Loving the reviews guys. A. I just want to say that I don't see Theresa as a bitch, but I just think she needs to be out of the picture. So, in this chapter, I try to make her seem ok, but it kind of makes Ryan seem bad. Just fyi.

Chapter 14

Ryan eagerly walked over to the punch out and punched out his time car. As he walked to his car, he put his phone back into his pocket. It had been a long day, and all he really wanted to do was to go home, take a shower, go to bed, and forget about Marissa. Unfortunetely for him, he wasn't able to forget about Marissa. "How could I be such an idiot?" he asked himself as he was driving. "I mean, did I expect her to be waiting for me the whole time?" In the back of his mind, Ryan answered, 'yes'. He shook his head, trying to rid himself of everything about her. "If she's happy, then I can be too." He nodded, as to reassure himself.

As he pulled into Theresa's driveway and headed inside, he smelled something cooking in the kitchen. He had forgotten how hungry he was. As he stepped inside Theresa's face lit up, "Ryan! I just finished this casserole, and I really think that it turned out ok!"

Ryan swallowed suddenly feeling not so hungry. Theresa wasn't his wife. She didn't have to cook for him. "Actually, I really just want to shower and relax tonight. I'm not too hungry. Thanks though."

Theresa looked obviously disappointed. "Oh, ok, well I'll just freeze this, we can have it another time."

Ryan nodded. He took off his outer shirt and laid it on the table, and headed for the bathroom. Just as he was turning the shower on, he heard his cell phone ring. It was probably Lou, asking him for another shift. If he was asked for another shift, then he knew he would have to take it. After all, he was the bread winner. "Can you get that?" Ryan yelled from the bathroom to Theresa.

"Sure." Theresa answered, as she went into Ryan's shirt pocket. She found the phone, right after the third ring, and carelessly flung it open. "Hello?" she asked into the receiver.

A young girl's voice answered back, "Hi, Um, somebody from this number has been calling my cell phone, but I don't know this number, so I was just wondering if it was a mistake, or if they were just looking for somebody else."

Theresa paused, she knew that voice. She swallowed, it couldn't be. Could it? Theresa shook her head, of course it could be. It was Marissa, and Ryan had been calling her.

The voice, was now waiting for an answer and asked again, "Hello?"

"Yeah." Theresa answered shortly, praying to herself that it wasn't who she thought it was. "Marissa?" Theresa asked, hoping that it was just a misunderstanding.

The voice on the line paused, "Yeah, um, who is this?"

Just then Theresa heard a short gasp on the line, "Oh my God, Theresa?"

Theresa shut her eyes tightly, "Yeah." She confirmed.

Marissa paused again, "Oh, well this is a little weird, did you need something?"

Theresa shook her head with her eyes still closed, "No, this is Ryan's phone." Immeditely after she told Marissa that, she regretted it. The truth was out, Marissa and Theresa both knew that Ryan had been trying to talk to Marissa. Theresa was expecting to hear an answer, a laugh, a shriek, a scream, anything, but instead, she heard a long pause and then the click of a receiver.

Theresa stood still. What had just happened? As she was standing, wondering what this meant, she heard the water shut off from the shower. Seconds later, Ryan appeared with wet hair and a clean wife beater. He acknowledged Theresa by nodding in her direction. He then grabbed a peach from a bowl on the counter and turned to go to the bedroom.

"Wait, Ryan." Theresa stopped him.

Ryan turned around, "What is it?"

Theresa swallowed, "Um, I just got an interesting call."

Ryan sighed, he didn't feel like playing these games with Theresa. "Oh yeah? Who from?"

Theresa rung a towel in her hands, "Well, this girl called saying that somebody from that number has been calling her, but leaving no messages."

Ryan stood still with shock. "Really?" he finally asked, "Do you know who the girl was?"

Theresa nodded, "Yeah, I do, and you do too."

Ryan closed his eyes and gulped, they were going to get into this now it seemed.

Theresa continued to shake her head, "Why Ryan?"

Ryan shrugged, "I just wanted to talk to her. I need to talk to her."

"Why?" Theresa asked angrily, "Why can't you talk to me? I mean, I make you dinner, I look after your things, I clean the house, and I don't get two words when you come home from work!"

"Well maybe it's because I don't feel like talking when I get home from a job that I hate!" Ryan spitted back.

"Why are you working there if you hate it so much?" Theresa asked, some of the anger leaving her voice.

"Because I can't afford to not have a job! This baby needs so many things Theresa!"

Theresa put her hand on Ryan's arm. "We can make this work together Ryan. I can work a few extra shifts at the bakery until you find something better."

"I don't want to make this work together." Ryan muttered, barely audible.

"What?"

"I said, I don't want to make this work together!" Ryan answered, strength growing in his voice. "I want to get the money needed for the baby, and then go home." Ryan was sorry that he was being so harsh, but he had to let Theresa know that this was temporary.

Theresa was shocked. "Ryan, this is your home. You belong with me here and with this baby!" Theresa soothed as she rubbed her belly.

Ryan shook his head, "I don't belong here! I don't even-" Ryan stopped, unable to finish the rest.

Theresa looked at Ryan, fear and anger beginning to show in her face. "You don't even what Ryan?"

"Nothing." Ryan answered quietly.

"It's not nothing. I want to know. Tell me Ryan!!" Theresa was now shouting angrily.

"I don't even love you!" Ryan shouted. Then he squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to cause Theresa pain.

Theresa didn't answer. How could she? Her eyes began to well, but she willed herself not to show him tears. She swallowed and allowed herself to be angry, instead of sad, "You know what Ryan? Just go! You're free to leave!"

Ryan shook his head, he didn't want to leave, because then Theresa would go back to Eddie, and she and the baby would be hurt. "Theresa, stop it. This baby needs parents."

"No Ryan," Theresa began quietly, "I thought this is where you wanted to be. If it's not, then you're just going to resent me and the baby. That's not what I want for this kid. They need to be loved by everybody in their life, and if you're not going to love the baby as much as you possibly can, then I don't want you I his life." Theresa paused, watching Ryan shake his head slowly. "I mean it Ryan. I want you to go."

"Theresa, if I leave you have to promise me that you will never go back to Eddie."

Theresa smiled, "Ryan, why are you doing this? Why do you care? I know that you just want to go back to the Cohen's and Marissa. I'll get over that, but you can't pretend that you love me, and then leave me for somebody else."

Ryan looked at Theresa hard, "Theresa, I do care for you. So much you wouldn't even believe it. I also will love this baby, but I don't know if I can be a loving father. But I do know that Eddie won't be a loving father, and if he ever laid a finger on this child, then I would be here in a second. I know that, you know that."

Theresa nodded slowly, "I'm not going to go back to Eddie. I'll go to Atlanta."

Ryan nodded, "Do you have enough money."

Theresa shrugged, "If I take everything we both made this month, I think I'll have enough."

"Theresa I'm not going to let you go if you think you have enough. I'll stay until the end of the summer. Ok?"

Theresa smiled, and nodded. She wiped some tears from her eyes. She was going to do this alone, and that was ok with her. "How about some dinner Ryan, I know that you're hungry."

Ryan smiled and nodded, "Yeah, starving."