Woody sat on the couch resting against the backrest, Emma laying asleep on his chest. Jordan sat across from them, admiring the innitiative Woody had already started to take with their daughter. Jordan could tell that even though Emma hardly knew the man who was holding onto her so tightly, she understood that he was her father, and for that she loved him. Jordan raised her coffee mug to her lips, passing the liquid onto her tongue and allowing it to slide down her throat, the warmth settling in her stomach. Woody gave her a small smile before turning his eyes to Emma, watching his own fingers as they passed through the hair that mimiked Jordan's.

Her sleep filled sigh rang through the room as she changed into a more comfortable position. Jordan and Woody both smiled. The silence was somewhat comfortable but the tension sat inevitably like fog on the horizon.

"She's adorable Jordan. She really is," Woody said quietly, sitting up more so he could see Jordan.

"And she knows it. Little monster knows how to get exactly what she wants with just one look," Jordan replied with a smile.

Woody grinned back and continued to play with Emma's hair. "She must be your daughter," he said jokingly. "How stubborn is she?"

"She such a little me. Except for her eyes. That she gets from you. I can't look her in the eye without being reminded of you. I actually feel sorry for my dad for having to raise me," she laughed again, raising the cup uncomfortably to her lips and downing the remained of her drink.

"Why did you leave Woody?" she asked suddenly, placing her empty mug on the table and leaning forward, elbows resting on her knees.

"Jordan ..." Woody sat up even more, repositioning Emma in his lap. "We do need to talk about this. Can I please just go put our daughter to bed first?"

Jordan nodded silently, taking notice of the fact that he had called Emma our daughter. He walked back in five minutes later, wishing for the warmth of his daughters body back on his chest, and sat down next to Jordan. She shuffled a little way's away, feeling an unwelcome urge to jump on him and start kissing him.

"I'm not gonna beat around the bush and lie to you. I felt the sudden urge to run. And all the sudden I knew exactly what went through your mind every time you felt the need to take off. And it nearly killed me to have to leave you behind. But I needed some time ... to think. I dunno. All I knew was that I needed a change and so I left," he said quielty.

True, Jordan had been expecting a confession, but she now knew just how trivial and juvinial she sounded when she came back after taking off. And it made her all the more angry. Woody was the one person who understood her, the one person she had let close enough to get to know her. And now here he was, nearly ten years after meeting her, and using the same exuse she use to. The anger boiled up inside her and threatened to unleash itself as the fury everyone who knew Jordan Cavanaugh feared. But it didn't. Instead, hot tears gathered on the brim of her eyes and slowly spilled over, sliding gently down her smooth cheek and coming to a rest at her chin where Woody's hand was waiting, brushing them carefully away as they fell.

"I know it's stupid and ridiculous," he said as he wiped the last of her tears. "And I'm not going to make exuses. I'm not. But I want you to know that leaving you is the biggest mistake of my life," Woody said as he closed the gap between them and wrapped his arms protectivly around her body.

A little sob escaped her lips as she wrapped her arms around his waist, clutching onto his shirt for support. Down the hall, the doorbell rang. Jordan pulled away and wiped the last of her tears on her sleeve.

"Are you expecting anyone?" he asked, still not moving his arms from around her waist, not wanting to let her go.

"No," Jordan replied quietly.

"I'll get it," Woody said as he reluctantly pulled away from her and walked down the hall to the front door. He swung it open and his jaw dropped open in shock. Standing before him was a pretty girl around Jordan's age. She had long blonde hair tied back into a ponytail and was wearing a buisness suit. Her primrose red lips were pulled into a taught line and her expression was blank and unreadable, except for the trace of hurt that flicked momentarily across her eyes.

"Woody," she said sternly.

He dropped his eyes to the floor like a child being scorned by his mother before returning them to her face. Jordan walked down the hall and stood slightly behind Woody, staring out into the face of the woman at her door.

"Can I help you with something?" she asked, her voice polite but with a touch of annoyance.

The woman just stood there for a second, her eyes darting between Woody and Jordan, trying to put two and two together.

"I'm here for Woody," she said finally, her expression still unreadable. She was just as good as Jordan at hiding her emotions.

"And you are ...?" Jordan asked, her eyes now darting between the woman and Woody.

The woman held up her hand and showed Jordan the diamond ring on her finger. "I'm his finace."