{BACK IN MADDI'S POV}

After letting Ava go with Zach, I drove around aimlessly for hours. I stopped once or twice to use the restroom and get something to drink. But other than that I just drove around the city. I didn't go home, I didn't want to go there. [i]'Was it even my home anymore?'[/i] I thought to myself. I knew I should go back and deal with things. But honestly I just didn't even want to have another confrontation with Ryan again. Part of me was so hurt that he would have betrayed me like that, and the other part was just tired of it all.

And considering that my cell was constantly going off with calls and texts from Ryan, I knew he was concerned too. That or he was just pissed because I ran off, or that I had caught in his lie, or he wanted me to get my shit out. After having enough of hearing my phone going off I pulled over and parked. Grabbing my phone off the passenger seat, I slid the lock on it open. My eyes widened a little bit seeing I had fifty missed calls, ten voice mails, and at least thirty text messages all from Ryan.

I cleared off the missed calls and considered just erasing the voice mails. Because I had a feeling I would break down if I heard his voice and would head home. I decided it might just be safer to read the text messages first and than judge his attitude from the texts, before deciding if I would listen to the voice mails. I clicked open the first message.

[i]***NEW MESSAGE***From: Ryan***12:35 PM***

I'm so so sorry baby. I didn't mean to yell at you and have all of that come out like that. But that's no excuse for how I've been acting. I should have told you a long time ago. Still not a good excuse for not telling you. I just want to know how sorry I am and how much I love you!!!!!

Ryan[/i]

[i]***NEW MESSAGE***From: Ryan***12:40 PM***

Baby I care so much about you and about Avalon. I love you both!!!!!!!

Ryan[/i]

[i]***NEW MESSAGE***From: Ryan***12:50 PM***

Ok I get it your not going to answer your phone. Can you at least answer a text? At least let me know your ok? Please come home baby, so we can talk. I'll even sleep on the couch for however long you want me too. Just come home, with Ava!!!!!

Ryan[/i]

They went on and on just like that, blah blah blah. All about 'how sorry he was' and 'how much he loved me' well was he thinking about that when he was keeping this secret from me. God if I read one more sappy text I was going to scream. I started erasing the repetitive messages, they were all the same. Some were a little angry and some weren't. When I got to another one I decided to open it to see if it was an angry message or not, eyes widening slightly when I saw what it said.

[i]***NEW MESSAGE***From: Ryan***1:30 PM***

God dammit Maddison stop acting so childish. I already said I was sorry. I don't know what else you want me to say. You know what......... Just be careful out there since its raining and you have Ava with you. We all know how you get when its raining!!!!!!

Ryan[/i]

Ok that one pissed me off did he honestly think I would be that irrisponsible with my daughter in the car. I also hated how he always brang up the fact of how I started acting when it started raining. I don't know why I always became emotional when it rained, some people said it was because it had been raining the night of my wreck and others said it was from repressed memories. I didn't really care what the reason was, but it pissed me off that Ryan thought I would deliberately put my daughter in danger. I cleared off the rest of the text messages and cleared off the voicemails also, I didn't want to read anymore or hear his voice.

After clearing the messages off I tossed my phone over onto the passenger seat, just as it dinged indicating I had another text message. Sighing I picked my phone back up and hit open on the message.

[i]***NEW MESSAGE***From: Ryan*** 9:30 PM***

GOD DAMMIT MADDISON....... COULD YOU AT LEAST ANSWER YOUR PHONE?....... OR A TEXT MESSAGE?....... LET ME KNOW IF YOU AND AVA ARE ALRIGHT..... IF YOUR COMING HOME TONIGHT?!?!?!?

From: Ry[/i]

I knew he was right and I should at least let him know that I was ok. But I wasn't going to tell him that Ava was at Zach's right now. I hit the reply button and typed out a simple answer, hitting send after I was done.

[i]***NEW MESSAGE*** To: Ryan*** 9:32 PM***

I'm fine[/i]

As late as it was I knew I needed to find a place to crash for the night. I figured Ally and Travis wouldn't mind me crashing at their place. I scrolled through my phone for Ally's number and hit the talk button. I listened as the phone rang and rang, afraid that no one was going to answer. But the other line was answered on the last ring.

"Hello," I heard Ally sniffle.

