I Know It Breaks Your Heart

Zacky hated this. He hated that he had agreed to come inside despite knowing that Maddy wasn't here. That should have been all that he needed to know to turn around and leave but he just couldn't help it. But now? Now, Zacky wanted to all but run for the front door as he stood. It was a horrible idea, nothing good was going to come from him staying. Listening to Emily talk about how he shouldn't leave made it all that much harder as he turned to walk away, shoving his hands into his pockets. Just keep walking, Z. One foot in front of the other. Zacky's stomach sank as Emily's hand wrapped around his wrist. His shoulders pulled together as he exhaled slowly. He cursed under his breathe before slowly turning to face Emily.

On instinct alone, Zacky reached out to steady Emily as she stood. He didn't want her to fall and hurt herself - not now, not ever. He sighed, his shoulders sagging as Emily continued to try and convince him to stay. He opened his mouth to tell her no, that he couldn't, but then those words were spoken. Whatever walls Zacky had built to protect himself crumbled with the snap of his fingers. His eyes flicked to hers as his back straightened. He was scrambling to rebuild those walls but he wasn't fast enough because the next moment, Emily's lips were on his.

Zacky sank forward, his hands slipping to rest on Emily's waist. His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling Emily closer. He deepened the kiss before pulling away suddenly, kissing down her jaw. "Em," he breathed, nosing at her chin. When she lifted her head, Zacky nuzzled her neck, nipping gently. "You know this is a bad idea. You know it," he hissed through gritted teeth, giving a shake of his head. "Why are you doing this?"

For a split second after their lips had touched, Emily had a moment of clarity and she regretted what she was doing. But then Zacky was pulling her close and kissing her back and she didn't regret a thing. Emily's eyes opened when she heard Zacky say her old nickname, but she remained silent, lifting her head as he nudged at her chin, sighing softly when he started to nip at her neck. "I know it's a bad idea," Emily said breathlessly. Of course she knew that what they were doing was a bad idea. It was an awful idea. But that didn't change anything. "But I don't care," she continued, shaking her head. "I don't care. And I...I'm doing this because...because I still love you, Zacky." Emily pulled back just enough to look him in the eye. In the back of her mind, she absolutely knew she should tell Zacky to leave, just play off what she'd done as an effect of the wine, but she couldn't bring herself to do that.

Instead Emily leaned in to kiss Zacky, sliding her hands up his chest. It was astounding to her how easy it was to fall back into her old habits with Zacky, to pretend like the past four years hadn't even happened and to forget the reason she'd left in the first place. Of course, she'd never let herself realize how much she missed Zacky until just now. The wine had her feeling a bit brave, and Emily slipped a hand underneath Zacky's shirt, feeling his warm skin beneath her fingertips. He definitely felt a bit more toned than she remembered. "I missed you, Zack," Emily whispered against his lips. "And...And I-I don't care if this a bad idea. Besides, you can't pretend you haven't missed this, too. But...if you really want to leave, I won't try to stop you anymore."

(I typed this thing up like three times because I couldn't decide how I wanted Zacky to respond but if you want me to change it, I def can!)

You didn't get very far in the life that Zacky led without being able to handle yourself in any given situation. There were plenty of people that wanted Zacky's head on a platter and he wasn't always with someone else. Matt or Brian were usually with him, if not both, but times like when he was going to and from Emily's home. No one accompanied him then, no one even knew what he was doing. Zacky was trying his damnedest to keep Emily out of this, to keep her safe. And he knew that if he left this continue down the path that Emily so clearly wanted to go down. He let out a sigh as brushed Emily's hair out of her face, his frown only deepening as she spoke. "I can't keep you safe if we go down this path, sweetheart," he whispered, his voice catching. Zacky's brows pulled together as he shook his head, his grip tightening around her waist.

