I pull Padmé's chair out for her and wait until she sits before pushing her back in.

"Thank you," she says, as I walk around the small candle-lit square table to take my seat.

There's normally a bigger table back here, but I'd requested this one personally. I wanted to be as close as possible to her. I also wanted to see her face lit up under the glow of the candle. And, Kitster was more than willing to accommodate my requests.

What can I say? I'm a sap when it comes to her.

"Mister Banai will be your waiter this evening. Here are your menus." The waiter places two menus down before us. "Before I go, would either of you like a drink to begin with?"

"I'll take an ice water with lemon," I tell him.

"Me, too."

"Very well. Two ice waters with lemon coming up."

He excuses himself to go bring us our waters, and I clear my throat. It's just the two of us in a private room. We can't hear a thing outside this room. The room is completely sound proof. Another thing I love about it. No eavesdropping ears to hear our discussion. Good.

"So," I begin. Padmé looks across the table up at me, and I get lost in her beautiful chocolate eyes. They seem lighter brown in the glow of the candle. "I think we should begin with promising to tell each other the truth. No matter how hard the truth may hurt. I'm a big boy, Padmé. I can handle it."

On the surface maybe, but if she says she doesn't love me anymore or that she stopped loving me and that's why she broke up with me...

My heart may not be able to survive that.

Just when I think she's going to speak, she surprises me by reaching into her clutch purse and pulling out her cell phone. Is she seriously going to make a phone call or text someone now? Just when I think she's going to, she taps her screen and puts the phone down on the table and slides it over to me.

Hesitantly, I pick it up. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it's a picture.

First thing my eyes land on is the smiling face of my son.

My Luke, and I can't help but smile seeing it.

Second thing my eyes land on is the birthday cake right in front of him. It's from his last birthday, two number one candles are standing next to each other and the flame is glowing, reflecting in his blue eyes so much like my own.

Third thing my eyes land on is the petite girl to Luke's left. She's standing next to him with her little arm wrapped around him, her tiny hand on his shoulder. She's smiling, too. Her smile makes my smile widen and makes me feel warm inside. It's a weird feeling and looking at her closer...

"Who's the girl?" There has to be a reason why she's showing me this picture in particular. She's a pretty girl, obviously close to Luke, and celebrating his birthday with him. Maybe she's Sola's daughter? She definitely has the Naberrie eyes. Padmé, Sola and their mother, Jobal, all have the same dark chocolate brown eyes, same shade and everything.

She even looks to be the same age as Luke or close enough anyway.

"I know what I did was wrong." Padmé says quietly, making me look up at her.

That's when it clicks.

I look back down at the phone in shock, then back up at Padmé, my mouth falling open.

No. She can't possibly be...

"I was scared and young and stupid. So fucking stupid." Padmé continues, but I'm only half listening. "You always wanted a family, and I didn't really know what I wanted. You also always wanted to play football. You had your whole life figured out by the time we even met-"

I've tuned her out. Not on purpose, or to be rude, but I can't possibly be seeing what I think I'm seeing. Can I be?!

She looks too much like Padmé to be pure coincidence. Even Sola doesn't look that much like Padmé, and they're sisters! If this is Sola's daughter, then why doesn't she just come out and say so?

Why is she rambling on about how she was scared, young, and stupid? I agree on all three counts. Maybe I shouldn't, but she hurt me. She hurt me in a way I didn't think was even possible.

Still, the past is the past, I remind myself. Let it go.

Getting angry at her or flipping out now wouldn't help either of us. We can't change it, what's the point of throwing blame? Gray was right about that.

But, we're also not young kids anymore with our whole lives ahead of us. We may have the rest of our lives ahead of us, true, but we're not as young as we once were. We're nearly thirty, not eighteen like we were then.

Eighteen-year-olds make a lot of bad decisions, and we both made them. Maybe hers were worse than mine, but people make mistakes, and we're both guilty of that.

"-your daughter."

What?!

"Excuse me?" I seriously didn't hear that. Did she just say 'your daughter'? As in this little girl, the one standing next to Luke, is my daughter?!

Whoa! Time out here! I need time to process this bombshell.

"That's Leia," Padmé says, nodding to her phone in my hand. "She's our daughter, Luke's twin sister."

Leia.

Oh my God! I have a daughter, too?! Holy Shit! I did NOT see that coming!

The picture makes sense now. The way she's touching him on the shoulder in a way that makes it look like they're close, like they're the of best friends or...siblings. Even more than that, twins.

I thought wrapping my head around having a son was hard... but, fuck me! That's nothing compared to knowing that I have not one, but two children. Twins!

A daughter. I always wanted a daughter. And, now, to know that I've got one...my heart aches even more.

The eyes, the mahogany hair color, and the way her hair is wrapped up in neat little buns on top of her head, her face shaped so like her mother's...it's true. I can't deny it. While Luke may take right after me, Leia takes right after Padmé. I feel tears begin to well up in my eyes.

"She's beautiful." She really is, just like her mother. I glance up at Padme again, eager to know more about both our kids. "Who was born first? Leia right? I mean if she's anything like you..."

Padmé laughs, and it's music to my ears. Am I crying? I must be, a drop of water spills from my cheek onto the screen of Padmé's iPhone.

Yeah. My eyes water, must be full of tears. I grab the napkin and dab my eyes dry. A slender pair of arms suddenly wrap around my shoulders from behind, draping across my chest. I know that touch and lean back into it.

