Reunited

-Jen's POV-

I sat nervously in front of my vanity and finished applying my make up. I had recently moved back to Huntington Beach after being gone for over ten years. When I was a teenager my father announced that we were moving to France. I was not happy about this especially after he told me the reason why.

He'd fallen in love and was engaged to be married.

My parents had split up when I was four and instead of having joint custody my mother packed her things and left for Arizona. The last memory I have of her is receiving a hug before watching her get into her car and drive away. This woman that claimed to love me never called, sent a birthday card, or even came to visit me. I vowed to never be anything like her. I would never abandon my child to be with someone else.

After arriving in France I met the woman that would soon become my step-mother. She seemed nice enough but I had a hard time accepting her in my life. Even after she married my father and announced her pregnancy I still wouldn't let her get close to me. I didn't trust her and I wasn't sure that I ever would.

A few years passed before Vanessa and I had any sort of relationship. If my dad was away shooting a movie she was there for me. She'd listen to me if I was having a problem and protected me as if I were her own flesh and blood.

When I was eighteen I moved back to the states to attend college. New York University to be exact and that is where I met my best friend Kassidy. She was my roommate and from the very first day I met her we were inseperable. Much like myself Kassidy was into fashion. We had practically all of the same classes and by the time we reached our Junior year she already had her own line out in stores.

Kassidy's first line hit almost instantly and she was bouncing off ideas for everything she wanted to do. She even helped get my first line out which was completely opposite to what she was done. She started with shoes while I made children's clothes.

After graduating we both stayed in New York and worked on our lines. She moved on to swimwear while I made handbags. I knew I wanted to eventually make women's clothing and by the time I made it back to California my first women's line was ready to launch.

Tonight I was wearing one of the dresses from my new line. The line itself wouldn't hit stores for about a month so I knew that no one else would have it. In the studio photoshoot the lighting was a little off which made the clothes change in color. The dress looked like the color of red wine in the photos but it was actually more of a royal purple.

Purple just happened to be my favorite color.

When we moved her Kassidy was always out doing who knows what and had made a lot of friend. I on the other hand had been too busy to go out. There were friends I had left behind when I moved and I wanted desperately to find them but even if I did would they even remember me? Would they still want me in their lives.

One day out of the blue Kassidy announced that she had set me up on a blind date with a friend she had made when we got into town. She claimed that he was perfect for me and that he was really cute. Apparently his name is Brian.

As a child I had a friend here named Brian. I was as close to him as I am to Kassidy now. We did everything together and it killed me to have to say goodbye to him. It was only a few weeks after his sixteenth birthday when I broke the news to him. He begged me to stay and even threatened to kidnap me if he had to. I haven't heard from him since I left. He's one of the few people in this town that I want to find. I need my other half back.

"Is there a piece of clothing in this world that doesn't make you look hot?"

Turning I noticed Kassidy standing in the doorway to my bedroom with a grin on her face.

"I don't look that hot." I muttered before turning back to put on a squirt of perfume. All I had left to do was put on my heels, grab my coat, and go.

"Oh please." She said and walked into the room. "You're gorgeous and you know it. Are you nervous?"

I watched in the mirror as she sat down on my bed which was directly behind me.

"Yes."

"Don't be. Brian's a great guy."

"Says you." I put on my heels and stood up to get my clutch.

"Come on Jen. I wouldn't set you up with someone unless I thought he was perfect for you." Kassidy got up and made her way over to me. She gently turned me to face her and make me look at her. "I know that after your last relationship you swore you'd never be with another guy again but please just give Brian a chance. He's had some shitty relationships himself and just wants to find his dream girl."

I sighed and nodded. "Alright but if I don't like him I'm blaming you."

She just smiled and watched as I slipped on my coat. "Have fun."

I headed out to my car and drove to the restaurant that I was meeting my date at. He wasn't there when I was arrived but I went ahead and got us a table anyway. Since I was driving I only ordered some water and waited for him to show up.

Twenty minutes passed and he still hadn't shown up. The waiter offered some breadsticks for me to munch on for free while I waited. After I while I was getting tired of eating bread as well as all the looks I was getting from the other customers. I was just about to get my things and leave when my phone went off. I noticed Brian's name pop up on the screen and realized that Kassidy must have put him in my contacts and gave him my number.

