{ZACH'S POV}

Walking out of the grocery store I wanted to slap myself. I'm surprised Maddison didn't slap me across the face once again. She should have with the way I acted. I didn't handle that situation well at all. But she just basically told me that her daughter was mine, but still at the same time didn't tell me she was mine. Infact she looked highly confused as to why I was asking, which confused me even more. Though I will admit that I missed the feeling of my arms around her and her body against mine.
I opened my truck door as my cell phone rang again.

"What Alisha?" I asked, answering my phone, shutting my truck door.

"Where are you Zach?" she whined.

"Why Alisha?" I sighed.

"Well you need to go pick up the brats and figure out what their having to eat," she answered.

"What do you mean I need to pick them up? I just dropped them off to you thirty minutes ago. Also I'm by the store, I could pick something up for all of us," I said, scrunching my brows together in confusion.

"Oh I know you did. But I had Travis pick them up on his way home, so their over at Travis and Ally's house. It doesn't matter what you pick up for dinner to me. I'm going out tonight so I won't be here," she answered.

"God Alisha you can't just have other people watching our children. At some point your going to need to take some responsibility for them. Also I would really appreciate if you wouldn't go out tonight. We need to talk," I said angrily.

"Sorry Zach not tonight, I'm already half out the door. We'll talk another time. Ok so bye," she replied.

"Alisha..... Alisha.... ALISHA DON'T YOU DARE," I said yelling, as I was meet by a dial tone.

"GOD DAMMIT," I yelled, throwning my phone on the passenger seat, than slamming my hand on the steering wheel.

"God dammit, god dammit, god dammit," I muttered, throwing my head back in frustration.

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After pulling myself together and driving to Travis and Ally's, I took a deep breath and walked up to the door. Usually I would just walk in, but today I rang the doorbell and waited for the door to be opened. A minute later Ally opened the door.

"Hey Alison," I said, smiling.

"Hello Zachary," she greeted, with a frown.

"Can I come in or what?" I asked, sticking my hands in my pockets.

"Sure come on in," she said sarcastically, swinging the door open for me.

I stepped into the house and shut the door behind me. Ally had already walked off to go back to whatever she was doing. I walked in the direction I could hear commotion and children's laughter coming from. I stopped when I got to the kids den, as Ally and Travis called it and leaned on the doorway watching my kids play.

"Daddy," Mariann squealed, jumping up and running over to me once she saw me.

"Hey baby girl," I replied laughing, picking her up. "You just saw me a little bit ago. Have you been a good girl for Auntie Ally and Uncle Travis?"

"Yup I have daddy and I made a new friend too," she said excitedly.

"Really you made a new friend?" I asked.

"Yeah, you want to meet her?" she asked.

"Sure," I answered, raising an eyebrow at her.

"She's over here silly daddy," she answered, my unspoken question.

She squirmed out of my arms and walked over the bright pink play princess castle sitting in the corner of the room. I always have to shake my head at the thing. She went inside and came out a second later pulling on someone's hand. For a minute I'm terrified that she's dressed her brother up as a girl again and is now parading him around. But find myself relieved when another girl comes out.

"Daddy this is my friend Ava. Ava this is my daddy," Mariann says, practically bouncing in place.

Ava looks up shyly from behind her eyelashes.

"Hi Zach," she says shyly.

"You know my daddy?" Mariann asks, with a look between shock and confusion.

"Yeah baby girl. Ava and I meet earlier. Actually we meet at your school. I believe Ava is going to be in your class," I say.

"Really. Than we can be best friends forever and ever and ever," Mariann squeeked, grabbing both of Ava's hands and swinging them back and forth.

I looked between my daughters and now just looking at them with each other, I had no doubt that Ava was mine. They both had sandy blonde hair, Ava's had a strawberry tint to it like her moms, they both had my brown eyes, and my lips, and smile, they were both sporting my dimples.

"Mari where did your brother go?" I asked, looking around.

"He's in the backyard with Travis," Ally said, from behind me.

I looked over my shoulder at her standing there with a towel in her hands. Watching the three of us with a knowing look in her eyes. I knew that look, I was about to get it.

"Zach join me in the kitchen. We need to talk," she said, with a pointed look, than turned and walked off.

"Mari behave and be nice. I need to go talk to Aunt Ally," I said.

"Ok daddy," she sighed, and shook her head in an over-dramatic way.

I looked between them again and headed into the kitchen. Walking in there Ally was chopping something for a salad. She looked over at me and nodded her in the direction of a stool. Which I quickly did, knowing better than getting on her bad side.

"So there cute together, right?" she asked.

"Yeah," I responded, with a nod.

"So what are you going to do about it?" she asked, turning and putting her hands on her hips.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh come off it Zachary. We all know that's your daughter in there. You know that's your daughter in there. About the only person that doesn't realize it is Maddison. So what are you going to do about it? Or are you just going to let some other guy raise your daughter? I mean don't get me wrong, Ryan's been a great dad to her. But he's not dad and Ava's going to really start learning the meaning of that in the next couple of years," she stated.

"Wait you knew that I had a daughter and didn't tell me?" I asked, now giving her a pointed look.

"Zach you'd have to be blind to not see it. Plus I believe as my husband told you, put the pieces together. You know my feelings on the whole you and Maddison thing, and the whole you and Alisha thing. I've made my feelings clear on that. But like I told Maddison earlier today Travis and I have been put in the middle of this shit for far to long. We're not going to be doing that anymore. So the question is what are you going to do?" she asked.

"Why didn't she tell me Al?" I asked, resting my forhead against my palms.

"Zach," she sighed.

"Why?" I asked again, glancing up.

I could see several conflicting emotions filtering across her face. One to stay loyal to her best friend and keep her secret. Or the other to tell or other best friend the truth.

"Zach that's not my place to tell you. Maddison should be the one to tell you. But I will say this there are circumstances as to why she didn't tell you. Things you couldn't imagine," she sighed.

"Like what?" I pushed.

"Zach," she sighed again.

"No I deserve to know why I didn't know about that little girl in there," I said.

"Zach, Maddi has a year of her life she doesn't remember. Unfortunately the year she doesn't remember is the last year you were together. She doesn't remember you guys even planning your wedding. She thinks you guys split your junior year of college. Zach in her head for whatever reason she can't remember who Avalon's father is. I'm not making excuses for her, but it's the truth. That's why she never told you. Why she still won't tell you, because she doesn't remember who it is," Ally explained.

"Crap I fucked up," I said, sitting back rubbing my temples.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I uhhhhh..... I kind of conforted her in the grocery store," I said, gulpping loudly.

"Zachary," she scolded me, like I was her child.

"Well you know. I just wanted to know," I said.

"Al why, why doesn't she remember?" I asked.

"Alisha didn't tell you?" she asked confusidly.

"Tell me what?" I asked, in return.

"I thought she told you. She told me she told you. Infact she said you both went up there to visit her," she sighed.

"Where?" I asked, now confusidly.

"Zach the night of yours and Alisha's wedding. Maddi was there, she was in the back watching the whole thing. She left the thing before the reception in the rain. She was in a bad car crash," she replied, softly and than looked over my shoulder and gasped.

I turned and looked over my shoulder and saw Maddison standing there with tears streaking down her face.

"Why? Why would you tell him that Ally?" she croaked, shaking her head.

"Maddi....... Maddison," she called, after Maddison had left the doorway of the kitchen.