“Hi Beth,” he murmured, the phone held between his ear and shoulder as he pulled a pan from the oven, the aroma of freshly baked brownies filling the room. It was nearly two in the afternoon—he had wanted to give her to time to think before trying to set up a second date. He hadn’t been able to wait any longer though.

“Hi,” she replied shyly.

“How’s your day going so far?”

“Good. Yours?”

His voice deepened. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you all day. I had a really good time last night.”

He could tell she was blushing without even seeing her.

“I—I had a good time too, Cage.”

“I’m glad. How about we do something today, all three of us?” he asked.

“I promised Amy we’d go to the park in a bit…if you want to join us,” she offered.

He smiled into the phone, leaning back against the kitchen table. “Yeah, I’d like that. What time are you going?”

“She just has to finish eating, then we were going to walk over. Twenty minutes or so?”

“Mmkay. I’ll meet you there then, okay, Baby?”

“All right.”

Cage hung up the phone, a wide smile on his face. She hadn’t said she didn’t want to see him again. She had offered to let him come to the park.

Fifteen minutes later, he was at the park. Unsure where to find her, he walked down to the picnic tables where he had first found her. He didn’t see her anywhere, so he sat, figuring he had probably beat her there.

Five minutes later, Bethany walked up alone.

Cage stood, and held out his hand to her. She took it, hers trembling, and he kissed her cheek. “Lost Amy already?” He pulled her down on the bench, her hand still clasped in his.

“She’s on the slide. I always wait down here for her, so she knows where to find me.”

“You don’t worry about her?”

“She’s with some other girls from school, and their mothers are up there.”

“Being antisocial?”

She shook her head. “I don’t think they like me much.”

“What? Bethany, don’t be silly.”

“I’m twenty three with a six year old daugther. That’s enough reason for them to not like me. I’m not married, I don’t have a college degree, 1.5 other children, a dog or a family. They’re all perfect, Cage. They come here in designer sun dresses, or designer suits, with 300 dollar shoes and diamonds flashing on their fingers. I could never fit in with them. And as long as Amy is happy and making friends, I don’t care.”

“How do they know all that?”

“Amy’s first day of school. We all met, and they started asking me all these questions because I was a new face. I wasn’t going to lie. They’re all nice to me, but I can tell I don’t really fit in.”

“I don’t know about that,” he murmured softly. “How could anyone not love you?”

She shrugged. “I guess I could try harder, but what’s the point? If they can’t accept me from the beginning, I don’t need them. I don’t need anyone.” She turned her face from him, but it was too late. He had already seen the tears in her eyes.

“Hey,” he said. “Don’t cry.”

“I’m not,” she insisted.

He snorted in disbelief. “Yeah, sure.” He didn’t press her further, but he scooted closer, and draped his arm over her shoulders. She rested her head against him, and they sat there like that for a while.

“I don’t want to date you,” she said softly, her words nearly disappearing in the wind.

“Hmm?” he replied distractedly.

She took a deep breath. “I know you want to be in Amy’s life, and I guess I can’t stop that from happening. And for her sake, we should probably be friends. But I don’t want you kissing me anymore,” she said stubbornly.

“Bethany—”

“No,” she exclaimed, cutting off whatever he had been about to say. “Don’t tell me it doesn’t work like that. Listen to me, Cage! You hurt me. I’m not looking for a relationship, I’m not looking to date, I’m not looking for anything from you. You want to get to know Amy, fine, but you can stay away from me.”

“I’ve told you that you’re the only woman I’ve ever loved. Baby, we’re supposed to be together. That’s the way it’s always been. We’re happiest when we’re together.”

“How do you know? What makes you think I haven’t been happy for the past six years. I have Amy!”

“And she’s amazing,” he murmured, his voice gentle. “But she isn’t enough. You can’t get by alone.”

“How do you know? I’ve been doing it all along. Six years, Cage. I’ve been alone for six years.”

