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One week passed since Randy had given Ron the folder and he was getting antsy. Every time he tried to call either her cell or the house phone it said that his number had been blocked. Of course he knew who was behind that. Randy had been holed up in his hotel room staring at the walls. Being patient was not a forte of his. More often than he would have liked his brain drifted to the worst case scenarios. Maybe John was holding her hostage, maybe she threw away the folder after the skirmish at the bar, maybe she though he'd fabricated everything and then threw it away, maybe she'd gone into labor and hadn't had the chance to read it at all. All he knew was that he was about to go crazy not knowing. He was in the bathroom just about to get in the shower when he heard his phone ring.

He dove on the bed opening his phone as he landed, "Hello?"

"Meet me tomorrow at the mall at two." Ryon said quickly before hanging up.

Randy rolled over and covered his face with his hands. One more day until the rest of his life was decided.


"I'm going to my dad's for a little while." Ryon said coming through the kitchen.

She and John were barely being polite to each other since the altercation with Randy at the bar. He thought she was still mad at his outburst at her, but he hadn't wanted to ask her about it.

"I'll drive you." He said standing quickly.

She stopped in her tracks, "I can drive myself."

"No, I insist." John said taking her car keys from her.

"What is your deal? Why are you acting like this?" Ryon asked putting her hands on her hips.

"I'm just worried about you." He answered grabbing a water bottle from the fridge.

"My dad lives twenty minutes away. He's more than capable of taking care of me." She retorted.

"Come on Ry, don't be like this. I just want what's best for you. Are you still mad about the argument we had after we left the restaurant?" he asked placing a hand on her shoulder.

"No, I'm not. I just need a little space. I need to breathe for a minute. You can't honestly tell me that you're not a little sick of me by now." She tried.

"No, I'm not. I didn't realize that I was that repulsive to you." John muttered angrily.

Ryon knew she was not going to get out of the house if he was mad at her, so she switched up her course of action.

She sighed deeply, "Fine, since you insist on ruining it let's go."

A look of confusion crossed his face, "Ruining what?"

Ryon put on her best innocent face, "The surprise I was planning for you. You've done so much for me I wanted to surprise you, but you won't let me."

"You, you didn't have to do that." John stammered.

Ryon shrugged, "I haven't done anything yet, and you haven't completely ruined the surprise yet either."

John thought for a minute, "Okay, but promise me you'll be careful?"

"Cross my heart." She smiled.

"Hurry back?" he asked, giving her keys back.

She nodded kissing his cheek, before he pulled her to him in an intense kiss.

"I'll be back." She called going to the garage.


Randy checked his watch for the hundredth time. It was almost three and Ryon was nowhere to be found. The bad thoughts that had been haunting him crept up again. He buried his face in his hands. He'd already decided that if she hadn't shown up by four he would ride by their house to check on her. He sat at the food court table drumming his fingers on the table impatiently. He scanned the crowded area constantly looking for her. His pulse raced when he finally caught a glimpse of her. She was looking right at him as she walked toward the escalator. He jumped out of his chair causing it to scrape loudly on the floor before crashing. He followed a little way behind her allowing three or four people between them on the escalator. They got off and she began walking toward a department store. Randy cautiously looked around for any sign of John, Hunter, or Adam. When they were in the store she turned to go to a quiet section in the back that was the least populated. She had stopped to look at a piece of merchandise when he touched her shoulder. His heart was in his throat as he waited for her to say something.

"Sorry I'm late. I had to lie to John for him to let me out of the house." She said quietly, "I looked over the folder you gave me."

This was it, judgment time. He took both of her hands and turned her to look at him.

"I can't tell you how upset I've been after reading everything. I can't believe everything they've done to break us up." She whispered sadly.

"So you do believe me?" Randy asked, his eyes gleaming with hope.

"Yes." She answered.

He pulled her into his arms which she immediately pusher her way out of.

"What's wrong?" he wondered still holding her hands.

She blinked back tears, "I know there was a reason you did everything you did. You couldn't help it that you were drugged, but I can't forget it."

Randy's gut twisted, he was afraid this would happen.

