All characters that are from the TWILIGHT saga by Stephanie Meyer belong to Stephanie Meyer. All others belong to me. I do not receive profit for these stories except for the joyous enjoyment of reviews.

This story follows right after When I'm Gone: Third Installment to GONE Saga, so if you haven't read that one or the two before, please do.

The timeline of the story will coincide with Gabriel Michael Laskaris' growing up years, starting at Seth and Rosa's wedding day, April 12th and will progress from there.

AN: Y'all are spoiled! Two chapters in one weekend! I expect just as many reviews or it will never happen again. Enjoy!

Gaby -as always, you make my day, my week, my month! Thank you and I love you much friend!

Ses -you're sorely missed.

Gianna, Chelsea, Lette, Moani, A Thing 4Lovin Leah -I love you all...but more reviews will have me loving you even more! What can I say? I'm a writer with a fragile ego in need of reassurance.

As always, enjoy what you read and while you read and post reviews so I may enjoy your response!

Chapter Seventeen
Valentine's Day

The evening started off with a massive game of Chutes and Ladders, followed by Candyland, Monopoly then ending in a free for all Twister.

Toy trucks, airplanes and legos were everywhere, flour covering the counters as cookies backed in the oven, the sound of small hands banging against the table echoing in the kitchen as hot dogs and fries were consumed with gusto.

A brief respite as Shrek was watched, begging and whining finally winning –Shrek II was started as small hands grabbed cookies from the large plate, small plastic cups –three of them with sippy lids –of milk passed around.

Little feet ran up and down the stairs as water was splashed over the tub's edge, giggles and laughter feeding off of each other as doors opened and closed with loud slams.

Pajamas were wrestled onto the little ones, one of them breaking free to streak down the hall in his birthday suit before getting caught and diapered.

Sleeping bags were spread across the living room floor, big feet tripping as kids were kissed and tucked in.

Three minutes after the lights were turned off, someone wanted a glass of water, another needed the bathroom, a third forgot her teddy bear upstairs and a fourth wanted to have a story.

Seth fell into bed in an exhausted heap besides his wife, heaving a tired sigh before he let his head fall to the side, looking at Rose with tired brown-green eyes, "One question."

Rose groaned as she forced herself to open her eyes, the baby monitor on the bedside table picking up the quiet breathing of all the children in the living room –it was like a freaking daycare out there, "What?"

"Why did we get stuck babysitting the pups tonight of all nights?"

Rose let out a tired chuckle as she closed her eyes, everything in her body hurting, "Because rock breaks scissors."

"You're kidding me, right," Seth rubbed his hands over his face before running them over his hair and tucking them behind his head, "You actually wagered our Valentine's night away with Leah?"

"She won two out of three…besides, this is the first Valentine's night without a moon –"

"Oh God, baby," Seth groaned as he rolled over onto his side, his head resting on his fist as he looked down at her, fingers gently tracing her facial features, "Sometimes I wish you weren't so tenderhearted."

"Really?"

Seth let out a soft chuckle as he leaned down to kiss her lips, "No. I love your beautiful heart…even if it means we celebrate Valentine's day a week late."

Rose gave him a tired smile, reaching up to touch his face, her fingers tracing his bottom lip, "We can celebrate now…"

She watched him perk up, almost laughing at the image of a wagging tail and pointed ears, "Really?"

"No," Rose laughed softly as she shook her head, dropping her hand to rest on her flat stomach, "I'm too tired."

Seth smiled as he pulled her into his arms, rolling onto his back, her head tucked into his shoulder as she draped an arm over his chest, "Tomorrow morning would work just fine for me…I love you Rosie."

Seconds passed into minutes before he looked down, swallowing back a laugh –she had fallen asleep.

Kissing her forehead, he buried a hand into her hair, the other pulling her tighter into him as he closed his eyes, feeling a soft breath against his throat.

"I love you too."


Spring break in March: Monday

Marc ran down the stairs, jumping the last three steps to land in a crouch, practically parallel to the ground as he turned the corner and ran through the living room into the kitchen.

"Whoa, whoa," Rose looked up from the vegetables she was cutting, "Where are you going in such a hurry?"

"I'm taking my bike to Leah's," Marc pulled open the refrigerator door to grab a juice box.

"Are you staying there?"

"Na," he poked the straw through the hole as he looked up at his aunt, "We're gonna go to Sam's."

