Hello...after two long years. When I finished this story, I left the ending very open for future writing endeavors, and after recently re-reading and re-falling in love with Daniel and Jayden: I decided to write this for you guys. Hope you enjoy.

Close to You

"Hi babies," Bethany's voice rang from the kitchen doorway. The front door slammed shut behind me as I watched my kids attack my best friend's legs with tight hugs. "How was your day with daddy," she asked. She bent down to peck a kiss at both of their curly heads.

"Fun – really fun. He took us to Chuck E. Cheese after running all our errands. We earned so many tickets! Look at how many prizes we got," Adrian buzzed as he held up the plastic bag of toys they'd gotten. Bethany peeked into the bag.

"Wow! There's so many! Which one is for me?"

"Huh," our two kids asked in unison. Beth and I chuckled at the response.

"I'm just kidding. Go on and play with your toys." She kissed both of their heads again before the two wandered off into the living room. Beth wrapped her slender arms around herself as she took a few steps towards me. "Is there a point in making dinner tonight? I'm assuming they ate more pizza than their little bodies could handle."

"Nah. They should be knocked out within the next two hours. They've had a long day."

"Mhm, and what about you? I can make you something if you want." I shook my head.

"I'm good, Beth. I think I'm just gonna take a shower and watch TV with the kids. You take the night off; I can handle them for a couple more hours." A small smile appeared on her lips as she walked closer to me. "What," I asked. I repressed the scowl that was tugging at lips.

"Nothing," she said with a shrug. Her smile grew smug. "I'm just waiting for you to attempt to murder me while our children are distracted by a giant purple dinosaur."

"As tempting as that sounds, I'm afraid those children do need their mother." I paused. "An unfortunate fact." She rolled her eyes.

"Well, how did it go? What does he look like now? Did he remember you? Give me details." I dropped the fight with my facial expression and glared at her. "What Jay," she said as she threw her hands up. "It was an opportunity to get you out of the hell hole you've buried yourself in for the thousandth time and I took it. You can't be mad at me for reuniting you with your high school boyfriend."

"My senior year high school boyfriend who I barely dated," I replied flatly. "We don't know each other. We never really did."

"Jayden, you and I know that's not true. You and Daniel-"

"It is true," I snapped at her. "We were barely a couple years ago – if anything, we were just intimate friends. I had no desire to see him, and you damn well know that. He's moved on; I've moved on; the thing between us is over."

"Is it really," Beth asked as she tilted her head. She cautiously lay a hand on my arm. "Jayden, you and I both know you loved him, and we both know how much it hurt when you let him go. But he's here now, and maybe – just maybe that means life is giving the two of you another shot."

"I don't know," I murmured.

"Did you give him your number?"

"Yes," I sighed.

"And did he give you his?"

"Unfortunately." She smiled. "But I don't have time for him right now. We've just moved down here with the kids and they need to adjust to the two of us living in the same house. Adding another person or taking a periodic absence in their life isn't something I want to do right now. I just want to be there for them. I just want to be a good father."

"You are. You're the best father." She pecked a kiss at my cheek. "You're also a good person who deserves to be loved."

"So are you."

"Touché," she said with a roll of her eyes. She patted my arm. "Go take a shower and relax. Those two will probably be knocked out by the time you get back downstairs. All I'll need you to do is carry them up to bed for me."

"Alright." I kissed my best friend's forehead before ascending the carpeted steps. After grabbing a pair of pajama pants and a tank top from my room, I locked myself in the bathroom. The moment I stepped under the burning droplets of water, all the thoughts I'd been repressing throughout the day came rushing through my mind. The first being those damn blue eyes of his.

I should've seen it coming. I should've knew from Beth's small smirk and her muffled giggles that she was up to something. The night we'd sat down at the kitchen table with our laptops and wine glasses set out in front of us searching for new health locations and recreational activities for our kids, I should've been able to tell she'd been trying to set me up. "You should take them," she'd told me as she glanced over the edge of her computer. "You know how Arielle gets with new people; she'll probably feel more comfortable if you take them."

"Why's that," I replied.

"Because you're the gentle giant who protects her from the monsters under her bed." I rolled my eyes. "Seriously though, Jay, you should take them. I'm sure the three of you can make a day out of it; you can take them out as a reward for being good at the doctor's office or something."