"Luke was born first. By ten minutes. Then Leia," She whispers in my ear. I soak in this information. Luke, my firstborn. Leia, my baby girl.

"I'm so sorry, Ani." She continues, her voice is a caress in my ear. She's got to be an Angel. There's no way she isn't one. My Angelto be precise. Her beautiful, heavenly scent - one I don't ever remember her wearing before but has suddenly become my very favorite - wraps around me until that's all I can smell. I can't even smell my own cologne, the brand I know she always liked me wearing. Ani. She called me, Ani, I think with no small measure of joy. My old pet name she used just for me. The one my mom always used for me growing up. No one else but Mom, Padme...and well, Kitster, has ever called me that. And, no one else ever will. That name is special, only to be used by them.

"Sorry? Sorry for what?" Am I pissed? Yeah. She kept not one but two kids from me, but she also raised them right, and if Leia is anything like Luke, then she's done one hell of an incredible job. It definitely couldn't have been easy for her.

"For everything." She sighs, letting go of me, and instantly I feel the loss of her touch, wanting her arms wrapped back around me. She walks around the table and pulling her chair to the side, she sits to my right. "I was lost, Ani. Everything was happening too fast, I was just...scared. Sad. Mad. Disappointed. Happy." She sighs again, louder this time. She blinks a few times, like she's trying to contain tears. "You wanted a family... so did I. But not when I - when we - were eighteen. I didn't know what else to do."

Reaching for her hand, she places her hand in mine. I squeeze it gently. As much as I've dealt with, it really doesn't compare to what she's had to deal with. "Didn't you know that I would've helped you? If you just told me, I would've been there, Angel. We could've raised them together, like we should haveDid she think I'd just skip out on her just because she was pregnant?! Did she think that lowly of me? Come on! She knew me better than that.

"I know, Ani. That was the problem." Okay, not what I was expecting to hear there. "It was my decision on Prom night that led to me becoming pregnant, not yours, and you'd worked so hard to get into Arizona State. You'd worked so hard to impress the colleges with your skills as a football player. I was so proud of you, and I... I couldn't hold you back. I loved you too much, and I couldn't be the one to keep you from accomplishing your dreams. You deserved so much more than being stuck with me and two babies, having to give up your dreams before they even had a chance to become reality. I couldn't bear the thought of you settling for just me...and then growing to resent me for it later on. I felt I had to let you go."

If you love them, let them go...The words ring in my head, loud and clear.

So, Gray was definitely right on her motives. Now, that is what I was expecting to hear. Three weeks ago, when I was talking to Gray, the night I found out about Luke, I had a feeling that's why she never said anything. She was looking out for me, doing what she thought was right to allow me to chase my dreams.

And, while I was doing that, she was raising two little children that I knocked her up with. My children.

I reach into my blazer pocket and pull out the velvet box that I grabbed from the nightstand.

Without a word, I drop it down onto the table and slide it over to her. Her eyes widen in surprise, before flicking her startled gaze to mine, and hesitantly, she opens it.

I look down at my hands on the square wooden table. "I bought that a few months before you broke up with me." I tell her, hearing her gasp in surprise. "I was planning on proposing to you after we graduated. Uh, that night actually. The night you... uh, dumped me."

The heat is definitely blasting now, isn't it? I take off my blazer and hang it on the back of my seat. It's too damn hot in here now to be wearing it. Or, is that just me?

I don't even know which way is up right now, to be honest. My head is spinning from what we've already discussed...and I know there's still more we have to get through.

A warm hand covers mine, then squeezes.

"But, we were only eighteen." She protests, squeezing my hand again. Why would you want to get married so young?"

I can't help but snort. Doesn't she know me by now? "Padmé-" I stop, as the door opens, and Kitster strolls in with a smile, then pauses, a look of horror on his face.

"Shit!" He exclaims, looking around deciding whether to stay or go. He has the two glasses of iced lemon water in his hands. "I'm interrupting, aren't I?"

"No," I lie. "I'm not proposing or anything. We're just reminiscing about the past, Kit. That's all."

He nods, releasing a deep breath. "Great, I was scared for a moment I ruined your proposal or something." He places the glasses down before us and pulls out a notepad. "Can I get you guys anything? Appetizers? Or, do you know what you want to order yet?"

"Same for me, as always." Kit writes it down on his notepad. "And, a grilled chicken Caesars salad for Padmé."

Padmé looks up at me in surprise, as if I'd forget. She always ordered a salad everywhere we went, especially when it was to a semi-fancy restaurant which we- I usually couldn't afford, she'd always order the grilled chicken Caesars salad.

How could I possibly forget?

There's nothing about her or our time together that I could possibly forget, not even after all this time. It's imprinted on my mind, burned into my brain.

"Sure thing. Coming right up," Kitster says, then leaves us.

Once the door closes, I pick up right where I left off. "Padmé, didn't you know that you were it for me? Don't get me wrong, I loved and still do love football. And, I always will, but there is always something, or should I say someone, that I always loved more. That someone was you."

Her eyes get misty from my confession. I could see her trying to contain the tears again. Damn, I already cried, if she cries then I will again.

I don't want that.