"Who's we?"

Marc's eyebrows lowered as he sucked half the juice out of the box before taking a breath, "Gabriel and me."

"Gabriel and I."

Finishing his juice box, he threw it into the trash before giving his aunt a teasing smile, "Correcting my grammar –not the best way to bond."

Rose laughed as she tossed the carrots into the bowl along with chopped celery and peas, "Be home by dinner time, okay?"

"Yep," opening the door, he stepped back as Einstein trotted in, rubbing the dog between his floppy ears, "Where's Vivi?"

"She's over at Monika's. Are you taking Einstein?"

He shook his head, Einstein heading into the living room to curl under the coffee table, "We're gonna be racing our bikes so he'll just get in the way."

"Be careful, Marc."

"Yah!"

The door swung shut behind him as he ran across the backyard towards the small shed where he kept his bike, pulling the heavy door open with both hands before grabbing the bike by the handles and wheeling it out.

Mounting the two-wheel bicycle, he pedaled it around the corner and onto the street, the wind pushing back his shaggy hair as he pedaled faster towards Leah's house up the street and around the corner.

It was Monday –first day of spring break and he, Gabe, Brad and Bailey had some awesome plans for the school-free days.

Jumping the curb, he let his bike fall onto the grass that covered the Laskaris' front yard, running up the porch steps and into the house without knocking.

Leah looked up from the blanket she was stitching together, her pretty face lighting up with a smile, "You really need a haircut, Marc."

He grinned at her, flopping onto the couch beside her as he picked up an edge of the quilt she was working on, "I'm thinking of letting it grow long –like Justin Bieber's."

Leah laughed, putting down the quilt to reach across the space and run her fingers through his hair, "You're way better looking than that twit –and I think his haircut's totally gay."

Marc laughed, reaching up to tousle his hair as the back door opened, "Tia Rosa said she'll take me before school starts up again next week."

"Good," Leah cupped his chin as she smiled at him before returning to stitching geometric shapes into even bigger geometric shapes as Gabe ran into the living room, "Mama, Zaky's eating dirt."

Leah let out a soft sigh before setting the blanket aside, pushing herself up to her feet, "Thank you Gabriel. Where are you and Marc heading off too?"

"Uncle Sam's," Gabe stopped to tie the shoelaces Leah was pointing at, "I'll be back before dinner."

"Please be careful."

"'Kay," Gabe ran to the front door, turning to give Marc a scowl –he was still staring at Leah with a dazed smile, "Dude, stop staring at my mom and let's go."

Shaking his head, he hopped off the couch and followed him out the door, both of them stopping when Leah called out their names.

Turning in unison, they watched Leah arch an eyebrow, not saying anything as she waited for them to get her silent message.

"Oh, yeah," Gabriel gave her a sheepish grin as he ran across the living room floor, Leah leaning down for him to kiss her cheek, Marc doing the same after him, "We'll be good, mama."

"I'll believe that when I see it," Leah tousled their hair before waving them off, "Now go have fun. I'm going to see if Claire needs help with the kiddos."

"She does," Gabe gave her a big grin as they headed out the front door, "Alyx and Andrey are about to make her cry."

Leah shook her head with a chuckle as they closed the door behind them.

Grabbing his bike from where it leaned against the porch railing, he hopped onto it and pedaled down to the street, Marc right beside him.

"Where are we racing today," Marc yelled as they stood on the pedals, their legs pumping harder from that position but it was okay 'cause they were going faster.

"I got an awesome idea last night," Gabe yelled as they rounded a corner, Marc swerving away from him to avoid hitting a pothole, "It's gonna be great!"

Rounding another corner, they pulled up their handlebars to jump the curb –something they learned to do through trial and error two weeks ago –and hit gravel, the Uley's small house in view.

Reaching the front drive, they turned their bikes, jumping off and leaving them lying on their sides as they pounded up the porch steps and into the house –once again, without knocking.

"Hey boys," Emily smiled across the kitchen table at them, Lili standing on the chair next to her, little arms elbow deep in a bowl of dough, "What's up?"

"The ceiling," Gabe said with a cheeky grin that just got bigger at Emily's laugh, Lili's giggles making Marc grin despite not being amused by Gabe's latest annoying habit –taking questions literally.

"I'm gonna go get Bailey and Brad," Gabe jerked his thumb towards the hall, not waiting for Emily to answer as he ran off, Marc pulling out a chair to sit on as he smiled at Lili, her big brown eyes trained on him.