"I've done everything I can to keep this all under the radar. To keep you and Maddy out of any harms way. God knows I don't fuckin' want to," Zacky muttered, brushing his thumb over her bottom lip slowly. "God knows I want to lay you out and fuck like it's the last day on Earth," he whispered, unable to suppress the chuckle that he let out. He raised an eyebrow, holding up his finger to her mouth when she went to speak. "I can promise I'll do my very best to keep you as safe as I can. No harm'll come to either of you if I have any say in it."

Zacky knew it would have been easy to just sleep with Emily and leave, she was drunk and she would likely beat herself up for a week or so but she'd forget about it eventually. But he knew he wouldn't. He was capable of a lot of things but he certainly wasn't capable of leaving Emily behind again should he go any further with her.

[[shot down ]]

Emily was more than a little disappointed when Zacky pushed her away again. She just wanted a little taste of what they used to have, but he just wouldn't give it to her. She opened her mouth to speak but he stopped her with a finger placed to her lips. She didn't think what he was saying was funny, so why was he laughing? When Zacky finally fell silent, Emily stared at him for a few seconds before she placed her hands on his chest, shoving him away. She was suddenly angry, more at herself than Zacky. "You...You don't want to sleep with me," she hissed at him. "If you did, you would. And I-I don't see how this would...would stop you from keeping me and-and Maddy safe. You...You're just too much of a...of a coward to tell me you don't love me anymore to my face."

Emily stumbled back to the couch, sinking down into the cushion and hiding her face in her hands. She felt like such an idiot. She shouldn't have asked Zacky to stay, shouldn't have kissed him, shouldn't have made a fool out of herself by telling Zacky that she still loved him after four long years. Especially when it was her who had left. But even if she'd been the one to leave, it still stung quite a bit to have Zacky shoot her down so casually. Emily didn't even realize that she'd started to cry until she noticed the wet drops on her pants, and she quickly pawed at her eyes. She didn't want Zacky to see her cry, he probably already thought she was enough of an idiot already. But she just couldn't help it. She'd unwisely put her heart and her feelings on the line and Zacky didn't seem to care at all. With a shaking hand, Emily reached out to refill her wine glass, taking a long, slow sip as she finally flicked her eyes up towards Zacky. "I think...I think you should go now," she mumbled. "Before I embarrass myself anymore."

(he wasn't trying to )

Zacky's brows pulled together as Emily stepped backward. His face dropped as Emily snapped at him. He took a small step back, putting a bit more distance between the two of them. "Care to remind me when I fuckin' said that? 'Cause last time I checked, I didn't," Zacky spat, his anger flaring the longer Emily yelled at him. His hands balled into fists at his sides. He shook his head, looking away from her. He exhaled slowly, gritting his teeth. "Something you're seeming to forget about me, sweetheart, is that with me, it's all or it's nothing. I don't give a shit if you're wasted or not but I think it's pretty clear it was a mistake on my part. You don't want me, you want a reminder of what we once had. The same thing that you walked away from!" Zacky knew that his words were a low blow but h wasn't going to hold back. Emily didn't seem to be, it wouldn't have been fair if he had.

Stepping forward, Zacky picked up the bottle of wine and stalked into the kitchen. He twisted the top off, dumping the remaining liquid down the drain. He dropped the bottle into the sink, heading back into the living room. "Enjoy your night," Zacky muttered, all but ripping open the door. He didn't so much as spare a look behind him, all too eager to leave Emily's house. It had been a mistake to come over here and he was learning that all too quickly.

[you dumped out her wine, Zack, how rude ]

"Actions speak louder than words, Zack," Emily hissed. "You...You might not have said i-it, but I got the...the message. Big, bad, criminal Zacky doesn't give a...a shit about anyone but himself." At this point they weren't even arguing, just trading low blows, but Emily was angry enough that she couldn't be bothered to care. Since she was as drunk as she was, it took Emily a few seconds to realize what Zacky was doing when he reached for her wine bottle. "Hey what are you doing, s-stop that!" she shouted, getting to her feet again. She had no idea why he would dump out her wine if he was just going to leave. That was her crutch for the evening, especially now that she felt so stupid and rejected, and now without it she would probably spend an embarrassing amount of time crying. When Zacky left her apartment, Emily followed after him, catching up to him after a few seconds and gave him a hard shove behind, balling her hands at her sides and waiting until he'd stopped walking before she spoke.