"I understand why you did what you did. I just wish you'd have left the choice up to me." I do understand, but it still hurts though. I'm not going to lie about that. Do I regret the life I lived without her? No, not necessarily, but do I wish that I was with her and our twins instead those twelve years? Oh, hell yeah. "I think I should have had the right to decide, even if we both already knew what that decision would be."

She nods, a sob escapes her, then her whole body shakes as she begins to break down and cry. Fuck! This isn't what I wanted to happen.

"It's alright," I try my best to reassure her. Her forehead is leaning over against the table, her hands somewhere out of my view. I stand up and move my chair closer to her, then wrap her up in my arms, pulling her close to my chest. Her head falls to the crook of my neck, and she wraps her arms around my waist. I feel her tears landing on my neck and rolling down my chest.

I will not cry, I say repeatedly in my head. She needs me to be strong for her, not to mention I already embarrassed myself by crying at Gray's house like a fool. No need for a repeat of that here.

"It's alright, Angel, let it all out." If this is what she needs, then I'll gladly hold her in my arms and let her cry. She's a strong little woman, always has been. She would rather hold all of her feelings in than burden others with them.

But, she's not a burden to me though, and I'd never think of her as such. We still have much to talk about before discussing the twins more, but for now, I'm content just being able to be here for her now. Holding her close like this. It's what I've been missing for the last twelve years, after all.

She needs someone to support her, and that someone will always be me.

Always.

Words can't even describe how good it feels to be able to do this for her. I didn't think I'd be able to feel her in my arms ever again. This may not be the way I wanted to feel her back in my arms, but at this point, I'll take whatever it is she's willing to give me.

Anything at all.

After an indeterminable amount of time, Kit comes back and places our plates down before us. He doesn't even utter a word at what he sees, he just nods to me and quietly leave us be.

Good man.

The food takes Padmé out of her state of distress, and she tries to clean herself up. My shirt is completely soaked at this point, but I really don't care. She needed to release all the tears she was holding in all these years, and this is just a shirt.

"I'm sorry," Padmé says again, this time though I think it has to do with the shirt since she's staring right at it.

The fabric sticks to my skin, showing off my sculpted body underneath. A body that I work hard to keep in the best physical shape possible. "It's just a shirt, Padmé." I remind her with a small half-smile.

She shakes her head. "I'm not talking about the shirt- I mean, I'm not talking about just the shirt." She keeps staring at my shirt- or is she checking out my pecs and six pack abs? I hope it's the latter, my body is definitely different than the one she remembers.

That's for sure.

But then, glancing at the fitted bodice of her dress, which accentuates her rather rounded bosom, her body isn't exactly the same one I remember either. Much to my masculine delight, I won't lie.

"I never meant to hurt you, Ani, and when I broke up with you... I didn't know I was pregnant yet." She didn't? If that's true, that definitely changes things. "I mean, like I said, everything was happening too fast. We only had sex that one time- or rather several times that one night, I guess I should say," I can't help but notice the lovely blush that sweeps across her cheeks at the mention of our one magical night together. And, it was magical. It's a night I've never forgotten, and has never been eclipsed in my mind, no matter how many other women I've slept with since then. None of those instances were memorable for me. She was, but I quickly refocus as she continues, "And, I don't regret that night, but then my body started to feel differently. I had suspicions that I was pregnant, but when we broke up, they were just that- suspicions."

This was our problem, or rather, her problem. When I with her, there wasn't anything I ever held back from her. Well, that isn't entirely true. I did hold back telling her certain things, like my very strong feelings for her, but that was because I didn't want her to freak out or hear her tell me something I didn't want to hear. I knew she was mine. I just needed her to see that.

She never could though, and it's probably my fault

"I should probably be the one apologizing." I can't even look at her right now. I knew the place she was in and tried to help, tried to get her to see that...just because we were graduating and heading for schools on opposite sides of the country didn't mean that things had to end. We could've made it work. No, we would've made it work. I'm positive of that. "You were always telling me things couldn't last forever. That we were set for two totally different paths and that those paths didn't intersect. I wouldn't accept that for an answer though, Padmé. I loved you too much to just let you go. I knew from the time I was fourteen that you were destined to be my wife. We were supposed to be a family. I could always see it in my head, clear as day! I could always see our future together. I just wanted you in my life...I pushed you too hard to try and get you to see that...yeah, we may have been young, but that didn't mean we weren't each other's soulmates."

Fuck! I'm doing this wrong, but I couldn't stop myself from blurting all of that out. She needed to hear it as much as I needed to say it.

I talked about telling each other the hard truth at the beginning of this dinner, least I can do is keep true to my word.

"Ani," she reaches for my hand, and I place my hand in hers, and we're holding hands again. I could get used to this, the feeling of her small silken soft hand in my much larger and calloused one "Don't apologize. It really wasn't you." Isn't that what people say in all relationships when it's time to end things?

It isn't you, it's me. Whenever you hear that, you definitely know it isn't true.

She must know what I'm thinking, or maybe she hears me snort under my breath. I'm not here to rehash our break up. That was twelve years ago. I remember her lame excuses.

"Padmé, please spare me." I'm not about to listen to them again. "I can handle the truth, Ok? it may hurt, but I can handle it. We're done, we're not together anymore. I don't want to hear the excuses you gave me then, I remember them all. Just tell me one thing- Did you really cheat on me?"

That's the one thing I really need to know.

"No." She firmly replies and from her tone and the look on her face, I believe her and breathe a sigh of relief. "Nobody could ever replace you, Ani...especially not Palo."

