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Teddy

"Is being right really worth you freezing to death?" Grandpa Carrick asks entering the boat house. I sigh in relief when I see he is carrying my winter coat and a blanket, but try to hide my eagerness as he approaches. He places his hand on my head ruffling my hair the same way he has since I was a kid. "I had to beat off your mother and grandmother with a stick to be the one that brought this to you."

"I feel like an idiot" I tell him honestly as I put on my coat. "He's had someone following me for months and I didn't even know it."

Flashback…

"Stop telling me what to do" I yell across the desk at my father.

"Theodore calm down" my mother urges. "Just think seriously about this…"

"You are just as bad as him" I insist banging my fist on dad's desk.

"Alright now Teddy that is enough" Grandpa Carrick bellows from his place on the couch next to dad's desk. "You will not disrespect your mother like this."

"Sorry mom" I grumble slouching, feeling an inch tall as I slouch in my chair.

"Theodore, think sensibly about this" G-ma urges perched on the couch. "You cannot follow this girl, as nice as she seems, to a third world country…"

"It's a developing country, they don't call it third world anymore" I explain feeling my inner Joni bristle.

"What exactly do you plan to do in this developing country? Carry her bags?" dad asks sitting back in his chair. "This is just like your senior year all over again."

"Christian, you cannot keep throwing that in his face" Grandpa Carrick argues.

"I can we he is making the same mistakes again" dad refutes.

"Don't you dare compare Joni to her" I growl jumping to my feet knocking my chair to the ground.

"I can't help, but see the similarities" he argues. "They both have your nose so open you refuse to think straight."

"She lied and manipulated me" I growl. "Joni would never do that."

"She is making you blind just like her" dad argues. "You have given up on all of your extracurricular activities and you are leaving yourself open to threats."

"Joni is not a threat" I yell.

"Not her, Jameson has been following you since you moved to Cambridge and you haven't even noticed" he yells back. The room gets very quiet.

"You what?" I ask through gritted teeth.

"Did you really think we would send you across the country without any protection?" dad scoffs.

"Do you know the type of mental and emotional strain it has put on my relationship with Joni having her believe there was some omnipresent figure everywhere we went" I ask rising to my full height. "We stopped leaving the apartment for anything except for classes…"

"Teddy, you have to understand the position we are in…"

"I understand that you lied to me" I say feeling more betrayed than anything else. "You said you trusted me, you said I could make my own decisions."

"After everything you put us through last year how could you possibly expect us to trust in your decision making skills?" dad argues reclining in his chair.

I back kick the chair I was sitting in causing it to crash to the ground before storming out of his office. I feel my anger turn into rage as I hear my mom trying to reason with me.

"No mom" I grit storming into the living room. I see Joni begin to move towards me.

"No Joni" I yell at her, regretting it almost immediately. I cross the room and take her face into my hands placing soft kisses on her cheeks and eyelids. "Baby, I am sorry."

"I just want to help" she says softly imploring me with her eyes to let her in, but I can't. I have let her down, I called her crazy.

"I just need time alone" I sigh tilting her face up so I can capture his lips. I start slow, but can't help slipping my tongue into her mouth. Her flavor is like the richest chocolate mixed with pure sunshine; I could drown in her taste and die a happy man. . "I am going for a walk, nobody follow me" I say glaring at mom before going out to the boat house.

"Joni hasn't wanted to leave our apartments for months" I tell Grandpa Carrick. "I wasn't complaining because, well we haven't left the house in months" I say smirking as my grandfather bumps my shoulder.

"Your father was trying to protect you" he claims.

"He was trying to control me" I argue placing my head in my hands. "I know what happened last year was a lot…"

"A lot?" he says off handedly.

"I thought she loved me" I whisper trying to push down the memories. "I thought I was doing the right thing by the woman I loved."

"Your father doesn't want to see you hurt again, none of us do" he says rationally.

"Joni wouldn't do that" I declare defending her. "She is selfless and kind. She always wants to give."

"We have to be careful Teddy" he insists. "Especially you and EJ. There are women out there who would kill for the opportunity carrying a Grey baby brings. We found that out last year."

"I know Joni, she doesn't have a greedy bone in her body" I urge.

"You may believe that, but we don't know her" he says looking me in the eye. "Your hidden chickens have come home to roost."

"Are you saying that if I had been upfront about Joni dad would have been okay with it?" I ask incredulously and the look he gives me answers my question for me. "Exactly, he would have squeezed her out, pushed her away. After last year being with Joni is like being free, truly unconditionally free, loved and..."