“You and Amy both deserve better than that. Don’t tell me money’s not tight, Beth.”

“Just because I have to watch our budget doesn’t mean we can’t be happy.”

“I want more than that for you, and for her. You both should have the world.”

“Life doesn’t work that way, Cage. You know that as well as I do!” she exclaimed, her voice rising.

“I know life’s not fair, but how does that stop me from wanting to take care of the two of you. Of my family. I want to be able to provide for my daughter, and for you.”

“We can’t all get what we want,” she whispered.

Cage let out a heavy sigh, and reached out for her, his arm resting heavily around her waist.

“I want a family. I want you in my arms, and our daughter at our side. Is that so much to ask?”

“Maybe,” she replied after a long, pregnant pause. “Maybe it is.”

He didn’t take his arm off of her, and she didn’t push him away, but they sat in silence after that.

The sun was hanging low in the sky when he finally spoke again, tightening his arm around her ever so slightly.

“Why don’t the two of you come over tonight? I’ll cook, we can relax in front of the fire place…I made brownies this afternoon too. It’ll be nice, Beth.”

“You cook?” she asked doubtfully, remembering a certain occasion that had consisted of disastrous macaroni and cheese, and the smoke alarms going off. Owning a restaurant was one thing; cooking was completely different.

Cage took her hand in his and traced delicate pattterns up her arm. He avoided meeting her eyes as he started so speak, his voice oddly quiet. “After I got of rehab, I still had…cravings. The counselors said most people turn to working out, but I’d always done that, and it wasn’t cutting it anymore. So I started to cook, because I’ve always liked to eat. Turned out I was pretty good at it. That’s when I first started thinking about opening up a restaurant.”

“Do you still get cravings?”

“Not for drugs, or alcohol. But you…you’re just as addicting as they ever were. Rehab couldn’t cure me of you.”

“Cage…” she sighed.

“It’s true.”

“Then why did you hurt me? Why, Cage?”

He sighed, hating the tears that had sprung to her eyes even more than he hated having to try and explain why he had done the unthinkable. “I don’t know,” he said simply. “I honestly don’t. I don’t remember anything except stopping at a friends house and thinking that I had to hurry home to you.” He paused. “But if I had to guess… you’ve heard the saying, we always end up hurting the ones we love? There was so much I loved about you, but at the same time…I was out of control and going downhill fast. You always had everything right, and you were in control of your own life. You were going somewhere, you were gonna be someone. I guess I was jealous. I hated that you didn’t depend on me the way I depended on you, and I was drunk. I never would have touched you if it hadn’t been for the shit I was on. Please, Beth, I need you to understand that. It won’t ever happen again.”

“No, it won’t. I won’t let it. If I ever see you drinking, I’m outta here, Cage, and next time I won’t come back.”

He nodded. “That’s fine,” he said confidently. “Because I would never hurt you, and I’m not going touch alcohol again. I don’t like the person it turns me into, and honestly, I don’t even think about it anymore. I won’t hurt you!”

“I’m going to need you to prove that.”

“How? Beth, just tell me how!”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I don’t. When it happens, I guess I’ll know then.”

“Okay. I guess I can accept that. You still want to come over for dinner?”

“Sure,” she replied softly.

“What do you want me to make?”

“Neither one of us is very picky.”

“I’ve got some haddock in the fridge that needs eating. You still a fish fan?”

As he watched, her eyes lit up. “Yes. Amy is too.”

“We should get going soon. It’s already almost six.”

“I’ll go get Amy.”

Reaching out, Cage touched her elbow, and then slid his hand down until his fingers were entwined with hers.

“I’ll come with you. Besides, you walked over, remember? I’ve got my car.”

She smiled, and her fingers lightly closed around his. As they walked, he mindlessly raised their clasped hands, and kissed her palm.

--

Inside, he led her into the kitchen after depositing Amy in front of the TV. There was a Disney movie playing, and she was watching it quite happily, his dog laying beside her on the couch.

