A/N: Here's the next one-shot in my collection for LaPaige's one-oh-one (101) prompt challenge thing. Again, have fun with my warped versions of the Camp Rock characters. Enjoy! R&R! Thanks! –Mac
Disclaimer: I don't own Camp Rock. Disney gets to keep their bubble-gum and sugar-cube characters and plotlines…I'll just play with them a while (read "twist and warp them into unrecognizable, dark and sinister and sensual things") lol.
Child
Positive.
Tess stared down at the pregnancy test in utter disbelief. She swallowed hard as she tossed it into the trash can beside her. She was sitting on the ground in her bathroom, leaning against the wall next to her bathtub. She pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her head upon them. She let out a frustrated growl which gave way to a sob that made her entire body tremble.
What was she going to do?
Tess was in a particularly nasty predicament. Not only was she barely eighteen—still a child herself—and with child, she wasn't sure what to do about the situation with the father. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to tell her wonderful boyfriend, of nearly two years, that she was at least two months pregnant. Then there was the matter of explaining how she got pregnant in the first place since they had agreed they were going to wait when they first got together. She couldn't imagine saying out loud to her sweet, loving Nate that she was two months pregnant after cheating on him in a drunken stupor with his best friend. And to top it all off after she was done breaking Nate's heart, she would have to tell Shane he was going to be a father. She wasn't sure how he or his girlfriend, Mitchie, was going to take it.
One mistake of a night was going to turn the lives of four people upside down. Five, five people, Tess corrected herself as she wrapped her arms around her stomach. There was a life growing inside of there and Tess was completely unprepared for what was ahead of her.
Tess was supposed to go out with Nate to celebrate their anniversary, but she didn't feel comfortable celebrating the milestone before she was completely honest with him. She had to go through with it before she lost her nerve. She arrived on his doorstep an hour before they were supposed to go out. She knocked on the door and prayed that he was the one to answer it and not Jason or Shane, especially not Shane. She hugged her arms around herself while she waited for someone to open the door. She could feel the tears pricking at the back of her eyes, but she couldn't fall apart, not yet.
The door swung open to reveal Nate, dressed and ready for their date, and she nearly burst into tears at the sight of him.
"Tess, you're early…and not dressed," Nate trailed off as he looked her up and down.
"I need to talk to you," Tess's voice was small and quiet.
Nate swallowed hard, "Okay, come in. We can talk inside."
He gestured for her to come into the apartment. She walked past him into the living room. She glanced around to make sure neither Shane nor Jason was in the room. Nate closed the door and followed her. He had his hands shoved into his pockets and looked nervous. Tess took a deep breath—he shouldn't be the one feeling nervous.
"Do you want to sit down?" Nate asked.
Tess shook her head, "But maybe you should."
Nate looked up to meet her eyes, but she turned away from him. She heard his feet shuffle as he moved closer to the couch. "I think I will. I feel like my legs are going to give out. You're scaring me Tess, and you haven't even said anything."
"Nate, I'm so sorry," Tess started before the tears began to fall unchecked.
Nate instantly jumped to his feet to console her. He reached out to pull her into his arms, but she backed away. She put her hands up to keep him from coming any closer to her. If he touched her, she would fall apart even faster, and then she would lose the chance to tell him the truth. Knowing how much he loved and cared for her, only made it hurt even more that she had to do this. He was trying to meet her gaze but she was avoiding his eyes.
"Tess…" Nate began.
"I'm pregnant," Tess blurted out.
Nate's question died in his throat and he took a step back to collect himself. "Um…what?"
"I'm pregnant," Tess repeated.
"Are you sure?" Nate questioned frantically, "I mean, we never…"
"Yes, I'm sure," Tess nodded, "And I know."
"Then who?" Nate demanded, moving toward her. Tess raised her tear-streaked face to meet his eyes and he stumbled back again. "No, I don't want to know…I can't…I can't deal with this right now."
Tess watched as Nate spun around and disappeared down the hall. She flinched as she heard his bedroom door slam. Another sob wrenched its way out of her throat. Her shoulders shook and she could see though her tears. She tried to breathe, but her lungs wouldn't fill, leaving her chest painfully tight. She started to stagger to the door, when another voice filled her ears.
"So, you're pregnant?"
Tess turned to see Shane stepping out of the shadows of the hallway. She managed to murmur, "Nearly two months."
"Who's the father? Since it's obviously not Nate's…" Shane started to walk toward her.
