AN: One last fluff chapter, before the real work begins. Enjoy!

Our love affair will be such fun

We'll be the envy of everyone

Those famous lovers we'll make them forget

From Adam and Eve to Scarlett and Rhett

Billy's Picnic Special was certainly a sight to behold. Once Ryan and Kelsi had untangled themselves from each other, Ryan opened the basket and began to spread out the contents. Goat cheese & beet salad, mac & cheese, chicken piccata, and chocolate covered strawberries. Ryan also revealed a bucket of ice water behind one of the larger pillows, nursing a cold champagne bottle. Suffice to say, Kelsi was impressed.

When youth has had its merry fling

We'll spend our evenings remembering

"Do I even want to know how much this whole thing costs?"

Ryan laughed as he popped open the bottle and handed her a champagne flute. He filled it halfway before pouring one of his own and clinked his glass against hers, "Doubt it, but cheers all the same." Kelsi laughed as well and took a tepid sip, feeling the bubbles tickle her throat on the way down.

"So, what do you want to start with?" He asked, gesturing to the food.

Kelsi bit her lip, taking in the spread. But her eyes rested on one delicious looking container and Ryan could only chuckle. "Mac & Cheese it is." From there, the two slipped into some easy conversation about how downtown had changed, yet the Promenade hadn't lost its charm.

Two happy people who say on the square

Isn't ours a lovely love affair

They rehashed some old memories, like the warm summer nights they had spent with their friends, watching the movies in the park, and the time they had dared each other to spend the night outside the old crumbling haunted lake house. The music from orchestra, danced on the outskirts of their conversation, and helped the conversation to stay light and breezy.

Here we are two very bewilder'd people

Here we are two babes that are lost in the wood

We're not quite certain what has happen'd to us

They talked about how they missed New Mexico sometimes, and didn't get to visit as much as they wanted to. They talked about their parents and what they were up to, until finally the conversation come to Riley and stories of her and Kelsi's life in New York.

This lovely thing that's so marvelous

But right from here the future looks awfully good

"She just picks everything up so quickly—songs to sing, piano pieces, guitar, dances. Its like she's a sponge and sometimes I can't keep up with her."

Ryan smiled and offered her a strawberry, which she eagerly took. He loved the way her eyes lit up when she talked about their daughter. "What are her favorites?" He asked, reaching up and wiping away a smudge of chocolate at the corner of Kelsi's mouth. She blushed and reached for a napkin, ignoring the way that Ryan licked the chocolate from his thumb.

Our Love Affair was meant to be

It's me for you dear and you for me

"Well," she started, leaning back into the pillows and scooting closer to him. "She loves Disney anything, but always has to listen to soundtracks from beginning to end. She doesn't like to skip around."

Ryan laughed and nodded, "You must love that. What was it you used to say? Putting a Disney soundtrack on shuffle is like fast forwarding through the movie."

"It is!" Kelsi insisted.

Ryan held his hands up in mock surrender. His eyes expressing how he wouldn't dare argue. "What does she like to play? On the piano and guitar?"

Kelsi smiled and reached for his hand. "Your songs," she laced her fingers through his and squeezed his hand tight. "I told you, I play them for her every night. When she started learning guitar, your songs were the first that she picked up. She…she likes to dance to them too…"

The air suddenly thickened as they ventured further out to sea. They were finally beginning the talk they had set out to have.

Kelsi could feel her eyes well up with tears and pulled their hands to her lips before she looked up at him. "She loves you Ryan, she grew up hearing your voice, listening to your music. And I know it's not enough. You should have been there and it's my fault that you weren't and I'm so…" She was crying now, her tears falling freely, Ryan watching her steady, focused eyes, expressionless.

"I'm so sorry…I'm so sorry. Nothing I can ever say will ever excuse…" She stopped and dropped her eyes, the words stuck in her throat.

We'll fuss, we'll quarrel and tears start to brew

Ryan was silent for a long time, listening to Kelsi's words and watching as she dissolved into tears. She should have told him. He understood why she didn't, but her reasons were built on assumptions that seemed so ridiculous to him. She knew that he would come rushing to her, that he would give everything up for her, but she also thought that he would resent the choice.

