To Set You Free

The door clicks behind Elena and I am alone with Kinleigh staring up at me with wide, scared eyes.

"Is Wyatt going to be okay?" She asked in a whisper.

"Oh yeah, he'll be just fine. Your mom is just going to take him to the doctors so they can look at it and take pictures of it. Then maybe they'll put a big hard band-aid that will cover his whole arm."

"So he won't die?"

I gave a small chuckle, "No, Kin, he won't die. Lets go play and wait for your mom and Wy to get back."

Kinleigh pulls out two coloring books from underneath her bed, as well as a large shoe box of crayons. She hands me the book that is filled with race cars and Kinleigh kept the princess one for herself. She dumps out a small amount of crayons on the floor then goes to her dresser to turn on the small radio that is placed on top.

"You do this a lot?" I ask.

"When Wyatt is in time out I color. I don't like to play without him."

"Is he in time out a lot?"

"Yeah, he forgets that he can't do dangerous things."

We color in silence and Kinleigh will sometimes sing aloud if she knows the song. Eventually, a song of mine came on.

"Do you know who this is?" I ask Kinleigh when she starts to sing along with the song.

"Yeah," she says with a cute grin.

"Who is it?" I ask smiling as well.

Kinleigh scrambles to her feet and pulls open the top drawer of her dresser. She pulls out a picture frame and turns to show me the people in it.

It's a familiar picture. It's the same one I carry in my back pocket. The one of Elena taking the picture, with me staring at her in awe. The one where you can see the love we have for each other. It's clear that we were meant to be, in that picture.

"Who's that?" I ask.

"Mommy and Daddy."

Kinleigh and my eyes meet. Then I see it, I don't know how I didn't see it before. Her eyes are the same honey brown eyes, same round face. Wyatt is like me too in the way he acts. My face drains from color and my palms begin to sweat.

"Annie is your babysitter right?" Kinleigh nods. "Do you know her number?"

"Her cell phone number is on the fridge."

I leave Kinleigh alone to color to hunt down Annie's number. I find it scrolled across a post-it note in Elena's writing. I look at the clock, 11:30, I doubted she was going to be out of school, so I sent a text.

Annie, It's Tommy. Elena's friend. I need you to come over to Elena's after school.

She replies a moment later.

Okay? I get out in an hour, where is Elena?

I roll my eyes, I knew I wasn't mad at her, I was mad at Elena.

Wy broke his arm. Explain in person.

That was the last of the texts. An hour and some odd minutes later Annie is unlocking the front door and strolling in, dropping her backpack off at the front door. Kinleigh is still coloring in her room and I am leaning against the counter in the kitchen, fuming with anger.

"What happened?"

"Wyatt was doing one of his tricks and broke his arm. I'm babysitting my own kid."

Annie looks at me. She knew too. "You knew? Who else knows?'

Annie looks down at her feet. "I think you should just talk to Elena about this. When do you think they'll be back?"

"Soon. Take them to go get ice cream or something, I don't want them to see us fight."

"Well that is very father responsible," Annie started to say. I gave her a dirty, hurtful look.

Kinleigh looses interest in her coloring books and comes to sit in the living room with Annie and I. We're quiet, Annie and I on edge and Kinleigh can feel it.

Finally Elena walks through the door with Wyatt sitting on her hip. "Look who has a broken wrist," She tries to say lightly.

"Sweet dude. Annie is going to take you and Kinleigh out for ice cream," I say not taking my eyes off on Elena.

Elena looks at Annie but she doesn't return the look. Elena watches Annie as she takes the kids by the hand and walk out the front door, I keep my eyes on Elena.

Once they are down the hall and the door is closed i say, "We need to talk."

I draw in a deep breath as Elena enters the living room fully. She sets her purse down on the couch then returns her attention fully to me. "I know, Celia showed me the magazine. Has Quinn called you?"

I had forgotten all about that. The magazine, us getting caught. We were so stupid to think that we were above everything and everyone. I was warned, we both were. I didn't want to talk about that now. I wasn't ready for that battle, the battle with Quinn, my managers, my mom, Elena, the rest of the snooping world. I needed to get through the battle that struck me square on the head today, by a four year old that I guess shares my DNA.