"Alright," I'd replied with a sigh. I'd been too tired to argue with her. Besides, I couldn't deny spending quality time with my kids. I loved them to death; they were my babies – my blood and flesh. How could I not want to spend an entire day with them? But I still should've known when she told me we'd be seeing Doctor Crawford. I should've recognized the last name or at least been somewhat alarmed by it. I should've asked her for a first name or just looked him up myself. I should've gotten time to prepare myself. If I knew I was going to be seeing him then maybe I would've been able to control myself. I wouldn't been mesmerized by his charming smile. I wouldn't have flirted with him. Maybe I wouldn't have given him my number. Maybe – just maybe I wouldn't have fallen for him all over again.

I shouldn't be falling for him. I shouldn't be thinking about a doctor with perfect hair and smile and those fucking blue eyes. He wasn't the scrawny white boy from high school anymore. He wasn't insecure or bashful or unsure of what he wanted. He was a man now. He was a man with a career, the body of Adonis, and accepting of who he was. I didn't see a ring on his finger; Lord knows I was praying he wouldn't have one, but that didn't mean he wasn't seeing someone. But he had asked me to hang out. He asked me to come over or have dinner…if I wasn't dating anyone. That had to mean something right? It had to mean he was implying more towards a date rather than two old friends catching up on life. I hadn't been on a date in years. I was sure he'd been on plenty with other guys…hugging and kissing them.

A growl involuntarily left my lips. The simple image of someone else touching him, kissing him, loving him made even the darkest corners of my heart flare up in rage. I didn't want to imagine another man having their hands or lips on his soft skin – I couldn't. Though we'd only spent one night - one night of intimacy and heat together, the memory had engraved itself into my brain. Despite my knowledge of our goodbyes the next day, I let myself breathe him in and make him mine the same way I'd done with other guys. But I never felt this way about those other guys. Even with Diego, the only other guy who I'd come close to being in a relationship with, I couldn't bring myself to care enough about him. I had to force myself to act as if I cared because he was something I simply wanted. With Daniel, it was effortless. Our infuriating feud, our absurd friendship, and that God forsaken smile made me fall in love with him. Hell, the first day of high school when he had the nerve to turn around and bother me: that smile, that stupid smile filled with braces made my heart do a backflip. I never wanted to be in love with him. I never wanted to care. I never wanted to be close to him. I just wanted to conquer him. If only I knew he would be the one conquering me.

A soft knock at the door broke me out of my thoughts. "You alright," Beth's voice rang through. "You've been in there for a while now."

"Yea. I'm coming out now," I replied. I quickly finished cleaning myself up before I finally got out of the shower. I dried off and changed into my pajamas. When I got downstairs to the living room, I was relieved to see both of my kids sleeping peacefully on the couch. Arielle was curled into her pink princess blanket with her face hidden in a pillow while Adrian was sprawled out with his mouth hanging wide open. I gathered my bundled daughter up into my arms and carried her into her room first. I then retrieved Adrian and tucked him into his own bed upstairs. I walked past Beth's closed door down to my own. I entered my room and plopped down onto my bed. The card he'd written his number on was sitting on my nightstand where I'd put it when I entered the first time. I could've picked it up and dialed without thinking twice, but I stopped myself. We hadn't talked in over a decade. What was there to talk about? We both knew what we were doing after our relationship ended. I was fighting in a war while he was knocking out school work. We were both following our dreams. Now that our dreams have settled into themselves, what else is there to say other than 'I missed you'?

I did miss him. I missed his optimism, his annoying antics, his goofy laugh – those oceans inside of his eyes. But I missed the relationship we had too. I missed how easily we could talk to each other, how we could alternate between wrestling around and making out, and how content we could feel on lazy days laying in each other's arms and believing in those moments that we were okay. I missed lying back with his head on my chest and his blonde hair tickling my chin and thinking there was nowhere else I'd rather be but right there with him. I missed putting him on his ass when he got on my nerves. I missed our stupid arguments. I missed our rough but passionate kisses. I missed the way he smiled at me. Damn it, I missed him.

