I Know It Breaks Your Heart

As much as Zacky wanted to, he couldn't shrug off the tension that flowed between Emily and himself. It seemed that Maddy was oblivious and he was thankful for it. Even if the little girl didn't know who he really was to her, he didn't think it would do any good for her to pick up on the tension brewing in the room. He could only hope that it wasn't all that hard to ignore for the duration of their visit. Zacky already knew that he was going to be driven up the wall and right back down by the end of it, if he somehow made Maddy unhappy? That would make everything that much worwse for him.

Zacky was quiet as he ate, his attention focused downward. He'd taken a few mozzarella sticks and a bit of the cheese fries, as well as two slices of pizza. He'd cleared his plate by the time Maddy broke the silence. His brows pulled together as he studied her silently. Zacky was torn, it was almost funny in an awful way. He wanted nothing more than to play outside with her and all at the same time, he wanted nothing more than to say no. It would only serve to strengthen a bond he knew he would have to break off sooner rather than later.

Biting back a sigh, Zacky nodded, leaning forward to set his plate on the coffee table. As far as he was concerned, he could deal with dishes later. "Oh, alright. For a little while, alright?"

Zacky led Maddy outside, not bothering to put on any shoes as he figured they would stay in the front yard.

He knelt down once they were outside, a small grin on his face. "Hide and seek? Or tag?"

Emily could tell that Zacky was torn about whether or not to go outside and play with Maddy, but he knew he would never turn the little girl down. Emily almost thought that it was a bad idea as well, since it would only serve to help Maddy grow even more attached to Zacky, but she didn't have the heart to tell Maddy no, either. She got up to follow the two of them outside, sitting down on the top front step. "Hide and seek!" Maddy squealed when Zacky asked. She reached for his hands, moving them over his eyes. "Count, Mr. Zack. And no peeking!"

While Zacky counted - rather loudly and slowly - Maddy scurried over to hide behind the large tree in Zacky's backyard. It wasn't the best hiding place in the world, but to a three-year-old, it was perfect. And Emily knew Zacky would draw out finding her enough to make Maddy feel like it was the most perfect hiding place in the world. "Come find me, Mr. Zack!" Maddy shouted, peeking out from behind the tree.

"I don't think you'll find her, Zacky," Emily said. She caught Maddy's eye and winked at her. "She's found a really good hiding spot." Sitting here watching Maddy and Zacky play, Emily could almost fool herself into thinking that they were a little family. But there weren't, and couldn't ever be, because Emily had walked away from him and had been too prideful to go back to him and tell him she was pregnant. She would never have the thing she'd been wanting since she was a little girl, and it was all her fault.

Zacky counted as slowly as he could down from the chosen twenty, knowing that Maddy would want time to find the most perfect spot that she could to hide. He wasn't concerned about finding her, Emily wasn't playing with them so surely, Maddy wouldn't run off too far. Zacky started counting doing in half increments once he reached five, a small grin settling on his features. Now that he was getting closer to actually looking for Maddy, he found himself able to relax and actually wanting to play hide and seek with her.

Slowly turning around once he lowered his hands, Zacky let out a low whistle. "She must have found a good hiding spot! I have no idea how I'm going to find her!" He exclaimed loudly, a small grin on his lips as he headed toward the bushes out front of his house first. He slowly made his way through the yard, getting closer and closer to Maddy. He had heard her giggle quietly a few times but he decided to keep the game going.

"Maddy, come out, come out wherever you are!" Zacky called out, seetting his hands on his hips as he stopped in the middle of the yard.

The closer Zacky got to zero, the more Maddy giggled, putting her little hands over her mouth to keep herself quiet. Emily couldn't remember the last time they'd played hide and seek, and they'd never played outside, so Maddy was probably having the time of her life. And Zacky was certainly being a good sport about it, letting Maddy think she'd found the best hiding spot in the world. "No, you gots to find me, Mr. Zack!" Maddy shouted at him from behind the tree.

"I think we lost Maddy, Zack," Emily said. "I don't see her anywhere. She found a super good hiding spot."

Giggling to herself, Maddy jumped out from behind the tree. "I'm right here!" she exclaimed, obviously very proud of herself. "I was behind the tree." She ran up to Zacky and reached up to grab the hem of his shirt. "Now it's your turn to hide, Mr. Zack! I seek!"