"Hey Al, did I call at a bad time?" I asked, frowning to myself.

"Oh hey Madd, ummmmm yeah kinda." Ally responded.

My frown deepend when I heard yelling in the back ground. I mean a lot of yelling from someone who sounded a lot like Travis. I had never heard Travis sound so angry in the time I had known him. Except one time when we were all still back in Minnesota and the guys had lost a really important game. But he had never yelled at Ally like that. I was slightly worried for my friend and their son, with Travis sounding like that. But I had my own problems I was dealing with right now to worry about them. I would just ask Ally about it a few days.

"Ummmm ok. Well can you tell me Zach's address?" I asked.

Obviously whatever was going on bad with her and Travis was bad, because usually she would have given me shit about that or teased me. Or she already knew Ava was over at Zach's. I grabbed a slip of paper and a pen out of the cup holder and jotted down the address Ally gave me. I promised her I would call her in a few days and than hung up. I shut my phone off after that and sighed, throwing my phone on the passenger seat again.

I drove around for a bit more just going over things in my head. I didn't realize how late it was when I pulled up into Zach's driveway. Or how upset I had become again. I did know that the downpour of rain had turned into a slow drizzle. I turned off my vehicle and and got out, locking the doors. I wrapped my arms around my middle to stop myself from shivering. Making it to the front door I raised my finger to ring the doorbell, when the door was opened. I looked up with my blurry vision, almost afraid I find Alisha standing there. But instead I found a barely clothed Zach standing there looking slightly confused and worried.

I choked on a sob and fell into Zach's open arms and cried onto his bare chest, as he stroked my hair and whispering that 'it would be ok'. I could only hope he was right and that everything would be ok this time.
**********************************************************************

Waking the next morning I found myself in a nice big bed. I raised my arms above my head and stretched, hearing my bones crack as I did this. I looked around the room slightly confused when everything came back to me. I felt slightly embarrassed thinking of everything that had happend the day before and what had lead me to come here a sobbing mess. Once Zach had closed the front door, he had lead me to a couch in living room and sat down with me and just held me and let me cry. Not asking any questions and stroking my hair, I think he knew I needed that cry.

After how long I'm not sure Zach had convinced me to take the bed in the guest room. He had gotten me an extra set of his sweatpants and a t-shirt to sleep in and so he could dry my other clothes. Yawning and stretching again I decided I needed to get out of bed and face the music, I knew Zach had questions and that we needed to talk anyways. Plus I could hear the giggles of the girls coming from some where. Getting out of the bed and walking into the connecting bathroom, I cringed at my appreance. My hair was an absolute tangled up mess, it looked like a birds nest. I had smeared masscara smudged under my eyes and my eyes were bloodshot.

I quickly washed my face off with the soap in the bathroom, and than rummaged through the medicine cabinet hoping to find something for my eyes. Luckily for me I found some eye drops and put them in my eyes. I ran my fingers through my hair the best I could to fix my hair. At least to get some of the tangles out. Than I fixed the sweatpants so they wouldn't fall off my hips, luckily these ones had a drawstring.

I found my way down to the kitchen and had to stop in the entry way when I found Zach standing their shirtless still with his back to me. I watched as his muscles moved in his back as he moved around the kitchen with ease, obviously making breakfast for the kids. I heard someone clear their throat and looked up to find Zach smirking at me. Obviously enjoying the fact he had caught me preving on his backside. I could feel my face heat up.

"Morning," I said, clearing my throat.

"Goodmorning to you too," he replied, that smirk still attached to his face.

"So ummmmm, I'm really sorry about just showing up here out of the blue last night. But I had nowhere to go and yeah...." I said, clearing my throat again and trying not to stare at his chest.

"Couldn't go home?" he asked, clearly interested in my answer.

"Uh noooo," I answered, shaking my head.

"Ok well, I'm here if you want to talk about it Maddi. And it's no problem," he responded.

"So you cook?" I asked, clearing my throat again and trying to change the subject off of me.

"Ummmmm yeah pretty much. I'm the only cook around here," he responded, I could hear bitterness in his voice.

I looked up at him, to see him staring at the kitchen wall with a far off look in his eyes. His jaw was clenched tight.

"Well who woulda thunk it, Zach Parise learning to cook." I tried to tease.

