AN: Happy CPD day! Really short chapter word count wise, but highly important. I could have attached it to the last one, but I just wasn't feeling it. Don't ask me why. Plus, it gave me an excuse to update again to celebrate Wednesday. Enjoy!

When I hear the sound of high tide thunder
I can see your hair blowing in the breeze
I think about how you and that twenty-one summer made a man of me
Yeah you made a man of me

"21 Summer" – Brothers Osbourne

"Adam."

I was trying to feed dinner to Belle and she was slowly complying. Kim was still here. She hadn't left all day and I was glad that we were both off. I looked up to her as I was waiting for Belle to chew her food.

"I do love you."

"Good. Cause I love you too. What's up?"

Kim sat down on the bar stool at the kitchen island as she brushed Belle's hair out of her eyes while Belle continued to pick up her food with her fingers to eat it. Kim finally brought her eyes back to mine as she spoke.

"I've felt guilty. It was why I couldn't answer my sister's questions. I have so much guilt about being with you and everything that happened with Rachel."

"Why? I don't understand, Kim. You haven't done anything that should warrant that."

Kim looked down and then back at me.

"The two of you getting pregnant. It hurt me. It really did. You two had moved in together and then she was pregnant. You both were doing everything that I had dreamed of having with you. Everything that I had wanted. When Rachel died….I felt so bad. She was so nice to me even though she knew that I still loved you."

"What?"

Kim looked down and started to move her finger around on the counter following some pattern that I could not see.

"She knew. Saw right through me, but it didn't seem to bother her. She was so confident in your relationship and I was so jealous of that. Its why I couldn't answer my sister. How could I be that confident that you would want me when I basically would have been selfishly happy if the two of you didn't work out. But I never wanted all this. I'm not making sense. I don't deserve you, Adam. I don't deserve to be here."

I had to swallow at that. Swallow down all the hurt and pain that I heard in her and felt in myself.

"When I told Roman that it was okay and that he could have you….I didn't mean it. I was angry. I was hurt. I never wanted the two of you to work out, either. Didn't mean that I wanted him shot or for him to lose his career. None of that made me happy, Kim. Nor did I create that situation. It happened. Life happened. Kim, you had nothing to do with what happened to Rachel. I can understand the emotion. I can understand feeling guilty, but from me….you have no reason to feel that you don't deserve to be here. If you don't; then I sure as hell don't deserve to have you."

"It's more complicated than that, Adam. Belle…."

My daughter now looked right at Kim and smiled. She held out her piece of food to Kim in offer. Kim shook her head no and pointed back to Belle. Belle immediately ate what she had.

"She's your daughter and anyone that you decide to be with should deserve to be around her."

That statement suddenly made so much clear to me.

"Kim, Belle loves you. She has from the moment she met you. That alone makes you more than worthy."

"She loves everyone."

I had to shake my head and laugh at that. Kim was now looking at me like I was crazy.

"No, she doesn't. She can't stand my Mom. Keeping in mind, that is her grandmother. She loves my stepmother which is just going to go over great when Mom finds out. I'm hoping I can delay that for as long as possible. Shouldn't be too hard since they are never in the same room."

"Really?"

"Yeah. They hate each other which is beside the point. Kim, I have no question in my mind that you deserve to be in Belle's life. If I didn't believe that, I never would have let you sit with her, ever."

"Even after everything I just told you."

"Kim, I can't say that if you had a child with Roman that I would not have been insanely jealous. I have no idea if I could be a big enough person to care for that child. I'd like to think so, but I don't know. That didn't happen. What I do know is that you have shown me how much you care about Belle. Kim, you really do not know how much you show that you care without saying a word."

Even at that moment I knew that Kim didn't realize what she was doing. She was gently stroking Belle's hair and every few strokes Belle was looking up at Kim with that pure love that children possess.

"Ok. You said that you want me to be completely honest."

"I don't recall using the word completely, but sure."

"Our first date."

"Yeah. What about it?"

"I was supposed to go out with someone else that night."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Do you remember Clarke?"

"The firefighter turned doctor?"

"Yeah."

"Him?"

"Yeah. I cancelled."

Oh, that just made my day.

"Belle, sweetie. Did you just hear that? Your daddy has game."

Kim was now rolling her eyes.

"I knew I shouldn't have told you that."

Belle just blew a raspberry at me.

"That's right, Belle. Tell your Daddy that it isn't sexy to gloat."

"Sexy, huh?"

"Stop it."

I just smiled. Not in a million years.

Post note: I just had to put Clarke in there. I am so loving the fact that he is back on Chicago Med. Was really sad when he left Fire.