I came to the conclusion with a frustrated sigh. I pinched the bridge of my nose as I decided I would call him. Not that night of course, but at some point I was going to call and take him up on his offer. We'd go out to dinner one night. We'd start with talking and see where that lead us. I hoped conversation would lead us to the bedroom rather than the separate paths we'd both taken. I wasn't ready to be loved; I was still broken beyond repair, but he had the patience to look beyond that. He'd love me regardless – wouldn't he? In fear of my thoughts darkening, I relaxed in my bed and imagined falling asleep next to him.

I didn't call the next day or the day after. Two days turned into three. Three turned into seven. Seven turned into fourteen. Neither of us called or texted. It seemed as though we'd gone back to our lives before we'd been reunited. I assumed he was off healing people while I was finding balance between my family and work. We were strangers again. Or at least we were until my phone started buzzing in my back pocket as I was getting Adrian ready for bed. I'd been fussing at him in Spanish to brush his teeth from the bathroom doorway. Per usual, my son was bouncing around the bathroom and doing everything he wasn't supposed to. I was three seconds away from walking in there when I felt the vibration of my phone. I shot my son a final warning in Spanish as I accepted the call and held the phone to my ear.

"Whoa, it's been a long time since I heard you threaten anyone," Daniel's voice chimed into my ear. The stampede of raging butterflies swarmed over my stomach as his familiar laugh followed it. "Who's got you so worked up?"

"My son; he's testing my patience – one of his favorite activities." Adrian stuck his tongue out at me. "Brush your teeth before I knock all of them out." My son mocked me in Spanish. I almost walked in to pop him, but Daniel's chuckle distracted me. "What do you want, white boy," I asked.

"I wanted to know what you were doing Friday night. I don't know your schedule, but if you're free I thought maybe I could make you dinner and we could just hang out – like old times."

"At your place," I raised an eyebrow.

"Yea," he said with a soft laugh. "I mean we can go out somewhere if you wanted to. I just thought it might be better if we had the chance to talk…privately." I could practically see the blush on his cheeks as he spoke.

"No, no, it's fine if we hang out at your place. I get off work at five so I guess I can just head over when I get off. Where do you live?"

"I live just outside of Philly in Bucks County. I can text you the address."

"Alright."

"…So you'll be there…on Friday night?"

"Sure."

"Cool…cool." The two of us were silent for a moment before he spoke again. "I'm sorry for not calling sooner; I just… I didn't know if you wanted to see me again."

"I did – I do. I…" I wanted to finish my sentence, but of course my son had decided to get toothpaste all over his face. "I gotta go. See you on Friday, white boy." Just before I hung up, I could hear Daniel laughing as I yelled my son's full name in annoyance.

The wait for Friday dragged on miserably. I tried to restrain the butterflies in my stomach and regulate my excitement. I could admit I was happy to finally talk to him after all these years, but I could also admit that I was scared. We were complete opposites back in high school, and we'd gone off to form two very different lives. What if we didn't feel the same way about each other once we actually sat down and looked at where we were and the men we've become? What if our different worlds clashed again and we were forced to walk away from each other? What if our thing in the past was never really love at all – what if we had just formed a platonic bond that we mislabeled as love? What if the two of us had really moved on? Could we truly just be friends?

Our attempt at friendship in the past had been successful – until I was stupid enough to kiss him when he was crying and vulnerable. I knew I shouldn't have kissed him that night. I knew I should've just talked him down and let him go to sleep. I knew I shouldn't have interfered with our friendship. I shouldn't have been selfish by trying to take him for myself. I should've been considerate by being content with just being his friend. Though I couldn't help but wonder if whether I kissed him or not that night if we still wouldn't have gotten together. Though I helped him explore his feelings, he knew he was falling in love with me too. Anyone could tell by the way he looked at me that he was developing feelings for me. Beth saw it, Melanie saw it – I saw it. The only one who didn't see it was him. Then again he was oblivious to almost everything that wasn't perfectly scheduled into his life. Perhaps even if I hadn't kissed him that night, we still would've kissed at some point. Though I wondered if the kiss would've still been in senior year or years later. Either way, it was bound to happen – wasn't it?

On Friday morning, I explained to Beth that I wasn't going to be home until late. She raised an eyebrow at me as she drank her coffee. "Why's that," she asked.

"I'm going over a friend's house for dinner," I replied as I braided Arielle's hair. She was sitting calmly in her seat as she ate her small bagel. Her brother was sitting across from her with his eyes glued on the small television on the kitchen counter.