"Don't do that Shane…" Tess replied weakly. "You know the answer to that question."
"I don't know how I could," Shane tilted his head to look at her. His eyes were cold.
Tess shook her head and tried to swallow the lump that formed in her throat. "Do you know how hard it was to admit to Nate that I had betrayed his trust, betrayed him? Do you know how hard it was to tell him the lifetime consequence of my mistake?" Her voice was a whisper, clouded by the free flowing tears. "Nothing I could ever do will make me feel any worse than I do knowing I hurt Nate the way I did, so you don't get to play dumb. You don't get to deny your part in this."
"It's terrible that you cheated on poor Nate, he hardly deserves such treatment," Shane responded. "I don't know how anyone is capable of such a thing. I could never hurt Mitchie that way."
"You bastard," Tess muttered.
"Speak up Tess, I didn't catch that…" Shane leaned closer.
Tess looked up at his smirking face and she could feel the room begin to spin as her world crumbled out from under here. She wanted to yell at him, tell him off, argue and fight him, but she couldn't muster up the strength to be angry. Her heart was breaking for Nate, for herself, and for this child. She was too weak to handle his denial.
So she ran.
When Tess got home that night, she crawled into bed, buried herself under her covers, and didn't surface again for three days. Once she found the little strength she needed to pull herself out of bed, she didn't leave her house except to make a few vitally important appointments she had. She made one trip to the grocery store to stock up on enough food and drink to sustain her for a couple more weeks.
She tried calling Nate, over and over and over. She wanted to apologize, to beg and plead, and to do anything to make him not hate her anymore. He wouldn't answer. She hung up on his voicemail unable to leave a message she knew he was likely to ignore or delete. Once her call was picked up and her heart jumped into her throat. But it was only Jason.
"I'm sorry, Tess. Nate doesn't want to talk to you," Jason said quietly. He hated having to be the bearer of bad news.
"I understand," Tess replied. She hesitated but eventually added, "Just tell him that I love him and I'm so sorry. I hate myself for doing this to him, but I couldn't stand it if he hated me."
"I'll tell him, Tess," Jason agreed. "I just can't guarantee he'll want to hear it."
She started to call Shane once, dead set on making him admit that he had made the same mistake as her. But after one ring, she hung up. She couldn't face him anymore than he could face his problems.
Eventually, Mitchie was sent as a messenger. A go between that could attempt to remain completely neutral. This didn't affect her the same way as her friends. If only the poor girl knew how much it really affected her.
When Tess opened the door, Mitchie stood in the doorway, bearing a platter of baked goods. "My mom baked them fresh for you. She's concerned. We all are."
Tess stepped out of the way to let Mitchie in. Mitchie stepped inside with a wide smile on her lips—wider than usual, a sign that it was fake. She sat the cookies and sugary assortments on the counter in Tess's small kitchen and then turned back to Tess, who was still lingering by the door.
"Have you been to the doctor?" Mitchie jumped right in.
Tess crossed the room to curl up on the couch, where she had been before Mitchie arrived. She shifted the book she had been skimming out of sight. "Yes. I went about a week ago and I have another appointment for Friday."
"Did he talk to you about your options?" Mitchie asked. She started to sit next to Tess, thought about it, and remained standing.
"He said he was obligated to keep me fully informed, but I told him I only have one option," Tess answered softly. "I'm keeping the baby."
"Are you sure that's what you want? You're only eighteen and the father…" Mitchie trailed off. "Does the father know?"
"He knows," Tess said simply.
"And?" Mitchie prompted.
"And he seems to be under the impression that he can pretend we never slept together," Tess responded. She was mildly irritated so she added, "And you can sit down, it's not contagious."
Mitchie immediately perched herself on the edge of the couch, "Sorry."
"It's okay," Tess murmured. At least, Mitchie wasn't so closed minded that she couldn't bring herself to visit. Though, Tess was sure if Mitchie knew the whole truth, she'd be gone before Tess could blink an eye. "Thank you for being here."
"Tess, you're my friend," Mitchie said. "You need me, so I'm here. I don't like what you did to Nate. I don't agree with all the decisions you've made, but I'm still your friend."
"You're not here because I need you," Tess shook her head. "You're here because Nate asked Shane to ask you to tell me to stop calling."
Mitchie's eyes widened, but she didn't correct Tess, "That's not completely true. Nate asked me personally to tell you if I saw you, that he needed time and that he would prefer it if you didn't call while he took that time to figure out where his head is."