"You didn't have to dump out my wine, you asshole," Emily hissed. "I-I was going to drink that and...and now I can't. Don't you think I deserve a little comfort after I just fucking embarrassed myself just now?" The curse word felt foreign on Emily's tongue, since between work and Maddy, she hardly ever let one slip. But her emotions were so raw at the moment that she didn't really care. "What do you...want me to say, Zack?" Emily asked, her voice breaking. "I'm sorry? Is...Is that what you want me to say? I didn't want to walk away from you, but...but back then I didn't know what to d-do. I...I was going to come back almost as soon as I left, but...but then I-I found out I was pregnant with Maddy and..." Emily paused, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. "And I didn't think you could...keep us safe. I was wrong, I'm sorry, Zack."

(he knew what he was doing there at least )

Leaving the apartment was one of the hardest things Zacky had done. He didn't want to leave Emily, not after they'd finally gotten together after so many years but it seemed like she hated him. If Emily hated him as much as she was acting, he was going to make this as easy as possible for her. For them both. "Exactly. Now you can't," Zacky replied, his voice void of any emotion. Whatever walls that had begun to crumble had gone right back up with the way Emily had reacted. He stared at her, letting out a scoff when she finished speaking. "No. I don't want any of your fuckin' apologies, Emily." Zacky held his hands up, taking several deliberate steps away from her.

"I get it. I'm a selfish, useless asshole in your eyes. I'm stupid and I wouldn't be able to do anything for you. I won't fuckin' bother you ever again. That's the only thing I can give you that will make you remotely happy. The deposits into Maddie's trust fund will continue and that'll be it." Zacky continued to back away from Emily as he spoke, a sordid smirk growing on his features. "Good luck, Emily. Have a good life," Zacky all but spat the last few words, twisting around and storming toward his car. Zacky just wanted to be anywhere but here at this point, as long as it meant being away from Emily. He wasn't enough of a man to provide a safe place for her and their daughter, he didn't deserve either of them and he was going to make sure that he never interfered with her life again.

"That's not what I said!" Emily shouted. Zacky had gotten angry at her earlier for putting words in his mouth and now he was doing the same thing to her. "No!" she yelled at him as he walked away. "If you're going to...to leave, you can keep your Goddamn money. I-I don't want it and Maddy doesn't need it. She doesn't need you. You think you can...buy your way into her life but you can't, Zack. You don't deserve a sweet little girl like her. And...And if you want to walk away and never come back well, just, well you'll never see her again. You wouldn't know how to be a good father, anyway." Emily knew her last words were probably the lowest blow she could give Zacky right now, but she was so angry right now that she didn't care. He wanted to dump out her wine and push her away when she was trying to apologize for walking away from him so many years ago, then she didn't care if she hurt him.

Emily turned and hurried back into her apartment before Zacky could say another word to her. She closed and locked the door, sliding down to the floor and drawing her knees close to her chest. She'd never felt so lonely in her entire life and thanks to Zacky, she didn't even have any alcohol left to drink. She never should've walked up to Zacky that night in the bar; she should've just had her drinks and gone home, went off with her life as normal. Nothing good had come of that. And now Maddy had gotten attached to Zacky and Emily was sure she would have to explain to the toddler that the one person she was starting to see as a father figure wasn't going to be around anymore. Because she believed Zacky when he said he wouldn't bother her anymore, especially after what she'd said to him in the hallway. And she didn't want him to leave, because no matter how much she'd tried to deny it, she'd never stopped loving Zacky. But he'd made it more than apparent that he didn't return those feelings any longer, so maybe it was time for Emily to give up and move on.