"Does this friend happen to be blonde with eyes the color of the ocean?" I rolled my eyes at her.

"I should be home by twelve."

"That's if you come home. It's alright if you want to stay the night; I can handle the kids for one night."

"I'm not going to stay the night," I said with a sigh. "We're going to have dinner; then I'm going to come home and go to sleep."

"Hm whatever you say," Beth said as she shrugged her shoulders.

The day surprisingly didn't drag on. After dropping the kids off at daycare and school, I drove to work and got all my tasks done. I had too much work to worry or overthink about the night to come. Thankfully the busyness made my day go by quickly. Before I knew it, the clock had struck five. As if on cue, my phone buzzed with a text from Daniel asking if I was still coming. I texted him back to let him know I was. The butterflies I'd managed to ignore the entire day swarmed my stomach as I changed into a black button down shirt and a nice pair of jeans. I hurried out of my office building and down to my car.

Daniel didn't live too far away from the city. It was only a twenty five minute drive from my job. I unintentionally sped down the road to get to his very large apartment complex. The tall building was a soft cream color with bright yellow lights outlining its shape. The other cars in the parking lot were expensive cars such as Lexus' and Mercedes'. My moderate Nissan stood out against the others. Hell, I stood out from the other people in the building. Though it was the end of the day, the residents were walking in and out wearing fancy designer dresses and elaborate suits. I wandered between the small crowds of people to the elevator. I stood in the very back with my hands pushed into my pockets as the residents chattered among themselves or on their phones. I tried to focus on the snippets of conversation rather than the subtle shaking my nerves were causing.

The ride to the tenth floor was too short. I shuffled out of the elevator and made the sharp right to the hallway. My eyes scanned the velvet carpet and exquisite gold numbers on each of the wooden chestnut doors. Daniel's apartment was at the very end of the hallway near a large oval window. I took a deep breath to ease my nerves before knocking gently on the door. There was a moment of silence as I waited for his vibrant smile and breathtaking eyes to appear behind the closed door. A moment was all my nerves needed to drive my mind insane. I should've brought wine or champagne or something for this dinner. Or maybe I should've gotten him a rose. Or maybe I should've dressed a little better. Or maybe we should've gone out somewhere so we wouldn't be tempted – or so that things wouldn't be awkward if our conversation didn't go the way we wanted.

My thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the creaking of the door opening. My beautiful ex-boyfriend smiled at me as he spoke. "Hey Jayden," he exclaimed happily. I scanned over his white button down shirt and light wash jeans. A few of the top buttons were undone, exposing some of his chiseled chest. I noticed the ring I gave him all those years ago still hanging from his neck. This was going to be hard…

"Hi," I mumbled as I brought my eyes up to meet his.

"Come in, come in," he said as he moved aside. He continued to talk while I shuffled into his apartment. "Dinner's just about done. I grilled up some steak if that's okay with you. I was trying to be fancy, but not cheesy."

"Mhmm," I hummed as I glanced around his apartment. The space was huge. A large window that took up almost all of his back wall looked out over the sparkling city and the bright sun. His living room was complete with a sleek black sectional couch, a gigantic flat screen television, and bookshelves lining the walls. An extremely soft golden carpet spread throughout the room. There were four doorways at each corner. Of one I could see into his lit kitchen, the other a desk and more bookshelves, father down a dark bathroom, and finally a dark room with a king-sized bed. I bit down on my lips as dirty thoughts threatened to arise in my mind. We were going to talk. We were just going to talk.

"You can relax on the couch if you want. I'm just gonna finish setting up the dining room." I raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. I nodded before he smiled. "It's really good to see you, Jayden." Fuck…that smile.

"You too, white boy," I replied as I offered him a small smile back.

I wandered towards the large window while he jogged back through the kitchen doorway. I glanced around the pictures on his bare walls. Some were pictures of he and his siblings, others were of Melanie and him, and the rest were of what I assumed were Melanie's kids. On some of the small counters in the living room were pictures of him at various places such as Paris, Hawaii, Disney World, and even China. It was obvious he had traveled with the money he'd saved up for college that he no longer needed due to his scholarships. I tried to find a photo of him and another man in an intimate position, but there were none. Most of the other guys in the pictures seemed to be just friends of his. I could let go of the concern that he had recently been seeing anyone.

