Author's Note: Thanks, Ren (Odakota) for your opening line.

Sometimes hearts take longer to heal when they've been battered so much. How could two people love each other, but yet, ignore it all at the same time? Open up, take the risk or one will find themselves a life without love. Jarod and Miss Parker were together in his home, with their daughter, yet, loneliness filled their hearts. It never entered his mind as Parker being a mother, let alone the mother of his child.

There was no time like the present. Miss Parker instructed Sydney and Margaret to join her in about an hour at Jarod's for the family reunion or confrontation.

"We need to talk, Jarod." She rose from his living room sofa where she and Kayla had gotten reacquainted for the past half an hour.

"Okay, mommy and daddy need to talk, Kayla sweetie, so why don't daddy put on your favorite dvd cartoon and you can watch it?" Jarod entered the family room as Kayla shadowed him. After a couple of minutes, he joined Parker.

"No more secrets, no more lies. Tell me, what the hell's going on."

Parker cleared her throat and began slowly. "First of all, I'm sorry for having kept Kayla away from you. I truly do apologize. I kept her all to myself and that was unfair to you. I should have been honest the moment I found out about my pregnancy. And it will break my heart if you won't or can't forgive me."

Jarod so rudely interrupted as he clapped his hands together. "Bravo! Parker. BRA-VO! Since when did you suddenly begin to grow a heart?"

"Stop it, Jarod! Just stop it! You're making it very hard for me to apologize."

"Yes, that is the idea! I'll never forget or let you forget how much you've deceived me. So, get used to it. Because, everything you've done in your life has been for your own selfish reasons! All these years, Parker, I've tried to befriend you, tried to help you out, even to a point where I sent someone to love you and his brains got blown away right under your eyes! And I feel responsible for his death! I might as well have pulled the trigger myself!

"You leave Tommy out of this, you bastard! Don't you realize it by know, Einstein, that's the reason I shielded Kayla away from you and The Centre? They could have killed you and taken my baby away! So, don't you bloody hell tell me about being selfish! " Miss Parker screamed. "Look, I'll take my daughter now and you can brood all you want!"

"You're not taking her anywhere! You've had her for two years! It's my turn! You come back to get her in a couple of years! Call it even! By then, I'll have court papers drawn up on how we'll handle visitation rights!

"Jarod, stop. Please." Miss Parker begged. "You've always been a logical man. Please. Right now I feel as if we're in court fighting for custody."

"I still had a right to know about her! You made the wrong fucken decision! So, Ice Woman, what made you decide to tell me now about my daughter?"

Fear suddenly shot through her body. She had rehearsed those words she so wanted to tell him, about how she found Margaret, but, at that very instance nothing came out of her mouth other than her cries of silence.

"Tell me, Parker! Why?"

Her tears flowed out rapidly.

"Melissa!"

"Jarod, for not telling you about Kayla, forgive me for what I've done, even if it's only a little bit." Parker fell slowly into him and snaked her arms around his back.

He pushed her away, but she embraced him even tighter. "One night without you, to not hold you, kiss you, had been too long. I love you with everything I am and I don't know how to do it without you, Jarod."

"Don't, Parker. Just stay away from me," his voice had softened and this time he didn't pull back. "Don't do this to me."

"Do what?" She felt his arms tightened around her, then pulled slightly away, his fingers ran through her hair.

"Jarod?" Miss Parker felt her heart as it beat rapidly. He didn't answer, instead, he kissed her hungrily.

To fall in love is easy, to stay in love is the hardest part.

TBC - Chapter 7