My shoulders sag in relief. She doesn't know how good it feels to hear her say that. I've been telling myself that forever now but hearing her confirm my beliefs? It makes me feel ten years younger, or is it twelve?

"Then why him?" Seriously, I would've rather her pick another athlete or someone that didn't drive me as crazy as him. Maybe someone better looking or a better man? At least then, I could better understand. "Why would you choose to marry him and not me? I loved you with my whole heart!"

She shakes her head, slowly. "Ani...I-I need to be totally honest with you. I didn't cheat on you with Palo, no...but I did force myself to have sex with him once after we broke up." She pauses, and I can't stop the swell of jealous fury that rises in my chest at the very thought of that asshole touching my woman, my Angel, intimately. She was mine, dammit! And, the fact that she had to force herself to endure it?! It's a wonder I don't explode right here, right now. I wasn't expecting her to tell me that. Still, her next words are more soothing, and I can't help but smirk internally at the revelation, as well as be shocked by it. "I mean, because It wasn't a real wedding- well, I mean it was a real wedding, legally, but I didn't really love him. It was just a marriage of convenience to Palo. That's all it was, and I was so heartbroken after breaking up with you, I just...I can't explain it. I needed someone to say they were the father to my twins. I didn't know I was having twins yet, but I did know by then that I was pregnant. And, my parents were furious, and my dad already didn't like you. And, like I said, I couldn't bear to take your dreams of the NFL away from you. Palo was just...convenient."

As good as some of that was to hear, it still doesn't make me feel any better. I'm glad she was so heartbroken about breaking my heart but to marry him... I just can't see it. Why him? Anybody else would've made me just as furious as I was, but not as furious as that guy makes me. I gotta know, and so I boldly ask for the truth. She sighs and sadly shrugs her shoulders.

"My parents liked Palo, and he wouldn't care that the kids weren't his." Yeah, I remember. Her folks, her father especially, liked him way better than me, and her father never hid that fact.

I remember eating dinner for the first time with the Naberrie clan, and her father kept bringing Palo up the whole meal with stories of when they were just children.

Was he trying to make me jealous?

Was he trying to provoke me?

In hindsight, I'm sure he was.

Either way, I didn't care. Who the hell was he to be making judgments of me when he didn't know a single thing about me other than I played JV football?

I cherished Padmé every single day we were together, I made her happy. Shouldn't that matter more to him than the fact I was poor or played football? To him, it didn't. He decided that I wasn't good enough for her, and he didn't even fucking know me! I decide I need more answers.

"What did your father have against me anyway? What was so wrong with me? Couldn't he see how much I loved you?"

More tears spring to her eyes, and she gives me a stricken look. "I never knew this, but my mom just told me recently that my dad's issues were more about his own past than about you."

What the hell does that mean? I raise my eyebrows in surprise, and I ask, "How so?"

She looks embarrassed, "Apparently, my father was a JV and then varsity soccer player in high school, and he...Well, Mom says he took advantage of his athletic status and played the field with all the girls in school...even though he was dating my mother at the time."

My mouth falls open in shock. Her father cheated on her mother?! She nods her head and continues on, "So, my mom said after he entered college and got his head on straight, realizing what he'd done to her, he began to hate all athletes, and he didn't want either of his own daughters to date an athlete...because of what he'd done when he was one."

That bastard. How dare he try to tar and feather me with his own damn brush! The next time I see Ruwee I am seriously going to let him have it. Man to man. I am a grown ass man now, and before Padme and I can really move forward in our relationship, I'm going to have to settle this little issue with her father, and now that I think of it, in no uncertain terms.

But, that'll be between me and him. No need to worry her about that confrontation. And, it's coming. No doubts about that.

"Did you know your dad offered me a thousand dollars to break up with you?" Yeah, I didn't mean to say that out loud. I've never told her that before though, and I think she should know. No amount of money could ever get me to break up with her.

Her hand goes limp in mine, and I look up at her beautiful face and see an expression I've only ever seen once, and that was when she beat the hell out of some girl that'd been bullying her. I've never been more proud of her than at that moment; though, I was highly disappointed that she, yet again, kept the bullying from me.

"He did what?!" Her voice is as cold as I've ever heard it before. She's downright furious and for some reason...it's kinda turning me on. She always was a little tigress when she got riled up, and talk about sexy as hell...

"That first dinner I had at your house, when he brought me out to that little shack of his in the backyard, he interrogated me." The man is a lawyer, he showed his true colors then. Maybe he's the reason why I hate them so much? Probably. "He wasn't convinced that I truly loved you. He was convinced that I was only seeing you because of your family's wealth. That's when he offered me a thousand dollars to break up with you and to never talk to you again. I was furious and refused...then he offered me five thousand. That's when I may have...um, told him where to shove his money, and I left."

She always wondered why I left that night like I did, but I was just so fucking furious that I wanted to pound his head in. I didn't even talk to her for a week afterward, every time I saw her at school that conversation in the shack replayed itself in my head, and the anger came rushing back.

Anger and then shame...Shame for doing what he wanted me to do. He wanted me to prove I wasn't good enough for her, and me taking off as I did...I probably proved him right.

Then guilt trickled in, guilt for avoiding Padmé. It wasn't her fault that her father was such a douche.

