Yay, an update! :P

Disclaimer: I wish I owned GW, but, sadly, I don't...


Melinda knew it was over now, and she turned her head back around to catch a quick glance of Jim, who looked down at the two ten-year-old girls bearing a striking resemblance to himself, and was hit with a sudden realization.

"Melinda?" Was all Jim could say, suddenly filled with a mixture of emotions – everything from resentment and anger to confusion and sorrow. He didn't know what to say, what to think, or what to do. He was in a state of shock, he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Melinda looked up at him, her eyes pleading with him to forgive her as she took her children by the hand and turned to walk away, ready to leave without giving him any sort of explanation at all.

"Come on girls," She muttered, "It's time for us to go home." Ally and Andy looked at their mother with confusion, but they did not complain and obediently followed her lead. Andy looked back and caught a glimpse of the man staring at her, she politely smiled at him, and turned back around.

Just before they turning the corner, about to go out of sight, Melinda turned back to face Jim, who tried to protest, but she shook her head and silently muttered "not now" as if to say that they would deal with this later, when the girls weren't around. Jim, who after all these years could still read Melinda like an open book, knew exactly what she meant, and solemnly turned to walk away. He was not going to give up, but he quickly realized that in this situation, timing was everything, and even in the heat of the moment he knew it would not be fair to the girls if he said something now. As much as he didn't want to, he would have to wait.

There were many things running through his head, many of which he did not understand, but there was one thing that he was certain of, and that was that the two little girls he had just seen were his daughters. The thing that bothered him the most was that Melinda never even called to tell him, and that was something that was just so unlike her. He would be couting down the minutes until he heard from Melinda again and got an explanation.

Melinda faked a smile as she lead the twins out of the store, watching Jim as he walked in the opposite direction. For a moment she wished she could turn around and run into his arms, and she thought of how much she missed him holding her, how much she'd missed him the last 10 years, and all he'd missed out on.

...

"I love you, mommy," Allie muttered as Melinda tucked her into bed after reading them their favorite bedtime story.

"Aw, I love you too, sweetie," Melinda promised as she gently pushed a strand of hair from her daughter's eyes. "I love both of you," she added as she glanced over at Allie, who was laying in her bed a few feet away. "I'm really, really sorry for how I acted today. Something happened, and I don't know quite how to explain it, but I promise that when I do, the three of us will sit down and talk about it, okay?" Melinda promised, still not quite sure how to tell them exactly what was going on.

"Okay, mommy," Allie agreed, snuggling her favorite stuffed animal closer to her. It was a unicorn she had one at a fair, Melinda remembered that day distinctly, suddenly feeling guilty about how Jim would never be able to share that memory with her. She tried to ignore all the guilt and regret that she had somehow managed to suppress through the years he was gone, but now that he was back, she just couldn't hide it anymore. Putting on a smile for her daughters, she stood up from her seat on the end Andrea's bed and sauntered over to kiss Allison goodnight.

"Now try to get a good nights sleep," Melinda told them as she turned to leave, "you're going over to Jessica's house for her birthday party tomorrow, and you don't want to be tired" she said, reminding them, all the while knowing that that would probably be her only opportunity to talk to Jim alone, which meant she only had a day to figure out exactly what she was going to say to him.

"Can you braid my hair for the party?" Andy questioned, a wide smile forming on her face, they both always loved it when Melinda did their hair.

"Of course," Melinda promised, "Now go to bed."

"Goodnight" Both girls whispered as Melinda turned off the light and exited the room.

Back down in the living room, Melinda sat alone on the couch, curled up in a soft blanket, and tried to read her favorite book in attempt to take her mind off of what she knew was coming. She was trying to settle her nerves, knowing that at some point soon she would have to face Jim, most likely within the next 24 hours, and that she would have to explain to him why she never told him she was pregnant with the girls. This was something she never wanted to happen, she never wanted the situation to be like this, but she had put this upon herself, and now she was going to have to face the consequences.

Glancing at the clock, Melinda reached over and grabbed the phone, and before she had a chance to second guess herself, dialed an all too familiar number.


Yes, I love cliffhangers...

Hopefully I will update soon, only a few chapters left!

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