AN: You all make my heart beat ten times faster. Thank you for being so amazingly awesome.

Love,

PolHop

Penelope's eyes went wide, her mouth went dry and she lost the ability to speak. The man she had been looking for, was now standing right in front of her, at a diner in the middle of the day.

The stranger ignored Derek and moved to get a little closer to Penelope. "It's so good to see you. Damn, we had a good time you look ama-" he stopped talking after Penelope stood up. "Oh shit, you're pregnant?" he asked, looking her up and down.

"Yes," she squeaked out, trying to form some words.

"Too bad, you were one hell of a wild wom-"

"If I were you, I'd stop right there," Derek growled. The sheer terror on Penelope's face had said it all. This was the man that fathered her baby. He had to hold back his anger; this man that was now standing directly in front of them, was the biological father of the baby he called his own.

Derek felt like he'd been sucker punched. He could have been looking in a mirror. The guy could be his twin brother. He went to stand up to place himself in between Penelope and the sperm donor when she raised her hand to stop him.

He knew she needed to talk to this guy, but he didn't like it. He felt like everything he had worked hard to restore was about to be taken away from him. He could see this guy wanting to be a part of the baby's life, and in turn, possibly a part of Penelope's life. He couldn't have that, not when he finally was getting everything he ever wanted.

"I can't believe you're knocked up," the stranger said shaking his head, somewhat disappointed.

"We need to talk," Penelope whispered, taking a deep breath trying to gain the confidence she desperately needed at this point.

The stranger looked at her for a moment, and then at her belly. "Oh, hell no!"

Penelope felt tears start to form in her eyes. This was not how she ever pictured this conversation going. "I think we should go outside."

The stranger took a step back. "Are you trying to tell me, that thing growing inside of you is mine?"

"That thing growing inside of her is a baby," Derek snapped.

"Can we go outside, please?" Penelope asked. The patrons of the diner were starting to look towards them.

The stranger ignored her request looking at her with disgust. "There is no way that baby could be mine. You couldn't get me out of the bar fast enough to fuck me –"

"Watch your mouth," Derek spat, standing up now.

The man looked right at Penelope. "You probably fuck everyone you see. Who's to say this baby isn't the waiter's?" He turned to Derek. "Let me guess: she's trapping you, too?"

Derek took one step closer and decked him right in the face, and then pulled a crying Penelope into his arms, moving to lead her out of the diner.

The stranger looked up at Derek, rubbing his chin. "There is no way that baby is mine."

"You're right, asshole. For all intents and purposes this baby is mine. You might have been the one to father the child, but there is no way you'll ever be his dad," Derek said, pulling Penelope with him.

"You're damn right about that," the stranger said standing up going after them. He caught up with them as soon as they made it outside. "You should have seen her that night. She's a whore. She couldn't get me in bed fast enough. Remember how wild we were, sweetheart? How many times you came underneath me?"

"Stop," she said, looking at him. "This child is your-"

"That baby is not mine. How many people are you trying to pin this baby on? "

"That's it." Derek let go of Penelope's arm and pushed the arrogant asshole up against the outside wall of the diner. "I'm gonna say this to you once. You call her a whore one more time and you'll be shittin' out your teeth for a week."

The man turned towards Penelope. "If that baby is really mine, you need to get rid of it," he snapped.

"You have a death wish?" Derek growled, pushing the man harder into the wall.

"She's nothing but a whore," he snarled.

Derek held him firmly against the wall as he brought his fist up to punch him once again, then threw him onto the ground moving back to Penelope, guiding her to his SUV. He hopped into the driver's side and started driving home.

They continued on their way until he finally spoke. "Were you ever going to tell me he looked like me?"

She turned to face him, her cheeks red. "I-I…"

"I'm not upset. I'm just trying to understand," he said softly.

"If I couldn't have you, I wanted the next best thing… You were all I ever wanted and he was the closest I ever got."

Neither one of them spoke after that, as he continued the drive to their house. He glanced over at her and watched as she rubbed her belly as silent tears fell down her cheeks. He had so many emotions running rampant through his own body, he could only imagine what was going though hers.

He pulled into their driveway but before she could exit the car he grabbed onto her hand. "Sweetheart?"

"I still don't even know his name," she cried, looking at Derek.

"Baby Girl," Derek tried to console her.

"I couldn't even give the baby his last name even if I wanted to," she whispered.

"Why would you ever want to?" he asked looking at her.

"I don't know. I don't, it was just a thought." She shook her head. "He made me feel like a whore, Derek." More tears fell from her eyes. "Never in my life had I gone home with a stranger, that wasn't me. Including you, I've only have five partners,"

"Don't let him make you feel like that. You know you're not anything he said."

She looked up at him swallowing past the lump in her throat. "Even you called me a whore when you found out…"

He felt bile rise in his throat. They had come so far in their relationship, but he knew those words he had called her when he found out still hurt her to the core. He took a deep breath to steady his words as he placed his hand on her growing belly.

"This is my child." He looked into her eyes. "This child will never have to worry about his father loving him, because that's all I can do. And I hope before he is born, you won't ever have to worry what his last name will be."

She looked at him cocking her head to the side.

"I want our son to have my last name." He grabbed her left hand stroking her ring finger. "I want you both to have my last name."

"Derek?"

"I know the things I've said to you in the past hurt you. I can't promise you life will always be perfect and that I won't say things I don't mean, but I can promise you that I will love you and our son until the day I die. You both are my world."

She looked down at his hand stroking her ring finger.

"Penelope, this is not how I wanted to do it. I wanted to ask you the way you deserve to be asked, but I don't want you to ever worry about who loves you and what name to give our son."

She nodded her head in understand when he spoke softly.

"Will you marry me?"

She still had tears streaming down her face, but this time they were happy tears. "Yes."