"Wait...That's why you rushed in, grabbed your coat, and left without even saying goodbye?" There's that guilt again, even if it was fifteen years ago.

I nod. "Yeah, I was so furious that I had to leave before doing something I regretted. Then, whenever I saw you, that anger came flooding back. I didn't mean to avoid you but I... didn't want to hurt you."

Physically, I would never hurt her...Well, other than at Prom night when I popped her cherry and took her virginity. I know that hurt her, but other than that, never would I raise a finger to her. Not then and definitely not now, but with the state I was in at the time, I may have just broken up with her, so I didn't have to deal with her father. Then I thought, why should I lose Padmé? I couldn't lose her, I don't let people walk all over me. I wasn't for sale, so I held my head up high and showed him that I wouldn't cower or surrender to his demands just because he didn't like me.

The only opinion that mattered to me was Padmé's. It still is.

"You would never hurt me, Ani." She says, squeezing my hand.

"Not physically, no." I agree, wholeheartedly.

She knows that as much as I do.

"I just didn't like the way your father treated me. He treated me like I was some scumbag off the street. Like I was too lowly classed to be dating his daughter. I had to deal with my fury in the only way I knew how, and that was why I had to avoid you at all costs."

She squeezes my hand again, I squeeze back.

"Did you also know that... Palo sent me an invitation to your wedding?" I suddenly reveal, watching her for her reaction. I'm sure she knows nothing about this. Her looks says it all, and proves me right.

Her hand goes limp again, and I rub my thumb along the back of her hand. It feels good getting the truth out, clearing the air between us.

It's liberating.

"No." She says through clenched teeth, and then almost snarls, "But you don't have to worry about him anymore."

I can't help the grin that's probably splitting my face in two at hearing those words. I already noticed the absence of a wedding ring, but I didn't want to read too much into it. But, I gotta know what happened. "Why not? Are you divorced?"

"No. He's dead."

What?!

Dead?!

There goes my grin, I could never be happy about someone dying. Even if it is that scumbag. "What the hell happened?"

She swallows hard, "He died in a car accident almost four years ago now. I'm technically a widow, I guess, but like I said, it was a marriage of convenience only. A sham, really. I just needed him to claim to be the father of my children, even if my mother and sister never believed it, especially when they first saw Luke's blue eyes just after he was born, the exact same shade as yours and how closely he resembled you even then," she pauses and looks at me pleadingly, like she's begging me to understand. "Ani, I never slept with Palo again, not after that one time...I mean, I haven't...well, y'know, been with anyone in twelve years. He had his own room, and I had mine." She lets out a soft sigh, as a blush sweeps across her cheeks again, and I sit here totally flabbergasted at this news. You mean to tell me she's not had sex...in twelve years? Damn! I can't deny the thrill of elation that sweeps through me at this news. After all, I never stopped thinking of her as mine, and the fact that she's not been with anyone else in all that time...Well, it does something to me. It awakens the possessive man deep inside me. I regroup, despite the internal Tarzan I'm pulling, as she continues on, "I broke up with you, broke your heart. I kept seeing your face from just before I walked away from you, and I just... I just couldn't admit that I screwed up. I couldn't see your face again, it broke more and more of me every time.

"Then Luke had such an arm on him, even at three years old, he was throwing a football." She continues, taking a sip of her water. We finally begin to eat our food, which has almost gone cold, for me anyway. "You know how much I hated watching you play, if only because of the potential for serious injuries...but I deprived you of being a father, and I deprived Luke of having you as his father. So, when he was six, I signed him up for Pop Warner, he had so good at it he was made quarterback almost immediately. Everyone could see how talented he was, he was just like you.

"He grew to love football with a passion, and the 49ers became his favorite team...You became his favorite player. He idolized you. I couldn't watch, I was so happy you made it like we knew you would, but it was just so hard to see you. Every time I saw your face on TV or on magazine covers or the newspaper, or the Internet, I always saw your face from that night.

"Eventually, I was able to watch the games with Luke. We'd always cheer for you and your team." She sighs and squeezes my hand for comfort, I continue rubbing my thumb over the back of her hand. "Palo was dead at this point. His death didn't affect me much. He was just a sponge. He told me he'd help me raise the twins and that he'd be there for me...but once he had a ring on my finger, it was more of a trophy to him than a promise, than a commitment. He was such a douche. He never helped with the kids. Never. He didn't change diapers, give them bottles or baths. Nothing. I had to raise them all on my own basically."

Wish I could say that I was surprised, but I'm not. She was a single mother in all but name for as long as he was alive. She deserved better than that, a bitter part of me can't help but wonder why she didn't seek me out sooner. I guess it was easier for her though to live with the lie, though, than have to admit to the truth.

The truth isn't always easy to deal with, not when you're the one at fault.

"I'm sorry," I whisper under my breath, and I seriously mean it. "I'm not going to lash out on you or get angry at things we can't change but... why did you decide that now was the time to come clean? You had to have known I'd be there, and that I'd recognize you."

"I did, and I'm relieved you did." She admits, tracing her thumb along the back of my hand. Our other hands are on our forks shoveling salad, chicken, and steak into our mouths as we continue our talk.

This talk has definitely given me an appetite.

