Will pulled his shirt over his head wincing at the pain in his abs. Ever since his fight with Ronnie he had hit the gym hard trying to get out his frustration. It wasn't like he had done something wrong. She had pushed his buttons to the point where he had felt as if he could hurt her but instead he had aimed for her heart. He didn't want to admit it but he had stood outside her room listening to her cry. In a twisted way it had made him feel better. That was another reason why his body was screaming at him. Who felt better after deliberately hurting someone's feelings? Those two reasons had kept him in the gym for twenty hours that week.

The rest of the week Ronnie had gone out of her way to avoid him and he had done his best not to get in her way as well. Things were getting awkward. When he had asked Ronnie to move in with him his goal was to win her back but he wasn't sure if he wanted that anymore. Losing Emma had taken the sparkle out of Ronnie's eyes and left her bitter. He wasn't sure she was ever going to move on, even with the new baby on the way. Annie, though, was full of life. She smiled all the time and had a great sense of humor. Will didn't feel lonely with her.

There was a knock on the door and Will went to answer it knowing Annie was here so that they could go to his parent's anniversary bash. In usual Annie style, she was dressed in a summer dress that fit her perfectly. Her hair was down but was adorned with a pink seasonal flower Will didn't know the name of. "You look fantastic."

"Thanks. I have to tell you that I tried on every dress I owned twice before deciding on this," she swept past him into the house. In her hands she held two gifts wrapped in floral paper.

"What's this for," he asked.

"One of them is your parent's anniversary gift and the other is for you. I found this great antique store that had these amazing picture frames. I purchased a painting from a local artist to give your parent's I hope they like it."

"I'm sure they will. What about my gift? Can I open it?" Annie set the gift in his hands and watched as he opened it. He wasn't one to save the paper but he took his time building the suspense. When one side was open he slid the gift out that turned out to be a picture of them from the party the weekend before. "I love it."

"Are you sure? I saw this frame and fell in love."

"Thank you," he leaned over and gave her a peck on the cheek. "You ready to meet the parents?"

"As I will ever be. Is Ronnie driving over with us," she asked glancing around the house.

"Um, no, she spent the night at my parent's house. According to my sister she fell asleep on the couch and her husband moved Ronnie into the guest room."

Annie cringed," I was hoping I would meet her here. I don't want to create a scene at the party."

"Don't worry. Ronnie's bark is worse than her bite." Will's ploy to lighten the mood worked because Annie laughed at his joke.

They drove over to his parent's house and parked along the path that led to the house. The drive was already full of guests who were making their way to the backyard. He could see through the trees that lights had been suspended from the top of his house to a tent that had been erected but not much else. Annie took a deep breath before following the throng of guests. At the entrance his parent's stood off to the side welcoming everyone who walked by.

"Will," his mom squealed with delight. "Your wife is the sweetest for helping put this night together. Poor thing was exhausted and passed out last night."

"Ex-wife mother," he placed a kiss on her cheek and shook his father's hand.

"Who is your friend," she asked replacing her smile with a cool evaluation.

"Mom, dad, this is Annie."

Annie stepped up and gave them both a hug; which he could tell his mother wasn't happy about. "It is so nice to meet you both. You have a great son."

"Well, thank you," his dad answered. "I think I did a good job raising him."

"You did," Annie agreed. "Opens the door for me like a real gentleman."

"Good to hear," his mother smiled in a way that didn't reach her eyes. "Will, I am worried about Ronnie."

Will turned back to his mother," Is she okay?" He wasn't sure why but his heart started beating faster.

"She has been working non-stop this week. I asked her if anything was wrong but she said she didn't want to talk about it. She needs to take it easy. It's not good for the baby."

"I've been worried about her too. She barely touched any of her food last night," his father chimed in.

"Can you talk to her? You know you're the only one she will listen to."

"I'll take care of it." Will excused himself feeling betrayed by their actions. He had no doubt that his mother was worried about Ronnie but he also knew that she had said it all in front of Annie to scare her off. "Sorry about them. My mom takes a little while to warm up."

"No problem. I thought they were great."

Will ducked through the crowd pulling Annie with him till they were at the front steps. He figured he might as well find Ronnie and get the introductions over with. Ronnie was not going to be happy to meet Annie. He also wanted to talk to her about how hard she had been pushing herself. He was worried about the baby but he was more concerned with Ronnie's well being.

