the story of your life;

If Whitney had a choice, she never would have stepped foot in Baltimore again after she and Rian broke up. Her mom never would have gotten sick, and she would have continued to peacefully raise Charley in Boston. But things rarely went how the twentysomething planned it. Her mom got cancer-- nothing detrimental, and they caught it early, but still. Bev needed her daughter to come home and help with things around the house, as well as bills, seeing as she was no longer able to work. So Whitney packed up her stuff, put Charley in the car and then made the six and a half hour car ride to Baltimore.

She missed her life in Baltimore, don't get her wrong. It was wonderful catching up with Kassie, and seeing all their old stomping grounds. But still, the chance that she might run into Rian weighed heavily on her mind. What would happen if she did? Hell, what would happen if Whitney ran into Rian while she had Charley? What would she even say? "Hey! Good to see you, you look good. Oh, the bay I'm holding? This is your daughter." Nothing she came up with seemed good enough to justify not telling the love of her life that he was a father.

This was in the back of Whitney's mind as she prepared to go grocery shopping-- her first time since moving back home. As far as she knew, the guys had already left for tour (or were getting ready to) so she didn't need to worry. But still, there was a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Ma, Charley and I are leaving!" Whitney called to her mother, who was preparing to take a nap. Bev called downstairs that she would be fine, and to remember to bring the list. Whitney headed into the living room and got Charley out of her pack and play, balancing on her hip as they walked out the door.

--

Alex rolled over in bed, and the first thing he realized was that Kassie was still next to him. She said she was gonna go back to her place, but Alex fell asleep before she left-- and apparently, she did, too. He pushed some of her hair out of her face and bent down to press a kiss to her face. "Kass... Kass, wake up, babe. You crashed here again." Not that Alex minded-- sleeping next to Kassie was one of his favorite things in the world. It was the only way he could get a decent night's sleep. But all of the All Time Low guys had keys to one another's places. The last thing he needed was Jack to stroll into the house and let something slip to Rian that he saw Kassie in Alex's bed. They were brothers-- but Rian was very clear in the fact that Kassie was off limits.

"Wake up, sunshine. I'm gonna go make some breakfast and let the dogs out." Alex gave her another kiss before getting up and out of bed, throwing on the pajama bottoms he'd discarded the previous night. Now that he was up,t he dogs were going nuts and circling his feet. "C'mon, guys. Chill out. " Alex laughed as he headed downstairs and into the kitchen, letting the dogs out through the screen door.

He let them play for a minute while he set up the coffee pot, then threw some waffles in the toaster. This was always their routine when Kass stayed over-- Alex would make breakfast, they would cuddle on the couch for a bit, eat breakfast and watch a movie before going about their separate days. "Babe, come on!" Alex called upstairs before going to let the dogs in. "I'm gonna eat all your waffles!"

Kassie involuntarily let a small moan out as she turned her head, hearing the sound of her boyfriend's voice coaxing her into consciousness. She groaned internally, realizing she had, once again, stayed the night. Her eyes fluttered open, landing immediately on Alex's face and she smiled. Nodding at his statement, she returned the kiss and watched him walk out the door. Sighing, Kassie stood, looking for the shorts that were lost in the night. Sliding them on she grabbed Alex's shirt from the day before and slipped in on as well. As much as she wanted to stay in bed she knew that she needed to get up. All the guys had keys to each other's places, they were family, but the last thing she and Alex needed was for her brother to come over unannounced and find her in Alex's bed.

Rian was four years older than her, and very protective, so when she begged him to come backstage for one of their shows when she was younger he agreed - but with a strict rule to his friends that she was off limits. Unfortunately for him, she and Alex hit it off almost instantly. For three years the two struggled to keeps their hands to themselves but when she joined the band on Warped tour, all bets were off. She and Alex had been together for nearly 3 years now - and their friends and family were none the wiser.

Hearing his call upstairs about the waffles, Kassie wrinkled her nose, throwing her hair into a messy bun, and headed downstairs. "Alexander William Gaskarth you better not even think about touching my waffles." She called out. The moment she reached the bottom step Sebastian was at her feet, waiting to be pet. "Hey Baz..." She murmured, though as she bent over to pet the small dog, she couldn't help the wave of nausea that took over her entire body.