"What ya doing, lil' flower," he asked, her smile growing at the nickname only he used.

"Mama's teaching me to make bread," she looked down at the bowl, closing her fingers to watch the dough squish between them, "We gonna fry it."

"I thought you baked bread," Marc played with the corner of the weaved place mat set before him, the toes of his worn out sneakers brushing the wooden floor –he was on the tall end of the height spectrum for eight year olds.

"Yeah," Lili nodded her head, her little pigtails brushing her cheeks, "But then we fry it and its fry bread –Granma Mae makes it all the time."

"Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on top and it tastes amazing," Emily smiled at the way Marc's eyes widened –the boy had a seriously sweet tooth.

Gabe came into the kitchen with Brad and Bailey behind him, the twins affectionately tugging Lili's pigtails before looking over at their mother, Bailey speaking for both of them, "We're gonna take our bikes out, mom."

"You'll be careful, right," Emily gave them a worried look, recalling the scraped knee Brad had come home with two weekends ago.

"Where's the fun in that," Bailey gave her mother a grin before kissing her little sister's cheek, giving Marc a scowl then looking at her mother again, "We'll be back before dinner."

"Definitely back to have fry bread," Brad tickled Lili's side, his smile widening at her giggles before the three of them headed to the door, Marc hopping off the chair to follow after them.

Stopping at the front door, he looked over his shoulder to smile at Lili, "Save some for me, kay lil' flower?"

Lili nodded enthusiastically, her eyes bright as she gave him a big smile, "With extra sugar and extra cinnamon!"

Marc laughed, "You're the best!"

"Hurry up, Marc!"

"Yeah," Bailey's voice made him clench his jaw –even after three years, she still got on his nerves, "Time's a-wasting."

Giving Lili and Emily a final wave, he closed the door behind him before taking a running leap off the porch, the other three already straddling their bikes as they waited for him.

Picking up his bike as the others headed towards First Beach, he ran after them, taking a running leap onto the bike, letting out a yell of victory when he didn't topple over –all those scrapes and bruises had finally paid off.

"Where we going," Brad yelled at his cousin as they pedaled harder over the pebbles covering the shore of First Beach, Marc pumping his legs hard to catch up to them.

"Other side of the beach," Gabe yelled, successfully jumping his bike over a tree branch, "There's a trail that leads into the woods."

"We're gonna race in there," Bailey's brown eyes widened as she looked over at her cousin, her ponytail streaming behind her as she worked hard to stay in pace with the boys, Marc having caught up, "We'll get hurt."

Reaching the edge of the forest, Gabe braked his bike, pebbles flying as the others stopped, his blue eyes bright as he taunted his cousin, "Well, if you're going to be a girl about it –"

"Shut up," Bailey glared at him, her lips tight as she balanced herself on her toes, trying to keep her bike upright, "Where does the path end?"

"It goes around that way," Gabe pointed towards his house, "It ends right in my backyard."

"There's a split," Marc tugged at his jean shorts as he looked over his shoulder, recalling the trail Gabe was talking about, "We gotta take the left trail to get to your house."

"Where does the right one go," Brad kicked at the pebbles, shaking his hair from his eyes before looking over at Marc as he answered, "Up into the mountains."

"Where the tasty animals are," Bailey taunted Marc, her chin jutting out when he turned to glare at her –it was her way of saying she wasn't afraid of him.

Instead of replying, he decided to ignore her –he was mature enough not to stoop to her bratty behavior, "Who's going first?"

Gabe held out a fist, all of them following suit as he chanted, "Rock, paper, scissors."

After three rounds, they had their order –Gabe, Brad, Marc then Bailey.

Bailey's face was set in a scowl –she hated bringing up the rear but she knew if she complained, Gabe would make fun of her by calling her a girl and she hated that even more.

With a shouted 'Go!' Gabe headed into the woods, Brad following behind with Marc at his back left, Bailey pedaling hard after him.

They hadn't thought through this idea –they kept having to jump their bikes over branches and ruts, swerving to miss large rocks without running into each other.

Marc pedaled hard up a small incline, his eyes growing wide as he realized there was a steep dip, his stomach dropping as he caught air, soaring over the short distance, landing hard enough to jar his teeth.