Zacky spun around, his eyes going wide as his jaw dropped. He looked at Maddy, his faux surprise only growing as she ran toward him. "No way! How am I going to find a hiding spot as good as yours?!" He exclaimed, grinning as he looked down at Maddy. It almost hurt how easy this was for him, knowing that he would never actually be able to do this as his little girl grew up. After Emily's apartment was properly fumigated, Zacky had already promised himself that he wouldn't see her again. The knowledge that his life could likely lead to danger for her? He wasn't about to let that happen. He had people eyeing his position, had for a long time. He only hoped that none of them caught wind of who the two girls staying with him were.

Waiting until Maddy had covered her eyes, he spun and started to run toward the side of the house. He crouched down behind a bush that extended past the side of the house, not really trying to be all that quiet about it since he was playing with Maddy.

Maddy giggled as she covered her eyes, shouting off random numbers as Zacky noisily hid in the bushes around the side of the house. The little girl was so delighted that she had a new playmate, and Emily was glad she was too young to know that he wouldn't be around for much longer. Emily knew Zacky well enough to know that he wouldn't be in their lives for much longer; she was sure that as soon as they could move back into their apartment, he would fade back into obscurity. And Maddy wouldn't understand why he was gone at first, but eventually Emily hoped that she would learn to forget about Zacky. And maybe Emily could find someone that wouldn't be too cowardly to fill the niche of Maddy's father.

"Alright baby, go find Mr. Zack!" Emily shouted, noticing that Maddy was still just shouting off random numbers. She gave her head a nod in the direction that Zacky had ran off to, laughing herself as Maddy set off with a giggle, letting out a little squeal when she found Zacky crouched in the bushes.

"Found you, mister Zack!" Maddy shouted. "Let's play something else now!" she added, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

Zacky covered his mouth in an attempt to stifle his laugh when he realized Maddy was just spouting off random numbers at this point. Closing his es, he braced himself as he heard the telltale sounds of Maddy approaching him. He looked up, opening his fingers while flashing a grin when she finally did. He dropped his hands, rising to his full height. Zacky offered Maddy his hand, leading her back around the corner of the house.

Pursing his lips, Zacky took a moment as he looked over Emily. He paused, trying not to pay too much attention to what the situation was. Here they were, equally enjoying spending time with their daughter. Or so he hoped. "Why don't we go take a dip in the pool out back? If you can convince your mom, we can get changed and head on outback. Maybe even some hotdogs for supper?"

Zacky looked down at Maddy, laughing at how eager she appeared. He turned toward Emily, raising an eyebrow as Maddy all but began to beg Emily. "Mommy!! Let's go swimming! Please?!" Zacky gave a sheepish grin, shrugging his shoulders as if to say it wasn't really his fault that she was so excited.

As soon as Zacky mentioned the pool, Emily knew she didn't stand a chance of talking Maddy out of it. And how could she, when she saw how excited her little girl was? "Alright, alright, baby, we can go swimming," Emily told her. "Let's go inside and put on our swimsuits and Mommy can blow up your floaties." Emily took Maddy's hand and led the eager toddler inside to the room they were using, digging through the bags to find Maddy's swimsuit. It was a one-piece with The Little Mermaid on it and it was just adorable. "Sit on the bed and let Mommy put on her swimsuit, okay?" Emily told Maddy, lifting her up and putting her on the bed. Her swimsuit wasn't anything special, and she wouldn't have even bought it if it wasn't on sale last year at Victoria's Secret. But the swimsuit she'd had before that was from before Maddy was born and her chest was a bit larger since she'd had her.

"Alright baby, are you ready to go swimming?" Emily asked, and that was all the encouragement Maddy needed to take off towards the back door. Emily pushed open the door for her and the little girl immediately ran towards the pool, halting in her tracks when Emily called her back. "Madison Alice, what are you doing?" she asked. "You know you can't go in the water without Mommy." Emily looked back when she heard the back door sliding open again, suddenly becoming aware that she was in a bikini when she saw Zacky. She didn't know why she was so nervous; he'd seen her in less countless times before. Emily was just overthinking things. Turning back to Maddy, she leaned down to the little girl. "Ready to get in the water?" she asked.

"Yeah, let's go!" Maddy exclaimed.

Zacky wasn't the teenage boy that was still too small for his frame, like the last time that he had seen Emily all those years ago. Gone were the shitty tattoos he had traded a bag of weed or coke for, replaced with detailed artwork that had taken hours upon hours of work to complete. Of course, there were a few scars that were visible. Ones that Emily wouldn't have recognized because they weren't there last time that they had slept together. Zacky had enemies that had tried to come for him far more times than he cared to count, most stopped before they got to the point of causing any harm. The select few that had gotten close enough? Well, Zacky didn't have to worry about them any more.

