Chapter 9

Three hours later and Kelly was still up tossing and turning in her bed. While she tried to act calm and cool in front of everyone, once she was alone in the privacy of her own room the weight of the whole situation fell heavily on her.

If it was just her, she'd be on the run again. It was not so easy now with Grace in tow. She had her friends here, this was her home...her father was here. She still loved Brandon, with all her heart...but she was not ready to let him stomp over it once again.

You fool me once, shame on you, you fool me twice, shame on me...he already fooled her more than twice. After she ran away like a hunted animal, he sent her a text apologizing, she did not reply...she was not sure what to tell him.

As if juggling Brandon was not enough there was Dylan as well, her unpredictable friend. He showed up at her doorstep in the most unfortunate time. Even if he never mentioned it, she was sure that his recent break up with Brenda had something to do with her. Returning back while Brenda was in the city just called for trouble. She had zero interest to be caught in a triangle again...yet, she was probably already caught in the middle of it without anyone asking for her opinion.

Picking up her cell phone, she stared at the screen re-reading Brandon's text for the tenth time. "Please don't push me." She wrote hitting the send button before she could change her mind. Throwing the cell phone next to her, she closed her eyes. Falling asleep almost immediately.

It was still relatively early in the morning when Dylan and Grace walked to the café down the street to grab breakfast. Kelly was still asleep when they left so Dylan scribbled a short note letting her know where they were if she woke up in the meantime.

The idea of having kids never crossed his mind, but Grace was a fun kid to be around and up until few weeks ago he was the only father figure in her life bringing the two of them close together. Now that Brandon was in the picture, this was probably going to change. The little girl giggled as he swept her off her feet and placed her on his shoulders before crossing the street. It was a good thing her real father was around, but...he was going to miss her.

"What would you like for breakfast, Gracie?" He asked as the two of them neared the dinner.

"Pancakes!" The little girl threw her hands into air giggling.

"With maple syrup and berries?" He asked already knowing the answer.

"Yes!" Grace replied happily.

Reaching the café, he put Grace down taking her hand as the two walked in. The two continued goofing around while waiting for the food, without noticing they were being watched.

Brenda was already seated in the corner box, when she saw Dylan and Grace walk in. After Kelly and Grace left last night things got tense at Brandon's place...she needed to get away from all the tension and spend some time alone. What she didn't count on was bumping into Dylan...with Grace in tow. It was clear he was staying with Kelly again.

Leaning back she watched the duo, hidden from their view. This was a side of Dylan she never saw. Yes, she saw him with Grace before, but there was always Kelly around...this was different. A first glimpse of what he might be like a father. A content smile spread over her face.

While Dylan paid for the food, Grace stood next to him looking around. Spotting the familiar face she ran towards Brenda. "Hi!" The little girl exclaimed happily reaching up to her.

"Good morning, Grace!" Brenda said sitting her on her knees. "What are you doing here?"

"Mommy's still asleep. Me and Dylan are going to surprise her and get breakfast for all of us." She replied happily, just as Dylan reached them.

"I and Dylan." Dylan corrected her looking at the little girl. "Hi, Bren!" He said softly as his eyes moved to Brenda.

"Hi Dylan!" Brenda replied without any emotion. It's been the first time their paths crossed since she stormed out of Kelly's house weeks ago. She felt a pang of jealousy knowing that he probably kept in touch with Kelly, while completely ignoring her after their fight.

"Puppy!" Grace exclaimed stopping the trail of thoughts of both adults. Climbing down from Brenda's knees she headed towards the dog. Both Brenda and Dylan following her with their sight before turning back towards each other, uncomfortable silence between them.

"Found your way back to Kelly." Brenda commented, a slight hint of annoyance in her voice.

"I crashed there yesterday." Dylan admitted the obvious as he slipped into the seat across from Brenda.

"Where have you been?" Brenda questioned him.

"Down in Mexico."

"For weeks?"

"You've a problem with it?" Dylan raised his brows, looking at her intently. "You're the one who walked away, Bren." He reminded her upon seeing her dissatisfaction.

"You are the one who gave me all the reasons to do so and nothing changed since that day." Brenda was fuming now.

"If helping a friend is a reason for break up, then I'm guilty." He replied dryly.

"Helping your friend is totally fine, but once you're spending more time with your friend than girlfriend, that's where a problem arouses." Brenda looked at him intently.

"You're right." Dylan looked away for a moment before looking straight at her again. "Some things will never change, you better get used to it."

"What if I won't get used to it?" Brenda questioned him.

"You already made that decision." Dylan stood up grabbing the bag with food. Turning around he stood still. "Grace!" He whispered in panic, she was nowhere to be seen.