Oh, my God. I couldn't believe it was Spencer, my first girlfriend, Spencer. The girl who, at 16, I thought would always be in my life, always in my arms and forever in my heart. Unfortunately, that was not to be. She hadn't been in my life in nearly seven years or in my arms for longer than that. And though I have and will continue to deny it, I fear she will always be in my heart.

"Ashley, you're giving alcohol to a baby?" Spencer asked, shocked and appalled.

"No, of course not! I don't know where she got that from." I was rightfully indignant that she would believe that I would do something like that but I guess she and I both knew my maternal instinct was pretty nonexistent. Hopefully, that would change soon. Spencer still looked skeptical with her cute little brow furrowed so I tried another approach. "That's illegal, you know."

"I do know," Spencer said in a way that gave me the impression that she doubted my knowledge.

We stared at each other for a moment, until Max let out a particularly piercing screech. I guess I should have been grateful for the 30 seconds it had taken him to catch his breath but, boy, were my ears paying for it. I switched him into yet another position and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Spencer pulling out her iPOD and a magazine before placing her purse beneath the seat in front her.

I tried to entice Max into taking his pacifier but he wasn't having it. I let out a huge sigh of frustration which was echoed by nearly all of the other first class passengers, some of whom weren't shy in cutting their eyes in my direction while doing so.

"What's wrong with him…or her?" Spencer asked, looking at me over Danielle's head.

"I don't know!" I wailed. "His diaper's dry. He just ate, so he's not hungry. I know he's sleepy but he just won't go. Why is he so stubborn?"

"Did you burp him?"

"Did I what?" What the hell is she talking about?

"After you fed him, did he burp?"

"Eww, no."

"Well, he needs too." She stood and I gasped as I got a look at her legs in the short denim skirt she was wearing. Damn, she looks good. I swallowed as she bent to put her things on her seat and began to walk toward me, her right thigh peeking at me every time she stepped forward. "Give him to me. Ashley!"

I mentally kicked myself for I had been gaping at her body stupidly while she stood in front of me waiting impatiently for me to hand my nephew over. When I did so, my movements were so abrupt that I jolted little Max again. He didn't like it this time anymore than he had when I'd done it the first time. He bellowed even louder if that was possible.

Spencer soon had him over her shoulder, patting his back and shushing him as she began to pace up and down the short aisle. After a minute of that, Max's volume had lowered considerably and Spencer now stood in front of me swaying from side to side but keeping up her rhythmic patting. With each of side-to-side movements she made, the slit on the side of her skirt revealed to me what I had once claimed as mine. I turned away to subtlety check my lip for slop. Jeez, Ash, you'd think you were the one who needed a bib.

Suddenly, Max let out a belch loud enough to make any man proud.

"Oh, that's just nasty," I said, my face scrunched up in distaste.

Spencer shot me what had to be her fourth look of disapproval in less than five minutes before turning back to the baby. "No, that's not nasty. That was a good one, huh? You're such a big boy. Didn't that feel good?"

As she cooed at the baby, I tried to squelch the jealousy I felt welling up within me. But to be honest, I couldn't pinpoint what exactly I was jealous of. I mean, how could I begrudge Spencer for finally shutting up a crying kid and I certainly didn't want Spencer congratulating me on my belching ability. Nonetheless, there was no denying what that pit in my stomach was.

"Ma'am," the flight attendant said, her hand on Spencer's shoulder, "we need all passengers to have a seat as we prepare for takeoff." She smiled appreciatively at Spencer and frowned at me before walking away. I barely suppressed the urge to flip her the bird behind her back but the impressionable Danielle was watching my every move.

I was caught totally unprepared when Spencer's scent filled my nostrils as she bent to place Max, who was happily dozing with his fist in his mouth, in my lap. I breathed in deeply.

She smells so good. Stop it, Spencer! You have a girlfriend. You can't go around smelling other women.

I pulled back quickly and rushed back to my seat, safely buffered by the aisle and Danielle. Only, I could still smell her. Cinnamon and a spice that couldn't be bottled but one I'd recognize anywhere- ASHLEY. I closed my eyes and shook my head to clear it as I mentally laid down the ground rules for this brief encounter of the ex kind.

Absolutely NO reminiscing. NO plans to meet up later. NO exchanging of contact information. AND STOP LOOKING AT HER!

I jerked my eyes away and buckled myself into the seat. Determined not to resume my gawking, I locked my eyes on the flight attendant walking down the aisle, checking that everyone was secure in their seats. I turned to look at my seat mate and saw that she was coloring and not buckled in her seat.

"Danielle, do you know how to buckle your seat belt? Do you need some help?"

The little girl looked down at her waist and then up at me and I was struck by just how much she resembled her aunt with her pert nose and curly hair. She was sure to be a heartbreaker when she was older, again, just like her aunt.

Danielle nodded her head vigorously. "I don't know how."

"Okay, I'll help." After buckling Danielle in, I received a very wet kiss on the cheek for my efforts. And though I told myself not to, I couldn't resist returning her kiss with one in the center of her forehead. I barely caught myself from rubbing my hand over her unruly hair. You will not get attached to these kid!.

Ashley must have seen my action because when I looked up she's was staring at me with a sad expression that told me that she understood. She blinked and just that quickly, whatever she was thinking was hidden away.

"Thank you," she mouthed with hardly a whisper.

"No problem," I responded with a look at the baby settled in the car seat next to her. "How is he?"

She gave him a glance that was so loving that it wrenched my heart. She used to look at me that way. Stop it, damn it!

"He's finally asleep. He hasn't been sleeping well at all since…" Her breath caught and she bit her lip, clearly holding back tears.

My chest expanded when I pulled in a harsh breath, my mind immediately drawing logical conclusions that offered zero comfort.

"Is…"

I quickly looked down at Danielle who was watching the two of us intently. I turned back to Ashley just in time to see her hastily wipe a tear from her cheek. She shook her head miserably and I had to fight the urge to go to her, a fight so strong it reminded me of how I had once fought for us. And just as I was giving in, I heard the pilot begin to speak and I knew it was fate stepping in to prevent our merciless cycle from continuing.