---

Rian glanced at his phone as he walked out to his car. He had texted his sister over an hour prior, asking if she needed anything from the store since he was headed there anyway. For some reason, one that he still couldn't figure out, when Whitney left town Rian asked his sister to move in with him. Her lease was up, he had a two bedroom house, and he couldn't bear the thought of living alone.

Whitney. It had been a little over 2 years since he had seen or heard from the girl that stole his heart all those years ago. The two had been together for as long as he could remember, and yet... For some reason, she vanished. He hadn't dated since, not that the opportunity hadn't been there. The lead singer of Hey Monday had quite the thing for him bit he couldn't shake the memory of the girl that, for a lack of better words, got away.

Sighing, Rian started up his car and pulled out of the driveway. The band would be leaving in two weeks for a two month long tour and they were supposed to be meeting up at Alex's later on today to hash out the final details.

"Alright, kiddo. Let's get some food." Whitney kissed Charley's forehead before placing her in the little seat part of the cart, and her diaper bag in the cart itself. She made sure she had her purse and everything else before locking the car behind her and heading into the grocery store. Whitney's heart broke a little every time she looked at Charley. Her little princess was the splitting image of her father, and it killed Whitney. "Ugh, I love you so much you little booger." The purple headed beauty kissed her daughter's head again as they headed inside.

First on the list was wine. Kass was supposed to be coming over later in the week to just hang out, so she had to have their favorite in the freezer. Whitney grabbed a bottle of their typical White Zinfadel and put it in the cart before heading to the produce. She'd started eating healthier when she decided that Charley was gonna be a breastfed baby-- which, by the grace of God, Whitney was able to do up until that first tooth broke out. After grabbing the fruit she required, Whitney headed over to the vegetables and grabbed what she needed for the soup she was gonna make later that week.

"Okay, Charley..." Whitney spoke, looking at the list on her phone. "What next? Oh, yeah, duh! Noodles."

--

"I knew that threatening your waffles would get you out of bed." Alex bent down to press a kiss to Kassie's lips and push her hair out of her face. "You look cute." He tweaked her nose before heading back into the kitchen to plate their breakfast. Looking back over his shoulder, Alex noticed that Kassie had a weird look on her face. "Babe... is everything okay? You look a little sick." He closed the distance between the two of them again, putting a hand to her forehead.

"You don't feel warm... maybe you're just hungry. Let's get some waffles in that belly of yours and see if that helps." Alex gently took her hand and led her into the kitchen, sitting down with her and the table. "You know, one day I should make us pancakes for the hell of it. Throw everything off." He laughed, reaching across the table and grabbing his love's hand.

"Just kidding, babe." Alex spoke, squeezing her hand. "I would never throw off your favorite breakfast."

because I hate that I can never remember if I pressed the button or not

Kassie smiled, trying to ignore the feeling washing over her entire body. Following Alex to the table, she sat across from him, as usual, and glanced up at him as he made empty threats to make pancakes. "You and I both know you can't cook pancakes..." She trailed off, the nausea crashing over her to the point she couldn't hold it back. Shooting up from the table, Kassie rushed up the stairs and into the bathroom, barely making it to the toliet in time for her to empty the contents of her stomach. This was the third time this week that this had happened to her.

Unsurprisingly, the dogs were in an uproar due to how fast she had shot up. She had interrupted their routine and neither Baz or Peyton were very happy about it. Thankful she had pulled her hair into a bun, Kassie ran her fingers against her forehead, holding her bangs up and away from her face.

Then, just as quickly as it came... the nausea was gone.

---

Rian pulled into the parking lot, pulling next to a car with Massachusetts plates. He grabbed his wallet and phone, still no reply from his sister, and walked away from his car, locking it as he went. Most of what he needed were basic items... milk, eggs, butter... but he also needed to pick up noodles for dinner later in the week and some fruit.

Grabbing a hand basket, which usually prevented him from getting more than he needed, Rian decided to pick out his fruits first, before the rest of the crowds arrived. Sorting through, he grabbed a few different berries, bananas, and some apples for his sister.

Once he finished up there he decided to get the noodles, since it was the only not cold item him was getting. As he walked he pulled out his phone, shocked he still hadn't heard from Kassie. He sent a quick text to each of the guys, asking if they had seen her.

