AN: Hey, it's been a long time and I've been thinking about all of you quite a bit over the last year or so...I'm really glad you're still here. Thanks for waiting.

Kelsi had dreamt of moments like this: Ryan by her side, their daughter between them. This was the family she always wanted Riley to have and the one she had always dreamed of having with Ryan all through high school and college.

But they were still a far cry from being that picturesque dream of hers. Ryan was right, they had a lot to discuss and there were so many things that could still go wrong. Nonetheless, with her body so close to his, she had so many hopes. 'I meant what I said yesterday about how I feel about you. No amount of anger or hurt could change that.'

She traced a heart on his chest, enjoying the rhythm of his heartbeat against her cheek and the sensation of his nose buried in her hair. "What are you thinking about?" he whispered.

She shifted to meet his gaze and sighed, "Lots of things, mostly about you."

A smile slowly began to form on his face. "Oh yeah? All good things, I hope."

She smiled back and closed her eyes. "I know we still have so much to talk about, but…I'm so grateful to you and your family. My worst fear was that when we finally had to face all of this you would hate me…maybe want nothing to do with me or Riley," she cast a glance at her daughter. "But you all have been so…gracious and it is more than I expected…more than I deserve really."

She had feared the worst for this exact moment and seeing how Ryan reacted last night had sent her on an emotional spiral down into the depths of those fears. But it all changed when Derby came to her house that morning. There were no words to describe how grateful she was for the Evans family's generosity and mercy.

She felt a pair of lips press against her forehead and froze; her face heating up as Ryan placed a kiss first at the crown of her head and then worked his way down. Her eyes fluttered shut when he reached her nose, kissed her cheek, the corner of her mouth and then finally captured her lips with his. She breathed in deep, as if breathing for the first time and brought a hand up to cup his cheek.

Ryan placed his hand over hers and kissed her as thoroughly as he could with a sleeping seven year old in their laps. Time seemed to stop and Kelsi felt like she could have stayed in that moment forever, but the weight of their sleeping daughter woke her mind up enough to pull away. It took a moment for her gaze to focus and once it did she could see the dark shade in Ryan's eyes. She blushed an even deeper shade of red.

"I don't think that was the best idea."

He glanced down at her lips. "I beg to differ," and moved to kiss her again.

She chuckled and turned her head to the side so that he caught her cheek. "Ryan, your daughter is sleeping right here." He let out a breathy chuckle as well and pulled away, turning to Riley and running a hand through her hair.

"My daughter…" he sighed. "I really like the sound of that."

Kelsi took in his expression, the utter devotion he had in his eyes and pursed her lips. This was what she really wanted. Above all else, she wanted Ryan to love Riley and to be a part of her life. And if she were honest, she wanted Ryan to be a part of hers too. But things were so complicated and they were only going to get more and more complicated if they kept kissing the way they just had.

With a sigh, she pulled away and slowly shifted Riley off her lap, standing up and wrapping her arms around herself. She felt colder without Ryan's arms around her, but could feel her mind starting to catch up to her body. It was a nice fantasy, but it was time to get serious, time to start thinking about what all this could mean realistically.

"Kels?"

His voice was laced with concern, but she could hear the exhaustion in it as well. She turned to see him slowly moving Riley off his lap and onto the couch, careful not to wake her. He had dark circles under his eyes and his steps were heavy and Kelsi could see how everything had taken a toll on him as well. This helped. This reminded her that life didn't stop just because of a few precious and beautiful moments from a dream.

He stepped toward her and reached out, taking her elbows in his hands. "Talk to me."

She sighed. "I just…" she trailed off and shook her head. "Like you said, we have a lot to discuss." She pulled away from him again and took a step back toward the piano. She sat on the bench and fingered the keys. He followed close behind, but sat opposite her on the edge of the love seat.

"So," she started, "you saw Riley on the plane."

He nodded and leaned back as he rubbed a hand over his face. "I can't believe she's the same girl. I mean, I spoke to her. We talked about a song she was singing in the bathroom and that it was one she wrote for her dad whom she had never met….Its all so crazy."

Kelsi nodded, "So that means you were coming from New York? How long had you been there?"

"Mm," Ryan tilted his head to the side, "about two weeks? Martha and I flew up from LA to meet with some music execs. There were some songwriters that my agent wanted me to meet and a few events that Martha was being considered to choreograph for. We weren't sure if we would make it back in time for the wedding, but last minute we were able to wrap up and hopped on the first plane we could."

Kelsi nodded. "So…" she braced herself, "where are you headed from here?"

Ryan glanced up and reached out for her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. "That depends on you."

Her eyes widened, "What do you mean?"

He stood and pulled her with him, wrapping his arms around her waist and fixing her with a steady gaze. "I'm not losing you again, Kelsi—or Riley. I told you that. And even though we haven't figured everything out yet, I know that we can see this through."

She felt her heart skip a beat and her brain started to get fuzzy all over again.

"But…" she was losing all her words, "but how can you…still want to be with me? After…everything?"

His eyes widened and looked equally shocked by her words, gripping her closer to him, with purchase, "Kelsi, I love you." His words pulled her gaze to his and she could see the pleading in his eyes.

"But you're angry with me. You're upset."

He sighed, "Yes."

"Well then how—"

"Were you angry with me? All those years ago when you found out that I had signed on for another tour? That I wasn't coming back for you?"

Kelsi's words stopped in her throat, she dropped her gaze to the buttons of his shirt. "I was…upset…hurt…" She sighed, "Maybe a little angry."

"Did you still love me?"

She sucked in a deep breath, but couldn't look back up at him. "Of course," she insisted, gripping his shirt into her hands. "I knew I should try not to, but…it just wasn't possible." She felt his forehead rest against hers and her eyes fluttered shut.

"That's how I feel," he whispered. She felt that same daze coming back over her and sighed into his embrace. Maybe it was time she stopped fighting it, wasn't she tired of pushing him away?

"Go out with me," he said, breaking her trance and pulling her gaze to his own. "One night for us to hash out all the details and for me to convince you that I'm all in. That there is no going back for me."

Kelsi bit her lip. "Okay."

He smiled and pulled her into another kiss that made her dizzy. Ryan Evans always knew how to turn her world upside down.

AN: Merry Christmas. =)

Love is Still the Answer by Jason Mraz