I'd barely even looked out the large window for a moment when I felt his hands on my back. I turned my head to look at him. Soft blush rushed across his cheeks as I raised an eyebrow at him. "Dinner's ready," he said with a small smile. He hesitantly reached down to intertwine our hands. Shit…how was I going to resist him?

He led me down through the kitchen to a small room with a wooden table and cushioned chairs. A small chandelier hung down over the table. There were no windows so the room was dark, but the two candles in the middle of the table created a dim light. On the table were two plates of freshly cooked steak, mashed potatoes and broccoli with a tall glass of champagne next to it. The sight brought me back to senior year in the back room of my uncle's restaurant. "You're a fucking nerd," I told him. He chuckled as he squeezed my hand. A small smile appeared on my lips. "But you're cute." My smile widened at the sight of his blush darkening. God dammit, what was I doing? I wasn't supposed to be flirting with him. I didn't want to flirt with him. But didn't I know by then that resistance didn't apply when it came to the blue eyed boy next to me?

We reluctantly let go of each other's hands and sat on opposite ends of the table. Over dinner, I mostly listened to Daniel tell me stories of the major events over the years. He told me about his undergrad years at Stanford, his decision to actually go to Harvard for law school, all the crazy patients he got during his residency, his decision to go into pediatrics, and all his trips around the world. I listened tentatively, nodding my head and sending him smiles. I silently adored the familiar sparkle in his eyes and his boyish smile as he spoke. I'd almost forgotten how much he could talk – I didn't know how much I'd missed it.

"So what about you," Daniel said after taking a sip of his champagne. "What have you been up to?"

"Nothing that involves long detail. I did my time in the Marines, got my degree, had my kids, and now I'm working. My life hasn't been too exciting."

"How was the Marines, if you don't mind talking about it?"

"Traumatizing," I admitted with a shrug. "Let's just say I was in therapy for a long time after I finished my time." He frowned. "I'm alright now; I just experienced a lot of things my brain couldn't handle."

"I understand. How's you and Beth? How are those beautiful kids? Did you end up knocking Adrian out the other night?"

"Don't get me started on that little Diablo." He chuckled. "Beth and I are good. Both the kids are good – they're great. Adrian is a pain in my ass, but he's a sweet kid. He's very passionate about what his hobbies which right now is playing as many role playing games as possible with his friends. Arielle is a little sweetheart; she's really shy but once she warms up to people she won't leave them alone."

"Does she warm up quickly or does it take a while?"

"Depends on how much she sees the person and how they treat her. The nicer you are, the quicker."

"How long do you think it'll take for her to warm up to me?"

"Depends which role you plan be taking in her life." A long silence filled the air. Daniel averted his eyes away from mine. I crinkled my eyebrows together in confusion. I hadn't meant to indirectly ask what exactly we were going to do about our relationship. I was just stating a fact. I opened my mouth to clarify, but he spoke before I could.

"I should start cleaning this up. Go ahead in the living room. I'll be in there in a minute." I wanted to protest, but he wouldn't meet my eyes. Without a fight, I got up and walked back into the living room. I mentally kicked myself for being so stupid. We were having a good time talking and I just had to screw it up. I could only pray Daniel didn't take it the wrong way. I wanted him to be in my life – in my kids' lives potentially. He was a good person; he would make an excellent fictive relative…or even a second father figure to my children. I bet he would get along just fine with the kids; he could keep up with Adrian's energy and charm his way into Arielle's trust. But the only thing was did he want to? We'd hardly ever discussed kids when we were dating. I couldn't remember if he even said he wanted them. I just remember letting him know I was having them with Beth one day. What if he didn't want any to take care of himself? What if he was content being the happy doctor who made the sick ones feel better?

"Jayden," his voice brought me out of my thoughts. I looked up at him to see him holding out another glass of champagne out to me. I took it from him, and he sat down beside me on the couch with a glass on his own. We were silent for a moment before I finally spoke.

"Look, I didn't mean for the comment to come out the way it did. This is our first time hanging out since we were eighteen. I'm not expecting for us to automatically know what we're going to do next as far as our friendship…our feelings towards each other… I was just saying – "

"I know," Daniel cut me off. "It wasn't what you said. It's the thoughts it invoked in me. I want to be…I want to be more than just your friend again, but I know it's not going to happen just like that. It's been fifteen years, Jay. Fifteen long years. I don't know what other guys you've dated or your thoughts about love or even marriage at some point. I don't know what you went through in the Marines or the duties you have as a father. I just know you're the man I love…the man I've always loved, but this time love isn't the only thing there is to consider."

