When she felt Aiden’s hand slide into hers, it was her undoing and tears gushed down her cheeks. “Mommy, everything is going to be fine,” Aiden whispered as he leaned his head against her shoulder. “All you have to do is say you’re sorry.”

“I don’t know if sorry is enough, buddy,” she said as she wiped her face. “Mommy really messed up this time.”

“You said all you have to do is say sorry and everything will be fine.”

“I know, but I don’t think sorry will work this time.”

“Yeah it will, as long as you mean it and you make sure never to do it again.”

Fallon looked over at Aiden to see him giving her a small sweet smile. She moved her hand up to his face, cupping it lightly as she smiled. “How’d you get so smart?”

Aiden gave her a toothless grin before saying, “Dad says I get it from you. That you’re the brains and he’s the bear, or something like that.”

Fallon laughed as she moved her thumb along his cheek. “The brawn.”

“Yeah! That! He says that’s what makes you guys such a great team.”

Fallon nodded as the tears moved fast down her cheeks. They were a great team. When they were together, they worked so well. They could do anything as long as they had the support of each other, but Fallon wasn’t thinking that when she broke up with him. She was too busy taking all her anger about Audrey out on him. Audrey was right. It should mean the world that Lucas was there for Audrey when she needed him. Wasn’t that the kind of man she wanted? One that not only loved her completely, but her family too? Lucas was that man. He loved Aiden, he love Audrey and God knew he loved her.

And what did she do? Throw it all away.

Again.

God, she was an idiot.

“You know what I think you should do?”

Fallon looked up at Aiden’s smiling face. “What’s that, Punkin’?”

“I think you should tell AA you are sorry and that she will have her happily ever after because everyone should have that,” he said putting one finger up.

Fallon smiled as she nodded. “Okay, what’s next?”

“Then I think you should go to Daddy’s house and tell him you want to get married because I know for a fact that he’d marry you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yup, he told me that. He said he would marry you faster than he could shoot a puck. All you had to do was tell him you want to.”

“So you’re basically saying?”

“Go to my dad, ask him to marry you, have a baby, and then we’ll all live happily ever after together.”

Fallon couldn’t breathe as she looked into Aiden’s hopeful eyes. She wanted nothing more than to give Aiden the world, but was this even something she could give him? Would Lucas accept the apology, would he marry her tomorrow? It all seemed so out of reach and Fallon was beyond scared to even try for it. There was no use in trying if Fallon couldn’t learn to listen and try to work things out. She would always be running, and leaving Lucas behind. That wasn’t fair to either of them, not when they loved each other as much as they did.

It had to stop or neither of them would be happy, but how was she supposed to change after 28 years of being the same?

Fallon was sitting on the stairs when Audrey came through the door. She was soaked from head to toe and Fallon could tell with one glance that she had been crying. She looked up at Fallon and then back down as she slid off her shoes.

Fallon didn’t waste any time and said, “I’m sorry, Audrey.”

Audrey looked up and locked eyes with Fallon. The two stood in the quiet room, staring at each other as tears welled up in their eyes. Audrey closed the distance between them and dropped to the spot beside her, wrapping Fallon up in her arms. Fallon held Audrey tight as they both cried into each other’s shoulders. Fallon pulled back first and brushed her thumbs along Audrey’s cheeks, clearing the tears away.

“I was wrong for what I said, and I’m so sorry. I can’t stand that you kept this from me, and I can’t stand that Lucas knew and didn’t tell me but I have to stop this. I have to stop thinking that everyone is out to hurt me and learn to listen before acting. It’s a personal flaw and I need to fix it before I end up lonely and bitter.”

Audrey nodded her head. “Fallon we love you the way you are, but you can’t lash out at us. You have always wanted to fix everything about me, but you can’t. I gotta make my own mistakes and learn from them.”

Fallon cocked an eyebrow at her. “Audrey you have been with douche after douche, I don’t think you are learning here, honey.”

Audrey smiled. “I want to be in love so bad that I’ll basically take anyone. I love Levi, but that doesn’t mean I think he’s the one. I’m hoping he is, but no one else, including him, thinks he is the one. I don’t know Fallon, I just want a Lucas. A man that is totally and utterly devoted to me and only me.”

Totally devoted.

“I will always love you Fallon because you’re my sister, my blood, but Lucas can only take so much. He can only be rejected so many times before he gives up. He loves you and I know you love him. So why not just jump into what y’all do best, and that’s love each other.” Audrey said. She squeezed Fallon’s hand and smiled, “You know him inside and out, and he knows the same about you. The rest will come as you go; you just have to trust him.”