The house was empty except for the caterers who and a few guests who were lined up at the pool bath. He could hear a low hum coming from outside where the guests were most likely enjoying a cocktail. He turned the corner into the kitchen with its white cabinets and dark marble countertops to find Ronnie talking to one of the waiters.

"I love the stuffed mushrooms. They are worth every penny," she commented.

"Ronnie," Will got her attention. He noticed that Annie slunk behind him.

"Excuse me," she said to the waiter who picked up a tray and made his way out of the kitchen. "Have you seen the patio? It came out great didn't it?"

"I haven't seen it yet but my mom seems to be excited. Ronnie when is the last time you got some rest?"

"Megan didn't tell you that I fell asleep on the couch last night?"

"She did but you look like you could use a weeks worth of sleep." Will could see that her eyes were red and there were heavy bags under each. "My dad also said you haven't been eating. Do I need to keep an eye on you?"

"No, I was just upset about our fight. I hate it when we fight and I promise starting tomorrow I will slow down."

"You will slow down starting tonight," Will countered. "I want you to go take a rest for an hour. The party will still be going on for hours."

"Fine," Ronnie pouted.

Annie took that moment to step around Will. "Ronnie, this is Annie."

"It's nice to meet you," Annie stuck out her hand.

"You too," Ronnie shook her hand. "Have you met the family yet?"

"I met his parent's as we walked in. I don't think his mother liked me too much."

"You should have seen her when she met me. If looks could kill I wouldn't be here now. Just give her time. She doesn't like change."

Will smiled at Ronnie remembering the first time she had met his mother. They had been covered in mud and his mother had given her a similar look to what she had just given Annie.

"If you will excuse me the master says I have to go lie down," Ronnie indicated with a nod in Will's direction. "I will see you two later."

Will watched Ronnie exit the kitchen and couldn't fathom why he wanted to stop her. Since she had come back from New York all he wanted to do was touch her but she was off limits. Instead he had chosen his relationship with Annie as a distraction. The only reason he could see, as to why he wanted to stop her, was because the pain in Ronnie's eyes when he had introduced Annie.

"You ready to go party," Annie asked.

"Heck yeah."

The party was lively for his mother's usual group. Megan had ordered a D.J. that was spinning tunes from every genre and generation. The place was decked out in blues and gold that had been the colors for his parent's wedding. This explained the reason why the invitations had specified that the guests wear blue or white. Annie and him spent most of their time on the dance floor and talking to old friends he hadn't seen in a while.

"This must be Annie," Megan stepped through the crowd and joined them by the back door. She had a one shouldered midnight blue dress on that went almost perfectly with his button down shirt and tie. "I have heard so much about you."

Megan gave Annie a hug. "That is what I like to hear. You did a great job with this party."

"Thanks. I can't take all the credit though. My husband helped and so did Ronnie. Have you met her yet?"

Annie nodded," I have. She is nice. Will had me nervous that she was going to be this evil woman who was going to kill me if she had a chance."

"Will has a distorted view of Ronnie right now." Her eyes sought Will's. "Sometimes we are so busy noticing others faults that we miss our own. But I don't want to bring any one down so enjoy the party. I have guests to entertain."

Over the music blaring from the speakers Will heard music that made his ears perk up. He knew the melody like the back of his hand and stopped Megan from leaving the two of them. "Do you hear that," he asked.

"Where is it coming from?"

"I have an idea," Will answered. He grabbed Annie's hand and led her into the house. Megan followed close behind them. The music room stood off to the right side of the house as you came in and was blocked by a mass of people. Some stood on tiptoe hoping to see in and other just stood in the foyer listening intently. Will excused himself tapping people on the shoulder so that he could make it to the center of the room where Ronnie was sitting behind the piano. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail like she always wore it when she was playing. Her eyes were closed and she swayed back in forth using her whole body to express her music. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

"What's going on," Annie asked still by his side. "Wow, is that Ronnie? Where did she learn to play like that?"

"Her father was a pianist and taught her how to play. She grew up being a child prodigy," Megan answered before putting her hand on Will's shoulder. He knew she was trying to give him support because the piece she was playing was special to him.

"Are you okay," Annie asked.

"She composed this piece for me for our wedding day," he answered but kept his eyes on Ronnie.

This chapter came to me quickly so I wanted to pass it on and not leave you in suspense. Unfortunately it will just leave you waiting for the next chapter. What do you think about Will's response to Ronnie playing the wedding piece? Please leave a review/comment I would appreciate it!