Alex ignored his pinging phone, jogging up the stairs and following Kassie to the bathroom. He was by her side in a second, rubbing her back. When she was finished, Alex flushed the toilet and grabbed a little dixie cup of water before handing it to her. "Here you go, Kass." The vocalist helped his girlfriend up, brushing the hair that had escaped her bun out of her face. "Okay, so no waffles for breakfast today. Not good for an upset tummy. You just got upgraded to ginger ale and crackers."

He slung an arm around Kassie and followed her down the stairs. "Park it on the couch, I'll be over there in a minute." Alex kissed the top of his head before going into the kitchen to get a bottle of ginger ale and a sleeve of saltines for Kassie before walking back into the living room, plopping down next to her. "Here you go, babe." Alex handed her the necessary items before sipping his coffee.

"So," Alex mused, changing the subject. "You said Whit is back in town? How long has that been?"

--

Whitney had just turned her cart down aisle seven, searching for the little star noodles she needed for her soup. Ever since she was a little girl, Whitney had been very particular about what she ate. Rian often teased her about it-- all in jest, obviously. The mother sighed softly, continuing to roam down the aisle as she looked for what she needed.

Out of the corner of her eye, Whitney spotted a familiar face-- one she could recognize no matter how long it'd been since she'd seen it. Rian. God fucking dammit... I KNEW I didn't wanna leave the house today? Whitney thought, turning so she was facing the noodles instead of straight forward. She was suddenly extremely interested in the organic veggie noodles in front of her. Okay, I can do this. Just keep looking over here like you're browsing until he goes away. You had red hair last time you saw him, there's no way he'll recognize you. Just chill, Whitney. Her thoughts were interrupted by Charley, who thought it would be a lovely idea to get her hand pinched in the cart and start crying.

"You're okay, muffin, shh..." Whitney spoke, grabbing her daughter out of the little seat and kissing her hand repeatedly, rubbing her back to soothe her and praying that Rian's attention wasn't drawn to the crying child.

Glancing up from his phone, Rian turned down aisle seven, looking for the noodles he needed. There was one other person in the aisle, though he didn't pay her much mind. Two texts came through, both saying they hadn't seen her, and he groaned, shoving his phone back in his pocket.

The sound of a baby crying peaked his interest, and he couldn't help but glance over at the mother and child. The mother in question had rather light purple hair but it didn't matter. He could recognize that face from a mile away. Whitney.

His breath caught in his throat and his entire body felt like a freight train had just crashed right into him. She's back. Fuck she's back... why is she here? And... his thoughts trailed off as he looked at the small child in her arms she's a mom...

---

Kassie groaned, rinsing out her mouth first with water, then with mouthwash. She followed Alex back downstairs, shuffling her feet as she whined. "But Lexxxx... I wanted waffles and coffee... I neeed coffee..." She pouted, taking the saltines and ginger ale from him. She watched with jealousy as he drank his coffee.

To be honest she didn't understand why she kept throwing up. It was only when she first woke up, and it was every other day for the last 2 weeks. She didn't feel sick the rest of the day... in fact she felt fine. Rian had actually made her go to their doctor and, despite running some kind of test... She wasn't sure what it was she just knew that she'd be getting a call in the next few days, her doctor said she was as healthy as a horse.

Changing the subject, Kassie nodded as she bit into a saltine. "Yea... Rian doesn't know yet. But yea... it's been like, what... Two years since she left?"

Charley eventually calmed down, resting her head against Whitney's shoulder and wiping her eyes with her uninjured hand. "Sweetness, you're not gonna let momma get anymore shopping done, are you?" Whitney asked, smoothing back Charley's wild curls. "We have pretty much all we need... let's go back home and see nana." She kissed Charley's head before turning the cart around. The quickest way out of the aisle was past Rian-- Whitney would have to face the music.

One arm holding Charley in place and the other pushing the cart, Whitney made her way down the aisle, stopping because Rian's cart was blocking her path. Her mouth went dry, and she was lost for words. What the hell did you even say in a situation like this. "Hi, Rian," Whitney whispered, adjusting the baby in her arms.

"I don't know if you heard, but Bev's sick... cancer." Her mother had adored Rian, and the feeling had been mutual. Whitney felt it was only fair to tell Rian about her mother's health.

