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THANK YOU TO LISA FOR YOUR HELP WITH THIS! BIG CO-WRITE CREDIT TO MY GIRL!! LOVE YOU. PLEASE REVIEW!!!!
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HEYYOUNGBLOOD, either facebook me at Christa Prosak Purcell, or email me at xharlequingirl@yahoo.com !!!!!
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Getting back to the house, Pete pushed open the door and let Ariana and Cadence in as he went and pulled in their bags. Everything was sort of just thrown everywhere. "Eventually we will get all her other stuff, or just buy new." Pete nodded as he pushed the door closed. He had never had been so glad that he bought a house with extra bedrooms. At one point he thought he and Ashlee would have more children.

"I swear we won't be here long." Cadence said as she dropped her head. She hadn't said much since this whole thing had gone down.

"Yes you will be. You're not going back there. But that's a conversation for us to have later when we're in bed." He said.

"I mean when the kids go to bed." He shook his head. "Oh...Ashlee is coming for Bronx in a little bit." He sighed. He hated how fast the days with his son went.

"You don't get to keep him over night?" Cadence questioned.

"On the weekend, sometimes..." He trailed off. "Leave that, let's get some food in them." He walked into the kitchen and Cadence and the kids followed. It was such an odd thing to see Pete be so fatherly. This was the kid that you couldn't even get to be responsible for a dog and now he was a full fledged father.


After Pete had made up some dinner for the kids, himself and Cadence they had been sitting in the living room watching Ice Age when the door bell rang. Pete looked up and sighed. Seven oclock right on the dot. Couldn't she at least be late? He got up and walked over to the door. "Bronx mommy is here." He said, but was quickly ignored as Bronx was wrapped up into the movie.

Cadence looked up from the couch. She was hoping that Pete and Ashlee could have an amicable divorce at least for the sake of Bronx and well for sake of Pete's mental well being.

"Hey, Ash..." Pete said as he opened the door letting her in.

"Hi, Pete. Is Bronx ready?" Ashlee replied, looking around the hallway.

"His stuff is ready but he won't tear himself away from the TV," Pete said with an awkward laugh. Any conversation with Ashlee felt strained and uncomfortable now, as though they were strangers. It never ceased to amaze Pete that two people could go from sharing everything to forcing conversation as though they had only met once before.

"I told you not to let him watch too much TV." Ashlee said, exasperated.

"It's one movie, Ash," Pete sighed.

"Yeah, and now I'll have to spend the next few days being the bad guy because I won't let him watch TV all day like his dad."

"What are you insinuating?"

"Nothing, Pete. Just forget it. Can you get him please?"

"Bronx, come on. Mommy needs to go." Pete called, walking into the living room. Bronx was still glued to the TV.

"Come on, buddy." Pete said, walking towards him. Bronx groaned as he tore himself away from the TV and made his way over to Pete, who gave him a hug.

"I'll see you real soon, okay?" He said, standing up and turning towards the door. His blood ran cold as he saw Ashlee walk into the living room where they were all gathered. He knew exactly what was coming.

"Well isn't this cozy?" Ashlee asked, eyeing up the situation

"Yeah, we were having a play date with the kids." Pete nodded hoping that she wouldn't say much more and would want to leave as much as he wanted her to leave.

Cadence smiled as she looked up. "Hi, you must be Ashlee, I'm Cadence. An old friend of Pete's and this is my daughter

Ariana." She rubbed her hands together almost nervously. It felt weird not to have her rings on anymore. Pete had

basically ripped them off her fingers. It wasn't like she had anything to be nervous about. They were friends and that was it, and well she wasn't his wife anymore. She chose to give that title up. A move Cadence thought to be utterly stupid.

"I know who you are." Ashlee replied. Her voice was strong but wavered slightly at the end. When Cadence had rubbed her

hands together Ashlee observed the fact she had no ring on her finger.

"Well, Pete, you sure do move fast, huh?" Ashlee shot at him. "My side of the bed isn't even cold yet and you move your ex girlfriend in?"

"It's not like that Ashlee..." Cadence began, but suddenly stopped after Ashlee's icy stare rounded on her.

"I wasn't asking you. I was speaking to my husband."

"Except, I'm not your husband, am I?" Pete hissed.