'I'm on my way. Please don't leave!

I texted him back letting him know that I had gotten us a table but he didn't respond. In a way I was glad because if he was driving I didn't want him texting behind the wheel and getting into an accident.

The waiter came over again to see if I needed anything and I told him that if my date showed up to tell him I was in the ladies room. Not only did I want to freshen up but I really had to pee after all the water I had drank.

When I returned to the table I noticed someone sitting across from my chair. All I could see was the back of his and noticed that he had dark hair. Kassidy had told me what he looked like but never mentioned what kind of hair cut he had. I guess she wanted me to see it for myself.

My heels clicked against the floor which caused him turn towards me. He quickly got to his feet and went to introduce himself when I froze.

The first thing I noticed when he stood up was his eyes. I had seen eyes the same shade as his before but it was the shape of his eyes that got my attention. The next thing was his nose followed by his thin lips and then his cheekbones. My eyes focused on his face and I felt as if I could pass out at any moment.

Standing in front of me was the one person I had been missing every day since I was sixteen years old. My best friend that I was forced to leave behind when I moved to France. This wasn't just any Brian. This was my Brian.

He smiled at me and held out a single red rose to me. My favorite flower.

"I'm so sorry I'm late."

"It's alright." I tried not to frown. Here I was standing in front of him and he had no idea who I was.

"You look beautiful."

"Thank you."

He helped me into my chair and pushed it in before taking his seat. Things were pretty quiet between us until the waiter came over to take our orders. I wasn't all that hungry after eating all of the bread so I just ordered something small while Brian seemed to order enough to feed an army. He must have been hungry.

I really didn't know what to say to him. If I decided to tell him who I was would he even remember me? Would he be upset that after all these years I suddenly ended up on a date with him?

"I really need to thank Kassidy for this date. I honestly never thought I'd see you again."

Looking up my eyes met Brian's and I couldn't help but notice the huge smile on his face. I replayed his words in my head at least three times before it finally hit me.

"You remember me?"

"Of course I do." His smile brightened. "I would never be able to forget you."

I don't know why but I blushed. When we were little Brian had blonde hair but by the time we were fourteen it darkened. I had changed a lot too. I had braces and my hair always used to be in pigtails. By the time I was a teenager I had let my hair down, got rid of the braces, and started wearing more fitted clothes.

Brian and I talked as we ate dinner. We had so many things we wanted to know about each other. The one thing I didn't ask was about his previous relationship. I figured if he wanted me to know he would tell me.

And he did.

"It's been a long time since I've been out on a date."

"If you don't mind me asking. How long?" I asked as we waited for our dessert.

"Five years." He mumbled while scratching the back of his head.

"What?"

He nodded. "Do you remember Michelle DiBenedetto?"

"Yes."

Michelle and I never got along but her twin sister Valary was my best friend other than Brian.

"Well.. we hooked up a few times before I finally asked her out. We dated for a few years before I asked her to marry me. Things were good for a while but we both wanted different things. I wanted to settle down and have a family while she enjoyed partying. One day I came home and caught her in bed with someone else."

I frowned as I heard the hurt in his voice. I could tell that it wasn't easy for him to talk about it and I told him that he didn't have to but he continued anyway.

"Things weren't the same after that. She begged me to forgive her but I just couldn't. No matter how much I wanted to every time I looked at her or even closed my eyes all I could see was her and that other guy. We've been divorced for about a year now."

Reaching across the table I couldn't help but take his hand in mine and give it a light squeeze.

"I'm so sorry Brian."

"Don't be." He shook his head. "You told me when we were fifteen that she would only end up hurting me if I gave into her. You were right. I should have listened to you."

Since he was spilling his guts to me it was only fair that I tell him about my last relationship. Kassidy was the only person that knew what had happened and even though I just wanted to forget about it I needed to tell him. Even if we never went on another date I had to tell Brian about my past.

"What's wrong Jen?"

I noticed him staring at me with a look of concern on his face. It was only then that I realized I had been crying.

"You're being honest with me and... I need to be honest with you too."