"I wasn't talking about that."

Elena furrows her eyebrows and pouts her lips in confusion, god she is so cute. "Then what did you want to talk about."

How was I going to say this? "Who is Wyatt and Kinleigh's father?" Flat out, like ripping off a band-aid.

I see Elena's heart stop. Her face whitens as she tries to balance herself from what I just threw at her. "What do you mean? I told you, some guy that just up and left." She played it off.

"Don't you dare play dumb, Elena. I was with Kinleigh today and she showed me a picture of her dad, it was me!"

Elena steps towards me but once I draw my hands up for her to stop she stands still, with hurt in her eyes. "Fine. So you're their dad."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"You weren't going to come back to your old boring life to raise two children with your mentally ill ex girlfriend."

"How do you know. I would have done anything for you, you knew that. Why didn't you call me?"

"I didn't have your number."

"Bullshit Elena," I yell. I know I've scared her, but I am beyond caring. "I fucking called you, and I told you that I still loved you, and I wanted to be with you, for the rest of my life. I was ready to marry you, Elena. But what did you do, nothing. You just hung up the phone and got your number changed. Did you know then? That you were pregnant?"

"Yes," she mumbles, looking down at her feet.

"Well fuck you too then," I shouted again. My blood is boiling in my veins.

"Oh yeah, I'm all to blame. I wasn't the one that just called out of the blue after not speaking for a number of months, and springing the idea of marriage. Then the following days you're all over the tabloids lip locked with that stupid bimbo," It was Elena's turn to raise her voice.

"That's my fiancee you're talking about."

"Oh I'm sorry, last weekend you didn't give a rats ass about her feelings, when you were telling me everything I wanted to hear."

I try to slow my breathing in an attempt to calm me down. "You know what, I don't even know why I am even fighting with you. I don't even know if those are my kids. Everyone said you were a little slutty tease before we met, why would you be any different after I left?"

Automatically tears streamed down Elena's face. I knew what I said was wrong, all I want to do is hold her in my arms and silence that cries that I created, but I don't. Instead I walk through the front door. I had just made me decision for both battles. I wasn't going to be in Elena's life and I wasn't going to be in Wyatt or Kinleigh's either. They didn't know who I was, why should that stop now?

As I pull into my moms driveway my phone rings, of course it's Quinn. I've rejected her calls all morning. I've rejected all calls. I didn't want to deal with this scandal, but now I have to.

"Hey baby," I said softly. I knew that I was going to get bitched out.

"What the fuck is up with you being in the magazine with some blonde tramp with some kids?" She yells so loud I have to hold the phone away from my ear.

I cut the ignition and rub my eyes out of stress. What was I going to tell her, should I lie, or tell the truth? I didn't want the start of my marriage built on a lie. "She was an ex girlfriend. I guess those are my kids. I just found out today."

"What? You went on vacation with an ex girlfriend and your so called kids."

"I'm not even sure they're mine, we're just friends. We were friends."

"I bet she wants child support and is going to sue you. Get a DNA test and make sure they aren't yours, or the wedding is off," The line goes dead.

My phone rings a minute later, it's my manager, Ed.

"Yeah?" I sigh.

"You're all anybody is talking about. Who is that girl?"

"Elena," I say simply. He knows who she is.

"No kidding? Damn, she is a fine sight. Especially after two kids."

"Yeah, I know. They are my kids."

"What!"

"Yeah, I guess. Quinn wants me to do a DNA test to make sure they aren't mine."

"Oh yeah, that'll be great. If they aren't no harm done on your part and if they are, we can sue her for not telling you or something."

"We can do that?"

"You can sue anybody over anything nowadays. It'll be great for the press. I'll talk to my lawyer now," Ed hangs up on me too.

Could today get any worse. I hit my head on the steering wheel before making my way inside and up to my bedroom in hopes that my nightmares will be better than this one.