—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

The weeks mundane chores, appointments, and commitments had finally drawn to an end.  The Stark family slowly made their way home for a night of tranquil relaxation.  Cindy arrived home first with the weekly groceries and was shortly followed by Joshua and Amelia.  And as evening began to approach, the Stark family settled down together for family movie night.  Once everyone was comfortably situated, Amelia burst out excitedly with her plans for the weekend.

“Mom, Rowan and I have the most exciting weekend ever planned!  We’re going to go to the salon and get mani-pedies and spend the whole afternoon soaking up the sun at the beach!”

“That sounds lovely, dear.”  Cindy replied.  “But you need to promise me, no boys during your weekend shenanigans.”

“And that means Onion, Amelia.”  Joshua piped in.

“Shut up, dipsh–”

“Amelia!  Joshua!  Cut it out you two or both of your weekend plans will go on without you because the only fun you’ll be having is My kind of fun,”   Cindy reproved.

“Sorry, Mom.”

“Ya, sorry…”  Amelia said sheepishly whilst shooting her brother the look of death.  Joshua recoiled back with a disgusted, winced up face.

As movie night continued, the drama settled down and dissipated from the room.  Cindy was troubled by Joshua’s remark, though. 

Was she still sneaking around with Onion? That boy is nothing but trouble, I just know it, Cindy pondered to herself.  She glanced over her shoulder and studied her daughters facade.  Amelia laughed out loud at the t.v. and seemed not to have a care in the world. 

Ah, I’m just working myself up over nothing again.  She’s a good girl and I need to trust her more.

“What’s wrong, Mom?”  Amelia inquired softly.

“Oh, nothing sweetie.  You and your brother are just growing up so fast.  I just wish your Father was here to see what wonderful young adults your turning into.”

Amelia reached over and squeezed Cindy’s hand.  It had been ages since anyone had mentioned her Father in a conversation.

“I miss him too, Mom.”

“I know dear.  Alright everyone, shhh!  This is my favorite part!”  Cindy said jokingly waving at her daughter.  Amelia took the subtle hint from her Mom and dropped the subject of Dad.  Though it had been years since the accident, it was still a fresh wound in her Mother’s heart and the subject was trodden upon lightly.

The stars light up the sky and shown the way for Amelia on the street.   It had been no easy task slipping out of Rowan’s house unnoticed, now that Bryce had moved in.  But success was on her side that late night.  And every step she took lead her one step closer to her lover’s arms.  Though they had been dating all summer, Amelia still got butterflies in her stomach at even the mention of Onion’s name.

I hope he remembered to unlock the front door for me.

As she approached the front porch, she cautiously crept up the wooden stairs.  The wood groaned beneath her weight, each subtle shift made them call out even louder.

“Oh, just shut up already!  Stupid stairs.”  Amelia muttered.  Reaching out with unsteady hands, Amelia turned the knob and slid inside.  After a brief look around to make sure the coast was clear, she darted up to Onions room.

*Knock, Knock*

“Hold on a sec.”  Replied a muffled voice.  The door swung open more quickly than Amelia had anticipated, causing her to jump back.

“What are you doing?”  Laughed Onion.

“Whatever!  You scared the crap out of me!”  Amelia remarked as she playfully shoved him.  “Is she..”

“No.  My Aunt was called into work late at the Hospital,”  Onion replied with a smirk plastered across his face, “And we’ve got the whole house to ourselves…”

“Well, are we gonna do this or what?”  Onion asked audacious.

Amelia pulled back and studied Onion’s eyes, searching them for his true intentions.  Sensing that his cocky attitude had put off his girlfriends mood, Onion rebounded with a smooth recovery.

“I mean, are you sure your ready?  Cause we can wait, if you want to.”  Onion said, secretly hoping for the best.

“I don’t know, Onion.  What if my Mom finds out?  Or even worse, my brother?  But I did come all this way, and I really…I mean really lov-, Like you a lot..”

Onion reached down and grasped a hold of Amelia’s hand.

“I care a lot about you, and you mean everything to me.”

“Alright, I’m ready.”

Then next morning when they awoke, Amelia felt different.  The night they had spent together was wonderful, but guilt was welling up inside of her heart.  Though no one else knew what had transpired in the wee hours of the morning, she still felt as though she was letting her Dad down for being so deceptive about her actions with her Mother.  Amelia’s silence was broken abruptly by a loud clashing on the kitchen floor.

“Oops.  Ah, I meant to do that?”  Onion grinned, slightly embarrassed.  “So do you want waffles or pancakes?  Oh, and we’ve got cereal too.”

“Nah, I’m not that hungry.”

“Is something bothering you, Amelia?”  Onion asked, concerned for the sudden change her demeanor.