When he thought about it that first night, he was angry that she would think that about him. But then…then he thought about why she would think that; which of his actions had made her believe such a horrible lie, and he realized that he couldn't blame her.

He had made a choice, just as she did, and this was part of the consequence.

With a gentle hand, he reached up and tilted her chin up. She struggled to meet his gaze, but he moved closer and wiped her tears away, unraveling his fingers from hers to take both cheeks in his hands. He gingerly took her glasses from her face and wiped the remaining tears away.

But after the tears

Our love will smile through

He kissed her long and hard, pulling her close and feeling a welling of emotion in his own eyes. When he finally pulled away, they were both a mess of tears and red faces. "I should have been there, Kels," he whispered, "for it all." He sat up and brought her up with him, his arms snaking down to her waist and his forehead resting on hers.

"I would have been there, without question and I would have loved every minute of it because I have always loved every minute with you."

I'm sure that I could never hide

The thrill I get when you're by my side

She was sniffling and crying, her hands gripping the front of her shirt as he spoke to her. "Kels," he said quietly, pulling her gaze to his, "I'm not gonna miss any more of it. I want to be there for it all, not just for our daughter, but for you. I want to spend every last minute of my life with you; with our family."

He gave her a watery smile, trying to encourage her with as much love as he could show her, despite how broken down he felt inside. He had failed her once, he wanted her to believe that he wouldn't fail her again. "Say yes, say that you want it too…"

Kelsi nodded furiously, surging forward to kiss him. "Yes," she whispered between kisses, "yes to it all. Yes."

And when we're older we'll proudly declare

Wasn't ours a lovely love affair

An hour or so later, the two laid back into the pillows, sharing a blanket to keep warm and staring up at the sky through the tree's sweeping branches. The crying had faded, but they were exhausted. There was still a lot to talk about, but the biggest hurdle had passed. Now, it was time to make plans.

They both wanted this. They both wanted a life with each other, but that meant uprooting most of the lives they already had. It wasn't going to be easy.

"I'm working on a new show for Terry. It's still in it's early stages, but we're looking to open next season off-broadway and production is in full swing." Kelsi snuggled into Ryan's chest as he ran his fingers through her hair. "I've already signed a contract, so I'm locked in for at least the next two years…"

Ryan nodded and sighed, "I went to New York to meet a couple music execs and some song-writers. It's been two years since my last album dropped and my tour just ended, but I've still got one album in my contract." He pulled her closer and reached for her hand resting on his chest. "My manager and publicist want me to come back to LA to work on my album, but…I don't need to be there to write. I don't even need to be there to record. There are places to do that in New York."

Kelsi shifted slightly, "But they want you in LA?"

"And I want to be in New York, with you."

She adjusted slightly to look up at him, his lips pressing a kiss to her forehead before he met her gaze. "Will they be okay with that?"

He smiled confidently and squeezed her hand in his, "My album, my choice. Plus, I don't think being away from you and Riley will be good for my writing anyway."

She gave a weary smile back and snuggled back into his side. "Have you told them about us? Will they be upset? I'm sure it will be a media circus dealing with all of this."

He shook his head, "They'll get over it. So will the public. I'm more concerned that people will want to know you and want to bother Riley in the process."

Kelsi froze as she realized, it was entirely possible that paparazzi could swarm their daughter. The thought of photographers following her to school, intruding on their meals, following them from home…

"Hey," Ryan whispered, pulling her from her thoughts. "I will protect us. All of us, and we'll figure it out." He spoke with such confidence and it comforted her. She knew that things would be difficult and there were a lot of things they wouldn't know how to deal with until the time came, but when Ryan was certain of something, there was no question he would make it happen. She had forgotten that along the way, but she remembered it now.

"So," Kelsi sighed, "what do we do first?"

AN: Leave a review, please! Really, it helps me stay motivated-and with the new semester looming, I'm gonna need it.