Looking up as he slid the back door close, Zacky's breath caught in the back of his throat as he spotted Emily. She was more beautiful than he could remember, perhaps spurred on by the knowledge that she was the mother to his child. Swallowing back the emotion that swelled in his throat, Zacky made his way toward the diving board that was by the far end of the pool. He stepped up, a small grin on his face as he glanced toward Maddy and Emily. "Gonna join me, Emily?" He called, his grin only growing as he raised an eyebrow. "I dare you."

As Zacky made his way over to the diving board, Emily couldn't help but look him over. He'd certainly grown up a little since the last time she'd seen him. He'd filled out his frame with muscles and the tattoos on his skin looked so much better than the ones she remembered. He just looked so good and the way Emily was staring at him made her feel like a teenager all over again. "You dare me, huh?" Emily repeated, matching his grin. "Well you know I can't turn down a dare." She picked Maddy up and went to the shallow end of the pool, wading in with her and giggling when the toddler squealed. "Stay here on the steps, baby girl," she told her. "Mommy will be right back."

Emily paddled over to the far end of the pool, offering Zacky an innocent smile as she grabbed ahold of his ankle and yanked. It wasn't hard enough to ake him fall, but it was hard enough to cause him to lose his balance and that was all Emily had been aiming for. Of course, she was caught in the crossfire as Zacky fell into the pool, the cold water splashing over her face. Behind her, Emily could hear Maddy giggling at Zacky and she smirked. "Oops," she said, backing up into the shallow end of the pool again. Maybe it was because she felt like a teenager again, but Emily just couldn't help but flirt with Zacky a little.

Zacky only began to realize what Emily was planning to do when it was too late. He wobbled on the diving board, waving his arms around in the air, in an attempt to keep from falling into the pool. Cursing under his breathe before he fell forward, when he resurfaced, Zacky was left coughing. He set a hand on his chest, fixing Emily with a bit of a glare. "Oops?" He echoed, a grin growing on his face as he inched toward Emily. "I'll remember that, Emily," he called, his grin only growing when he realized that Maddy was giggling on the steps.

"What do you say we get your mommy back, Maddy? See if we can't even the playing field, huh?" Zacky asked as he neared the little girl. He sank to his knees, motioning for her to climb onto his shoulders. "Let's do this!"

Emily knew that she was in trouble when she saw the smile on Zacky's face. But it wasn't a bad sort of trouble, it was the kind of trouble that made her feel butterflies in her stomach. Maddy nodded excitedly when Zacky spoke to her, eagerly climbing onto his shoulders. "We're gonna get you, Mommy!" she shouted. She bounced on Zacky's shoulders, trying to urge him forward. "Go get her, Mr. Zack!"

"I see how it is," Emily said, pouting playfully. "I'll remember this later." She cracked a smile, staying in place until Zacky got close enough to almost reach out to grab her before she swam away. With Maddy on his shoulders, he couldn't move quite as fast as he needed to in order to catch her. "I don't think your horse is fast enough, baby girl," she said to Maddy, grinning teasingly at Zacky. "He needs a little more giddy up." It felt so nice to pretend that they were actually a family, having fun and spending the afternoon together, that it was surprisingly easy for Emily to forget that they weren't. She knew that was a dangerous thing to do, because she couldn't let herself get tricked into thinking things could change, but she couldn't help herself.

Zacky's smirk only grew as he neared Emily, intent on catching her one way or another. He swan slower than he normally would, not wanting Maddy to end up in the pool. She had her floaties on, sure, but Zacky didn't want to risk her somehow getting hurt because they thought fun was more important than safety. He sped up with Maddy's urging, only to slow once they were a bit further into the deep end. He reached up, lifting Maddy up over his head before he set her in the water.

"You take your mommy's left side and I'll come from the right. We're gonna get her. You and me, got it?" Zacky grinned when he fist bumped Maddy, giving her a firm nod before they both turned and they each began to make their way toward Emily, aiming to back her intp a corner so they could catch her.

"Yeah, me and you, Mr. Zack!" Maddy shouted. She started doggy-paddling over towards Emily, looking gleeful to be included in their little game.

Emily knew she could easily swim between the two of them and escape to the shallow end of the pool, but there was no reason for her to do that. It would make Maddy happy to catch her and besides that, she sort of wanted to be caught. She was still a little curious as to what exactly Zacky was going to do to repay her for knocking him into the pool. "Oh no, you backed me into the corner, how will I ever escape?" Emily said, grinning as she swam backward.

"Got you, Mommy!" Maddy shouted, latching onto Emily's elbow. She turned to look at Zacky. "I caught her, Mr. Zack! Come get Mommy!"