"And what?" he prompts and I can tell that he truly cares.

"Cherished" I answer slowly. "She cherishes me in a way no one outside of the family ever has. She sees me for me. Not the money or influence, just me, as I am."

"Teddy…"

"Can I have some time alone please" I ask rising to move deeper into boat house.

"Just be safe and know that we love you" he says patting my shoulder and leaving.

I sit on the cot out here trying to get my thoughts together. I love Joni, I truly do. I love her more than I could ever love anyone outside of my family. It doesn't feel like puppy love either; what we have is concrete. We converse and dream together.

Laying back I look up at the sky light and at some point I fell asleep because I woke up to the sun in the sky. I walk to the house wiping the sleep out of my eyes.

"Point your toes Phoebe" Joni insists as she rests in a head stand with her legs folded. She is wearing a tight tank top and even tighter yoga shorts. This is not a new wardrobe or position for me to find her in. I stand in the doorway and watch as my sister and cousin struggles to bend their bodies into the shape of a V while holding their calves.

"It hurts" Ava grunts.

"That is the weakness leaving your body" Joni says breathing deeply.

"If this pose is so easy then why aren't you doing it?" Phoebe asks collapsing on the floor. Joni easily changes positions nearly folding herself in half.

"Oh my god" Ava sighs dropping her legs.

"Don't show them the downward facing dog" I say moving closer to them.

"Teddy" Joni sighs rising to greet me. She stops right as she reaches me. I see the trepidation on her face and I hate that I am the one who put it there. I open my arms and she wraps hers around my neck and buries her face into my collar bone. "I thought you froze to death."

"And in honor of my death you held a yoga session" I ask squeezing her tightly to me.

"The show must go on" she giggles.

"I am sorry for leaving you" I say honestly.

"Don't do it again" she whispers firmly.

"I won't I promise" pulling back I look down at her and I see the stress in her eyes. "I love you so much." I watch a smile break out across her face taking away all the stress and exhaustion of last night.

"I love you too" she says showing me all of her teeth before kissing me fiercely.

"Okay, none of that we are trying to learn" Ava says trying again to grab her calves.

"Yes why don't you go take a shower and then we can all eat together before we head out" Phoebe volunteers.

"Where are we going?" I ask curiously making sure to keep my arms firmly wrapped around Joni.

"We, as in Ava, Emma, Joni and I, are going shopping" Phoebe says grabbing Joni's ankle as I try to drag her out of the room with me. "I have no idea what you and EJ are doing."

"If you are going to take her for the day then let me have her for twenty minutes" I urge lifting Joni off the ground trying to shake Phoebe off.

"Teddy stop, Joni is spending time with us" she argues cling onto Joni for dear life. "Ava, help me." Ava latches on to Joni's other leg causing my grip to slip slightly. Sitting her on her feet briefly, I kneel down to hoist her over my shoulder effectively dislodging my sister and cousin.

"I will have her back in thirty minutes" I promise walking towards the stairway.

"Theodore" Joni says slowly. "Put me down" recognizing her tone I sit her down at the bottom of the stairs.

"Theodore I am holding a class right now I cannot shower with you" she says seriously glaring up at me.

"I am sorry baby I am trying to listen to what you are saying, but look so cute" I say grabbing her waist. She brushes off my hands and walks up three steps putting us at eye level.

"Focus Teddy" she says placing her hands on my shoulder. I am sure that gesture was meant to ground me, but all it has done is push her breast closer together. "Focus on my face."

"I don't want to shower with you, well of course I want to shower with you" I backtrack. "I always want to shower with you, but right now I just want to talk with you" I say honestly.

"Just like you wanted to dry our clothes when you took my virginity" she argues.

"Hey, we got caught in the rain" I defend myself, but fail to hold back my smirk. "Seriously, J I want to talk to you. I have to tell you something."

She looks at me suspiciously, but doesn't run.

"How about we go in to the kitchen instead of upstairs" I offer. I sigh in relief when she begins to head towards the kitchen.

I decided last night that I would tell her the truth about last year, the whole truth not just the pieces I shared about my past. It may be selfish, but I want to tell her while we are still in Washington so I can control the outfall better.

"You have five minutes" she says walking around the table, she is trying to keep space between.

"I have somethings to tell you" I say sitting away from her. "I just ask that you let me finish before you…"

"Is it about the girl you thought you got pregnant last year?" she asks shocking me to my core.