Tess couldn't stop the tears that sprung forth. She had been experiencing that a lot lately—sudden, unannounced tears—and she was pretty sure it had nothing to do with hormones.
"It was a mistake," Tess cried. "I was drunk and he was there. I was missing Nate and I didn't know what I was doing. It wasn't supposed to happen. He had someone. I had someone. And…and I just love Nate so much. I don't know what to do without him. I'm so sorry and I don't know how to fix it."
Mitchie moved over on the couch and pulled Tess into a hug, "Shh, it's okay."
"No it's not," Tess shook her head. "I'm losing him."
Mitchie shifted to wrap her arm around Tess tighter, and the movement dislodged the book Tess was trying to hide. She pulled it out and smoothed her hand over the cover. "A baby name book? You're really serious about keeping the baby?"
"Yes," Tess nodded. "This is my child. I couldn't give it away."
"Then can I give you some advice?" Mitchie asked. Tess shrugged, pulling away from Mitchie. "You need to be strong for this baby, and if that means giving up on Nate for awhile, you need to do it."
Tess's head whipped around, her eyes wide. "I can't do that. I can't give up on him. I love him too much."
"Tess, you might have to," Mitchie said.
Deep down, Tess knew Mitchie was right—so she stopped calling.
When she started to show, her label execs started to ask questions. Of course, she was obligated to tell them the truth. It resulted in meetings with every person important to her career. And as they began to discuss the "issue", all Tess could think of was the next time she was going in for an ultrasound, when she would have the opportunity to find out if it was a boy or a girl.
"Do you know what will happen if the press gets a hold of this?"
"You do remember that they ripped apart Jamie Lynn…and there was a father in the picture there."
"All the sympathy is going to go to Nate Black. The poor boy whose girlfriend cheats on him and gets knocked up."
"This is going to require serious damage control. If it's even salvageable. We'll have to wait and see, I guess."
"Look, the only people who know have no reason to share it with anyone," Tess cut in. "I'll take the time off that I need and everyone will be happy."
"And what are we supposed to tell everyone about your mysterious disappearance from the spotlight?"
"Tell them I'm in rehab, tell them I moved to the Arctic to save the penguins, tell them I've taken a vow of silence and isolation," Tess exclaimed. "I don't care what you tell them. But need I remind you that this is a child, a human being, you can't just make it go away."
Tess left the room on her final word and let the door slam. She may have just signed her career's death sentence, but she found she couldn't come up with a reason to care.
"The makeover squad has arrived," Mitchie announced as she stepped into Tess's apartment. "We come bearing decorating supplies."
Tess peeked her head out of what used to be her guest bedroom. The first thing she saw was Mitchie's smiling face. The second thing she saw was Shane coming through the doorway behind his girlfriend. He smiled and gave a small wave as he saw Tess. Tess swallowed hard, before leaving the room to greet her guests.
"What is Shane doing here?" Tess asked lightly.
"He wanted to help. He heard there was a crib that needed to be put together," Mitchie answered. Then she turned slightly to Shane, "Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention there is also a dresser and a rocking chair that need to be picked up from my parents' house. My mom is letting Tess have some of my old nursing furniture."
Shane rolled his eyes, "And here I was thinking I was getting off easy."
Mitchie grinned, shrugging slightly, "You should know me better than that by now. Why don't you start on the crib while we start decorating? Then we can pick up the rest of the furniture together."
"Sounds good to me," Shane responded. He looked up to meet Tess's eyes, "Is that alright with you, Tess?"
There were a lot of things Tess was not alright with, and that was the least of them—but she wasn't allowed to say so. "That's fine with me."
"Great!" Mitchie dug into one of the bags on her arm. She pulled out two sheets of wall ornaments. "I've got flowers and cars…you didn't tell me if it's a boy or a girl yet."
Tess smiled weakly as she stepped forward to take one of the sets from Mitchie, "It's a girl."
Mitchie squealed, "Pinks and bows and ruffles! Oh that's wonderful. Is the room pink?"
"Had it painted last week," Tess nodded. "Have a look."
Mitchie squealed again and disappeared into the room. Tess looked up to meet Shane's eyes again. She wasn't afraid of his reaction anymore. She was about to take on the biggest responsibility of her life—single motherhood was scarier than Shane's petty excuses. She was learning to be strong for herself and her daughter. She stood up tall, shoulders back.
"You're going to have a daughter, Shane," Tess whispered, "Are you ready to accept that?"