--

"Just about," Alex spoke, remembering like it had been yesterday. He'd gotten a text from Jack at about three in the morning, telling him that everyone needed to meet at Rian's house. It was urgent. Apparently Whitney had left Rian, taking all of her shit with her. Without even giving it a second thought, Alex jumped in his car and drove to Rian's place. He'd looked like hell, and Alex didn't blame him one bit. That was some traumatic shit he had gone through. The guys (as well as Kassie) had stayed over, keeping him company and basically making sure he didn't try to kill himself. "You know he's gonna shit a brick when he realizes you knew and didn't tell him, right?"

Alex played with Kassie's hair, humming slightly as he watched the television. "Maybe you can have a waffle if you hold those crackers down. I know, my eggos are special-- but are they worth tossing your cookies over?" He asked, kissing the top of her head again.

"Hes going to shit bricks over a lot more than just that..." Kassie bit down on the inside of her lip, thinking about the night Whitney left. She and Whitney had hung out most of the day leading up to it, mostly due to Kassie accompanying her to the doctors office for an ultrasound. Hours later she received a phone call from Rian. Kassie had been expecting to hear the news about Whitney's pregnancy but all that came out of her brothers mother were the broken words 'She left'. It didnt take long for her to get to her brothers home to find that Whitney had packed up everything and left... and she clearly didn't tell Rian that she was expecting. Not wanting to make the situation worse, she decided to not tell him, or anyone else.

Kassie leaned her head onto Alex's shoulder as she recounted all the things she wasn't telling her brother that- once he found out - he'd die. She was dating Alex, knew Whitney was in town, why she left, and that she had his child. Thinking about it all she wondered how mad he'd be at her when he found out the truth. "Fine... but I promise you I'm okay. This is the third time this has happened this week and it normally just goes away for the rest of the day." She stated, hoping he would think too much about her prior statement.

---

Rian swallowed, his throat dry as she made eye contact, walking toward him. He inhaled, hearing her voice speak his name for the first time since she left. It had been hard for him when she left... It was out of the blue and he never understood why she didn't just talk to him... He had wanted to spend his life with her, but has it would happen... The feeling wasn't mutual. "Hey Whit..."

Bev. He had actually heard that she had gotten ill but he knew it wasn't serious, he didn't think it would bring Whitney home. "Yea I, in, I heard. I was actually over there last week to check in on her and help her with some gardening." Rian started, hoping he sounded indifferent to her return.

"So... you're back. " he stated, his eyes falling on the small little girl. "And with child. How old is she?" He questioned. While the little girl was adorable he couldn't help but think about Kassie's baby pictures. He and his sister were identical as babies... It wasn't until they started getting older that they looked different. But this little girl.... She was IDENTICAL to his sister as a baby. Which meant she looked just like himself.

Whitney smiled slightly at the mention of Rian coming to help her mother with stuff around the house. She briefly wondered why Beverly had neglected to tell her that her ex boyfriend had come over. "I was wondering who pruned the roses in the back yard," Whitney mused, adjusting her grip on Charley. The purple haired beauty ran a hand through her hair, swallowing the lump in her throat. God, even standing next to Rian right now was punching her in the gut. Everything in her body ached to touch him, but she resisted.

She watched him as he started to put the pieces together, looking at Charley. Charley was looking back at Rian with rapt attention, and Whitney knew she had to say something. If for nothing more than for Charley's sake. "Her name's Charlotte, but we call her Charley. She's... she's one." Tears started building up behind Whitney's eyes, and the wall that she had so carefully built since she'd found out she was pregnant with Charley was starting to crumble.

"It's... it's exactly what you're thinking, Rian."

--

"The third time this week?" Alex asked, raising a brow. "Yeah, something's definitely up. You should go to the doctor, if for nothing more than for my piece of mind." He whispered, finishing up his coffee before putting the cup on the coffee table. Now that they were settled in, Alex decided to check his phone. He raised a brow again at the sight of the text from Rian. "Your brother just asked me where you were. What should I tell him?" The vocalist asked, showing Kassie his phone. He thought for a second before tapping out a reply.