"You know you can tell me anything."

I nodded and took a deep breath before telling him.

"While I was living in New York I met this guy named Michael at a party. He was everything a girl could want in a guy. We started dating and things got serious pretty fast. We both worked a lot so anytime we would spend time together we'd be all over each other..."

I felt Brian squeeze my hand letting me know it was okay to continue but I didn't know if I could.

"What happened with him Jen?"

I sighed and looked into his eyes. "It would be easier if I showed you."

"I'll get the desserts to go."



"This is the only good thing to come out of my relationship with Michael." I whispered as I smiled down at my daughter who was fast asleep in her crib.

"She's beautiful Jen." Brian whispered from where he stood just slightly behind me. "What's her name?"

"Emma."

Brian gently placed his hands on my arms and rubbed them gently before placing a soft kiss to the side of my head. "Please tell me what happened."

"Just like with you and Michelle things were great for a while.. and then I found out I was pregnant. As soon as I told him he told me he didn't want her. He wanted me to get an abortion and that if I didn't he'd leave me. I was not about to abort my baby so I told him no. He broke up with me immediately but not before telling me that he had been cheating on me for our entire relationship. I didn't want this for her Brian. I wanted to give her the family that I didn't have."

Brian pulled me into his arms and just held me while I cried. I didn't want to wake Emma so I did my best to stay as quiet as I could.

"I'll be her father."

I pulled away and just stared at him. My ears had to be playing tricks on me. There was no way that he had just offered to be my daughter's father.

"What?"

"I'm serious Jen." He said with a smile and took my hands in his. "I want to be her father."

"Brian... I can't ask you to do that."

"You're not asking me though. Look, I made a promise to myself and everyone around me that the second you came back into my life I wasn't going to let you go. I've lived too many years without my best friend and I am not going to live on more day without her. You and Emma are a packaged deal and she needs a father. I can be that for her. I want to be that for her but only if you'll let me."

I knew for a fact that I wasn't leaving Huntington Beach and now that Brian was back in my life I was going to hold onto him as long as possible. I had no idea if anything was going to happen between us but regardless if we ended up together or not I knew he would be the best possible father for my daughter. She would be loved and cared for. She would be protected and she would have the family I always wanted for her.

"Yes."

He blinked. "Yes what?"

I giggled. "Yes you can be her father Brian."

I honestly had never seen him so happy before. Brian ended up staying the night and we spent most of the night just talking. Most about Emma and how all of this would work. I wanted a stable home for her so we agreed that we would do what we had planned when we were teenagers. We'd live together. He had recently just sold his place and was staying with friends while he went looking for a new place. Kassidy had been talking about getting a place of her own and was completely okay with everything. She was just happy to reunite me with the one person that I never stopped talking about. She always knew that one day we would cross paths again but I honestly never thought it would be like this. She later told me how she even met him.

When we first moved here Kassidy wanted to go out for a night on the town. She wanted to go out and get drunk and meet some locals. Since I couldn't go because of Emma I suggested going to Johnny's Saloon. She went and Brian just happened to be there along with Jimmy, Matt, Johnny, and Zacky. It had only taken a matter of minutes for them to start talking about me and by the end of the night Brian had asked her to set up the date. He wanted her to tell me it was a blind date so he could surprise me. He also knew about Emma and Michael.

I wasn't mad that Kassidy had told him. He was going to find out eventually but it gave him time to process everything so he didn't blow up or anything. Brian could have a pretty nasty temper and he was always very protective over me. I was glad to see that after all of these years that that hadn't changed.

Brian was wonderful with Emma. She would laugh at the stupid faces he would make and the smile on his face showed me how happy he was to have her in his life. I could tell he had fallen completely in love with her and I was perfectly okay with that. She loved him just as much.

As for me I had no idea what the future held but I know that moving back to Huntington Beach was the best thing I could have done for me and my daughter. Not only did I get my best friend back but my daughter got the best father a girl could ask for. We were all happy and I only hoped that it would stay that way. Reuniting with Brian was the best thing to happen to me since having my daughter and I was very thankful to have him back in my life. I was never going to let him go again. Other than my father Brian was the number one man in my life and nothing was ever going to change that.