"I don't know what you're talking about Tess," Shane replied, "Man those hormones of yours must have you all confused."
He patted her shoulders as he moved past her to join Mitchie in the soon-to-be nursery. Tess shook her head—his denial was disappointing. She took a deep breath and followed him. She walked in to see Mitchie unloading the bags she had carried in. It was a mountain of pink and lace on top of the changing table that was already built and put into place under the window.
As if sensing Tess's presence, Mitchie began to explain, "I was hoping it would be a girl. There was so much more stuff to choose from. I hope you like what I got. I wish you could have come with me. You would have loved it."
Tess walked up to stand next to Mitchie, "I'm trying to keep everything on the DL, you know that. The label has been spazzing for months. My shopping will have to be done online for awhile."
"It's going to get out eventually," Mitchie responded. "I had to fed off a group of paparazzi when I was shopping, told them my Aunt was pregnant and I was getting baby shower gifts. Lucky for you, my Aunt actually is pregnant, if they decide to check up on it."
"I'm sorry, you shouldn't have to do this for me," Tess murmured, unconsciously placing a protective hand on her rounding belly.
"I want to," Mitchie replied, putting a hand over Tess's. "I told you. I'm here for you and this child. You can't do this alone. Plus, I'm putting in my time to be ready to be her Godmother."
Tess smiled, "Of course, but thank you anyway. I really appreciate it."
"Okay," Mitchie changed the subject, "Let's get some music on and get started on this thing."
"Before you do that, can I get a little help here?" Shane piped up. The two turned to look at him, where he stood staring down at the box for the crib and looking confused and helpless.
Mitchie laughed to herself, "I should have enlisted better help. How is he supposed to manage putting the crib together if he can't even get the box open?"
While Mitchie helped Shane sort the crib out, Tess went to retrieve her radio. She took it back into the other room, plugged it in and turned up the volume. Upbeat music instantly filled the room.
"You walk and talk like you're some new sensation. You move in circles, you don't need an invitation…"
Mitchie perked up from her seat on the floor. She was helping Shane organize the pieces to the crib. "I love this song."
Her head began to move in time with the music and she sang along.
"…falling down, the world starts spinning round. You… when you're falling down, you know I'll be around, when you're falling down, falling down…"
Tess couldn't help but get caught up as well. The two sang along with the radio as they began to sort through the decorations.
"…the truth is blurry, but the lies are getting clearer. Your eyes are fixed, you smile so elastic. You gave me flowers, but they're all just made of plastic…"
Tess glanced over at Shane as they began to sort out what they were going to put up on the walls. Eventually, the façade he was putting up would come down. He would slip up and the secret would come out. She knew she would probably lose Mitchie in the process, and once Nate found out, he would never want to speak to her again, though he was doing a good job of that already—but it needed to be known. But she couldn't say a word until he admitted it to himself.
Tess stood in the doorway of the almost finished nursery. Mitchie and Shane had left a while before to pick up the rest of the furniture and would be back soon. She had one hand on her stomach and a soft smile on her lips. The nearly complete room gave the impression that she was ready for what was coming. It helped, because she was nowhere near ready. She knew it was going to be hard, it was going to be a struggle, raising a child when she was so young—but the thin that scared her most was not the baby girl she was about to bring into the world but that she was most likely going to have to find a way to live the rest of her life without Nate. She was jolted out of her troubled thoughts by a loud knock on her door. Tess frowned—Mitchie had been using the spare key since Tess showed it to her a few weeks before. She opened the door for Shane and the rocking chair.
"Where's Mitchie?" She asked instantly.
"She stayed at her parents'," Shane answered as he carried the chair into the apartment. "She's going through some of her old baby clothes. I drove the furniture over in Connie's catering truck. Mitchie's going to be back over in a bit with whatever she finds that's sufficiently pink or covered in ruffles."
"Okay," Tess murmured, and gestured for him to continue on to the nursery.
Tess stood in the corner of the room to direct Shane as to where to place everything. Along with the dresser and rocking chair, Connie had sent over a couple pink shaded lamps and a small toy chest. Once the truck had been unloaded of its contents, Shane turned to Tess.
"I guess I'll just wait for Mitchie," Shane replied.
"Make yourself at home," Tess said coolly as she made her way into her kitchen to make herself some tea.
Shane made a dramatic show of sitting down in one of the chairs situated next to her couch. He spoke loudly so Tess could hear him, "You know, Mitchie thinks you're brave trying to do all this on your own…I don't know if I agree."