“This is a beautiful house,” Bethany commented. “How long have you had it?”

“Just nine months, actually. Put most of my money into the restaurant, but finally realized that if I have to pay money every month anyway, I’d rather it be a mortgage than rent.”

She laughed. “I know the feeling. Do you need any help?” she asked as he began moving efficiently around the kitchen. He rummaged in various drawers and cabinets, confidently pulling out ingredients. She was impressed that he didn’t even have a recipe.

“Nah, I got it under control. Seafood stuffing alright with you? Amy doesn’t have any allergies, does she?”

“No, nothing food wise.”

“What is she allergic too?”

“Dust, pollen, and ragweed for the most part. And a couple medications.”

“Cough meds?”

Bethany shook her head. “No, why?”

“I am, so I thought maybe it would run in the family.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“Yeah. Really allergic. I wasn’t supposed to be able to have kids, because they thought it screwed me up so bad.”

Bethany stiffened. “I know Amy’s yours because you’re the only one I’ve ever been with.”

Cage threw his head back and guffawed loudly. “Relax, Baby, I’m very aware of the fact that she’s mine, and I’m thrilled about it. I was always told it would have to be absolutely perfect, and I guess the timing was. So, what can’t Amy have?”

“She’s allergic to erythromycin, and sulfa. She has weird reactions to benadryl, so I avoid that. And she doesn’t handle morphine very well either.”

“Morphine?” he exclaimed. “When the hell was she ever on morphine? She’s not even six yet!”

“She had appendicitis last year, and the codeine wasn’t helping her, so they tried her on morphine. She was hyperactive, and then she started hallucinating.”

“Poor kid.”

“She’s a good girl.”

“Yeah, I know. Anything else I should know about?"

Bethany hesitated. “I don’t think so. She’s a little afraid of thunderstorms, but I think that’s just a phase, and she likes crawling into bed with me but she’s very brave, and smart too. She means the world to me, Cage.”

He smiled gently, and trailed a finger down the side of her face. “Motherhood suits you, you know,” he said softly.

Unsure what to say, Bethany looked away, her face reddening as it always seemed to do when he touched her.

--

A half hour later, dinner was ready, and Cage brought the fish over to the table, where the garlic bread and carrots were already sitting.

“Amy, come eat!” he called into the other room.

“This is delicious, Cage,” Bethany said, sounding a little surprised. “It looked so easy too.”

He winked. “The easy but good recipes are the best ones. I can give it to you later, if you’d like. Tio makes this one in the restaurant, and it’s always a big hit.”

She nodded. “That would be wonderful. We get tired of the same easy things every night, but I don’t always have time for long involved meals.”

Amy came in eagerly, and Cage pulled a chair out for her. “Here you go, angel.” She sat, and pointed to the platter of fish.

“What’s that?” she asked.

“Haddock. Do you like that?”

Amy nodded and Cage smiled.

“And I made brownies for dessert.”

“Momma and I make brownies all the time.”

“Want to hear a secret?” he offered, and Amy giggled as he leaned towards her. “Your Momma cheats,” he murmured, just loud enough for Bethany to hear too. “These brownies aren’t out of a box. You’ll have to let me know what you think.”

Still giggling, Amy nodded, and Cage couldn’t resist the urge to drop a kiss on the top of her head.

Not long after dessert, Amy fell asleep on the couch, using Duke as a pillow.

Cage told Bethany, “I’ll take her upstairs. We can talk for a bit before I drive you home, unless you’re in a hurry?”

“That’s fine.” As he scooped their daughter up in his arms, Bethany curled up on the couch, mindlessly flipping through the TV channels.

He was back quickly.

“I want to tell her that I’m her father,” he immediately said.

“What? Cage, no.”

“Why not? I want her to know. I want everyone to know. I’m so happy to be a father!”