Zacky honestly couldn't remember the last time that he had actually used anything that he sold. On the occasion, he drank but that was about as far as he would go. He didn't see much of a point in it - he should always have a level head when he ran his business. If he wasn't thinking clearly, the potential of making a mistake was higher and when you worked in the field that Zacky did? Mistakes simply weren't an option. Mistakes led to death, to losing everything you had worked so hard for, to being confined in a small cell for years on end. None of which Zacky particularly liked the sound of. But after his argument with Emily? He needed to be able to forget it all, he needed some sort of way to not feel the pain that lit his nerve endings on fire.

When Zacky slammed his door shut, he was quick to lock it. Turning the do not disturb mode on his phone, Zacky headed straight for his bedroom. He lifted the painting off of his wall, pressing his thumb against the fingerprint reader. It was only a matter of moments before he tossed back four oxy before heading back down the stairs to his kitchen. Zacky poured himself a glass of bourbon, carrying the bottle with him back up the stairs. Zacky was intent on forgetting about everything for at least the rest of the night.

It didn't take long at all for Emily's guilt to really sink in, and then she was digging through the couch cushions for her phone. When she finally found it she fumbled to dial Zacky's number, but when she finally managed to, it went straight to voicemail. He must've turned it off or on the do not disturb mode. It was probably best that Emily didn't call him, anyway. He was still angry at her and she was drunk; she just needed to go to bed. Turning her phone off and tossing it onto the coffee table, Emily slowly made her way down the hall to her bedroom, not even bothering to change clothes before she crawled into her bed, tugging the covers up to her chin and closing her eyes.

----

When Emily woke up the next morning, the first thing she noticed was the pounding between her temples. It had been a long time since she'd had that much to drink, and it showed. Now she was almost grateful that Zacky had dumped the rest of her bottle down the sink, otherwise she more than likely would've ended up in front of the toilet last night. When Emily could finally bring herself to get out of bed, she chanced a look at the clock on her nightstand, her eyes widening when she saw that it was after one in the afternoon. She'd slept way too long. Groaning as she got to her feet, Emily headed to her living room, fetching her phone and turning it. She had the obvious texts and missed calls from her mother, all of which she would return after she'd taken some Tylenol and gotten something on her belly. She was disappointed that Zacky hadn't tried to reach her, but she couldn't say that she blamed him. She'd said very hurtful things to him last night and if the roles were reversed, Emily wouldn't speak to Zacky for a long time. But she doubted he would want to hear her apologies and besides, maybe this was for the best. Zacky obviously didn't want to be around her.

Zack had gotten through the better part of the bottle of booze before he passed out, the bottle slipping out of his grip and toppling over on the floor. He slept fitfully, not a dream to be had for which he was grateful for once. He awoke somewhere in the middle of the morning but simply rolled over and fell right back to sleep after tightening his grip on the pillow in his arms. When the light peaking through the blinds was too much for him to ignore, Zacky haphazardly climbed out of bed, only to let out a string of curses as his foot collided with the bottle he'd dropped the night before. He tossed a glare through barely opened eyes before making a beeline for the bathroom. Tossing back a pair of painkillers, Zacky didn't bother to even cup his hands for a sip of water before he climbed into the shower. His entire body was sore, everything ached. Standing beneath the water, it was several long minutes before the previous night started to come back to him. Zacky lashed out, punching the shower wall multiple times.

When Zacky turned his phone off of do not disturb, he huffed when he noticed that Emily had called him the night before. His thumb hovered over the call back button before he decided against it, answering the numerous text messages that he had received. Zacky paused only long enough to toss together a smoothie before leaving the house. He had things to take care of, whether he wanted to or not, his job wasn't something that he could ignore.