"When was it ever the only thing we considered," I murmured.

"I don't know," he replied. "We always did have other concerns in mind when it came to our relationship, didn't we?" He scooted closer to me. He cautiously ran his fingertips over the veins on my forearm. "We could never simply be in love; there was always a contradiction or some sort of rationalization one of us had to make or just a terrible event curving our attention." He let out a soft sigh. "But even through all that, we were happy…weren't we?"

"Yes. Yes we were…" I set my glass down on the table and leaned back on his couch. My eyes met his glowing cerulean orbs. The sun had retired from the sky and the moon's glow spread out over Daniel's face. He hadn't changed much since high school physically. His tousled blonde hair, kind eyes, and lean yet muscular body left every reminder of the prissy boy I'd loved. He blushed under my gaze and averted his eyes.

"Do you think…do you think we could be happy again…someday?" I raised an eyebrow as his voice lowered. "Because I've really…I've really missed you – I've really missed us." He paused for a moment before he swore under his breath. "Sorry; I'm sorry, Jayden. This is our first time spending time together in years and here I am screwing it up with all this talk about my feelings and our relationship." He ran a hand through his hair.

"Hey," I said as I grabbed his wrist. I pulled his hand away from his face and held his chin in my other hand. I guided his eyes to mine. "You're not screwing anything up. You're being honest with me, and I appreciate it." My hand trailed over his jawline to the back of his neck. I caressed the soft hairs behind his ear with my thumb. "I've really missed you too." Dark blush bloomed over Daniel's cheeks. I almost smiled at the sight. I looked down at his chain with my mother's ring hanging off of it. "You really kept it?"

"Of course I did. You gave it to me as a way to remember you. Why would I want to forget?" I looked back up at him as he leaned in closer to me. "How could I forget you...? Jayden, I… I love you." Fuck… He'd scooted closer as he spoke. Our legs and our noses were brushing up against each other. My emeralds never left his oceans as I slowly closed the distance between us.

Our first kiss was like this: subtle, soft and slow. My lips molded his with caution; I wasn't sure of what his reaction was going to be. Unlike the first time I'd kissed him, I was sure he wouldn't push me away. Anyone could see the chemistry between us – the unresolved passion the two of us had for each other. Yet, I wanted to be sure this was what he wanted – that this was what I wanted.

Our soft, slow kisses evolved into hot, passionate kisses as Daniel grabbed hold of my hair and pulled me closer to him. I wrapped my arms around him and roughly pushed him onto his back. He took me down with him, our lips never skipping a beat of their seductive dance. I flicked my tongue at his lips, and he eagerly allowed entrance. The sound of his moan into my mouth sent the fire in my stomach down to my groin. Fuck I missed his minty taste, his soft hair between my fingertips, and his soft skin under my palms. I hadn't even realized I'd began unbuttoning his shirt until my hands met his bare chest. New muscles loomed there, and I didn't wait to explore them. Daniel had also began unbuttoning my own shirt. He struggled pushing it off of my shoulders since my arms were busy. I helped him by sitting up and taking my shirt off for him. He smirked at me as he rolled us off of the couch onto the floor. He tried to grab hold of my wrists, but I wasn't having that. I wriggled around in his grasp until I finally got out from under him.

We stared at each other from our feline like positions on the floor. Both of us were on our knees with our palms pressed into the soft carpet. Soft pants left both of our lips as we examined the other. Daniel's hair was a beautiful mess on his head, his white shirt wide open, and his cerulean eyes wild with a passion I didn't know he possessed. "So," he said between his pants. "Is that all you got?" I smirked. I lunged towards him and tackled him down to the floor. He chuckled as I held his arms down and captured his lips with mine.

The night took a turn neither of us were expecting. Our heated kisses on the living room floor led us to the hallway and eventually his king sized bed. For the second time, I made Daniel mine. I marked his body with my lips and hands as he groaned and writhed beneath me. I didn't think I'd be surprised at the skills he'd acquired over the years, but I was – I was completely caught off guard. I hadn't been expecting for him to make me his as well. Nor did I expect his confidence and his knowledge of all the right spots. I didn't expect to feel weak in the knees as he groaned my name into my ears. I didn't expect to be going at it with him for over an hour. I didn't expect to be laying in his bed sweaty, satisfied, and extremely tired.