“And what if we can’t work things out between us? I’ll do whatever it takes to protect her, Cage. I won’t let her get hurt. What if we end up moving again, somewhere away from here? She’d always be wanting to see her father, and it’ll be hard on her. It would be easier for her not to know yet.”

“That’s not fair, Bethany!” he exclaimed, his voice getting steadily louder, and she shushed him quietly, reminding him that Amy was asleep just upstairs.

“What happened between us in the first place wasn’t fair either. Amy and I are fine alone. Besides, she thinks parents should live together. How am I supposed to explain that we don’t live with her Daddy? Do I tell her we’re not a real family?”

“What does she think now?”

“Just that her Daddy loves her very much, but he can’t be with us right now. I thought it was right, Cage.”

He simply stared at her for a long time. “If you think it’s best for Amy.” He sighed, and leaned forward to give her a light kiss, more on her cheek than her lips, reassuring her that he wasn’t angry, just disappointed. He wrapped his arm around her waist, and held her against his side for a moment.

She shrugged out of his embrace, and paced anxiously.

“You do realize that we can’t just be friends?” His voice was soft, and she knew what he was trying to say.

“Why not? I don’t want to date you.”

“I don’t want to just date you either. Believe me, I’ve got more than that in mind.”

“You can’t have any more than that! Cage, just leave me alone!”

Standing, Cage yanked her into his arms. “Do you remember how good we used to be in bed? God, I do. I remember how you taste, too. I’ll bet you still taste the same. But I’ll bet that the chemistry between us is even stronger now than it was then. I can make you burn like no one else can,” he growled, and he began to press delicate kisses up and down her neck and along the line of her shoulder.

Bethany couldn’t help but let out a soft moan, and she felt him smirk in satisfaction. He brought one hand around to her stomach, pulling her back against him, and his other slid down to rest on her thigh.

She could feel his arousal pressing into her backside and she involuntarily squirmed.

“I dream about all the things I want to do to you. With you,” he told her, the hand on her stomach slipping upwards to lightly caress the underside of her breast.

When the hand on her thigh started to move as well, Bethany snapped out of the daze he had her in.

“Let me go!” she shouted, forgetting to keep her voice down for Amy’s sake. “Don’t touch me. I don’t want you touching me!”

Just to prove that he could, Cage placed an open-mouthed kiss to the spot behind her ear, the spot that had always been incredibly sensitive.

“Dammit, Cage,” she moaned. Her stomach muscles clenched as a stab of desire went through her. “Get your hands off me,” she snarled as best she could, but he was already stepping away.

“I was just trying to prove a point. Baby, you know as well as I do that we’re meant for eachother.”

“You hurt me, Cage. You—you raped me and beat me…”

“I know. I know I did. And Bethany, you’ll never know how truly sorry I am.”

“You can’t even say the words can you? You can’t even admit to yourself what you did to me.”

“I hurt you,” he said softly. “I know that, and it kills me.”

“See?” she sneered. “You can’t even say it. You raped me, Cage. You told me I was made to be broken, that I was worthless, and you beat me.”

Reaching out, Cage laid his hand on her cheek, and looked her straight in the eyes. “I hurt you. I beat you, made you bleed. I raped you.” His voice shook, but he got the words out. “But I loved you then, and I love you now. And now, we have the most beautiful child in the world. It will never happen again. I know what I did, and I just wish you could accept that I’m sorry. I know I probably don’t deserve it, and if I was you, I wouldn’t forgive me…but Baby, you’ve always been the strong one. Please…please, give me a chance.”

“A chance to what?”

“To prove myself to you,” he said simply. Facing her, he opened his arms, as if to show himself to her. “I’m not superman, Beth. I never have been, and I know that. I’m only a man. But we were happy together. And I really think that someday, we could have that again.”

She dropped her gaze, but made no move of protest when he stepped forward to wrap his arms around her.