Cadence could feel her prescence was simply just getting under Ashlee's skin. She could enjoy it and continue to annoy the hell out of her. Or she could walk away and leave them to it. Cadence was never really one to run away from confrontation. And, well there was nothing going on here. They were simply friends. "That was a long time ago anyway." Cadence spoke up.

"We broke up over a decade ago..." She was a little shocked that Ashlee had known who she was. She was also slightly amused by the fact that Ashlee was intimidated by her.

"Until those papers are signed, you are. And then, you are still Bronx's father and I very much so have a say on what goes on where he is concerned." She finally eyed the baggage in the corner. He really had moved his ex-girlfriend in.

"I am Bronx's father and this is my house. You walked out on this marriage. Those papers are signed, sealed and delivered and I will decide what happens in this house with my son." He looked at her.

Cadence bent over and picked up Ariana pulling her into her lap. Ariana was unphased by the loud voices.

"You really think you're something, don't you? Playing happy families while you're still married. You just couldn't wait."

"You have no idea what you're talking about, Ashlee." Pete said, a warning tone in his voice.

"I know exactly what I'm talking about. Who do you think you are, making a move on my husband?" Ashlee spat at Cadence. Cadence didn't break her eye contact with Ashlee.

"Like Pete said, you don't know what the hell you're talking about, lady." Cadence would be damned if she uttered the words "we're just friends" or "it's not what you think".

"I don't want you anywhere near my son. Nor my house." Ashlee said, looking her up and down. "My lawyer is going to love this."

"I'm pretty sure that this is my house." Pete interjected. Now it had been some years but he had seen Cadence in some fights and well he always felt bad, very bad for the girl on the other end of her words or fists.

"We will see about that." Ashlee seethed, looking at him. "You'd be lucky if you ever see your son again once I tell my lawyer that you've been unfaithful."

"He hasn't been unfaithful, isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?" Cadence refered to her infidelities in their marriage. "Are you just mad now that you had probably the best thing that could of ever happened to you and now you ruined it?" She shifted Ariana on her hip. "You wanted the marriage to end, not him." Cadence pointed at Pete. "And knowing Pete
the way I do, I bet he begged and pleaded with you to stay, that he would do anything you wanted, that he would change.

And you, you selfish.." She stopped herself as she caught Bronx out of the corner of her eye watching tv again. "You just wanted what you wanted and now, now you regret it!" Cadence yelled at her. Ariana shifted and reached out for Pete, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Bronx, go wait in the car for mommy, okay?" Pete said, taking Ariana on his arms and resting her on his hip. "She'll be out in a minute."

"I don't want you guys yelling in front of him," Pete said, "So if you want to yell, do it now. But you know what? We're adults. Ashlee, YOU left ME. I'm perfectly entitled to do what I choose and you have no say in that. Cadence is a huge part of my past and I will not have you desecrate that in my home. Now if you can't be civil to her, I'd like you to leave."

"I'm sorry, am I interupting your endless sex with a slut?" Ashlee spat. Cadence's eyes flashed with anger as she stepped towards Ashlee. Pete stood in the middle of them, breathing deeply.

"You listen here, you don't know me. You don't know what the hell you're talking about. So I suggest you keep your opinions to yourself and leave. Right now." Cadence growled.

"If I were you, I'd spend less time making speeches and more time on living your own life and not other people's, you stupid little girl." Ashlee glared at her.

It took all Cadence had not to reach out and strangle her. If she could she would take all her days anger out on this woman who thought she could just walk in here and ruin everything for Pete. The last thing she wanted to do was upset or anger Pete.

"Our son is waiting for you." Pete reminded Ashlee. "And you better make sure you are there on Friday to drop him off at our meeting place." He warned her.

"I will decide when and where I bring MY son." Ashlee was seething. She couldn't even believe that after a month he had his ex-girlfriend living in her house. "Have fun staying here, just know that anywhere you sit, I've probably fucked him there." She smirked. She was trying to get under Cadence's skin.

Cadence couldn't help but laugh. She wanted to say something really nasty, something like 'I did him first' or 'He was probably thinking about me' or 'I'm still the best he ever had'. But she was a lady, a mother and that was the most important thing.

"By the way, if she's yours, Pete.." Ashlee pointed to Ariana. "I feel bad for you because she is one ugly looking little girl." Ashlee's arms crossed over her chest. "But, I will use that to make sure I get the alimony I deserve."