"I'm so sorry Ryon. I never meant to hurt you. Under normal circumstances I would never even dream of hurting you." He assured.

She shook her head, "I can't get it out of my head just yet. I can't forget how scared I was. I also can't forget the fact that you made out with that girl."

Randy dropped his head. He was so close to getting her back but there was still a ten foot wall between them.

"I was drugged Ry, both of those times. I swear to you that I never would have done those things if I hadn't been. If I could take everything back I would." He said, kissing the backs of her hands.

"I'm scared that you'll lose control again Randy. That memory of you won't go away." She cried.

He lifted her chin to look at him, "I haven't taken any of that powder since that night. Tell me what I have to do to regain your trust. I'll do anything."

He kissed her forehead and pulled her back into his arms. She didn't resist this time.
"I love you Ryon. I'm nothing without you baby." He whispered.

He felt her stomach twitch unexpectedly. He let her go and looked down at her bump.

"I don't think it likes me." Randy chuckled.

Ryon wiped her tears away before looking at him again, "He does like you actually. He only does that when you're around."

"A boy?" he asked with extreme difficulty.

That had been his dream to have a boy first.

"He's your son Randy, not John's." Ryon said softly.

Randy's eyes snapped to her face the same second his blood froze in his veins. Randy leaned over trying to gasp for air to fill his burning lungs. How had she been able to endure all of this? His infidelity, his loss of stability, and an unexpected pregnancy, he would never know.

"I haven't been there for you at all." He mumbled trying to speak through his emotion.

"That wasn't your fault." She murmured, placing a hand on his back.

He stood slowly placing his hands on her womb. His child was growing inside of her and was due any day now. He'd missed so many precious moments that he could never regain. He felt her stomach shift gently under his hands, making his throat constrict with emotion.

"I'll gladly spend the rest of my life making this up to you." He paused looking into her eyes as realization set in, "You were pregnant the night I attacked you, weren't you?"

Agony washed over him. Not only did he almost end his wife's life, but also their unborn child's.

He bent back over this time speared with grief, "I don't blame you for being scared of me. Look at everything I've done to you."

She pulled him up again into her arms, "I'm more scared of being without you Randy. I don't want to go back to John."

His heart skipped at least three beats when the words she had spoken hit his ears.

"I'm not going to let you go back by yourself." He promised.

He cupped her face gently and pressed his lips to hers. A current ran through her body as he kissed her. The electricity, the passion that John's kisses always lacked hit her in full force and made her woozy. It had been so long since she'd experienced one of his kisses. She was breathless when the kiss ended.

"You want to get out of here?" Randy asked shyly, pressing his forehead against hers.

She bit her lip suppressing the tingle of fear, "Yes."

He kissed her quickly, his eyes shining, before taking her hand and leading her out of the mall to the parking lot.


Three Hours Later

Randy kissed Ryon's abdomen caressing their baby that they had created.

"Are you sure I didn't hurt you?" he questioned looking around her bump into her eyes.

She still wore a look of exhausted contentment on her face, "Just the opposite actually."

He breathed a small chuckle as he went back to awing over his baby.

"I should have known it was my baby." Randy commented huskily, "I should have seen right through his bullshit."

Ryon laughed, "I've never seen John in that way either, that's what you should have known."

Randy's hands stilled as he looked up at her, "You never did anything with him other than kiss him right?"

Ryon hesitated, "Yes and no. The day you came to get your stuff, after you left, he came onto me a little more than usual."

Randy watched her for a moment, "How much more?"

"You don't really want to know all of this do you?" she asked.

She continued when he didn't respond, "The entire time I was thinking of you, and trying not to cry. I stopped him before it could even get to that."

Randy nodded, checking her vibrating phone. John was calling for the twenty fifth time that hour.

"You ready to go?" he asked crawling on top of her to kiss her neck.

She sighed, "My dad should be home in an hour. I really want him to know what's going on too. So why don't you keep doing what you're doing and then we'll go."

Randy mumbled an agreement into her neck. He was busy setting her on fire with his hands and mouth. They were going to have to think out a plan of action later.