"I don't care what you think of me, Shane," Tess responded.
"But you care what Nate thinks of you," Shane continued to taunt her.
Tess left her kettle on the stove and walked back into her living room so she could look Shane in the eyes when she said, "I love Nate. I care about what he thinks because I want to be with him."
"He wants nothing to do with you as it is," Shane mocked. "But imagine what he would think of you if he knew it was his best friend's baby you were having…"
"He would hate me for it," Tess responded, "But at least he would know the truth. He deserves to know the truth. So does Mitchie."
Shane scoffed, "You don't think the truth would just make everything worse for you?"
"I know it will," Tess admitted. "But I'm having a baby. A living, breathing, beautiful child. And even though I might lose Nate forever because of how I hurt him, and I might lose Mitchie's friendship, and it will break my heart…I have to do what's best for this baby girl. And I can't raise her on lies Shane. And maybe you don't believe you owe me, or Mitchie or Nate the truth, but you damn sure ow it to her Shane. You owe it to your daughter."
Shane stood, chuckling cruelly under his breath, "Look Tess, we got drunk, we slept together and you got pregnant. Yes, it happened. But I don't own anyone anything."
"Could you repeat that? I want to be sure I heard you properly." A weak voice spoke up from behind them.
They turned to see Mitchie standing in the doorway—tears running down her cheeks, and Tess's spare key gripped tight in an outstretched hand. Neither had heard the door open.
"Mitchie—" Tess started.
"Tess, don't," Mitchie shook her head.
"Mitchie…" Shane stepped toward her.
"Get out," Mitchie hissed.
"What?" Shane frowned.
"Get. Out." Mitchie repeated firmly. She pulled out his car keys and threw them at him. He caught them before they could hit him. "Leave my Mom's keys, and get out."
Shane reached into his pocket and pulled out Connie's keys. He dropped them on Tess's coffee table. "Mitchie, we can talk about this…"
"Now," Mitchie nearly yelled, her voice going hoarse.
Shane scowled, looking back once to glare at Tess, and moved toward the door. "Fine."
He left, slamming the door closed behind him. The sound jolted Tess and she closed her eyes to still herself. When she opened them, Mitchie had moved further into the room. She deposited a bag she had with her into the chair Shane had just left. She didn't say a word and Tess was afraid to speak first. They stood together, quiet and still for a long time.
Finally, Mitchie spoke, "Why didn't you tell me it was Shane?"
"When he found out, he acted like it never happened. If I had told you, you wouldn't have believed me and you would have hated me even more thinking I was lying. I needed him to admit it before I could tell anyone the truth," Tess rambled on as she tried to explain.
"You could have told me the truth," Mitchie shook her head. "You should have told me the truth."
"I know," Tess agreed. "I'm so sorry."
"I…I…" Mitchie trailed off, unable to say what she wanted. She picked up again with a different subject, "I brought you some of my old baby clothes."
Mitchie started to go through the contents of the bag. Tess walked over and put her hands over Mitchie's to still her movements. "You're not angry? You don't hate me?"
Mitchie swallowed hard, "I am angry. I am beyond angry. I want to scream. I want to break things…but I can't. I don't know how to trust you or Shane, or if I ever will again. I know how Nate must feel and that makes me feel even worse because he doesn't deserve that kind of pain and betrayal. I am angry and heartbroken…but I can't hate you. Not now. Maybe I should, but I can't."
"Mitchie," Tess's voice cracked.
"I won't desert you," Mitchie replied. "I'm a better friend than that."
"Thank you," Tess whispered, before the tears of relief began to fall.
She broke down once after that and called Nate. She hoped to at least hear his voice on his voicemail message. The line got picked up, but no one spoke. Tess froze, listening to the static of the open air.
"Nate," She said softly.
There was no response.
"Nate, I know you're there, and you don't have to say anything. I just wanted you to know that…I am so sorry. I don't expect you to ever forgive me now but…I'm sorry. And…well, I love you…so much, Nate. I'm never going to stop…I can't stop loving you. I...I know it's probably too late, but I need you Nate. I'm miserable without you, but I suppose I should be after what I've done. I just…you were always going to be it for me Nate…You didn't deserve this. I'm sorry."
Tess hung up the phone.
The next morning, Tess woke up to find someone sitting in the chair across the room from her bed. She would have been scared, but as she focused on the figure in the shadows of the darkened room, she would have known him anywhere. She didn't move—she wasn't sure she could have if she wanted to.