No, I haven't dude. I'll try calling her and see what happens. It killed Alex to lie to his best friend, especially for this long. But still-- Alex valued not being torn limb from limb, which is exactly what would happen when Rian found out how long he and Kassie had been together. He exhaled and put his phone down on the table. "The guys are supposed to be over at like two this afternoon... you can just use one of your changes of clothes that you have here and say you just showed up?" Alex suggested.

-- i suck with the button, you know this

Rian stared blankly at the little girl, who was now revealed to be one. The pieces slowly started to click in his head as he stared into the little girls eyes. A one year... and 9 months pregnant... She would've had to have gotten pregnant around the time that she left him, and then the looks. His eyes widened as he shot his eyes to Whitney, who confirmed his thoughts to be true.

"S-shes mine." He stuttered out, the shock chipping away and replacing itself with anger. How could Whitney do this to him? Take his own daughter away from him and not even have the gall to tell him that she existed. "I have a kid? What the fu-" he stopped himself with a glance towards Charley.

"Whitney, I think we need to have a very long conversation." He stated, rather firmly. "Finish your shopping. Then go to my house. We need to talk and you're not getting out of it this time Whitney, I will go through the courts if I have to." He stated. Rian hoped he wouldn't ever have to get the government involved, but he had already missed more than a year of his daughters life and he'd be damned if he missed another minute.

---

"I'll go to the doctor if you let me have coffee." Kassie stated, sticking her tongue out at him. She grabbed her phone off the coffee table, where she had left it the night before, and immediately noticed several missed calls and texts from Rian. She groaned, chewing on her lip as she tried to think of an excuse. Her only friends were the guys from the band and Whitney, so she couldn't very well use the excuse of crashing at a friend's.

"I'm gonna send him a text saying my phone died and I woke up early and went for a run, which would explain me not being home." She stated, trying to think of something she hadn't already used this week. Knowing the guys would be over later put a damper on her mood, she loved lounging around with Alex and she hated it when they had to pretend they weren't together.

The sound of a car door slamming shut interrupted her thoughts as her eyes shot to the window. As per usual, Jack decided to stop by unannounced. "Fuck its Jack." She groan, quickly bolting up the stairs so as to not be seen. She took the time to get dressed in some of her normal clothes, throwing on a pair of shorts and a plain black crop top that hung off one shoulder.

That went exactly as Whitney expected it to. But still Rian's anger punched her in the stomach like it always did. "Okay," she whispered, wiping the corners of her eyes. She bit her bottom lip and headed towards the checkout, wordlessly putting her groceries on the belt and paying for everything. "Come on, Charley. We've gotta go drop these off at home and then we're going to your daddy's house."

As Whitney pushed the cart out to her car, she sent a quick text to Kassie. Okay, so, I just ran into your brother at the grocery store. He knows about Charley. I'm going to his place to talk... let's hope this goes smoothly. She put her phone in her pocket before getting Charley in her carseat, making sure she was buckled in before putting the groceries in. Whitney climbed into the driver's seat and began the drive back to her house to drop the groceries off.

Whitney was done at her house in about five minutes, and when she was done she put Charley back in the car and headed towards Rian's house-- which had once been hers. Her hands were shaking as she drove, and the tears started rolling down her face. God, she felt like such a terrible human being. Rian's reaction played over and over in her mind, and she couldn't believe that she'd done that to both him and their daughter.

--

Alex rolled his eyes. "Fuckin' Christ..." He loved his best friend like a brother, but honestly Jack's tendencies to show up unannounced bugged Alex to no end, especially when he was with Kassie. Alex carried the plates to the kitchen before going to open the front door for Jack. "Literally everyone is supposed to show up in two hours. Why are you here so early?"

His heart was beating a million miles a minute, and his mind kept returning to the woman who was upstairs. He listened as Jack explained his reasoning before plopping down on the couch. "Well, since you felt like showing up way before you were wanted, how about you buy everyone lunch?" Alex teased.

Rian returned home grocery-less, thankful to have received word from his sister - one less thing he had to worry about. He paced around his living room, still decorated the way Whitney head done it, as he tried to heave himself for what she was going to say. Why she decided to leave him without warning, and without telling him she was with child.

Thinking about it wasn't help, in fact it was only making him even angrier. The last thing he ever wanted to do was take his anger out on Whitney but he didn't know how much of her explanation he could handle before he would raise his voice.

