Thank you all for always providing me with such kind words about this story. I appreciate it so much! And thank you for sticking with me. I know I have made it hard to be patient. But I promise we are getting closer to the good stuff! I love hearing from you all! Again thank you so much! :)


"Sonny? What a pleasant surprise!"

"Hey, Dad. I really need to talk to you. Are you free?"

"Of course, Son. What's wrong?"

Sonny sits down on the couch and his father follows suit. Sonny sighs and says, "I broke up with Neil today."

"I'm so sorry, Sonny. Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

"Can I ask why?"

"Well, you know how we were having issues, right?"

Justin nods his head and says, "He had issues with your friendship with Will, right?"

"Yeah. That among other things."

"Is that why you broke up with him? Because of your friendship with Will?"

"Sort of. I guess."

"Why don't you start at the beginning."

Sonny nods his head, takes a deep breath, and tells his dad everything that has happened over the last couple of months. Will working at the coffee shop. Will's daughter. All the late night talks after work. Spending time with Arianna and Will. Missing his anniversary with Neil to stay with Arianna at the hospital. Brian and Neil. Gabi and Will. Arianna and Will. And his confusion about his feelings for Will.

"Well, sounds like you have had a lot going on."

Sonny smiles weakly at Justin and says, "Yeah. It's been interesting."

"How do you feel about breaking up with Neil?"

"There's a sense of relief. And I know that is terrible to say, Dad. But we just weren't good together. Even you and mom said that."

"Well, you never seemed happy with him. Were you happy with Neil?"

"No. I don't think so. I think I tried to convince myself that I was. And then when he said he and Brian slept together."

"Wait. Your boyfriend and Will's boyfriend had sex while you guys were still with them?" Justin asks with confusion.

"That's what he said before he left my apartment today."

"Do you believe him?"

"I don't know, Dad. He says things he doesn't mean when he is hurt and angry. He says whatever he can to make the other person hurt just as much as he is hurting. So I don't know if he cheated on me or not."

"Does it matter to you at this point?"

"Of course it matters!"

"What I mean to say is aren't both things just as bad. Cheating on you or purposely hurting you with words. Different means, but same result."

"When you put it that way, I guess you are right. I guess it doesn't matter if he cheated or not. But I shouldn't be surprised if he did in fact cheat."

"Why's that?"

"Because he has cheated in all of his relationships. So why should I think this one would be any different? Why should I think that I would be the one he decided to be faithful to?"

"Sonny, you can't blame yourself for this. You have every right to believe that your boyfriend wouldn't cheat on you. Did you ever have any doubts about his fidelity?"

"Of course there were times. But it's not like I was being a great boyfriend the last couple of months. I was spending a lot of time with Will and Arianna. Neil kept trying to tell me he was feeling neglected. But I ignored it. Then I chose Will and his daughter over celebrating my anniversary with Neil. He kind of checked out awhile ago. Or maybe I checked out.I don't really know for sure. But he was angry all the time. And he kept making these secret calls. But I was too preoccupied to really care or pay attention. So, how can I not blame myself for this?"

"Son, there are better ways of dealing with things than cheating. Neil wasn't able to convey to you how he felt. You can't blame yourself for that."

"But I kept choosing Will over Neil. And I never even realized I was doing it. Until now."

"Why were you choosing Will over Neil?"

"Things were just easy with Will. Yeah, he has his drama. Baby mama drama, especially. But I could talk to him like I haven't been able to talk to anyone else. Everything just felt so natural. And I love being around him. I felt happier being around him."

"Do you love Neil?"

Sonny shakes his head and says, "I care about Neil and I love him, but I'm not in love with him."

"Do you love Will?"

Sonny is taken aback by his father's question. "What do you mean, Dad? We have only known each other for a couple of months. How could I be in love with him?"

"I didn't ask if you were in love with him. I asked if you loved him. Sonny, tell me honestly. How do you feel about Will?"