“Of course not, silly!”  She said faking out a smile as she wrapped her arms around his neck.  “I gotta get going though, before Rowan wakes up and realizes that I took off last night.”

“Oh, OK.  Well, I’ll call ya’ later then.”

Amelia stood up from the stool and stretched her arms up over her head.  She then proceeded to the bathroom to freshen up as Onion went back upstairs and threw on his clothes.  Amelia turned on the sink and filled her hands with cool water.  She leaned down and splashed her face with the cool, calming liquid.

Doesn’t he get that I just don’t want to talk right now?  Boys are so oblivious sometimes.

Meanwhile upstairs, Onion was fighting with his own thoughts.

What is her problem?  Did I do something wrong? It’s not like I forced her to do it, she said she was ready. Onion sighed as he smoothed his hair in the mirror.  The sound of the front door opening startled him.  He came back downstairs to see that it was Amelia walking out the front door.

“Bye.  I’ll talk to ya’ later.”  She called out over her shoulder as she briskly exited the house.

“See ya.”

I feel so warm and tingly inside…lol

Oh, and on a side note, I have plans on updating after Ambitions is released.  Some of the new features gave me a great idea for a plot twist.  Happy Simming!!

“I’m really going to miss being around you…you’re unlike anyone I have ever met.”  Rowan admitted cautiously to Lu, not knowing for certain if her deep seeded feelings for him were mutual.

“Our paths will meet again, I’m sure of it,”  Lu replied, smiling weakly.  “And besides, how could I ever say good bye to the one I hope to spend the rest of my life with?”

Oh my God…did he just say what I think he just did? Rowan’s mind raced with the possibilities of the unknown.  Unsure how to respond to such a life altering question, Rowan just leaned in close and kissed Lu firmly.  The taxi car driver honked his horn impatiently breaking the effervescent mood of Lu and Rowan.  With a smile to her soul mate and a scowl to the driver, Rowan reluctantly entered the taxi.

Bryce could easily see how distraught Rowan was.  He tried to search his mind for any words of comfort to ease his  daughter’s broken heart.  However, being so new to the whole Fatherhood Thing left him speechless.  Instead, the troubled twosome sat silently side by side the rest of the way home.

————————————————————————————————————————————–

“Wonderful, your back just in time!.”  Chloe’ announced with both relief and joy in her voice as Rowan and Bryce stepped through the front door.

“In time for what?”  Rowan grumbled.

“Addilyn’s fifth birthday, silly!”  Chloe’ exclaimed excitedly.

“I can’t believe I almost forgot…where is the little rug-rat anyways?”  Rowan asked as she scanned the living room for Addilyn.

“Here I am!”  Giggled Addilyn as she popped out from behind the sofa.  Rowan picked up her baby sister and held her tightly.

“I missed you Addy.”

“Me too.”  Addilyn replied back as she squirmed to get down.  Chloe’ motioned to Rowan to bring Addilyn outside and Rowan followed suit as she carried the wriggling preschooler to the backyard.

“Chloe’, could you come over here for a moment?”  Bryce asked his ex coolly.  Chloe’ walked over with a puzzled look on her face.  Bryce reached out and grabbed a hold of her hand.  Chills spiraled up Chloe’ s spine.  As Bryce leaned in close to Cloe’,  Addilyn watched happily.

“I know we have a history together and I know we’ve had our share of ups and downs.”  Bryce paused and cleared his throat.  “I love you Chloe’ and nothing will ever change the way I feel about you.”

“But Bryce…”  Chloe’ gasped.

With that Bryce took out the ring from his pant pocket.  Chloe’ held out her shaking, unsure hand as Bryce placed the ring carefully on her finger.  This must be a dream! thought Chloe’.

“Well, are you going to put me out of my misery and give me an answer??”  Bryce playfully inquired.

“Yes!  Yes!  A million times Yes!”  Chloe’ shouted as she threw herself into his arms.

A gentle tugging on Bryce’s pant leg broke the lover’s embrace.  Looking downwards, Bryce saw Addilyn gazing back up at him excitedly.

“Cake?”  She half asked, half demanded.

“Alright, let’s go blow out some candles.”  Bryce replied, willingly giving into the tots demands.  Addilyn snuggled into Bryce’s shoulder as they made their way to the glistening cake.

Addilyn leaned forward and blew out her candles.

“Honey, you forgot to make a wish.”  Bryce said sadly.

“No, I got my wish.”  Addilyn answered back exuberantly.

“Oh really, what was that?”  Bryce questioned.

“You, silly!”  Addilyn exclaimed as she hugged her Daddy closely.

**      **      **      **      **      **      **      **      **      **      **      **      **

With that I will leave you until next time with a cute picture of Addilyn aging up….Hope you enjoyed my long overdue update!