"Damn white boy," I murmured between my pants. Daniel chuckled as he turned onto his side to look at me.

"What?" He kissed my temple. "Did I rock your world?" I rolled my eyes.

"I'm gonna rock your world with my fist if you keep talking." Daniel chuckled again as he leaned down to kiss me.

"Hmm does it have to be your fist…" His lips traveled around my jaw to my ear. "Because I can think of other things I think you can rock it with."

"Fuck you," I said as I playfully pushed him away. We chuckled as he settled his head on my chest. "I missed this," I murmured into his hair.

"Me too," he whispered. He lay there for a moment before he slowly sat up.

"What's wrong," I asked.

"Nothing; it's just…this wasn't like a 'oh I missed you so let's fuck and never see each other again' scenario…was it?" I sat up with a sigh.

"No, Daniel. To be honest, I wasn't planning for this to happen. I thought we would just have dinner and talk. I didn't think we'd end up here… Well, I knew there was a chance, but it wasn't what I was looking forward to." I put my hand on his knee over the cover. "I just wanted to spend time with you."

"So you weren't looking forward to having sex with me?" I could've punched him, but the familiar smile on his face stopped me. "I love you, Jayden."

"I love you too, white boy." His smile widened. I glanced at the clock to see it was almost midnight. I swore under my breath. I hadn't been expecting to stay out so late. It wasn't like I had anything planned to do tomorrow, but I didn't want to stay away from home for too long. Adrian had night terrors and Arielle could only sleep after I'd checked the closet for monsters and made an army of stuffed animals in front of her bed in case the monster was a good hider. What if they needed me?

"You have to go," Daniel asked. He tilted his head at me as I looked over at him.

"I don't have to go, but I should go. My kids…"

"Right," Daniel said with a nod. "It is pretty late though. Are you sure you wanna drive at this hour?"

"No." I wanted to stay in bed with him. I wanted to fall asleep with him curled into my arms. I wanted to wake up with him hovering over me and telling me to get my ass up. I wanted to be with him for just a while longer.

I got out of the bed to search for my boxers and my jeans. I slid on my boxers as I shook my jeans out for my cellphone. "I'm just gonna call Beth to let her know I'll be home tomorrow," I told Daniel. His smile reappeared on his lips. He nodded before I walked out of the room.

"You had sex with him, didn't you," Beth said as she answered the phone. "And now you're calling to let me know you'll be home around say…late afternoon tomorrow."

"I hate you," I grumbled into the phone. Beth giggled. "Are the kids okay?"

"Yes. The kids are fine. They told me to tell you they said goodnight and to tell your doctor friend they said hello."

"You did not tell them I was with Daniel." Beth giggled.

"Adrian can't wait to see Doctor Daniel Crawford again; he thinks next time you guys should have dinner over here – or to just bring him over anytime in general." I rolled my eyes. "I know I shouldn't have told them, but I couldn't help it. Besides, we both know you're not going to let him get away again so it was probably best the kids start learning how to share your attention."

"Yea," I replied with a sigh. "Glad to hear they're okay – and you seem fine."

"I'm great now that I know you finally got laid." I rolled my eyes.

"Goodnight Beth. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye Jayden. Tell Daniel I said hi!" I shook my head as I hung up on her. I walked back into Daniel's bedroom to see him fiddling with his phone. He smiled at me as I shut the door.

"The kids alright," he asked.

"Yea. Beth says hi." I crawled under the covers next to him and gathered him in my arms. My exhaustion from the long week and mind blowing intercourse with Daniel rained down on me. I sighed into his hair.

"Jayden," Daniel murmured into my chest.

"Yes."

"I wanna be in your life again…as your boyfriend…if you'll have me…"

"I will," I said as I kissed his head. "You're mine; you're not going anywhere." He chuckled. "I love you, Daniel."

"I love you too, Jayden. I love you too…"

Hope you guys liked getting into Jayden's mind and seeing things from his perspective. Review if you guys would like! Thanks again for all the support and love you've shown these characters and this story!