"I care about him. Especially his little girl. When the two of them are together. I can't explain it, Dad. It's just the most amazing thing."

Justin smiles at his son and says, "You should see the way you light up when you talk about them."

Sonny begins to blush. "I told him I wanted him today. And then he kicked me out. So does it really matter how I feel about him?"

"Of course it matters. You need to figure out how exactly you feel about Will. And you have to be honest with yourself here, son."

"I know, Dad. But what if he doesn't feel the same way. What if he doesn't care about me like I care about him."

"I highly doubt that from what you are saying. If you truly want to be with him, maybe you just need to give him some time and space to figure out how he feels. You have been denying how you feel about Will because of Neil. But now Neil is no longer in the picture, right? But is Brian out of the picture for Will?"

"Honestly, I have no clue where they stand. I know they also have been on shaky ground for a while."

"Do you think Will knows where they stand? Do you think Will knows how he feels about you?"

"I really don't know."

"And you said Will has a daughter. Where does she fit into all of this?"

"I love that little girl so much," Sonny says quietly.

"I can tell. But you have to remember, Will's daughter has to come first."

Sonny sighs, "I know, Dad. Thanks. I have a lot to think about. But I need to get some sleep. I am exhausted from the day."

Sonny stands up as his father does the same. They hug each other and walk to the door.

"Don't forget to call me. I want to know how all of this goes."

"I will, Dad."

"And stop being such a stranger."

Sonny smiles and waves bye to his dad.


"Daaaaaddy! Have to?" Arianna whines.

"Yes," Will laughs. "You are far too sticky to not take a bath right now."

"Don't wanna," she protests.

Will picks her up and carries her to the bathroom. Arianna is wiggling in his arms, trying to unsuccessfully get herself free from her father's grasp.

"See, your bath is all ready."

Will places his daughter on the ground. Arianna crosses her arms and begins to pout. "Don't wanna."

"Off with the clothes, baby girl."

Arianna shakes her head and says,"Don't wanna."

"And why not?"

"No Brian!" Arianna says sternly, stomping her foot on the floor with indignation.

"And no Sonny."

"Buuuuut Daaaaaaddy!"

"That's the deal. If you don't take a bath, you don't get to see Sonny after we see Brian."

"Fine," Arianna says, pouting.

Arianna peels off her clothes and hops in the bath tub. She begins splashing around and giggling. Then begins singing, "Wanna see Sonny!"

Will shakes his head and smiles. A part of him also wants to see Sonny, but he is still so confused about everything. Especially after Brian bought them that cake. Will hates how he basically kicked Sonny out of the apartment. But he was so overwhelmed and he just didn't know what to say or do. And deep down, Will knows that Sonny would never intentionally hurt someone. Especially Arianna. It's written all over his face how much Sonny adores his daughter.

"All done!" Arianna exclaims.

"That was fast!"

"Wanna see Sonny!"

"Let me check you out."

Arianna stands up in the tub and spins around. "See?"

"You look all clean to me. And you are no longer all sticky!"

"Done!" Arianna exclaims, happily. She lifts her arms up and Will drapes a towel around her. Then lifts her out of the tub and places her on the ground. He empties the tub then dries his daughter off.

"Now what would you like to wear, baby girl?"

"Dress!"

"A dress? But you never like to wear the dresses we bought for you."

"Look pretty for Sonny!"

"You want to look pretty for Sonny?"

"Yes!"

"And why is that, sweetie?"

"Love Sonny!"

"Oh, do you now? I would never have guessed that!" Will replies smiling.

Arianna drops the towel and races off to her room to pick out the dress she wants to wear to see Sonny. She picks her favorite sundress that is bright yellow with white polka dots. "This one!"

Will saunters into the room and looks at the dress his daughter is pointing to. "You want to wear that one?"

"Faborite!"

"I know," Will says sadly.

"where did this dress come from?" Will asks Gabi.

"Nick bought it for her."

"Was this before or after he tried to take her away from me?"