After an uneventful flight, Rowan was itching to get out and explore China on her own.  As their taxi wound its way through the dirt laid roads, Rowan was fascinated by the  stunning scenery.   It’s vast rolling mountains where  dotted with vibrant colorful homes.  Wise old men could be seen educating the local boys the art of sparing.  Ancient ruins revealed brief glimpses into the mysterious heritage of the Shang Simla, Village.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”  Bryce proclaimed out loud.

“It’s amazing!  Thanks for bringing me with you Br… ah … Dad.”  Rowan replied clumsily.  It was still very odd for Rowan to call Bryce, Dad.  And even more difficult to wrap her mind around the fact that she was, indeed, sitting right next to her Father.  The taxi halted to a sudden stop in front of an old worn down building.

“Well, we’re here.  Let’s go check in and get settled.”  Bryce said as he began to gather up their suitcases.

“Oh, OK.”  Rowan answered as she climbed from the vehicle.  She gazed up at the hotel.  Though rough around the edges, it was one of the most beautiful buildings Rowan had ever seen.  Bold emerald accents glinted from the walls.  Snarling golden dragons were perched throughout every room.  Even their own room resembled that of a palace.

Soon after unpacking, Bryce told Rowan that he had to attend a business meeting for a few hours and that she should go out and site see on her own to pass the time.  Rowan agreed and quickly made her way outside to explore her temporary home.  As she made her way to the market, the local neighbors waved cheerfully at her as she past by.  Along the way, she saw a breath taking garden just off the pathway.  Not wanting to pass up a chance to take in the native scenery, Rowan made her way over to the lily laced pond.  While she was watching the koi fish playfully jump in and out of the water, a local boy walked up to Rowan and stood beside her.

“There is much beauty here in my Country,”  the boy said, smiling at Rowan as he spoke.  Rowan shifted her head and smiled back at her visitor.

“I still can’t believe that I am here.  It feels like I am dreaming,”  replied Rowan.

“Hello,  I am Lu Yin,” the boy said holding out his hand to her.

“Rowan.  I’m just visiting with my… my Dad for a few days,” she replied taking his hand in her own.

“If you would like, I could show you around the Village.  Get you into all the great site seeing spots,” Lu offered.

“That would be fantastic!  I’m dying to explore and to learn some of the local culture,” Rowan responded gratefully.

The two walked side by side chatting about their lives and enjoying each others company.  Lu took Rowan to the local shops so she could sample the native delicacies and pick up a few trinkets.  After spending much time and money at the market, Lu took her to the local academy where he attended.  Shi Liao, their martial arts guru, welcomed them as they entered the facility.  Rowan was quite impressed to find out that Lu was Shi Liao’s prodigal apprentice.

“Wow, that is so impressive, Lu!”  Rowan exclaimed.

“Oh, don’t let Shi Liao fool you.  I’m not as good as he proclaims,” Lu said wilts blushing.  But Rowan didn’t believe him, she knew he was just being modest. Lu then lead Rowan outside to the training courtyard.  Rowan reached out to touched Lu on his arm.

“Ya, know.  I’ve never met anyone like you before.  It feels like I’ve known you all my life,” Rowan confessed to Lu.

“I feel the same way.  It’s to bad your leaving so soon.  I will miss you when you leave,” Lu confided to Rowan.

Rowan gazed longingly into Lu’s eyes, and he back into her’s.  The attraction she felt for him was magnetic.  Though they had just met, it felt like she had always know him.  That destiny had finally brought her back to him.  What are you doing?  What about Joshua? her conscience yelled to her.  But Rowan ignored her sense of reason and kissed Lu without a second guess.

Amelia parked the car and made her way to the swings.  There a lone figure sat waiting in the shadows.  She waved cautiously, not knowing if it was who she believed it was.  The silhouette stood to greet Amelia.

“Oh, good it is you.”  Amelia sighed with relief.

“Expecting someone else?”  Onion playfully questioned as he raised his brow.

“Um, ah. No.”  Amelia giggled nervously.   Onion reached out and pulled Amelia in closer.  Amelia let herself be drawn in by Onion.  He was so different then anyone else she had ever met.  The type of boy her Mom would kill her for hanging around with.  But that only made Onion more exciting and each look he gave her sent a rush of adrenaline through her body.  Trying to be smooth, Onion leaned in for a kiss and poke her in the eye with his nose.  Onion blushed with embarrassment over his miscalculation.  Not wanting to loose the mood, Amelia recovered the situation.

“Close.  But this is the way its done.”  Amelia said in a cocky tone as she firmly kissed him.

As the dawn began to break through the clouds, Amelia became worried.  She was falling so fast and hard for Onion, but she knew that her family would not approve.  She was a well polished, straight A student.  He was a rugged, in your face, tell you how it is rebel.