Emily wanted so badly to try and call Zacky again, to try and apologize, but she knew she couldn't. She knew she shouldn't. After last night, she wouldn't be surprised if he decided that he didn't want to bother with them anyway; he would take back the money he'd given for Maddy's trust fund and disappear back into the obsurity of his work. And that was what bothered Emily the most. Thanks to her anger and frustration, she might have ruined Maddy's future. That money, as much as it might hurt Emily's pride to take it, would help Maddy attend college in the future. But would Zacky still want to help his daughter even after Emily had threatened to keep her away from him for forever? She couldn't imagine that he would. And she knew that none of this would go over well with Maddy, either. The little girl would be angry when she found out that Zacky wouldn't be around anymore, and it would likely be Emily who she lashed out at, and rightfully so.

Emily called her mother back and assured her that she hadn't died last night, hanging up and dragging herself down the hall to the bathroom. She took a quick shower, rinsing the smell of wine from her hair and the lingering feeling of disappointment and guilt from her skin. She had to keep telling herself that this was for the best, thing we're better if he stayed away. He didn't love her anymore, he'd made that perfectly clear, and with enough time, Maddy would forget about him and things could go back to normal. Grabbing her keys from the key ring, Emily slipped on her shoes and went down to her car. She thought that she might as well take advantage of Maddy's absence to do a little grocery shopping. And she could pick up another bottle of the wine, since her other bottle had been dumped down the sink.

Zacky had no damn clue how he had ended up in the current position that he was in. He had been so certain in the beginning that he wasn't going to let Emily and Maddy into his life. It was better that way because if the wrong person realized just how important the two girls were to him, Zacky knew it would be his downfall. If someone threatened the mother of his daughter, God forbid his daughter, Zacky would move mountains to save the two of them. As soon as they were safe, there was no reason to speak of what Zacky would do to turn the tables around. He was a man that would never touch family not involved but those that wronged him would pay personally. A hefty fine that may not be payable in terms other than blood.

But here he was, watching as Emily shuffled her bags toward the guest room Zacky had shown her. He would have offered help if he thought Emily would take it but her pride was already hurting. Zacky understood all too well how hard a hurt pride could be on a person. Maddy was in day care for the day, so that moving things around wouldn't fall onto her tiny shoulders. Clearing his throat, Zacky shoved his hands into his pockets. He couldn't help but wonder if Emily's parents knew the current situation. He opened his mouth to ask before suddenly shutting it. That was the wrong idea, whether he wanted to or not was irrelevant.

"I don't tend to do a whole lot of cooking at home," Zacky paused, shrugging his shoulders. "So, uh, I guess we can order whatever you're in the mood for."

Having the apartment building fumigated honestly couldn't have happened at a worse time. When the landlord made the announcement, Emily had scrambled to think of where she and Maddy would go for the month or so that they apartment would be uninhabitable. And when the answer finally came to her, Emily really hadn't wanted to accept it. She had to go slithering back to Zacky with her tail between her legs, and it had certainly hurt her pride, more than she would ever care to admit. She'd had to take a day off from work to move, but she'd taken Maddy to daycare, just so she wouldn't have to watch after a toddler while she was trying to essentially traverse a minefield.

"Well I've got to go pick Maddy up from daycare," Emily said, not looking up at Zacky as she put her bag on the guest bed. "But you can order whatever you want, I don't care. Just make sure you take Maddy into account when you do, she's pretty picky." Emily closed her eyes, sighing as she leaned against the suitcase. Even though it had been weeks, she still felt like the night when she'd drunkenly confessed that she still had feelings for Zacky, and she still felt foolish. Emily just hoped she could survive this month or so that she and Maddy would be living with Zacky without making an even bigger fool out of herself.

"By the way Zacky, I just...I wanted to thank you for letting us stay here," Emily said, finally looking up at Zacky. She offered him a soft smile. "I know you probably didn't want to, but otherwise we would've ended up staying in a motel or something." Emily wished her parents lived closer, but unfortunately they didn't. She hadn't even told them about Zacky, so as far as they knew, it was still just her and Maddy. "I'm going to go pick up Maddy now, I'll be back in about an hour, okay?"