"Yeah well I kinda had to," he replied bitterly.

"Hey I was just kidding," I responded softly, walking up to him and found myself reaching up and running my hand up and down his arm.

"Yeah I know I'm sorry," he sighed, running a hand through his hair and stepping away from me.

"Is Alisha's cooking that bad?" I asked teasingly again, I realized once again as soon as the words were out of my mouth it was a mistake.

"Alisha doesn't cook. Alisha isn't ever home to worry about a meal. She doesn't care about me or our children," he suddenly snapped at me, the tension in his jaw returning.

I stood there shocked and stunned that Zach was sharing this with me. I hadn't been expecting this. I had figured the were living the happy perfect couple life. Part of me was happy that they weren't perfect or even happy. Another part of me was pissed off.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have snapped. I just, god......... She frustrates me so much. I mean is it that hard to take of your children? I don't ask much of her. But she's never home, she's always cheating on me, she could careless if the children ate, she has Michael so terrified of her he doesn't speak when she's around. I just don't know what to do anymore," he said frustratedly, running a hand down his face and than turning and sending me an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry Maddi. I shouldn't have just poured that all out to you. I'm just, I don't even know anymore," he sighed looking down at the kitchen floor.

My heart broke for this Zach in front of me. He looked so lost and broken. It just wasn't right, because Zach was one of the strongest people I knew. But my heart broke even more for little Mariann and poor little Michael, they didn't deserve that. It also pissed me off at the thought of Michael being so scared of his own mother he didn't talk. I stepped closer to Zach and moved in front of him. I reached a hand up to his cheek and stroked his cheek.

"Hey it's ok, not what I was expecting this morning. But you have every right to be frustrated, angry, mad, hell furious," I whispered, still stroking his cheek.

Zach raised his eyes from the kitchen floor, his brown orbs staring into my hazel ones. A soft sigh escaping his lips as he leaned into my touch. Than he rested his forehead against mine and we just continued to stare into each others eyes.

"I think Mari has an extra uniform Ava can use," he whispered.

"Ok," I whispered back, my eyes flicking down to his lips.

I should have seen it coming, it was like some freaking movie. As we continued to stare at each other and than Zach started to slowly move his head in closer, his lips inching closer and closer and closer. Until they were just a hairs breath away from mine.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"For what?" I whispered back.

"This," he responded.

Than his lips connected with mine, at first he just left his lips resting on mine, not moving them. I had forgotten what his lips felt like. They were soft but at the same firm, I could feel my lips tingling. This kiss was nothing like Ryan's, Ryan's kisses never made me feel tingly. I felt my hand that was on his cheek move to the back of his head, and felt my other hand moving up to join my other hand. I felt one of his arms go around my back and pull my body closer to his. His other hand moving to the back of my neck to hold my head in place. Zach tilted his head ever so slightly and ran his tongue along my bottom lip asking for entrance, when I slightly parted my lips I felt Zach bite down on my bottom lip. I jumped slightly and gasped at the contact, but his grip on my head and body kept me from pulling away. My eyes fluttered shut as his tongue pushed my teeth and started to tangle with mine.

I was lost in the feeling of kissing Zach. The feel, smell, and taste of him. That I had forgotten about the kids. I barely heard the sound of footsteps coming into the kitchen. The sound of little giggles. Right before the shit hit the fan.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN HERE?" we heard a voice screech.

Zach and I both pulled away from each other panting and both of our faces flushed. We turned our heads to see a fuming Alisha standing there. The girls looked slightly frieghtened and Michael looked terrified. I couldn't believe that had just happened, that I had allowed that to happen. That we had not only got caught by the kids, but by Alisha, Zach's wife. [i]'Oh god his wife'[/i] I thought as I tried to step away from him. But he still had his arm around my waist.

"What are you doing here Alisha?" he seethed.

"You are my husband Zach and I want to know what this whore is doing in our house?" Alisha screeched again.

"I should go," I said directly at Zach, completely ashamed of my behavior.

"No you can stay," Zach replied, with a hurt look in his eyes.

"No I really should go," I said again, pulling out of his grasp.

"Yeah you should go," Alisha sneered, as I walked by and grabbed Ava's hand and pulled her out of the house. As the yelling between Zach and Alisha started.