"My father actually got Luke signed up for the mini-camp. He donates regularly to the 49ers foundation, maybe out of guilt? I'm not sure, and when he heard Luke mention the mini-camp, he got him enrolled for it for his birthday present." Her father did that? I wonder why he did it. Was it to be a nice grandfather or was it another shot at me thinking I'd be jealous of Padmé and Palo's son? If that was the reason, jokes on him considering Luke's my son. I doubt it's guilt though, as Padmé suggested. "I couldn't tell Luke he couldn't come. I kept having nightmares of the meet and greet, but I knew I couldn't keep lying. It was wearing on me, I wanted the truth to come out. And, I'm glad you know."

Me too, just knowing about Luke for the last three weeks changed my life so profoundly... now knowing about Leia, too. When I first found out I was a father, I was definitely upset, but I've had time to deal with everything.

I've had time to prepare myself for this.

I may have been blindsided by a linebacker tonight with the news of Leia, but it's a good blindside. Not a bad one. It just means that instead of missing one of my children growing up, I missed both.

"Me too, I'm glad you finally told me." It may be eleven years later than she should've told me, but they're still young. They still have long lives ahead of them, and I plan on being there for them as much as I can. "I guess we should talk about our plans, now. I've missed out on so much, I don't want to miss anymore."

"You won't," she assures me. "I just don't know how to tell them. Luke's already not talking to me, and that's just because I didn't tell him that I knew you back in high school. I obviously wasn't going to tell him we were much more than just friends."

I'm glad she added in that last part, because we were definitely much more than just friends or mere acquaintances. Our twins wouldn't exist otherwise.

"It definitely won't be easy telling him," I agree. Telling him and now Leia will definitely be a delicate matter. If Luke is as pissed as he is now at her just for not telling him that we knew each other back in high school, then he may very well be furious, no livid that she kept this from him.

That she kept me from him.

And, like I reckoned before, I'll probably have to intervene at that point.

"But, we can't continue the lie, we'll just ease him into it." It's easier said than done, of course. Everything is. "You're just going to have to invite me over for dinner one night at your house, just the four of us. Have him get used to seeing me around more, have him get comfortable with being around me, and then we can break the news to him. He may be upset, disappointed even, but he's eleven and has to deal with it in his own way. He will get over it though, I'll promise you that. We'll help him. We're his parents."

That's a promise I'm willing to keep. Any promise to her is a promise that I'd keep though.

"We'll just need to take this one step at a time, Padmé. That's the only way." It doesn't really matter how we tell him anyway, he's probably going to be thrilled to know I'm his father, we did hit it off today after all. He'd probably be more than happy to have somebody to practice with and teach him some new moves and to improve on his current ones.

Luke though is easy for me. We share a common passion, a common true love for the sport. He's also a lot like me, Leia is the one that worries me.

If only because I don't know her, she's an unknown variable.

"How do you think Leia would handle it?" Padmé's phone is still laid down before me. The screen locked but a quick press of the home button brings the image back up. She should really put a passcode on her phone. I'm not going to complain though. Not when my eyes are on my two beautiful children.

Padmé releases my hand and takes another sip of her water. My hand feels cold now without her hand holding it. "I don't know. She and Palo never got along. Same with Palo and Luke. Palo treated his love of football with disdain. Luke always wanted a real father though, he always needed you." She looks up at me, her chocolate brown eyes tearing my heart up with the emotion I see in them. "Leia...Well, she's a lot like me. But, she does like sports. Or, one sport rather. She loves to play soccer. She's like a little Mia Hamm out there, running around on the soccer field, and every now and again, Luke will play a game with her or practice with her, but she's...content. For the most part. She likes a lot of the same things I do. She loves her Ipad. She needs you but doesn't know she needs you, if you know what I mean, because she probably thinks most father's are like Palo, and she always thought he was a jerk."

Talk about taking a cheap shot.

That definitely hurts, but I see where she's coming from. I never had a father, my mother played both roles in my life.

Just like I'm finally realizing Padmé did, too.

And, I'm jazzed to hear my baby girl has an affinity for sports, too, likely inherited from me. I played soccer some as a kid. I can definitely use this to my advantage in building my relationship with her.

My love for Padme also soars. It couldn't have been easy for her all these years, yet she raised them both on her own.

"Then, I'll just have to show her what real father's do, same for Luke." I've been around Gray long enough to know what real father's do (what damn good father's do) and Ben's been a role model to me for years, as well. He's a father, too, and he's always encouraged me, and like Gray, was always there to help me when I needed it. "We just need to time it right, but I start training camp on the twenty-seventh. I'd like to tell them before then. I want to be able to bring you all to my games- my home games, anyway and bring Luke to a real NFL practice. I want to share my life with all of you and have you share your lives with me."

Maybe then, she wouldn't be able to help but fall back in love with me. There's obviously not another man in her life, which I am more than thrilled to know.

"I'd like that," she smiles shyly, bringing a smile back to my own lips. I've had enough of the crying and deep emotional talk. I'm glad that it's out of the way. We may not have accomplished everything so far, but for our first talk, I think we made tremendous headway. "And, I know Luke and Leia would, too."

"Good, I'm glad." We finish up our meal, and Kitster comes back in. He has better timing this time. "Hey, old friend."

"Anakin," Kit says, like this is the first time we've seen each other today. "How'd you guys like the meal?"

"It was perfect, Kit," Padmé answers, smiling across the table at me. I can't help but return it.