Zacky was used to thinking about the worst possible outcome so it came as no surprised when he moved a bit slower than Maddy, knowing that if Emily made a dash for it, that he would be the one to catch her. His grin only grew as Maddy latched onto Emily's arm, deciding it was time to close in on her.

Setting a hand on the edge of the pool that Maddy wasn't on, Zacky's smile only seemed to grow as his eyes locked onto Emily.

"I don't know, Em. What are you going to do to make up for dumping me into the water? What if..." he trailed off, lifting his hand to splash the water in Emily's direction. "Anything coming to mind, sweetheart? Or are Maddy and I just gonna have to get real creative?"

When Zacky locked eyes with her, Emily couldn't help but feel a slight flurry of butterflies in her stomach. She knew she should be thinking in the present and reminding herself that her relationship now with Zacky needed to be platonic and with Maddy in mind, but for a short second she was swept back years, to when she and Zacky had first started dating.

Emily sputtered a little when Zacky splashed the water into her face, but she supposed that she deserved that. After all, she had knocked him into the pool. "I don't know," Emily said. She wiped the water from her face and looked at Zacky with a playful smirk. "You and Maddy ate the masterminds here, why are you asking me what my punishment should be?"

"Make her walk the plank, Mr. Zack!" Maddy shouted. The toddler gestured to the diving board, starting to tug on Emily's elbow. "Walk the plank, Mommy! Walk the plank!"

When Zacky locked eyes with her, Emily couldn't help but feel a slight flurry of butterflies in her stomach. She knew she should be thinking in the present and reminding herself that her relationship now with Zacky needed to be platonic and with Maddy in mind, but for a short second she was swept back years, to when she and Zacky had first started dating.

Emily sputtered a little when Zacky splashed the water into her face, but she supposed that she deserved that. After all, she had knocked him into the pool. "I don't know," Emily said. She wiped the water from her face and looked at Zacky with a playful smirk. "You and Maddy ate the masterminds here, why are you asking me what my punishment should be?"

"Make her walk the plank, Mr. Zack!" Maddy shouted. The toddler gestured to the diving board, starting to tug on Emily's elbow. "Walk the plank, Mommy! Walk the plank!"

Zacky's gaze lit up at Maddy's suggestion. His grin turned a bit more sinister as he nodded, raising an eyebrow as he turned back toward Emily. "Guess you're gonna have to walk the plank to appease the princess," he teased as he inched toward her. He glanced back toward Maddy, giving her a grin before he dove beneath the water. He resurfaced, carrying Emily bride style toward the steps at the front of the pool.

It wasn't until he was finally walking toward the diving board that Zacky seemed to take note of how close he was to the only woman that would ever be able to reel him in. His gaze shifted down her body before he cleared his throat, looking back up just as he reached the diving board.

Zacky set Emily down, blocking her exit from the slide as he set a hand on either of her. "Go on, walk the plank, Em!"

Emily was confused when Zacky dove beneath the water, a short shriek slipping past her lips when he resurfaced with her in his arms. She was more than aware of how close the two of them were and even though she knew she shouldn't, Emily quite enjoyed it. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been this close to Zack.

When Zacky sat her down and blocked her exits, Emily knew she had no choice but to jump off the diving board. It wasn't like she minded, anyway "Alright, I'm going! I'm going!" Emily exclaimed. She stepped to the end of the diving board, intructing Maddy to get out of the way before she jumped in. When she resurfaced, wiping the water from her eyes, Maddy was cackling, obviously thrilled that Emily had gone through with her 'punishment'.

"Now you go, Mr. Zack!" Maddy shouted. "Walk the plank!"

Emily looked at Zacky was a playful smirk. "Well Zachary, you heard the princess," she said. "Walk the plank."

Zacky already had one foot raised onto one of the steps of the diving board. When Maddy urged him to walk the plank, Zacky stepped up the rest of the way until he was standing properly on it. He frowned a bit, holding his hands to his chest. "Me?! Walk the plank? But I helped you, Maddy! How am I in trouble?!" He cried, trying to defend himself to Maddy. He would take a dive off of the board with or without her prodding but he wanted to toy with her, wanted her to think that she had won at this little game of theirs.

"Fine, fine. You win!" He declared after a moment, making a big display of taking a step forward on the diving board. Suddenly, Zacky darted forward and dove into the water, only to resurface moments later. Sputtering, Zacky wiped water out of her eyes as he looked over to Madd who seemed to be laughing even harder than she had been before.

Turning his attention to Emily, he couldn't help the grin that grew on his features. "What do you say? Mutiny against the princess of the realm?"