Keeping his wheels going, he let out a shout of excitement at having been able to clear that jump, moving into the edge of the path to pass Brad on his right side, knowing the kid had the tendency to veer mostly towards his left.

Pushing himself hard as he swerved into the corner leading to the left fork of the split trail, he moved several feet ahead before cutting in front of Brad, increasing his speed as he caught sight of Gabe jumping a dip.

Clearing that same dip several seconds later, his adrenaline spiked as a pain-filled scream echoed in the woods.

Yanking his handlebars hard to the left, the bike skidded sideways, pain lancing up his leg as he slid a few feet across the forest ground before stopping.

Pushing himself to his feet, he ran back the way he had come, able to hear Gabe several feet behind him.

"What was that," Gabe yelled as they turned the corner, their eyes opening wide as they caught sight of Brad's bike on its side, the front wheel still spinning.

"Brad," they yelled, picking up their speed, Gabe twisting his foot on a rock as his cousin came running towards them.

"Bailey," he was breathing hard as he pointed behind him, "She didn't clear that last big jump."

All three ran the few feet left before reaching Bailey, her bike a few feet behind her.

"Oh, come on," Gabe ran his hand over his hair as he kicked at the forest ground, "You missed the jump?"

"I didn't pull the handlebars up hard enough," Bailey's voice was strained as she gripped her left leg a few inches above her knee.

"No duh," Gabe rolled his eyes as he leaned forward to rest his hands on his bent knee, "How bad is it?"

"It's broken," Marc crouched down beside her, Bailey using her hands and one good leg to scoot away as she growled, "Don't touch me."

Marc held up his hands, straightening up to step back, knowing without being told she was feeling vulnerable with him so close when she was hurt and unable to protect herself.

Biting her lip to keep in the scream of pain, she worked hard to fight back the tears –she was not going to cry like a little girl.

"Shit," Brad ran both hands through his hair, "Dad's gonna kill me!"

Gabe kicked at a rock, knowing Brad was right –but it wasn't just him Uncle Sam was gonna kill…more than likely all three were going to die for letting Bailey get hurt, "He doesn't have to know."

Marc turned to give Gabe a look of incredulity, "It's a broken leg –how are we gonna hide that?"

"Not the leg thing," Gabe rubbed his chin as he looked over his shoulder before turning back to his cousins, "We can't hide that…but he doesn't have to know it happened in here."

"And how are we pulling that off," Brad grimaced as Bailey sucked in a sharp breath, her face pale and shiny with sweat, strands escaping her ponytail sticking to her neck.

"Well," Gabe looked over his shoulder then down the path stretching behind Bailey, "We can carry her that way –"

"What about the bikes," Brad rubbed the back of his neck, grimacing when Gabe answered, "We leave them here."

Bailey's mouth dropped open at the look of uncertainty that crossed her brother's face, "You gotta be fuckin' kidding me!"

They all stared at her in open mouthed shock, Marc realizing Paul being on the puppy-sitting list had finally rendered unpleasant consequences as Brad shook his head, "Mom's gonna kill you."

"Oh, really," Bailey sneered up at him as she dug her fingers into the ground, the radiating pain getting worse, "I thought since we're not telling dad about the woods, mom wouldn't have to know about my saying that either."

"She's got a point," Gabe said with a nod, his eyes growing wide as a howl ripped through the woods, echoing several times before fading out.

Being he spent a night a month doing rounds with his dad and the others in Uncle Sam's pack, he was able to subconsciously recognize that particular howl and it wasn't good…

Definitely not good because Brady was stuck to Bailey like Embry to his sister so this was so not going to end well.

"Quick," Gabe ran to grab Bailey's bike as he looked over at the two other boys, "Hide the bikes! Brady's coming!"

They scrambled quickly, able to feel the ground tremble under their feet.

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit," Brad chanted –despite the spanking his father gave him for using that word it was one of his favorites for when things went wrong, he was just more careful not to say it in front of his dad –as he wheeled his bike several feet into the trees off of the beaten path, Marc running down the trail towards his bike, sniffing the air –oh man, he was getting close way too fast!

Picking up his bike, he ran into the forest, finding a large bolder to prop it up against, making sure it was out of sight of the path.

"Forget my bike," Gabe yelled at Marc, he and Brad furiously rubbing their feet over the tire tread marks on the dirt, "It's too far away! Rub out the tire marks!"

Marc moved faster than usual, kicking at the prints as he made his way back to where Bailey was, an odd shimmer in the air letting him know they were out of time.