Yes, it was, I don't even know why I was nervous. We may have gotten older, but underneath it all, we're the same Padmé and Anakin we always were. I just need her to see that and to want to try for a relationship with me again.

It'd make me insanely happy to be able to call her mine again. Over the moon, Cloud Nine kinda happy.

"Great, would you guys like anything else?" Kit asks.

I shake my head, I've had more than I bargained for tonight. Way more, but in a good way.

"We're good, thanks, Kit." Padmé answers for us.

"Sounds good, thanks for coming." He smiles at us and places the bill down on the table then clears away our plates and leaves us alone.

I grab the bill and slide it out of the reach of Padmé. Back when we were dating, she'd always try to pay. Sometimes she'd get offended when I wouldn't allow her to, but I'm a gentleman, and I asked her out tonight.

It's on me.

"Would you mind if I texted myself this picture?" She shakes her head, telling me she doesn't mind, and I go to her contacts, add my info, save it, and text it to my phone. This is a picture I have to have. They're beautiful, and seeing their faces glowing with their big smiles... it means more than I can say.

I only wish I was there. There's always their next birthday though. Which, by the way, I need to know when that is. "When's their birthday anyway?"

She smiles, "February fourth. They were born a few weeks early actually."

I nod my head, assimilating this info. February fourth, eh? Hmm...That's the same date as the Super Bowl at the end of this season. Suddenly, the implications of that seem...daunting, in a way. I gotta think about this some more.

"I should get going," Padmé says on a sigh, looking up at the clock. Where'd the time go? It's almost ten! "My mom is watching the twins for me."

"Okay, I'll walk you out." We stand up, I grab my blazer and put it back on, and I hand her back her phone and grab the bill. She stops. I follow her eyes to the black velvet ring box. "It's yours, Padmé. Keep it, throw it out, sell it. It's up to you, but I can't keep it. It always belonged to you."

Without giving her a chance to give it back or say anything else, I walk to the door and hold it open for her. I watch as she gingerly picks up the ring box and places it carefully in her clutch purse along with her phone. If she wouldn't get mad at me, I'd probably throw my fist in the air at the elation I feel at her keeping it. I'm not lying when I say it belongs to her, it does, and if we do go back to dating, which I hope to God we do, and do finally reach the point where marriage is possible, I'll buy her a nicer and far better ring.

That half carat diamond ring was all I could afford back then, it took a long time and a lot of odd jobs to get the money for it.

She was always worth it though.

She passes by me at the door, her perfume wafting out to wrap its seductive scented tendrils around me once more, and we make our way out to the front where I pay the bill, leave a nice tip, and then we walk outside to the parking lot in silence. More than a few people recognized me in there, I'm sure. I saw it on their faces, but none of them tried to stop me.

Thank God.

"I had a good time tonight." I tell Padmé as we walk to her dented up minivan. "I'm not gonna lie. I was totally freaking out in my car until I saw you. I felt like I was back in high school trying to get up the nerve to ask you out or like I was on our first date... it was embarrassing."

Padmé laughs at the memories. They may not have been very funny then, but looking back to when we were just teens, it is pretty comical now.

"I was nervous, too. Scared really." She admits, not really surprising me. I'm just glad we were able to get past our emotions. "I was at my sister's house today, and I told Sola everything, I never told her before. It felt good finally getting everything off of my chest, and it felt good finally telling you everything, too."

It does feel good, now that I know I didn't screw things up between us. That's always been a fear of mine. "Now, we can look forward, instead of looking back." I grab her hand and hold it in mine, she locks her fingers around mine. It feels so damn good. "When do you want to meet again? We'll have to talk about our plans for the twins."

She seems to ponder this for a minute before answering, as we stand at the back of her minivan. "I'll see you when I drop Luke off. I'll bring Leia with me. She's going to a soccer camp for the week, so I'll drop Luke off first, and then you can meet her. Then maybe you can come to our house for dinner? Sometime this week?"

Holy hell! I didn't think she'd actually invite me, especially not so soon. But, I'll be damned if I turn down her offer. No way in hell would I do that.

"I'm available every day after six this week, and I'm free all weekend. Just let me know. And make sure to ask me in front of the twins. They obviously don't know we're together tonight."

"Right. I'll do that. Thanks for tonight."

I bring her hand up to my lips and kiss it softly, keeping any heat out of it, difficult as that is for me to do. I'm sure she remembers what my lips feel like on her skin. I certainly do. "Anytime, Angel."

She blushes and smiles at me as I grin at her, and she turns around and gets in her van, as I hold the door for her. I shut her door for her, and then I walk over to my car and wait for her to pull out first before I follow behind. I was going to mention the state of her minivan, but that can always wait until we meet again. No way am I going to allow my family to continue driving round in a hunk of junk like that. Nope, I'll need to start looking for a new vehicle for them. One with plenty of extra room for all that football and soccer gear she has to haul around...and one that is tough enough to handle her driving. Though, I can only hope her highway skills have improved dramatically since high school. They must have. She and the kids are still alive, after all.

I can't help but smirk at that.

Tonight was perfect. I didn't want to blow it all by criticizing her ride. I'm sure she has it for a reason, but I can't help her until the twins know the truth. Only then can I buy them gifts and not have them wonder why I'm buying them a new car or giving them my Range Rover.

I'm not the most covert person, but I know how to sneak around. Padmé and I did it plenty of times in our youth when we snuck out in the middle of the night to go grab a midnight ice cream or some burgers and fries at the local all-night diner.

