I bet you thought i'd never post on this fic again. You're probably going to hate me for what I do to them in the future of this fic. I'm leaving for North Carolina on Sunday so i probably won't be posting for a week or so unless the place i'm staying in has wireless internet but I'll have lots to post when i get back though cause it's an 8 hour drive there (i live in Florida) okay enough jabbering on with the story!

Chapter 7

Ryan Atwood's world was expanding far too quickly for his liking. One second he's moving back to Newport, the next he's seeing Taylor Townsend again, then they move in together and then out of nowhere she springs a child on him. Yes, this was all moving just a little too rapidly for his liking. He knew he couldn't take it out on the child. No, this was all Taylor's doing. She might have thought her reasoning was good but to Ryan it wasn't. He hated knowing he had missed out on the first four years of his daughters life.

Ryan opened his eyes the next morning to find someone over him. He was a little shocked to see the small face. "Hi." She gave him a toothy grin. He grinned at her.

"Hi." He rubbed his still sleepy eyes. "Mommy said I could wake you up!" She jumped up in the bed. This girl was definitely Taylor's daughter. Then it hit him she was his too. That scared him to death.

"Oh did she?" Ryan sat up yawning.

"She's cooking breakfast. Mommy makes yummy breakfast. Come on, daddy we need to go eat!" She jumped out of his bed. She was still wearing her pajama's from the night before with her blond hair up in a slightly messy ponytail. Ryan followed Bella down stairs feeling a bit uneasy about all of this. It was strange how the kid had already attached herself to him and she had just met him the day before after he had been a complete jerk to her at first.

"Morning." Ryan spoke out not looking at Taylor but at Bella who had jumped up on the stool with ease. "Good morning, Ryan. I'm sorry for Bella waking you up she was just so excited…" Taylor didn't turn around to look at him as she kept cooking.

"It's fine. I needed to get up anyways. I have to go to the Newport Group building with Julie today."

"Oh, I was wondering if I could ask you a huge favor." Taylor finally turned around to look at me. Ryan couldn't believe how amazing she looked in just a pair or sweats and an old t-shirt. His breath caught watching her. He almost forgot to breath.

"Yeah?" He was finally able to choke out.

"Are you okay, Ryan?" She looked a little confused.

"Perfect, uhm what's the favor?"

"Well, I need to go and get Bella's things out of storage to put in the spare bedroom…so I was wondering if you could watch her today?" Ryan could tell she was biting the inside of her cheek nervously. He smiled a bit at this. He was a little surprised that she would let him watch Bella but after all she was his daughter.

"Yeah, sure. She can come with me." He said resting his elbows on the counter next to where Bella was sitting.

"Really?" The small child perked up. "Really." Ryan smiled at her.

"Yay!" Bella jumped up and lunged for Ryan's neck knocking him back a little. "Thanks, Ryan." Taylor turned back around to the stove smiling.

"Okay, Mirabella you be good for daddy today. Okay?" Taylor pulled her daughters jacket over her shoulders. Bella rolled her eyes at her mother before running and grabbing Ryan's hand to leave.

"She'll be fine." Ryan nodded to Taylor before he led Bella out of the house. Taylor just stood in the middle of the living room with her hands on her hips. This was strange, seeing Bella with Ryan. It had been what she was dreaming of since the day she found out she was pregnant with Bella. Seeing her daughter and the guy she would always love together made her feel whole. It gave her hope that things were finally going to work out the way she needed them to.

"Who is this?" Julie clapped her hands together seeing Ryan enter the old building. Ryan couldn't believe his eyes. The place was trashed.

"This is Bella. Bella this is my step-mom, Julie." Ryan introduced the two. He could see all of the questions that Julie wanted to ask in her eyes. He just shook his head.

"I'll explain later. Now what do we need to do with this place?" He said turning the attention away from Bella. Julie started going on about hiring cleaners and painters and buying new furniture. Ryan tried to listen his mind just wasn't in the right place. He had to get himself together for this business, for his life. Ryan wasn't used to having so much responsibility on his shoulders like this. It was slowly weighing him down.

"Why don't I go get Nicky from Frank and the four of us will go to lunch at diner." Julie spoke after they had discussed everything that needed to be done to the building.

"Yeah, just let me call Taylor and ask if she wants to come." Ryan ran his hand through his hair. He looked over at Bella was sitting on a box swinging her small legs back and forth. Julie nodded and walked towards Bella while Ryan made the call.

"She said yeah. So we'll meet you there." Ryan reached for Bella's hand after getting off of the phone with Taylor.

"Mommy's coming too?" Her face brightened up a little. "She sure is." Ryan told her.

"Is Julie coming, too? She's funny." Bella giggled. Ryan shot Julie a strange glance.

"Yes I'm coming too. I have to go pick up my son, Nicky he's about your age." With that the three of them walked out of the building. Ryan led Bella to an empty booth in the small diner. She scooted in and he sat down next to her.

"Where's my mommy?" She asks resting her elbows on the table. Ryan smiled at her. She was just so cute.

"Right there." Ryan looked up to see Taylor walk through the diner door in a swift motion.

"Mommy!" Bella yelled out. "Hey, baby." Taylor smiled sitting down in the booth.

"Julie and Nicky are going to be joining us." Ryan informed Taylor.

"Oh!" Taylor smiled. Just then Julie bounded into the diner with a small boy behind her. "Julie!" Taylor jumped up and hugged the older woman's neck.

"Taylor, it's been far too long." Julie returned her hug. "Is this Nicky?" Taylor pointed to the shy looking boy.

"Yes this is. Nicky this is Taylor she and Ryan used to date. That is Bella, well Ryan never told me what she is to him yet…but right now I'm figuring she's Taylor's." Julie spoke to the small boy while realizing what was going on. Taylor laughed nervously making room for both Nicky and Julie to squeeze in to the booth.

"Bella is mine and…Ryan's." Taylor didn't look up as she said this instead she busied herself with looking at the menu in front of her even though she already knew everything good that was on it. Ryan looked a very confused Julie and decided to explain.

"I didn't know about Bella until yesterday but she's mine."

"Wow…this is a shock." Julie nodded her head.

"Tell me about it." Ryan mumbled under his breath. Taylor finally looked up at them nervously.

"Enough about all of this how about we order!" Taylor quickly changed the subject. She didn't want this discussion to go any longer she was ashamed of what she did enough without both Julie and Ryan making her feel worse. Taylor had never eaten lunch in such an awkward atmosphere. There was a huge elephant in the room that Taylor wasn't ready to approach yet so she kept quiet just like the other two adults. The children were both jabbering about something that Taylor wasn't even paying attention to.

"It was really nice to see you again, Taylor. You should bring Bella over to play with Nicky some time." Julie hugged Taylor before leaving the diner with Nicky.

"Well if that wasn't awkward." Taylor spoke out as Ryan paid for the food.

"Sorry. I didn't think it'd be that bad." He shrugged standing up and helping Bella out.

"Me either, but what else do I expect?" Taylor shrugged picking Bella up and walking out of the diner in front of Ryan.

"Did you get all of Bella's things?" Ryan asked Taylor once they had both reached outside. "Yes, it's all in her room." Taylor said simply before putting Bella into the car seat that was in Ryan's car.

"I guess we'll see you at home then." Ryan said. Taylor nodded . Ryan climbed into the car and looked back at the small girl in the backseat. She had already fallen asleep in a very uncomfortable looking position. Ryan took a deep breath and turned the car on. If that small lunch was awkward Ryan could only imagine how awkward things were going to be around Sandy and Kirsten with Taylor and Bella. They wouldn't hold back their questions like Julie had.