"What's going on," Brady stepped out of the forest onto the path, his cut off jeans slung low on his hips as he pulled on a t-shirt, "Why are you kids in here?"

Marc froze where he was, realizing they hadn't come up with a cover story as to how Bailey had broken her leg, "Uhm…we, uh…"

"Were climbing trees," Gabe ran up to them, his breathing harsh as he jerked his thumb over his shoulder, "Bailey's foot slipped off a branch and she fell…we think her leg's broken."

"Climbing trees," Brady scoffed as he trotted down the path, finding Brad kneeling by his sister as she kept her face buried into her drawn up knee, her busted leg stretched out before her, "Hey, Bales. How much does it hurt?"

"Not much," she choked out, not looking up at him –the pain was so bad, she had been unable to keep the tears from escaping and didn't want the boys to see her crying, "I wasn't too high."

"I'll try to be careful picking you up, okay," Brady crouched down next to her, carefully slipping an arm under her knees as he wrapped the other one around her back, "It's gonna hurt."

"I can take it," she sucked in a breath and held it, fighting back the scream that well up inside her as Brady straightened up, turning to bury her face into his chest when he began to move down the path –every step he took jostled her leg, the pain running up and making her stomach cramp.

Brady looked over his shoulder at the three boys trudging behind him, catching the furtive looks they were giving each other.

Turning to look at the path before him, he off-handedly commented as they broke through the forest line, "Lots of tire marks around here…looks like I'm gonna have to talk to Sam about it. We can't have hooligans racing their bikes in here –someone might get seriously hurt."

Bailey stiffened in his arms but didn't say anything, the boys staying quiet as they made their way across First Beach towards the small sea-side house that was the Uley's home.

Marc knew they were busted but what he didn't know was whether Brady was going to tattle on them or not –he supposed they were gonna find out soon enough.

"Crap," Brad whispered under his breath as they got closer to the house, grimacing at the sight of his dad's truck in the unpaved driveway, "Dad's already home."

"We're so busted," Marc whispered as he dug his hands into his pockets, yanking his shorts up –he was so skinny it was hard to find pants or shorts that fit.

"Not if we keep our mouths shut," Gabe hissed at them as Brady walked up the porch steps, "We were climbing trees, she slipped and fell. Got it?"

They all nodded as they trudged into the kitchen, Emily coming in from the living room with Lili right behind her.

"Brady," Emily's dark brown eyes widened as she rushed to him, "What happened?"

"From what I've been told, they were climbing trees and Bailey's foot slipped and now she's got a broken leg."

"Oh, my poor baby," Emily took his arm, urging him towards the living room as she told her youngest, "Lili, go get your daddy."

The little girl nodded, running down the hall towards the back door that led out to their backyard, not even a minute passing when Sam returned with Lili in his arms, "What the hell were you four doing climbing trees?"

"Not now, Sam," Emily gave him a stern look before turning her attention to Bailey's leg, "We're going to have to take her to the hospital. Brady, will you watch the boys and Lili?"

"Sure," Brady nodded even though he wished he could go to the hospital with Bailey, reluctantly handing her to Sam as soon as he deposited Lili into one of the armchairs.

Everyone was quiet as Sam and Emily rushed out of the house with Bailey, her bravado breaking as soon as they got into the truck, tears soaking up her father's shirt as he kissed the top of her head, whispering soothing words meant to comfort as Emily steered the truck onto the road towards Forks.

Brady sat down on the edge of the couch, his eyes on the three boys standing in the middle of the living room, "You guys should sit down…it'll be a while before you can leave to get your bikes."

Gabe's eyes grew wide for a second before they closed, his groan echoed by Marc and Brad.

Lowering himself to sit cross-legged on the floor, Brad covered his face with his hands, his words muffled yet audible, "We are so dead."

Marc and Gabe nodded in agreement as they joined Brad on the floor.

No doubt about it, spring break was officially over for them.


Hanover, New Hampshire
April 4
th, 2:34AM

Letting out a satisfied sigh, Andy lightly dragged his finger down her arm, her body flush against his as he kissed her cheek, "Are you asleep?"

"Not yet," Minerva smiled, her eyes closed as she stroked his arm, her other hand tucked under her cheek as he moved his mouth down the side of her neck, "I've missed you."

"Mhm," Andy moved his mouth over her shoulder, placing small kisses against her soft skin, "You took long enough to visit this time around."