“I hated myself when I realized you were gone,” he whispered, his breath tickling her ear. “It was months before I could even look in a mirror again. I was so ashamed of myself…I don’t think I saw a single person for three weeks after that. Not even my family,” he admitted.

With a groan, Cage opened his eyes. The light streaming in from the open blinds was killing his head.

He stumbled into the bathroom, and quickly found himself hanging over the toilet as he vomited repeatedly.

“Baby,” he called out. There was no answer.

Cage stood, and glanced in the mirror as he took a sip of water from a Dixie cup.

He did a double take, and the cup fell from his hand into the sink.

“What the hell?” he murmured. He was naked, but he had known that. That was nothing unusual. He had a gorgeous girlfriend.

Now, he realized, he was covered in dried blood, and he didn’t think it was his.

“What did I do?” he whispered incredulously. He spun, staring into the bedroom, hoping it was all a dream. The covers were a tangled mess, splattered with blood. In the middle, there was a dried pool of blood.

Dropping to his knees, Cage was sick again, and again. He didn’t remember a thing, but he could tell it must have been bad.

“Baby?” he called again, hoping he was wrong.

There was no sign of her as he staggered through the apartment. She was gone.

In the bedroom, he tore open the dresser drawers. Most of her things were there, but he could tell that she had taken at least a couple changes of clothes.

He had a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach that she wasn’t coming back.

He opened up his bureau, and pulled a drawer open. He’d shower, wash the blood off, and get dressed. Maybe then he’d feel better and his head wouldn’t be throbbing as badly.

He pulled a clean pair of boxers out, the last pair in the drawer. His laundry was sitting, neatly folded, in the laundry basket by the door.

His heart plummeted when he realized that his stash was gone. There was forty dollars in there, when there should have been a couple hundred.

He cursed. “What did I do?” he asked himself again, realizing that she really was gone.

He squinted, trying to ease the pain in his head. He rememered going to a party after work. He hadn’t planned on staying long. He didn’t remember going home though, and he certainly didn’t remember doing anything to hurt his Baby.

After his shower, he stripped the sheets off the bed, and collapsed backwards, staring at the ceiling.

He felt so lost, knowing she was gone. He instinctively knew she wasn’t come back either.

She had warned him. She had told him flat out that if he ever hurt her, she’d leave. She was a smart girl, she always had been. She was independent, too, which he had always admired about her. He hated those girls who needed constant validation; who couldn’t do anything on their own. Bethany had been more than just his girlfriend, she had been his other half.

He hated that he was already talking about her in the past tense. But there was no denying that the blood he had woken up to had come from somewhere.

“I fucking hate myself,” he whispered to the ceiling. “This isn’t me.”

He shook his head to clear it. “Come on, I’ll drive you home.”

“I should go,” she whispered with a nod.

“I’ll go get Amy. Help yourself to fish if you want to take some home.”

He came down a few minutes later, Amy sound asleep in his arms. He set her down across the back seat before jogging around to start the car.

Bethany was silent for the drive back to her house, obviously deep in thought. Cage carried Amy inside and up to her bedroom, and on his way back out the door, he pulled Beth’s body flush against his.

“Goodnight, Baby,” he said huskily as he bent to brush his lips against hers.

Again, he was the one to pull away. She touched her fingertips to her mouth. When his head dipped back towards hers, she turned her face to the side. “I told you not to kiss me anymore,” she said softly, avoiding his gaze as she slipped inside.

AN: And now I present, chapter nine for your viewing pleasure. Er, reading pleasure. Either way, I hope you enjoy. This chapter took a couple tries to get out on paper, and even then, it came in a couple big pieces that weren't sure if they wanted to play nice and fit together.

thank you, as always, to those who reviewed chapter eight. I'm glad so many of you found the date to your liking and thought it was realistic of the characters. Also, thanks for all hte well wishes, and I hope you all have a safe, and enjoyable Fourth.

Love, Ashley