"You need to go. NOW." Pete said, stepping towards Ashlee, who smirked again, before turning on her heel and strutting out the door. Cadence was too furious to speak. A lump in her throat began to form as she breathed heavily and tried to stop the tears of anger from running down her face. Before she knew it, Pete was back at her side and had enveloped her in a strong embrace.

"Please ignore her. You're better than her. I'm so sorry." He whispered into her ear.

"You don't have to apologize for her, Pete." Cadence said into his shirt.

"There were a million things I wanted to say to her, but I couldn't in front of the kids." Pete said. "But she'll hear them. Mark my words."

"I think I'm gonna go take a nap." Cadence said, stepping out of Pete's arms.

"Cad... don't listen to her." Pete pleaded.

Cadence turned to look at him and took a deep breath. "Considering what I am going through now, Pete. She is the least of my worries." She nodded. "I'm sorry I acted like that." She was pretty embarrassed by her own behavoir. She was better than that. "I'm sorry about everything today..."

"Stop apologizing." He walked back towards her. Ariana was still in his arms but had now fallen asleep. "Let's put her in her crib and go lay down." He nodded.

"Pete, I shouldn't..." She shook her head. She didn't want to lead him on. She was still a married woman.

"Cadence, I'm not asking to have sex with you." He sighed. "Please? The best talks we ever had were laying in my bed, your head on my chest and us talking about how we would fight the world." He was almost begging her. "I have the baby monitor, Bronx's crib is still in the spare room. I thought there'd be more babies..." He was losing track of what he really wanted them to talk about. "Please? For me?" He was so mentally and physically drained.

"Fine, fine." She raised her hands up in defeat as she followed him into the extra nursery. "It's beautiful in here." She looked around. It was a unisex room and it had beautiful almost peach walls, white curtains amd beautiful light oak wood furniture.

Pete smiled. "I always wanted a little girl." He made Arii comfortable and then covered her with the blanket. "I promise everything is clean. I had planned on letting Abby stay here when she was born." He smiled. "Oh, I forgot, you don't know." He nodded as they leaned on the crib for a few minutes to make sure she didn't wake up. He lowered his voice. "Joe's wife, Daniella, she's seven months pregnant with a little girl."

"Joe is going to be a daddy?!" Her eyes almost bugged out of her head. "I can't believe it. You are all so grown up." She smiled as they walked out of the room and Pete shut the door behind them, the baby monitor in his hand.

"So are you..." He smiled. "Cadence, please don't you ever feel like you have to apologize for anything when it comes to me. My feelings for you...they have never changed. I don't care if a million years had passed. You will always be here-" He pointed to his heart. "In one capacity or another." He gave her that smiled. The smile that wooed millions of girls everywhere.

"I will be honest..." She said as she followed him into his bedroom after grabbing her luggage to find her PJ's. "I am not sorry for anything I said to her. I am sorry for yelling in front of your son. And I am sorry for possibly making your divorce more difficult."

"She was looking for any reason to make it difficult. She thinks it'll be pay back for all the trouble I gave her during the marriage." He pulled his pants off. He didn't care how long it had been. He wasn't shy around Cad. He never had been and never would be. Even if he was seventy years old, he knew she would not judge him.

"What trouble?" Cadence asked as she leaned against the dresser and pulled her jeans off and put her bottoms on. She too was not being shy around him. What did it even matter anyway? They would always be that close.

"You know...my issues."

"Your anxiety?" She questioned. She couldn't believe that Ashlee had left the greatest guy in the world because of his anxiety, depression and insomnia. She knew all about his issues and had spent months of their relationship getting him into a good pattern and getting it worked out. Those issues would never go away, but she did everything she could to dull the side effects and make him comfortable. If it meant warm milk, rubbing his temples, or even making love to him to tire him then that's what she did. That was her job while she was his girlfriend. "She left you because of that?" She was in utter disbelief. "Why would anyone break up with you?" She lifted her shirt over her head.

"You did..." Pete turned and looked at her. The heat immediately rising in his body at the sight of her in her bra. It was quickly erased by the many bruises that adorned her stomach, arms and she even had cigarette burns pressed into the fleshy parts of her breasts. "Oh god...Cadence." He walked over to her. "What has he done to you?" The words stung his throat as he held onto her.

"Pete, I didn't break up with you because of you. It was because of me...I was an asshole. I did something horrible." She trailed off as she quickly pulled her shirt on.