"Nate," Tess whispered, then said louder, "How did you get in here?"
"I'm the one who hid your spare key, remember?" Nate answered.
"Why are you here?"
Nate stood up and crossed the room. He placed a single object on her bedside table. Tess stared at it as it sunk in. It was a ring box. It didn't take much imagination to figure out what was inside. Nate sat down next to her on the edge of her bed.
"I was going to give it to you that night," Nate explained. "The night you told me."
"Nate, I'm—" Tess started, but he interrupted her.
"You're sorry. I know," Nate said. "When you first told me…I wanted you to be miserable. I wanted you to hurt the way I did. But when you called me last night and you said you were miserable and that you thought you deserved to be…I realized I didn't want you to be hurting. I hate seeing you in pain. I want you to be happy. I love you too much to want anything else."
"I love you too, Nate."
"And that's why I need to know everything. When, and why and how—because when I wonder it's worse every time. I need to know so I can start to find a way to forgive you. Because I need you too, Tess," Nate reached over and ran his fingers through her hair. "I've tried for months to fight that, but I can't. I need you and I can't change that…You have to tell me everything."
So Tess told him everything.
When Tess went into labor, Nate was in her kitchen cooking her dinner. They had been taking it slow, starting at the beginning, back when they were friends. Nate had been spending more and more time at her apartment as her due date approached. Three days shy of her due date he had announced he was going to cook her favorite dinner because she would probably be stuck on hospital food soon. He was halfway through dinner when her water broke. He had collected her overnight bag and got her into his car so fast that he almost left with the food still cooking on the stove. While Tess laughed at him from his passenger seat, Nate ran back inside to shut off all the appliances that could start a fire while they were gone.
Nate got her to the hospital as quickly as he could. They got here into a wheelchair and began to wheel her toward the delivery room. Nate didn't follow her. The nurse pushing her paused.
"Doesn't the father want to be in the room?"
"Nate," Tess breathed.
"I'm not the…I'm not…" Nate began to stammer.
Tess pleaded with her eyes wide, "Don't leave me."
Nate took a few long strides to catch up with them. He never left her side again.
The next morning, Tess sat content in her hospital bed with her daughter nestled in her arms. Nate was sitting in the chair next to her bed. Mitchie was across the room, busying herself with rearranging the flowers in the bouquet she had bought at the gift shop. The sun was shining through the windows, and Tess was happier than she could have imagined.
There was a light knock on the open door to the room. All three heads turned to see who the newest visitor was. Shane cautiously entered the room, his hands buried in his pockets. No one said anything as he approached the side of Tess's bed.
Shane swallowed down his anxiety, looked Tess right in the eyes and asked, "Can I hold her?"
Tess smiled softly, "Of course. She's your daughter."
Shane gently took her from Tess's arms, careful to support her head. He looked down into his daughter's face and was taken aback. It was hard for him to believe the child in her arms was real.
"What's her name?" Shane looked up at Tess, but his eyes were soon drawn back down to the baby girls'.
"Amelia," Tess responded.
"Amelia," Shane tested the name on his tongue, "She's beautiful."
"Yes," Tess agreed. "She is."
It took a lot of time for everything to fall into place.
Nate remained by Tess's side for every step of the way. He kissed her again for the first time the day she brought Amelia home from the hospital. They were standing over the crib where Amelia lay sleeping. Tess had let out a contented sigh and Nate pulled her into a hug. As she pulled away, he couldn't help but drop a kiss to her lips.
Their relationship progressed as Amelia began to grow.
Nate was there for her first word. He was there to witness her first steps. It was on that momentous occasion that he dropped down on one knee and proposed to Tess. With tears in her eyes, she accepted.
When they got married, with the help of Mitchie, Amelia was able to walk down the aisle before her mother.
Shane was there through it all to watch his daughter grow up. His relationship with Mitchie was never quite the same and they eventually parted ways.
Years had gone by, Tess and Nate had their own children, and Amelia was growing up to be a happy and carefree little girl. Everything appeared to be leading to a happily ever after. Though there were the rare few times when someone would comment on how Amelia "looked just like her father." There would be a brief moment when Tess would see the age old hurt flash in Nate's eyes. But it would pass, and he would kiss Tess lightly on her temple, ruffle Amelia's hair, tell their boys to behave, and they would go back to looking like the perfect, happy family.