The next day was Monday, unfortunately. He sluggishly strolled into the school trying to look as cocky and confident as always. But he was tired, emotionally and physically. He had slept most of the night thinking about the turn his life had taken in just a short week. Before Amy came back to town, he was surviving. He wondered about his daughter and what had happened, but he never expected to actually see her. She was right there and so vulnerable like at any second this could all crumble. But at the same time, he found himself not wanting to walk away. This is what he struggled with all night: the sheer terrifying idea that at any second he could say or do something to shatter the fragile situation he found himself in with Amy and Jordan and the unexplainable inability to walk away from someone he just recently met.

He caught a quick glimpse of her out of the corner of his eye as he turned the corner. When he stopped and looked over, she looked frustrated trying to carry her books, her French horn, and her bag. He watched as she sighed and ran her fingers through her hair before walking over.

"Need some help?" He asked while she was bent over trying to pick up some papers she had dropped from her binder. She stood up and looked at him stiffly. He knelt down and picked up the papers, set them back in the binder, and stood. He offered her a small smirk which she made no effort to return; instead she crossed her arms at him and sighed. "I know I screwed up." Her facial features didn't soften nor did she speak. "Come on, Amy."

"I can't talk right now." She said. He nodded understanding the bell was about to ring, and school wasn't the most appropriate place to discuss the future. He held out the binder. "Thanks." She mumbled as she took it and gathered the rest of her things before scurrying away.

--

She managed to avoid him the rest of the day. Later that night, she put Jordan to bed and went downstairs with the baby monitor in hand. Her mother was watching TV with a glass of wine. She could hear Ashley talking on the phone in the kitchen. Without a word, she pulled on a sweater and walked out onto the porch. The weather was nice, so she sat down on the porch swing with a sigh.

She had a lot on her mind, as to be expected. Her mother was right, she had expected returning wouldn't be this hard for the simple reason she hadn't anticipated Ricky wanting to try. She still wasn't sure if this was what he wanted or if he just felt bad that he hadn't been around when Jordan was born. Part of her wanted to believe the latter because then it means he hadn't changed and she hadn't made a royal mistake by leaving. But more of her, for Jordan's sake, wanted to believe that he did want to be there. Jordan was still young, and if Ricky was serious about this then Jordan would grow up with both her parents unable to remember the first months of her life when Amy was a single parent. Jordan deserved to be happy even if that meant Ricky was in the picture. At the same time, though, Amy fought with herself trying to decide if this was just too risky. Would he leave years down the road after Jordan had grown accustom to having him around? She would hate herself if she had to explain to her daughter that her father just wasn't around anymore. Yet, she found herself inclined to give Ricky a chance. If for no other reason, she still felt some guilt because she hadn't tried harder to give Jordan the perfect life with both parents when she was still pregnant. Instead, she ran away to Mimsy's house because she was too afraid to face Ricky and the people at school any longer.

She silently fought with herself and didn't notice when a car pulled into the driveway. It wasn't until he started walking up the porch stairs that she heard him. Looking over, she jumped slightly causing him to smirk.

"Hey." He said casually sticking his hands in his pocket.

"Hey." She answered quietly not.

"Mind if I sit?" Without waiting for an answer he sat down beside her. They sat in silence for a long time lightly swaying back and forth. Sighing, she ran her fingers through her hair and looked over at him.

"What are you doing here, Ricky?" Her tone was less bitter towards him than usual for the sheer fact that she didn't have the energy to be bitter.

"I wanted to talk." He didn't sound very much like himself, and she almost wanted to point it out but didn't.

"I don't know if there is anything to talk about." She told him honestly.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know." She said loudly with frustration laced in her voice. "I don't know what to do, why does everyone ask me?" He watched her get up and pace. "You're you… and Jordan… Jordan deserves happiness. She doesn't deserve to be hurt… and I don't know what to do!"

"Alright, calm down." He stood grabbing her arms. She looked at him and took a deep breath. "Now, let's just… talk."

She nodded and sat back down on the swing. He fallowed in suit and looked at her. She fidgeted with her hands for a few minutes feeling nervous under his gaze. Sighing, she looked up at him. There was a hint of genuine concern within them. "I don't know if I can trust you with her. I'm not convinced you really want to be here." She told him softly as she diverted her eyes to the ground.

"She's my daughter, Amy. I want to do the right thing and at least try." He spoke in a soft convincing tone, and when she looked up she could see he was sincere.

"What's different now?" She asked after a few seconds.

He shrugged. "Things change… She's actually here now. She's not just a bump on your stomach. She's a living, breathing baby."

She couldn't help but give him a soft smile. "Yeah."

Silence fell over them, and for once it wasn't a stiff, uncomfortable. "Why didn't you put her up for adoption?"

"When I saw her… I don't know. I just felt like I couldn't do it. She's my daughter and I love her."

They talked about different things for nearly two hours. Mostly they talked about Jordan's childhood and Amy told stories of everything from the birth to the first time she giggled. Finally, at ten o'clock, they parted ways. Amy headed inside instantly met by Anne's curious gaze.

"What were you doing outside with Ricky?"

"Just talking." She shrugged receiving a skeptical look. "I'm going to be. Good night."