Whitney pulled into the driveway, the same little car he had parked next to at the grocery store, and he walked to the door to open it for her.

---

Kassie stared at the text on her phone from Whitney. Quickly she returned the text before shoving her phone into her pocket, attempting to wait out Jack. Let me knew how it goes... and don't tell him I knew... that would no end out well

Kassie sighed, trying to find a way out of her current predicament. Alex had tried to get Jack to leave and get lunch but he insisted on waiting until everyone else got here. She racked her brain, trying to think of some way to make him leave, if only long enough for her to 'arrive'. Her eyes widened, realizing they could tell him the truth... or at least a half truth.

She pulled out her phone and sent Alex a text, explaining her idea. Be honest... tell him you have a girl here from last night and hes cock blocking you right now... he'll leave she explained, hoping Jack wouldn't question it. For once she was glad she head left a hickey on the singer... It gave them a bit more proof.

Whitney sat in the car for a few seconds, trying to prepare herself for walking into her former home. "You ready, baby girl?" She asked Charley in the backseat. A slight smile appeared on the mother's face as she realized that her baby was sleeping. Getting out of the car, Whitney walked around to the back to gently get Charley out of her carseat. Once she did that, she placed a kiss to her daughter's head and locked the door.

She headed up the familiar driveway, her heart catching in her throat at the sight of Rian standing in the doorway. "She fell asleep in the car ride over here, and she's like me when she wakes up. Just a warning." Whitney sighed, following Rian into the living room. She sat down on the couch that she had picked out years earlier, and laid Charley down next to her.

Whitney waited until Rian was sitting down across from her before speaking. "Rian, I wish I had an explanation that would justify what I did to you. I've rehearsed this conversation in my head about forty times on the way over here, and nothing sounds right. But I'm gonna just spit out the truth, and if you wanna scream at me, kick me out, want nothing to do with me, whatever." She sighed and wiped her eyes.

"I left the same day I found out I was pregnant with Charley-- and that's exactly why I left. I did NOT want to do that to you. You always said you wanted to wait until the band wound down to have kids, and I agreed to that. When I found out that I was pregnant with Charley, you guys were literally at the top. The new album had just come out and you guys had the world at your feet. So I left. Was it the wisest decision? No. Do I hate myself for doing what I did? Of fucking course. But don't think for one damn second that it was because I don't love you anymore. Cause that's the furthest thing from the fucking truth."

--

Alex looked down at his phone and sighed before looking over at Jack. "Okay, dude, look. I'm gonna be completely honest here. I have a girl upstairs. Things were... about to happen, when you showed up. So please, I'm begging you. For the love of god, just give me two hours. Please." He bit his lip, watching as Jack hemmed and hawed before finally saying that he would leave.

He hurried his best friend out the door and locked it behind him before bounding up the stairs and to his room, pressing a kiss to Kassie's lips. "Have I said recently that you're a genius, babe? Cause you are." Alex pushed her hair out of her face before examining her outfit. "And I thought that you looked pretty in pajamas." Alex smirked, flopping down on his bed and pulling Kassie with him.

Kassie listened as Alex gave his fake reasoning and, while he did put up a small fight, Jack agreed to leave and come back at two - with food. She let out asigh of relief as Alex walked him to the door. The sound of the car pulling away was interupted by Alex returning to his bedroom. Kassie giggled into the kiss "No, i dont think you have - but I could always go for hearing that again."

A small squeak like sound escaped from her lips as Alex pulled her onto the bed. Sitting up, Kassie took the opportunity to swing one of her legs over his hip so that she was straddling his waist. It only took second for her to tell that excited him.

"You know, what you said to Jack doesn't have to be a lie." She smiled playfully, quickly pulling her top over her head to reveal the dark purple lace bra she had slipped on this morning.

---

Rian sat on the couch, Charley sleeping peacefully between the two adults, listening to her tearful explanation as to why she left. It made sense to him, to a point, but she had to have known he would be dropped everything if she had stayed... he may have wanted to wait but she had to know he would've wanted to be a part of his child's life.

"Whit, I get it. I do, you were scared. But come on, you had to have known i would've given up everything for you. Especially if I knew you were pregnant. And it's not just me you took this little girl from. My parents have a granddaughter... Chase and Kassie have a niece." Rian explained, trying to keep his voice low so as not to wake Charley.

