AN: Happy Reading! Enjoy this chapter! :)

Chapter 14

SPOV

"Mommy!" Adeline calls out, rushing into the kitchen, a glowing smile stretched over her diminutive features. "Can we go to the park, can we, can we?" she pleads as Eric waltzes out, shrugging his broad shoulders. The two have been playing all morning and as he's still standing, I suppose she hasn't been too hard on him.

"Um, sure, we can do that," I agree, starting the dishwasher as my daughter squeals excitedly, bringing a wide grin to my face. "Go put some play clothes on and I'll pack us a lunch," I tell her before she's hurtling from the room, giggling excitedly.

"What I wouldn't give to have that much energy," Eric muses, dropping to the counter stool with a small smirk as I pull the picnic basket down from the cupboard.

"Tell me about it," I retort with a snort of amusement. "You sure she's not being too hard on you?" I question in concern, pulling sandwich fixings from the fridge.

"Are you kidding me? I haven't had this much fun in, well, ever," he replies with a wide grin. "And I couldn't even tell you the last time I was invited to a formal tea party," he adds, bringing chuckling laughter from the both of us as he stands to join me, helping to put the sandwiches together.

"I have to admit, you're taking to this whole fathering thing much better than I thought you might," I confess as he shrugs, staring a bit intently to the sliced bread with a far off expression. "Hey, you alright?" I question softly as he lets out a sigh, hitting me with a weak smile.

"Yeah, sorry, just a lot on my mind," he explains as I nod my understanding. His life has taken a rather drastic turn as of late; I suppose it would only make sense he'd be somewhat overwhelmed.

"Can we go yet?!" Adeline exclaims impatiently, hitting us with an expecting glare that brings me from my thoughts as I pack the food into the small basket.

"Yeah, sweetie, we can go now," I assure her as Eric picks up the basket, giving me a small smile before the three of us are headed from the house together.

Adeline is merrily rattling off all the things she's intending on doing on our trip and I'm only able to half listen to my daughter, noticing Eric's forlorn expression as he stares intently out the window. I glance down then, noticing the slight tremor of his hands and my heart breaks for him, wanting to provide him any kind of assistance with his ongoing, inner struggle.

"You sure you're up for this?" I question softly, reaching over to place my hand over his trembling one. He looks to me in surprise before nodding lightly.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be fine," he assures me. I hit him with a disbelieving glare and he lets out a small sigh. "It's better to keep busy," he adds softly, a small frown form forming on his face. I nod to him, squeezing his hand gently before we're pulling up to the local park.

"Come on, Daddy Eric!" Adeline cries out, taking her father by the hand before leading him towards the wooden playground equipment. I gather up our basket and trail to the nearest bench before fishing my worn paperback from my bag, intent on getting some reading done.

I keep trying to read, but find myself having to revisit the same passage over and over as I just can't seem to concentrate. I gaze up then, having to smile at the sight of Adeline laughing merrily as Eric pushes her on the swing. He really has managed to surprise me with his fatherly instincts that seem to just come naturally to the prior rock star.

A small frown forms then, recalling his breakdown last night and the implications of his heartbreaking confession. He lost his parents, a situation I, myself, have personally had to struggle with, though, I was lucky enough to have my Gran to step in, raising Jason and I the way she did. What must it have been like to lose your only kin? I couldn't even begin to understand what that must have been like for him.

His confession also managed to leave me in a bit of a quandary as I've spent these last, five years convinced my first love left me for purely selfish reasons. It was this bit of thinking that always helped me to push thoughts of the beautiful, blue eyed boy aside, but at present, knowing what I know now; I have to admit I'm seeing things from a completely altered perspective.

Eric didn't leave because he was tired of me, or because he didn't really love me, no, he was a young man who was crushed by tragic, life altering circumstances. Knowing this, I find myself asking only one question; what if?

What if he hadn't run off the way he did? What if I really had followed him on the road, finding out I was pregnant while we were still together? What if I hadn't finally given into my best friend's familiar and comforting arms? Just how different would all our lives be if he had just reacted differently to that earthshattering phone call?

"Penny for your thoughts?" Eric questions softly against my ear, making me jolt in surprise, having been completely absorbed in my inner thoughts.

"God, you scared me," I sigh out, my heart racing as he lets out a low chuckle, dropping down to the bench beside me.

"My playmate left me for a younger crowd," he informs me with a playful pout that brings a light snicker from me before I turn to see Adeline absorbed in a game with a group of neighborhood kids. "So, what you reading?" he asks, curiously, pulling back the cover of my worn, romance paperback with a smirk.

"Okay, so it's not exactly intellectually stimulating," I admit with a smirk, seeing amusement shining in Eric's cobalt eyes. "But it's entertaining, well, so long as I can concentrate enough to read it," I admit, dropping the book back into my bag with a sigh.