Those were the best nights of my life, by far.

If only because of who I spent them with.

I glance down at my phone.

It may be a little late now, but I'm sure Gray's still up. He's probably waiting for me to to call him anyway. It's what he'd expect me to do.

I think I'm actually I'm surprising myself by how much I'm not freaking out. The news of Luke being my son was tough to deal with, but that's because I had no idea that I had fathered any children. Finding out one day out of the blue that I'm a father, it was definitely a shock to my system but one that I was happy for.

One that I admit I desperately needed in my life, and with the woman who I always wanted a family with. She's the only woman I wanted a family with. She's the only woman I ever imagined myself with, period.

When she slid the phone over to me, I didn't even notice Leia at first. I saw Luke and figured she was just showing me a picture of him, then I saw the cake and then Leia.

It was easy to see the resemblance between her and Padmé immediately, but my brain was refusing to believe my life could possibly get that much better. But, it did. Right then and there.

My baby girl.

I've always wanted a daughter, a little girl that'll take right after my Angel. I'm sure I told Padmé that before, and I've always wanted a son, too. A little boy who I can play football with, one that'll take right after me.

Being the only child and in a single parent home, I've always felt envious of those big families. I always wanted a sibling I could play football with. It would've made life a lot less lonely.

It's what made me always want to have a family, a big family of my own. That's why I'm glad Luke has Leia and that Leia has Luke. They can always keep each other busy and entertained.

They may be double the work load, but that's something I could use in my boring and lonely life. Before all of this, only the Gray's really kept me busy.

And, there's no question I want to have more kids with her. And, if things continue as they did tonight, I think that might just be in the playbook. I grin wolfishly at the thought. I missed out on her first pregnancy, but I won't miss a thing on her next one.

Speaking of Gray...

I pull out my cell phone as I sit here at a red light and call him.

"Anakin!" He says, answering the phone on the second ring. I knew he'd be waiting for my call. "How'd dinner go?"

"You were right," I tell him, smiling. "It all worked itself out, I don't even know why I was worrying. I just had to remember that it's Padmé that I was meeting, not some stranger, and when I laid eyes on her...I finally calmed down and the dinner went great. Better than I ever expected it would."

I can tell he's smiling, too, when he replies, "See? You should just accept that I'm always right." It's unfortunately true, he usually is right. I'm not sure about always, but more times than not, he is. "What are you doing now?"

The light turns green, and I continue driving home, I tell him so.

"Why don't you stop by?" He suggests, that is what I wanted to do, but I didn't want to ask because of the time. It is getting late after all.

"You sure? I don't want to intrude upon your family time, y'know, with training camp starting up in two weeks and all." Damn, is it that soon already? It starts on the twenty-seventh, and today's the tenth. Fuck, I guess it is. It seems too soon given everything that I've just learned in the last three weeks...especially tonight.

Gray sighs loudly in my ear, like I'm stupid for asking such a question. "Amanda flew to Boston this morning. She's visiting her twin sister for a few days. It's just Junior and myself here, and Junior is here sleeping on my arm. Come on over. I'm sure you need to talk."

I smile just picturing it. Little Gray is a great kid, I love him like I love my own children. That's odd just thinking about. I've only spent one day with Luke, yet I feel like I've known him forever, and I've only ever seen Leia in a picture tonight, and I love her already. Despite the fact that I haven't even met her yet.

The love I feel for them though is a love like no other. They're my kids! My children! I never felt an emotion as strong as the love I feel for them, just like I feel for Little Gray...only it's stronger for my own kids.

It's almost overwhelming in its intensity.

"Yeah...I could use a drink, actually. I found out a lot of stuff tonight, and I really need to maybe hash some things out. So, count me in, I'll be there in ten, fifteen minutes?"

"See you then."

We hang up, and I take a right at the next light and start driving toward Gray's. I need to share the news about...well, everything, and like always, Gray is the person I share everything with.

But, I'm hoping that soon enough, I'll have my Padmé back, and then we can share our lives like we're supposed to.

Like we were always destined to.

Smiling, practically giddy at the thought, I can't stop the delighted smile on my face.

I suddenly gun the engine. I can't wait to give Gray the earful I know he's expecting.


A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!

I know this was the one really wrong chapter, but I hope you're happy with it. I wrote all weekend and I was definitely surprised by how much I wrote. My beta read the story over for me and she helped me flesh it out more and I don't think this chapter could've turned out any better than it did.

I'm sure you're probably surprised by how Anakin reacted to the news of Leia but finding out about Leia compared to finding out about Luke were totally different. Luke's existence came to him out of nowhere, the last thing he was expecting that day was to be talking to his son and seeing a ghost from his past. Well, he's had three weeks to deal with this and prepare for mini-camp with his son, he may have been blindsided again by finding out he has another child, a daughter but that's exactly what he always wanted and with the love of his life. It may take time to wrap his head around but he's always a family of his own and now he has one.

I don't normally do songs for my chapters or stories but I think Perfect by Ed Sheeran would fit this chapter to a tee.

I'm not sure when Chapter Eight will be up but it'll be in Anakin's POV and will pick up where this chapter left off with him going to Gray's and then will go right into day two of mini-camp. I'm not going to do a chapter for every day, this will probably be it for that.

Please follow, favorite and review! Thanks for reading!