He sighed, looking down at the little girl between them. Plenty of the guys he's met on tour are parents - maybe he didn't have to give it all up. He knew the guys would be excited to find out Whitney was back, and that he had a kid. Plus, he was sure Kassie would end up at Alex's as usual.

"I didn't want you to give up anything, though, Rian. That was the thing. You and the guys have worked so hard to get where you're at, and I couldn't live with myself if that hard work was taken away from you. I was scared, I wasn't thinking straight, I was trying to do what was best for you. But I fucking failed miserably." Whitney spoke, looking down at her sleeping daughter. She never got over how identical she looked to Rian when he slept.

At the mention of his parents, Chase, and Kassie (who was the only one aside from Bev who knew about Charley's existence prior to today), Whitney swallowed hard again. "I know. I panicked, Rian. My only thought was to get the fuck out and drop off the face of the earth. But when I gave birth in that hospital, all alone, I knew I made a mistake. The worst one I've ever made." Her mind went back to that day, and the tears started up again in spite of herself. Of course, she wasn't alone. Kassie was there, but Rian could never know that.

"I'm so, so, so fucking sorry. I look myself in the mirror every morning and I hate myself for what I did to you. To her." Whitney whispered, looking down at her napping child.

--

Alex raised a brow, watching as Kassie removed her shirt. "You're right... I'd hate to be a liar." The vocalist sat up, slinging his arms around Kassie and capturing her lips in a kiss as he pulled her flush against him. "Thanks for making an honest man out of me."

He flipped them so Kassie was now laying beneath him, lips moving from her lips to her neck. "You're so fucking beautiful, baby... I love you so much." Alex whispered against the sensitive skin before nipping at it. He was careful not to leave any bite marks-- the guys weren't stupid. They would have been able to put two and two together when they saw the hickey on Alex's neck, and it definitely would not have been pretty.

Rian sighed, looking at his feet so that he didn't have to see the tears falling from her face. If there was one thing he hated more than anything else, it was the sight of her tears. "Whit... don't... don't cry. We can figure this out I promise."

Glancing at the clock he mentally calculated how long they would have until the guys were supposed to be at Alex's. He would have to tell his parents, and Chase, soon... but maybe they could just start with Kassie. After all, Whitney and Kassie had been very close, it was only fitting.

"Listen. We are meeting up and Alex's house in an hour and a half. No doubt Jack is already there. Come with me... Kassie will be there... we can tell her and the guys... and then Kassie can come with us to tell my parents." Rian looked back up at Whitney, reaching over to wipe the tears in her eyes.

---

"It's my pleasure." Kassie giggled as he flipped the pair over. He nipped lightly at her neck and she let out a small gasp at the feeling. It was one of the things she loved to no end.

Slowly, Kassie let her hands travel down his back, lifting the hem of his shirt. They moved to the front, his shirt trailing up as she moved up his abs. It didn't take much longer after that for her to completely remove his shirt, attaching her lips to his neck in the same place she had attacked the night previous.

Whitney nodded her head, eyes closing as she felt Rian's touch for the first time in two years. Warmth flooded her system and she suddenly realized how much she missed just that simple gesture. "Okay," she whispered, agreeing to go to Alex's. It would be fun to see her old friends-- and she had a feeling they would be head over heels for Charley.

"You can hold her if you want... she's not gonna wake up." The mother gently picked up her daughter and adjusted her in Rian's arms, positioning them so she was comfortable. Immediately, Charley smiled in her sleep and turned so she was facing Rian. That brought a grin to Whitney's face, and she started crying again-- this time, the tears were happy. She quickly pulled out her phone and took a picture of Rian's first time holding his daughter.

"This is how it should have been from the beginning," Whitney whispered, mostly to herself.

--

Alex groaned slightly-- Kassie always found the sensitive spot on his neck. She knew how to drive him crazy in ways that no one else had before. He tossed his shirt to the side before starting to work on removing Kassie's bra. "Don't even know why you bothered with that damn thing anyway... just gonna get ripped off." He bit down lightly on her neck before returning his attention to her lips.

One hand held her wrists above her head, and the other focused on shoving down her shorts. "Your body is so fucking perfect," he breathed.