EPOV

"I thought you looked a bit distracted," I inform Sookie, seeing a small frown pull at her plush lips. "Wanna talk about it?" I question as she looks to me, her brows rising in surprise. "What? You listened to me last night, the least I could do is return the favor."

"I, well, uh," she starts, looking completely adorable as a pink hue stains her tanned cheeks. "I was thinking about, well, us, if you must know," she admits softly, letting out a small sigh. And this time it's my turn to look to her in surprise, not having expected that answer at all.

"Us? As in, you and me?" I question incredulously as she shrugs her slight shoulders. "What about us, if you don't mind me asking?" I inquire, as hope flairs faintly within my chest.

"I just can't help wondering how different our lives might be, you know, had things panned out differently," she admits as my heart is beating wildly. Can it be she has feelings for me still; even in the slightest? I had truly given up all hope of this, but now, well, I realize maybe I was wrong in this assumption. "I guess that's silly though," she says then, shaking her head as she reaches down to grab the picnic basket beside her feet.

"It's not silly at all, Sookie," I tell her, placing my hand over hers as she looks up to meet my longing gaze. "There hasn't been one day over these past five years I haven't wondered that very same thing," I admit softly as her jaw drops slightly, obviously not having expected this confession from me.

"Eric," she whispers softly, sending my mind to that ill-fated summer fling as her sapphire eyes shine with apparent adoration. She frowns then, shaking her head vehemently. "No, there's no changing what happened between us. I'm with Godric now, hell, we're engaged, there's no us, Eric, not anymore," she insists, but I just can't damper down the slight hope she's managed to instill within me, not quite yet.

"Do you love him, Sookie?" I question as she stares at me in shock. "Truly, with all your heart, do you love Godric?" It may be completely unfair for me to ask her such a thing, but I just can't help recalling the way her friend fawned over her all those years ago while she seemed utterly uninterested in his advances.

"Of course I do, we're engaged, aren't we?" she challenges, pulling a sandwich from the basket before plopping it into my hand with a small frown.

"Yeah, you're engaged," I concede, taking a bite of the sandwich before chewing thoughtfully. "But can you tell me the real reason you've put off making any actual wedding plans?" I question as she subtly chokes on her sandwich, looking to me with bulged eyes. "Well?" I question, really wanting to know her thoughts on this.

"I, well, there are lots of reasons," she insists as I raise a challenging brow at her. "Well, when he first proposed, we had a newborn we were taking care of," she starts, nibbling her bottom lip thoughtfully. "And then Gran got sick," she explains, a small frown forming on her face as I reach over to place my hand upon her knee, giving her a sympathetic smile.

"And then?" I question softly as she takes a shuddering breath before nodding to me.

"And then there was her funeral," she explains miserably, looking to the playground with a forlorn expression.

"But wasn't that a year ago?" I question, bringing her attention back to me as she nods in confirmation. "So, what's stopping you now, Sookie? What's the real reason you haven't tied the knot?" I query, hoping against all odds I'm not wrong about this.

"I," she starts, a deep frown forming on her face before she looks to me with watering eyes. "I don't know," she whispers, brushing away the start of her tears with a small sniffle. "God, I've asked myself that same question so many times and I can't exactly explain it, but there just always seems to be something pulling me back, keeping me from moving forward," she admits, looking down to her partially eaten sandwich as she picks absently a the cracked crust.

"You loved me once," I state softly, reaching up to tuck a lock of golden hair behind her ear, managing to elicit a slight shiver from her. "Tell me honestly you don't harbor those kinds of feelings for me anymore, Sookie; that you don't still think about what we shared together that summer," I say softly as she shakes her head, letting out a loud sigh.

"I can't," she whispers, her bottom lip quivering slightly. "I told myself I didn't feel that way, insisting to Godric I was over what happened between us, but now," she starts, shaking her head once more before looking up to me with watery eyes. "Now, I don't know what to think," she admits as my heart is once more beating wildly in my chest, realizing I may not be too late. I lean forward then, bringing my face before hers, feeling the hot puffs of her breath warming my lips.

"Stop," she whispers, scooting back as she shakes her head once more. "I can't, Eric. I can't do that to Godric," she insists as I let out a defeated sigh, running my hand through my hair in frustration. "I may not know exactly what I feel for you now, but I do know without a doubt that I love Godric," she informs me as my heart pinches painfully upon hearing her confession.

"But, I," I start as she shakes her head once more, holding up her hand to put an end to my argument.

"It may have taken me a while to finally see it, but I truly do love Godric and whether we get married next week or even ten years from now, that won't change," she states firmly, leaving me with no other choice but to nod my understanding.

"Mommy, I'm hungry," our daughter states then, bringing us both from our rather tense moment as Sookie scoops up our child, setting her between us on the bench before handing her a sandwich of her own.

The three of us proceed to eat together and I catch Sookie's lingering gazes that manage to reassure me that even if she truly does love another, she's still yet to close the book on our own love story. I know I'll have my work cut out for me, but I can't just let her slip away, not again, not now that I know all hope is not yet lost.