"I was about to ask Veronica the same thing."

Veronica and Ed looked at each other for a second before she nodded.

Ed took a deep breath. "We're dating." He smiled at Greg, hoping he wouldn't be mad.

Greg nodded, already expecting this answer when he walked in seeing both of them dressed like that. "The two of you, are dating?"

"Yes."

"This is the mystery woman?"

"Yes."

Greg shook his head. "How long has this been going on?"

"Half a year.."

He looked at Ed. "Were you ever planning on telling me?"

"Yes, after the wedding."

Greg nodded and looked at Veronica. "Your mom is not going to like this."

"Greg, what's taking you so.." Jessie stopped mid-sentence as she walked in. She took in Veronica and then Ed. "What are you doing here?"

"We're dating." Veronica told her.

"What?!" She looked at Ed. "She's 26!" She stepped a little closer. "You're in your 40's! What the hell do you think you're doing!"

Veronica looked at Greg, hoping he would help but he kept quiet.

"You son of a bitch! Cradle robber! Paedophile!" She walked towards Ed but Veronica jumped in between.

"Mom, stop it."

"You're just 26!"

"Mom, please."

"What has he done to you?!"

"Nothing I didn't want him to. Mom, just breathe."

Ed looked at the two women in front of him, he was about to open his mouth but saw Greg shake his head at him. He sighed, realizing he was probably right and he could best keep his mouth shut.

"No, you're not going to see him ever again!" She grabbed Veronica's wrist.

She freed her wrist from her mother's grasp. "I will see him whenever I want to."

"No, he's not going to come near you ever again."

"Yes he is mom, I love him."

"You don't know what love is.."

"Right, just because you got knocked up when you were 15?" Veronica huffed. "Well I damn well know what love is. And I'm going to continue to see him."

She shook her head. "Not while you're living under my roof you're not." She looked at Veronica expectantly.

"Are you making me choose?"

"Yes, me or him." Veronica looked between her mother and Ed. "What is it going to be Veronica?"

"Are you seriously making me choose between my family and the guy that makes me happy?"

"Yes. What is it going to be?"

Veronica looked at the ground. "Fine." She said defeated.

"Good come on, let's go home.."

"I choose Ed." She looked up at her mother, her gaze cold.

She looked surprised. "What?"

"I. Choose. Ed."

"How can you choose him over me! I raised you."

"Because he's never made me choose. Because he makes me happy, where right now you're the one making me feel miserable." She looked over at Ed, he was looking just as surprised as Greg and her mother were. "He wanted to tell you a long time ago, but I asked him not to. Because I knew you wouldn't be happy for me."

"Veronica.."

Veronica zipped open Ed's gym bag and grabbed his sweats and a sweater before putting them on over the clothes she was already wearing.

"No, you made me choose. I didn't want to choose, but you made me. Don't worry, I'll have my stuff packed by the time you get back from the florist."

She grabbed her keys and walked out. Leaving Ed standing there in his towel. Jessie looked him over, angry, before walking out.

"So.." Ed said, looking at Greg. "Are you mad too?"

"No, I know you and I know Veronica. You've both probably thought long and hard about it before you started dating." Ed nodded. "I'm a little.. upset though." He said looking at down. "A little hurt, you didn't think you could trust me enough to tell me."

Ed shook his head. "Greg, that's not.."

"I better go to the car."

"Greg, come on. Let me at least explain how this happened."

"How long has it been going on again?"

Ed sighed. "About half a year.."

"Then you've had at least 5 months, to explain. I have to go."

Ed handed him a dvd from the table. "Guessing that's why you came here in the first place.."

"Yeah, thanks." He looked back at Ed. "I'm sorry it turned out this way."

"Me too."

"I'm sure it'll turn out okay."

"Thanks, buddy"

…

"Hey, Ange. It's Veronica, please call me back when you get this." She hung up the phone and continued packing boxes. She'd finished a couple of boxes when her phone started ringing. She checked the display, 'Ed'. "Hey, G-man."

"Hey, are you really packing?"

"Yep." She put the phone on speaker and grabbed another box.

She could hear him sigh. "Do you think you should make a rash decision about this?"

"She made me choose, Ed.."

"Yeah, do you think you made the right choice?"

"Yeah, don't you?"

He was silent for a second or two. "I don't know, V. I mean, she raised you.."

"Ed, for the first time in my life I'm really, truly happy, and it doesn't have anything to do with my mom."

"I'm sure you've been happy before.."

"Not like this, no."

He sounded unconvinced. "Come on, you're telling me you've never been happy?"

"Ed, I don't want to have this conversation over the phone.."

"This conversation? It's just a conversation, there's no heavy stuff.."

Veronica sighed and was silent for a second. "I've tried to kill myself 3 times in my teen-years, Ed." He didn't respond. "Don't tell my mom or Greg.. no one knows.."

"Yeah, of course." She could hear the shock in his voice.

She heard the front door close. "I think my mom's here.. gotta go."

"Sure, if you need a place to stay.."

"I'll just check into a hotel for a couple of nights, but thanks. I'll call you later."

"Please do." Then she hung up.

Veronica continued packing and was almost done when her door opened. She didn't look up, expecting to see her mother.

"You sure you want to do this?" It was Greg.

She looked up and nodded. "I'm sure. Mind handing me another box?" She said while she was taping shut another.

"Sure." He handed her the box. "So, your mom is downstairs."

"Good for her.."

He shook his head. "Veronica.."

"She made me choose, Greg. It just came to bite her in the ass."

"She loves you.."

"If she does she will learn to accept that I love Ed."

"Do you at least get where she's coming from?"

"Of course, he's much older, is divorced and has a kid.. she's worried. Doesn't mean she should call him a cradle robber or paedophile.. She'd kill me if I'd call you names like that."

"She's just a little upset."

"Yeah, well so am I." She taped up the last box. "I think that's pretty much it. Tell her I'll fit as much into my car as I can and I will pick up the rest when she's at work sometime."

Greg nodded, it seemed he couldn't change her mind.

"I've been wanting to move out for a little while anyway." She grabbed a bag and a box.

"Let me help." He grabbed a box.

"Are you sure? Mom could kill you for helping you know?"

"I'll live, I'm a negotiator, you know?" He joked.

She nodded. "I'm aware." She walked down and straight past the living room, not looking inside.

Greg followed her with a box, and together they had the car filled up in no time.

"Ed said you'd been seeing him for about 6 months?" Veronica nodded. "You told your mom Ed wanted to tell her?"

"Yes, when I wouldn't let him do that.. he asked me if he could tell you."

"He did?"

"Yeah, he wanted to tell you after like two weeks or something. Before anything really happened."

"You wouldn't let him?"

Veronica shook her head, trying to assess why he was asking her and not Ed. "No, I was afraid you would tell mom or judge us or something. We made a deal, he could tell you after the wedding."

"Really?"

"Really, don't blame him." She smiled at him and got into her car. "See you around, Greg."

He sighed and nodded. "See you around."

…