Kaitlyn took a much longer shower than usual. She hoped that Jeff would get tired of waiting and just leave, but no such luck. When she walked into the bedroom Jeff was lying across the bed asleep. "Well he's still here but at least he's asleep. I still get out of this 'talk'." Kaitlyn said to herself as she headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Jeff asked sitting up.

"Damn." Kaitlyn thought to herself. "I was going to get a glass of water.

"Oh, ok. We can talk when you come back, right?"

"Yeah, when I get back." Kaitlyn said walking out of her room.

"And don't take as long asyou did with your shower." Jeff yelled after her.

So he had realized what she was doing. "Smart little fucker." Kaitlyn said as she walked into the kitchen. She decided that she would much rather have a beer over a glass of water. She hardly ever drank, except for when she was stressed, and this was definitley a stressful situation. She grabbed Jeff a beer also before heading back upstairs.

"You did much better, it didn't take you half an hour this time." Jeff teased.

"I grabbed you a beer." Kaitlyn said handing Jeff the bottle.

"Thanks."

"Look Jeff I know you said we had to talk, but if you're gonna dump me..."

Jeff cut Kaitlyn off with a kiss. "Kaitlyn what makes you think that I would ever dump you?"

"I don't know, Last night you were just so mad at me. I just naturally figured that when you said we had to talk that that's what you were going to tell me." Kaitlyn said not looking at Jeff.

"Kaitlyn look at me." Jeff said lifting Kaitlyn's chin with his finger. "I love you, last night I was being a bastard, but It had nothing to do with how I feel about you."

"Then what is it Jeff?"

"You know how you told me all the bad shit that happened to you in your past, your deep dark secrets?" Jeff asked.

"Yeah, and you told me about your past too."

"I told you about my childhood, but that' not all of it."

"What do you mean?" Kaitlyn asked growing worried.

"Kaitlyn, I don't want you to hate me." Jeff started.

"I don't like the sounds of this Jeff."

"But there is someone..."

"You mean something..."

"No, someone. Actually that's not what I mean either. There are two people I need to tell you about, two people who I love very dearly."

At this point Kaitlyn was scared of what Jeff was telling her and she couldn't stop crying. "Other women?" She asked.

"Yes, but it's not what you think."

"Then tell me how it is Jeff cuz I'm thinking some really bad shit right about now."

"Kaitlyn..." Jeff cleared his throat. "I have to tell you about Mariska and Olivia."

"Mariska, very exotic name. and Olivia it's pretty too. Tell me, did you meet them before or after you told me that you loved me?"

"Mariska was my high school sweetheart and the mother of my child."

"Child? You have a child?" Kaitlyn was both shocked and angry. Angry because she had known Jeff for months and he never mentioned a child or a baby momma.

"No." Jeff said sadly.

"But you just said..."

"Mariska got pregnant her freshman year of college. When things got hard for her she dropped out. I was traveling a lot, but we decided that we should move in together, so with the money I had saved we got an apartment. Things were great until the day Mariska went into labor. There was a major complication and she started hemorrhaging. The doctors couldn't stop the bleeding and Mariska died in the middle of child birth."

Kaitlyn was mortified. Her tears of anger were now tears of sadness, and not just for Jeff but for Mariska. "What happened to the baby?"

"Olivia, she was barely breathing when they finally got her out. They rushed her to the NICU. She lived three days in a incubator, but she just wasn't strong enough. She didn't make it." Jeff cried.

"Oh Jeff I'm so sorry." Kaitlyn said wrapping her arms around Jeff and gently rocking him.

"You don't hate me do you?" Jeff asked, his head still buried in Kaitlyn's silk night gown.

"Why would I hate you Jeff?"

"Because I didn't tell you about this sooner, and because I got so mad at you last night for just trying to be there for me."

"Jeff, I love you. Am I upset that you didn't trust me enough to tell me about your family, yes, but do I understand...yes. I know that I was very open with you about my mom and dad and about the Lewis's and the hell they put me through, but your situation is different."

"Not really, Mariska and Olivia were my deep dark secret. The only people who know that I was ever engaged or ever had a daughter are those closest to me, and I still hate to even think about it."

"So do I, hate to think about my past I mean."

"I know but you finally faced your past, you went and forgave the Lewis's. I haven't talked about Mariska and Liv since the year they died. I'm still holding on to all the pain I felt when they left me."

"That's not true anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"You just talked to me about them, and I bet you told yourself that you'd never love anyone ever again, right?"

"Yeah I did."

"But you fell in love with me, right?" Kaitlyn asked hopefully.

"Yeah, I did." Jeff said looking up at Kaitlyn.

"So you see, you have faced your past."

"You're right." Jeff said wiping his eyes. "You know I thought that once I told you, that you'd hate me for not telling you sooner. I didn't think you'd understand. I was wrong." Jeff said kissing Kaitlyn.

"You have to trust me more, Hardy."

"I know that now. I love you Kaitlyn."

"I love you too, Jeff. Now can we go to bed? I really am beat."

"You sure you want to sleep?" Jeff asked raising an eyebrow.

"I guess I can stay awake another hour or two." Kaitlyn smiled.

"That's my girl." Jeff said kissing Kaitlyn. "Did you really think that I was going to break-up with you tonight?"

"Yeah I did. That's why I was pushing you away today. I figured that I'd dump you before you dumped me."

"Like I've told you before, I don't plan on going anywhere anytome soon, you're stuck with me, kid."

"I think I can handle that." Kaitlyn smiled. "I'm hungry again, did your brother and best friend leave anything in the kitchen?"

"I think there is some mac and cheese and a couple pieces of fried chicken left."

"Yummy. Ooooooh my Baklava!" Kaitlyn screeched before running out of the bedroom.

"You know this isn't what I had in mind when I asked if you wanted to stay up a while longer." Jeff said following her downstairs.

"But Jeff, it's not good to make love on an empty stomach." Kaitlyn teased.

"Fine, but eat fast. That silk night gown is making me crazy." Jeff said running his hands up and down Kaitlyn's back and shouilders.

"Are you sure you want to, I mean we did just finish talking about the love of your life."

"Mariska is gone, I don't think that I will ever fully be over her, but I have you now. You are my life."

"So it's true what your dad said today?"

"What that you are the girl of my dreams?"

"Yeah, that."

"Well I think that for the first time my dad got it right, because Kaitlyn Ryan you really are the girl of my dreams." Jeff said kissing Kaitlyn's neck.

"Ok forget the food. upstairs Hardy, my appetite is craving you now." Kaitlyn said pulling Jeff by the arm and running upstairs.