Zacky was put off when Emily mentioned taking Maddy into account. He opened his mouth to snap at her, not understanding why she would even make such a comment. Of course he was going to take into consideration his daughter! Gritting his teeth, Zacky pushed the remark away while shaking his head. He gritted his teeth, crossing his arms as he turned away from her. "Yeah. Way ahead of you," he muttered, his sour mood leaking into his voice. Smoothing his jeans down, Zacky focused his attention on the action. He knew that it was better to keep his mouth shut in the moment, even if all he wanted to do was snap at Emily. He was still thoroughly upset over their last encounter but he wasn't about to deny them a place to stay for the next month. Where else would Maddy have gone? The little girl would never want or need for another thing in his life, as far as Zacky was concerned, now that he was even vaguely in her life.

Shrugging his shoulders when Emily thanked him, Zacky gave a tired grin when she spoke. He wanted nothing more than to go find something to make him forget about his problems but he couldn't, not when Maddy would be here in only a little while. He needed to stay alert, to make sure that nothing happened to either of them. It was rare that people came onto his property but Zacky felt the need to be overly cautious, with his two new roommates having moved in.

Watching Emily leave, Zacky bit back a sigh as he dropped down onto the couch. He had been wanting chinese but when he decided that Maddy probably wouldn't like it, Zacky settled on pizza. Kids liked pizza, right? He ordered a meatball and extra cheese for himself and then another of half pepperoni, half cheese. Once he ordered the food, along with an order of cheese fries and mozzerella sticks, he sat back on his couch and tried his best to focus on tv so that he didn't have to think about anything.

Emily didn't miss the sour tone in Zacky's voice, and she frowned at him even as he offered her what she barely considered a smile for her thank you. She knew he was still upset with her about what had happened the other day, but that didn't mean he had to be an ass about everything. Getting in the car and turning on the ignition, Emily headed off towards Maddy's daycare. She was glad it was Friday, so she would have the next two days to somewhat settle into Zacky's house before she went back to work. Of course, she would have to deal with Maddy while she was doing so, but it wasn't anything that she wasn't used to. "Hi baby, did you have fun today?" Emily asked, scooping Maddy into her arms. She smiled as the toddler wrapped her arms around her neck.

"Yeah, we made macaroni art!" Maddy exclaimed. "But it still wet, so can't take it home yet."

"Well I'm sure it's beautiful!" Emily said. She opened the back door of her car and settled Maddy into her carseat, fastening the straps around her. She gave her kiss on the forehead before she went around to climb into the front seat. Maddy was quiet as they drove, but as they got closer to Zacky's house, she spoke up.

"Where we going, Mommy?" she asked, looking out the window. "This not the way to our 'partment."

"They're getting bugs out of the apartment, remember, baby?" Emily reminded her. She pulled into Zacky's driveway and cut off the engine. "So we're going to be staying at Mr. Zack's house for a little while."

Once he had ordered pizza, Zacky was left to sit on his couch. He stared at the television, not caring about the show that played on it. With a grunt, Zacky pushed himself off of the couch and made his way into the kitchen. He grabbed a glass, pouring just a bit of bourbon into it. Sipping at the amber liquid, Zacky leaned against the counter. It wasn't enough to even take the edge off of his souring mood but he hoped it would be enough so that he wouldn't somehow upset Maddy. The little girl was his world and she didn't even know it.

Rinsing the glass out once he had finished it, Zacky set it into the dishwasher. He grabbed three plates and three forks, figuring that Emily and Maddy may want forks for their cheese fries. He sighed as he headed back into the living room, setting the things down on the coffee table. It was already an uncomfortable situation but at least they could watch tv while eating.

