Thank you to those of you that are still reading. I love to hear what you have to say! I have my last final on Monday. Hopefully after that I will be able to put more attention on my story and try to finish it. I hope you will leave your thoughts and let me know what you are thinking. I just have to say how happy I am it is finally "official" that Cory and Lea are dating. Enjoy!
June 25th, 2015
Finn crept in the apartment. He was really hoping he could get in and get his clothes and get back to Puck's. He walked into the bedroom and found Rachel asleep on the bed clutching Arabella to her chest. It broke his heart to know he was the cause of the tear stains that were evident on both of their cheeks, but he couldn't deal with this. Not before going to work. He would deal with it all when he got home this afternoon.
The night before had been eye opening to him. He needed Rachel and Arabella. Puck had stayed up late with him talking about how lucky he was to get to be part of Arabella's life even if it was three years later than he would have hoped. He didn't deny that it was wrong of Rachel to keep her from him, but he did tell him she had a right to be worried and scared at the possibility of Arabella being kidnapped and taken from them. He reminded him that mother and daughter at this age always have a connection and Rachel was just going on that. Finn knew he was right, but it didn't make him feel any better about his wife not trusting him to care for their daughter alone.
Finn walked to the closet and got out his uniform. He hated that he had to walk away from the two of them, but he didn't know what else to do. He didn't want to go back to kicking things. He had a daughter now and he looked up to him, even if he was a fool sometimes. He had to watch his actions or else she would end up being just like him and that terrified him to no end. The last thing he wanted was to screw up his kid. She was perfect and innocent. She didn't need to become like her dad that couldn't control himself at some times.
He took one last look at the two girls on the bed and kicked himself for walking out the door while they were still asleep to go back to Puck's apartment. He knew it was the coward's way out. He did stop in the kitchen and leave a note for Rachel saying, "Rach, I'm sorry about last night. I have to go into work. I will be home this afternoon and we have to have this conversation. I hate that I upset you and Arie by walking out, but I didn't want to screw up anything else. I'll see you this afternoon. I love you. It's the two of us forever. Faithfully, Finn." Then he left the apartment just as quietly as he had entered it.
Rachel woke up in a fog. She remembered the night before as she saw her precious daughter folded up in her arms and not her tall and muscular husband. Rachel decided she needed to put on a happy face for her daughter. She was going to take the day off with her. She just couldn't go to work when all that was on her mind was Finn and the horrible things they had said to each other the night before.
Rachel tickled Arabella's sides and said, "Rise and shine, princess Arie!"
Arabella giggled and said excitedly, "Is daddy here?"
"I don't think so. We are going to have a mommy/daughter day today. We will do anything that you want to do."
"I want daddy. I want to say sorry. He's mad at me."
"Stop right there, missy. Your daddy loves you very, very much. He isn't mad at you. He is mad at mommy. I said some really mean things to him. He had to go to work today, but we will probably see him this afternoon."
Arabella sniffled and curled into Rachel's side. "I want to see him now."
"I know. I want to see him, too. Let's go make some pancakes! We are going to have a good day."
"Love you, mommy. Please don't leave me."
"I would never do that."
"Daddy told me that."
"Honey, daddy didn't leave you. He just needed to go talk to Uncle Noah. He is still your daddy and loves you more than you will ever know."
The two of them got up and went to the kitchen to start breakfast. Rachel found the note and started thinking about what she needed to say to Finn to make things better. She had forgotten just how much she needed him in her life until the night before. She also forgot about how much Arabella was attached to him.
Rachel and Arabella were sitting on the couch when Finn walked through the door later that afternoon. Arabella jumped off the couch and ran into his arms. She sobbed in his arms as she clung to his neck. She said, "Sorry daddy. Don't be mad. I love you. I won't EVER run away again. Don't leave me!"
Finn hugged her tightly. He didn't realize that his little princess would think that he was leaving her. He would never leave her. He would never leave Rachel either for that matter. Finn said, "Hey! I would never leave you. I love you too much to go without you again. You are my little, perfect princess. I was scared when you ran away from me yesterday. I thought a mean person was going to come and take you from me and I don't want that to ever happen. You are too pretty and special. I'm glad that you are never going to run away again."
"So you are staying with me and momma?"
"Of course. Last night I was just mad and I didn't want to do anything that I would regret later. I love you so much and I didn't want to do anything to make YOU not love me."
"I'll always love you daddy."
Finn smiled. "I'm glad you feel that way, princess. I need to talk to your momma. Uncle Noah is next door and he wants to play with you. I bet if you give him your famous Hudson smile he will let you watch Dora or pretty much do what you want. Be nice and be good. I'll walk you over."
"Are you going to still be here when I get back?"
"Yes. I'm not going to walk out again. You will always know where I am and when I am coming back. Are you sure that you are only three?"
"I be 3 next month!"
Then it hit Finn. His daughter was getting older. He had missed so much, but he still had so much to be part of. He should have remembered that the night before.
Arabella ran over to Rachel and gave her kisses before Finn took her hand and led her over to Puck's apartment for a little while so they could talk.
Rachel was sitting on the couch just staring at the blank television screen. Finn walked in and her eyes shot to the door. She stood up and walked over to Finn. Before he could say a word her arms were around his neck and she was giving him a passionate kiss.
They pulled apart and Rachel said, "I'm sorry. I'm a hypocrite. She's my baby and I worry about her. I worry about you, too. I just worry. Too much most of the time. I don't know what I would do if something were to happen and things ended again."
Finn took Rachel's face between his palms and said, "Rach, I should have been keeping a closer eye on her. I should have been holding her hand. I shouldn't have let her get away from me, even if it was for five minutes. A lot can happen in five minutes. I just hated to see how much you hated me for it."
"I could never hate you. I know we have had our hardships in the past. It broke my heart last night to hear you talk about how much it hurt you that Arabella was kept from you. I was selfish. I didn't think of anyone by myself."
"No, you were thinking about Arabella. You just didn't give me the credit of protecting you. I would have protected you and cared for you. I'm sorry that I left like I did, but I didn't know what else to do. I didn't want to pull another choir room fiasco where I just started kicking everything. I don't want Arabella to see me like that and I don't want to put either of you in danger. I would NEVER hurt you on purpose though."
"You are the gentlest person. I would never think that you would hurt us. Arabella already does that when she is upset. She will lie in her bed and kick until she exhausted."
"I guess that is something that she got from me. I'm sorry. I just wish I could take back the things that I said. I never want to see you so hurt again, especially because of me."
"They were things that needed to be said. I did keep Arabella from you for too long and you did only misplace her for five minutes. I overreacted. This whole married thing is something that the two of us have to get used to. This is a change for all three of us. Arabella loves that you are here though. This morning she woke up asking for you. When she found out you weren't here she talked about how she needed to apologize and all the things she needed to do. She loves you so much. She is such a daddy's girl."
"She is a mommy and daddy's girl. That is how it is always going to be."
Rachel smiled. "I'm glad we could talk. I know it is something that can never be forgotten, but it something that we needed to get out of our systems. I will forever be sorry for the time I kept you and Arabella apart from each other, but I am just so glad that I have been blessed to have another chance with you myself."
"I can't for what is coming in our future. We are going to have an amazing family, not that we don't already."
"Can we just spend some time together before we go back to get Arie?"
Finn pulled Rachel onto his lap as the two of them fell onto the couch. They were both laughing. They made up and felt like it was just another pot hole in the road of their love. Then held each other and spent some much needed alone time together before going to get Arabella and spending the night with the three of them together reminding each other that they were there to stay.