"I know," she gave his wrist a squeeze before wiggling to turn onto her back so she could look up into his gray eyes, "I just took on a new client…he's a bit temperamental."

"As all artists are," Andy smiled down at her, reaching up to brush her hair away from her face, already dreading the end of the weekend when she would have to return to New York City where her business –and life –was, "Baby…"

Minerva waited for him to continue, her blue eyes bright as she reached up to trace his facial features with a finger.

"Move in with me," he whispered, dropping his head to rest his forehead against hers, their eyes locked on each other.

"Andrew," Minerva bit her lip, her eyes welling up with tears as she cupped his squared jaw, "I love you, I do, but my business is in New York. I'm finally getting a foot into the best of the business –to relocate would set me back years of hard work."

He nodded, kissing her when she tilted her head to press her lips against his, their tongues moving in an intimate dance uniquely theirs.

Sliding his hands over the supple curves of her body, he gently nipped her bottom lip before moving his mouth over her jaw and down her throat as his body covered hers.

Drawing her knees up, she wrapped her legs around his waist, sliding her hands down his back as he smiled down at her, his elbows on either side of her head keeping some of his weight off her.

Burying his fingers into her thick platinum blond hair, he leaned down to kiss her face, his mouth moving over the strawberry pink birthmark on her right cheek that she usually hid with make-up, "I hate not having you with me."

"So do I," Minerva gave him a soft smile as she kissed his jaw, a hand moving up his chest to his shoulder, "Most days I can't concentrate because I'm missing you so much."

Framing her face between his large hands, he kissed her lips, dipping the tip of his tongue into the corner of her mouth, "You've bewitched me, Minnie."

He felt her body tense up under his, giving her a hard look as pain washed over her face, "Don't you dare let those ignorant, stupid people get in bed with us."

Minerva bit her lip, long lashes sweeping down to hide the echo of painful memories, feeling warmth spreading across her face as Andy leaned down to kiss her lips, his thumb stroking her cheek.

Having grown up in a backwards town in Alabama, she had heard so many cruel comments concerning the mark on her face –the kids at school had taunted her, telling her it was the sign of the devil and that she was a witch…something they had learned from their stupidly ignorant parents.

"An angel's kiss," Andy kissed the pink mark, almost an exact shape to his mouth, "That's what my mama calls it…and that woman is never wrong."

A giggle escaped her as she looked into his eyes, a tear sliding down her face to disappear into her thick hair, "Your mama…is the best woman I've ever met."

His lips spread into a grin at the southern accent she rarely let slip, leaning down to kiss her collarbone, "Your mama ain't so bad either."

Before long, words were no longer necessary as they let their bodies do the talking, souls stirring within as they merged into one within the fire of their passion.

Holding her in his arms as he rolled onto his back, he let a satisfied sigh escape him as their bodies came down from their shared high, his breathing slowly evening out as she pressed her hand against his chest, her words warm silk caressing his cooling skin, "You can come to New York…and live with me there."

His lips spread into a smile as he turned his head to look into her face, catching the shy uncertainty in her bright blue eyes –crazy girl still doubted the power she had over him, "Sounds good to me."

Her eyes widened in surprise at his quick answer, "Really? What about your business?"

"Baby," he reached up to cup her face, his thumb brushing her bottom lip, "I fly rich people around the world for a living…it doesn't really matter where I live for me to do that…what does matter is being with you."

She stared into his gray eyes for several long seconds before a joyous smile broke across her face, "I love you."

Kissing her swollen lips, he moved his mouth over that angel's kiss on her cheek, "I love you too, Minnie."

"Don't call me Minnie."

He chuckled, placing his cheek on top of her head, listening to her breathing as it evened out –she was asleep.

Running his fingers through her hair, he thought back to the last year they've been together –it hadn't been easy, making her see how much worth she had.

The people in her past had done a real number on her, something she hid very well from the world behind an icy facade of self-efficiency and disregard to others' opinions of her character.

Kissing her forehead, he watched her sleep, his heart squeezing painfully as he realized that he wanted more than just to share a living space with her –he wanted to share his life, his future, hopes, dreams and goals…to help her achieve what her heart desire, to hold her during the hard times and applaud her during victories accomplished and goals achieved.

This woman owned him body, heart and soul –he needed to show her that…and he knew exactly who to ask for help.