Zacky stood up when the doorbell rang. He paid the delivery driver, giving enough for a decent tip before retreating back over to the couch. Emily and Maddy should be there any minute now. Zacky pulled his legs up on the couch, relaxing as best as he could. The next month was going to be stressful to say the least because he knew he wasn't going to be able to give his all to his work. He tensed as he heard the sound of car doors shutting. His shoulders sagged as he looked over at the food, wondering if Maddy would like any of it. If she didn't, Zacky had no real clue what he would end up doing. He obviously would have to feed her but with what?

At the mention of Zacky, Maddy instantly perked up. Emily still didn't understand why the toddler was so attached to Zacky, but she supposed it had something to do with the fact that he was here. She was getting to the age where she was starting to question why she didn't have a daddy like everyone else in her daycare and Zacky was her stand-in. "Let's go inside, baby," Emily said, getting Maddy out of her carseat. "I think Mr. Zack ordered us some supper."

Maddy ran up the front door, banging on it with her tiny palms. "Open door, Mr. Zack!" she shouted. "It's Maddy!"

"He knows who it is, baby," Emily laughed, pulling a key from her pocket. She'd convinced Zacky to let her make a copy so she would be able to come and go from the house even if he wasn't home. Her schedule was likely vastly different from his, since during the week she left the house by seven in the morning. She pushed open the door and Maddy hurried inside, smiling when she saw Zacky in the living room.

"Hi, Mr. Zack!" she exclaimed. She hurried over and sat next to him on the couch. "We gonna stay at your house!"

Zacky drew in a deep breathe when he heard two car doors just outside. He didn't look up. For a moment, he couldn't help but wonder why he had agreed to this. Not only was it going to be incredibly difficult because he wanted nothing more than to love his daughter properly but he simply couldn't - it would end up putting them all in danger. Most importantly, Maddy would have been and that was the very last thing that he wanted. Whether he wanted to hold her close or keep her at a distance, her safety relied on it. He didn't want to, God he wanted to scoop her up and take her away from everything he knew but he couldn't. If he turned his back, it would only be a matter of time because someone shoved a knife in it.

Looking up as the door was pushed open, Zacky forced a smile to his face. It was enough that Maddy wouldn't pick up on the sadness that laid heavy on his shoulders but Emily may be able to. He hoped it was enough to fool her, after all they had been apart for so long that anything was possible at this point.

He nodded at her words, reaching out to ruffle her hair. Zacky motioned toward the food that had arrived only minutes before they had, his grin becoming just a touch more genuine. "I got us a bunch of yummy food. Do you like pizza?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"There's cheesy fries, too!" Zacky exclaimed, leaning forward to open the container of cheese fries and the mozzarella sticks after. He opened the pizza box so that the new arrivals could see what he'd ordered. "You can have as much as you want, sweetheart. Okay?"

"What four year old doesn't like pizza?" Emily said, trying to tease Zacky. "Why don't you tell Mr. Zack thank you?"

"Thank you, Mr. Zack!" Maddy exclaimed.

Emily went into the kitchen and grabbed two plates, putting one slice of pizza, two mozzarella sticks, and some cheese fries onto one before handing it to Maddy. "I want you to sit on the couch and eat, okay?" she told the toddler. "And try not to spill anything on Mr. Zack's nice couch." Emily fixed herself a plate before sitting down on the other side of Maddy. If it weren't for the toddler, she was sure things would be terribly awkward. They were both still obviously thinking of the night of their argument, and Emily hated it. She hated every part of her that ever thought it was a good idea to invite Zacky inside when she'd been drinking and every part that thought it was a good idea to tell Zacky that deep down, she still loved him.

"Can we go play outside?" Maddy asked, looking over at Emily.

Emily surveyed the toddler's plate, seeing how much she'd eaten. "I guess so," she agreed.

"Come outside, Mr. Zack!" Maddy shouted, looking at Zacky. "Play with me!"