Hey! Sorry for the delay! I had to move out of my house 5 awhile, really long story. Anyways, my precious computer and I are back together again, and so here you are with a new story. I have decided not to use my pen name any more and switch over to my real name which is Julian. Yes I know that it is a boys name, and I am a girl, but it's just part of the appeal. Most of my friends call me Jules or Julesy. So from now on chapters will be signed:

XOXO Jules

Ah, that felt good

Chapter 12: "An on and off again attraction"

Sometime between breakfast and lunch Ryan returned home, arm in arm with Marissa.

"Hey." He said to Sandy and Kirsten who were sitting on the couch, seemingly in the middle of an intense conversation.

"Where have you been?" Sandy asked his eyebrows taking on a life of their own

"I was at Marissas." Ryan said honestly

Neither Sandy nor Kirsten said anything.

"We don't need anymore teenagers with kids around here." Sandy said glancing warningly at Ryan.

"He made a mistake but he is a good kid. Some grown men won't even take responsibility for their child."

"Seth will not be able to deal with this!" Sandy said

Kirsten sat silently.

"Well then I think that you underestimate your son." Ryan said leaning Marissa gently by the hand out to the pool house where he found Seth with Ella.

"Hey." Marissa said going over to Seth and gently taking the baby, now wide awake.

"How did it go last night?" Ryan asked

"My mom was better than I thought she would be about it. She didn't toss back any hard liquor." Seth said

"And Sandy?"

"He let out the wrath of the eyebrows." Seth said leaning back on the bed.

Right then there was a knock on the pool house door. It was Noah, the girl from the store. She and Seth had not talked in two days, with all of the drama surrounding Ella going on. On the bright side he didn't have to explain to her that he was lying when he said that Ella was his.

"Hey Seth." She said walking in.

Marissa looked at this girl questioningly. Who was she and why was she near Seth? If Summer were here right now she would have a "rage blackout."

"Hey. Noah, this is my brother Ryan, and my friend, occasional next door neighbor, and sometimes the girl that I wake up to find in my kitchen in a bath robe Marissa." Seth said

"Thanks for the lengthy intro." Ryan said

"Hey. I'm Noah." The girl said.

She seemed nice enough but she still wasn't Summer

"Hey Ella." She said playing with the baby's fingers

"What's up?" Seth said getting off of the bed and coming over to her

"Nothing, I was off today so I wanted to see if maybe you and Ella wanted to come down to the beach." Noah asked

"We were going shopping for her." Marissa said, earning a strange glance from Noah.

"Is that her mot-"

"NO!" All three of them say at the same time.

"Hey I have an idea. Why don't you come with us?" Seth said. He figured it would help Ryan and Marissa warm up to his new friend.

"Sure. I mean if it's cool with you two." She said looking at Ryan and Marissa.

"Yeah." Ryan said nodding.

"No problem." Marissa said handing Ella over to Seth. "I'll get my car and pull it around front because there is more room." Marissa said.

"Alright." Seth said as she and Ryan headed out.

"Why do I get the feeling that that girl doesn't like me too much?" Noah said

"Ellas mom is her best friend. I think she just feels a little threatened."

"I thought her mom isn't around." Noah said

"She's not." Seth replied thinking of Summer. Ella was a great baby. He didn't know how anyone could leave her. But at least she had him, always and forever.

~

"DAD!" A voice yelled.

Seth came rushing into the room thinking that something was gravely wrong with his daughter.

"DAD!" The voice yelled again.

"Are you okay?" Seth said when he entered the bedroom one his own to find his six year old daughter standing on the bed.

"No!" Ella said "I cannot find my skateboard!" She said looking around the room.

"It's in the hall Ella." Seth said catching his breath when he realized that nothing was wrong.

The little girl stood of on the bed. She was small for her age. She wore her curly brown hair in two pig tails. Marissa was the only one who could control it. Noah even couldn't, so they dealt with the pig tails.

She wore a brown and yellow striped short-sleeved shirt with a yellow color. She had on big baggy tan pants that almost covered her feet, but her shoes stopped it. She always wore Vans… skateboarding shoes.

Her hair was getting darker by the day. As she grew she began to look more and more like Summer, with the exception of her hair.

Seth picked up the little girl and lifted her off of the bed.

"I have to head out to work." Seth said.

"Where's Grandma and Pop Pop?" She asked tilting her head to the side as her father lifted her off of the bed.

"They are out for the morning. Noah is going to drop you off at school, and Marissa is going to pick you up." Seth explained to his daughter.

"I love you." She said wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek.

"I love you too. Now come on downstairs and eat something before it's time to go."

Seth sat reading comics aloud to the both of them, with Ella on his lap eating frosted cheerios as they did every morning.

"Hey guys." Noah said coming inside. She just used her house key.

"Hey." Seth said sliding out from under Ella and going over to kiss Noah.

"So I'm just dropping her off?" Noah asked going over to the little girl, kissing her on the forehead. Ella looked up at Noah and smiled, showing her missing front teeth.

"Yep." Seth said. "Alright ladies, I will be back at four at the latest."

Seth, Marissa and Ryan all now worked with Jimmy Cooper, and Sandy. It was turning into a family business.

"Alright." Noah said in agreement.

"Bye ladies." Seth said giving them both a final kiss before heading out.

"Are you ready for me to drop you off?" Noah asked Ella.

"Yeah." She said taking her last bite of cereal. "I just gotta grab my back pack and skate board." She explained running upstairs.

"Alright." She said watching the little girl disappear up the stairs.

It was a short drive to Pacific Elementary school, where Ella attended.

"Thanks!" Ella said as she opened the door at school.

"Hey! Where's my hug?" Noah asked smiling.

"Right here!" Ella said jumping across the front seat practically tackling Noah in a hug.

"Bye. I love you. Be good!" Noah said

"Bye. I love you too!"

Ella, grabbed her skateboard out of the backseat, and her backpack and then raced into the school.