"Don't be like this, Will!"

"Don't be like what, Gabi? Your husband tried to take my daughter away from me. How should I be?"

"He did not."

"Yeah he did. And isn't that part of the reason he is back in prison now?"

"You know the answer to that,Will,," Gabi huffs. "Do you not want her to have that dress because Nick got it for her?"

"I don't want any reminders of him in our lives, okay?"

"No. That is not okay. He is still my husband."

"That doesn't mean I want him a part of her life. Your bad judgment doesn't need to affect our daughter."

"Really, Will? It's her favorite dress! Just let it go."

"Daaad-dddy!" Arianna drawls out.

Will is snapped out of his thoughts and tries to refocus on his daughter. But these fleeting reminders of Nick just haunt him to his core. It takes Will back to the worst time in his life. The time when he almost lost everything.

Will puts on a fake smile and says softly,"yes, sweetie?"

"Don't like dress?" Arianna pouts.

"Whatever you would like to wear is fine by me."

"That one!" Arianna points at the dress again. Will walks over and retrieves it from the closet.

Will helps her slip into the dress. They put on her yellow jellies that match the dress. Then head to the bathroom to fix her hair and brush her teeth. Will never has any clue what to do with her hair. Luckily, he has two little sisters or else he would be in real trouble when it comes to that department. What he does know how to do is thanks to them and Gabi. He pulls her hair back into a ponytail and wraps a yellow ribbon around her hair, the way Gabi taught him how to do. Her black, bouncy curls descend down her back. Will then grabs the toothbrush and helps her brush her teeth.

"Sonny time!" Arianna shrieks.

"Almost," Will sighs. "Can you wait for me in the living room, sweetie? I will be right out."

Arianna nods her head enthusiastically and races down the hall. Will watches her race off and takes a deep breath and leans against the door frame. Will isn't sure why, but all the sudden he feels anxious about talking with Brian and Sonny. Will decided he would let Arianna stay with Sonny while he talked with Brian. He still isn't quite sure why she freaks out in the presence of Brian. And Ari has never said why she doesn't like him. But then, Will reasons, she is only 3. Since his daughter loves spending time with Sonny and Will completely trusts him with his daughter, he figures he can kill two birds with one stone.

Will walks out into the living room and sees his daughter sitting in her chair, swinging her legs. She is glowing with excitement.

"What's dis, daddy?"

Arianna holds up a blue envelope that Will doesn't recall seeing.

"I don't know, sweetie. Where did you find it?"

"On floor. In kitchen."

Will sees his name written across the envelope. He wonders where this came from. He takes it from his daughter's awaiting hands then breaks the seal.

He pulls a card out of the envelope. All that is written on the front of the card is I'm sorry. Will opens the card and sees that it is from Sonny. He wrote him a message on the otherwise blank card.

"What is it?" Arianna asks, curiously.

"It's a card from Sonny."

"Sonny?" Arianna perks up at the sound of his name.

"Yeah," Will whispers.

"What it say?"

"That he's sorry, sweetie."

"Why?"

Will peels his eyes away from the card and looks into his daughter's eyes. "Remember how I told you earlier we wouldn't see much of Sonny anymore?"

Arianna nods her head sadly.

"Well, we had a little disagreement earlier. And he is apologizing for that."

"Oh," she whispers. "Forgiben?"

Will smiles and nods his head. Arianna jumps up from her chair and runs into Will's arms. He sits her up on his lap as he begins to finally read the words that Sonny wrote.

Will,

I am so sorry for what I said earlier. I really hope you can forgive me. You have to know that I would never want to hurt you or Arianna. I care about the both of you so much. And to show just how sorry I am I bought you this cake. I remember you saying how much you love this bakery and this cake. But you never got to have it because Brian doesn't like chocolate. I know this is no way makes up for the words I said and the hurt I caused. Please let me make it up to you and Arianna. I would like to show you just how much you mean to me.

Sonny