The next morning I wake up and AJ is walking out the door.

" Where are you going?" I ask.

He turns around sighs. " Look, I enjoyed last night and all. I really did, but, I think maybe it's better if we cool it. We're moving way to fast. I was stressed last night"

" What?!"

" Look, let's forget it happened, OK?"

" Oh , so that's how it's going to be?" I say. " You're gonna fuck me and leave"

" Mallori, it's not like that"

And without thinking I keep going. " Yeah well AJ you did that once, and I have something from that night" I begin to walk to the room next to me. He watches with curiosity. I walk over to Aurora's crib. She is awake. I take her out. I walk back to my room. " AJ, here is the proof"

" What do you..." He turns around and sees her. " Who is she?"

" Your 2 year old daughter. Our 2 year old daughter." I say. " Aurora Elisabeth Leigh"

He is in pure shock as he stares at her. She has his eyes, his ears, his face. But she has my hair. Something about her makes him KNOW it's his. Just one of those parent instincts.

'God, I am a parent' AJ thinks to himself. ' This is MY daughter'. He still doesn't speak.

" Look, if you don't believe she's yours then I will be glad to get a blood test" I say. " Even though I know she is yours, I am fine with it being me and her. I have done it for 2 years, I can do it for more. We don't need your pity" He looks at me, lost.

" What are you saying?"

" We don't need you. So don't feel obligated to take care of her"

" But Mallori..."

" No!" I say. " Neither one of us need your pity"

" What pity?" He asks. " Can't I just love my daughter?"

" Yes you can" I say, feeling left out. Hoping he'd say he loved me too.

" But I don't want you leading us on. And I'm not surprised you fell in love with her. People fall in love with her easily, she is a lovable kid. But, look there is more to this whole thing than looking at her. There is a lot going into parenting"

He looks at me, then his watch. " Look, we really need to talk. But I have a photo shoot in 15 min, I'm already late. Come over for dinner tonight"

He looks deep into my eyes. " Please?"

I sigh. " OK"

" OK, at 7, my place"

" Alright"

" Bye" He picks up Aurora. " Bye hun" he gives her a kiss and leaves. I sit down on the bed and start to cry. Aurora comes up to me.

" What wrong mommy?" she asks. I laugh slightly and give her a hug. We go downstairs and see B and Rae coming in.

" Hey there, we just saw AJ leaving" Rae says.

" Yeah, so what happened?" B Asks.

" Well, he found out about Aurora" I say.

" And he said..."

" That he loves her"

" Really?"

" Yes, I just don't know what else to do" I cry. " I want to be with him. I don't think he does with me though"

" Oh"

That night after I get ready, wearing an emerald green dress that goes past my knees, I put Aurora into a cute little yellow dress. We go downstairs and leave.

" What?!" Denise, AJ's mom, shrieks. " A baby?!" AJ nods.

" Her name is Aurora"

" The baby?"

" Yes" he says. " Her mother is Mallori"

" Oh my goodness. I have a grandbaby" She smiles. " I have a grandbaby" Then she looks at him. " Now Alex, you are sure it's yours?"

He nods. " You'll know it too when you see her" Just as he says that the doorbell rings. He walks over and answers it. " Hi honey!" He says to Aurora. She giggles.

" Come see daddy" He looks at me. " I can say that right?"

" Well, yeah, I mean you are her dad"

" True" he says as he takes her into his arms. His mom walks in.

" Mom, this is Mallori and Aurora" He says. Denise's eyes fill with tears as she looks at her beautiful grandbaby. " Mal, this is my mom Denise"

" Hi Mallori" She says looking at me. Then she looks at Aurora. " Hi honey" Aurora walks right to her.

" Hi!" Aurora says. We all laugh.

" Mama, I think she likes you!" AJ says with a laugh. I am so glad they all love her so much.

" Come here Aurora, daddy got you something" He leads her into the living room hand in hand. He brings out a cute little outfit, a pair of shoes, and a pair of baby sunglasses. I have to laugh.

" AJ you shouldn't have" I say.

" I wanted to" He says.

We then go and eat dinner.

" Mallori, I just want to let you know" AJ begins. " That I am going to help raise her. If you would have told me earlier I would have been here to help."

" AJ, you don't understand"

" No, I do. Look my father left us when I was 4 years old. He left my mom and me. I will not do that to Aurora!"

" AJ..."

Denise gets up. " You two need to talk, I'll take Aurora to play" She says.

" Mallori, I care about you, I really do, and Aurora" He says. " What do I have to do to prove it?"

" AJ, you are just caught in the awe of it all"

" No I am not!" He says. " I am going to take care of this child" He looks at me. " Maybe you don't want me to take care of you, but I will take care of her"

I sigh. " Look, I have to go. She needs a bath"

" No, please" He says. " Let me give her one. I need to get used to it"

" Fine" He goes and gets her and takes her upstairs. As I head up Denise stops me.

" Mallori", she says. " I know he won't hurt Aurora. Or you" I nod.

" Tell me" She says. " How do you feel about him?"

I look down. Something about her tells me I can trust her. " I honestly love him" She smiles slightly.

" Please, don't tell him" I plead.

" I won't dear" she promises. I thank her again and go upstairs. I walk towards the bathroom. I hear AJ singing " Rub-A-Dub In The Tub" to Aurora and she is giggling hysterically. I lean against the wall. I wish we were a normal family. For Aurora to have her daddy all the time. But what if he gets into my heart and leaves me and Aurora. For some reason I don't see that happening, probably because his dad left him. Even still, I'm not letting him in so easily. I can't risk Aurora pain, or myself.

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