“Onion?”  She asked in a high pitched tone.

“Hmm?”  Onion replied.

“I really like you a lot, but we need to keep this a secret.”

“Why?  Are you embarrassed of me?”  Onion asked annoyed.

“No, not at all!  It’s just my Mom would freak and my brother is really overprotective.  I just think it would be wise to, you know, keep it between us.”  Amelia replied.

“Alright.  Your lucky I like you.  If anyone else said that to me, I’d tell ‘em to get lost.”  Onion joked.

“Very funny.”  Amelia said as she shoved his shoulder.

Onion and Amelia kissed goodbye and parted ways.  Hoping that her early morning rendezvous had gone unnoticed, Amelia quietly inched her way back inside.  Thankfully, everyone was still asleep, blissfully unaware of what had conspired in the early hours of the morning.  The house didn’t stay still for long, though.  Soon Joshua and Cindy were awake, busily through the rooms and chatting nonstop.

Cindy suggested that they all go to the beach together.  So Amelia, Josh and Cindy piled their belongings into their family car and  made their way to the Pier.  They swam in the ocean and played on the beach for hours.  Finally they sat down on their picnic blanket and enjoyed the food that Cindy had packed.  But the mood suddenly changed when Joshua brought up Onion.

“Amelia, I know you’ve been sneaking around with that punk Onion after school everyday.”  Joshua said accusingly.  Amelia looked wide eyed at Joshua as she searched for any excuse that she could think of.

“We’re just friends.  And besides why are you spying on me?  I don’t spy on you and Rowan.”  Amelia shot back.

“Now guys, no fighting.  Joshua you need to give your sister her space.”  Cindy replied.  Amelia smirked at Joshua but her victory was cut short by her Mom’s reproof.  “And Amelia.  I don’t want you hanging around with someone that I wouldn’t approve of.”

“Yes, Mom.”  Amelia answered trying to hide the disappointment on her face.  I’m almost seventeen, when are people going to stop treating me like a little kid?  Well, what they don’t know, won’t hurt them…Amelia thought to herself.

“What are you smiling about?”  Joshua leered.

“Oh, nothing.”

———————————————————————————————

Chloe’ picked up Addilyn and slipped out the back door for a little privacy.  She knew exactly what she had to do in order for Rowan to ever forgive her for what she had done.  With unsure fingers she dialed Bryce’s number, knowing that her sudden outreach to him could cause her past to catch up with her.  But the fear of loosing everything didn’t even compare to the unforgiving eyes Rowan looked at her with.  The phone rang for what seemed to be an eternity before a voice finally answered.

C: “It’s me.”  Chloe’ said blandly.

B: “Why are you calling me?  You know that…”  Bryce responded, shocked over the unforeseen call from Chloe’.

C: “Yes, I know.  But I had to risk it anyways.”  Chloe’ said, cutting Bryce off before he could finish.  She sighed heavily out loud.  “Please come back, a certain someone has a lot of questions for you that need to be answered.”

B: “Alright.  Let me just finish up and I’ll get there as fast as I can.”  Bryce replied wearily.  He knew that meeting up with Chloe’ was bad news, for both of them, if anyone else in the Department caught wind of it.

Later on that evening, Rowan herd the door bell sound.  It’s after 10 o’clock, who could possibly be at the door at this hour, She thought to herself.  Annoyed, she walked to the front door to see who was there.  As she caught glimpse of who it was, her jaw nearly hit the floor.

R: “Dad?!”  She nearly yelled as she whipped open the door.

B: “Well, I see your Mother finally told you the truth.”  Bryce said sarcastically.

R: “Yeah, she told me the other night over dinner.  But, why are you here?”

B: “Your Mom called and told me that we needed to talk about somethings.  Do you mind if I come in?”  Bryce asked.

R: “Oh, I’m sorry!  Come in, come sit down.  What is that in your hand?”  Rowan asked pointing to the book in Bryce’s hand.

B: “Didn’t your Mom give you the album I gave her the last time we saw each other?”  Bryce asked surprised.

R: “No.”  Rowan said annoyed as she looked over her shoulder at her Mom.  “She said we’d talk about it when I was older.  Well, I’m older now, so come on in and lets talk.”  Rowan firmly said.

As they neared the living room, Addilyn walked over to Bryce and smiled up at him.  It couldn’t be, Bryce thought to himself.  He bent down and took a closer look into the youngster’s eyes.  His eyes widened when he realized the truth.

B: “Chloe.  Is she.  Is she mine?”  Bryce stammered.

C: “Yes.”  Chloe blushed with embarrassment.  “I didn’t know how to tell you.  I’m sorry that you found out this way.”  Chloe’ said apologetically.

B: “You don’t have to be sorry, Chloe’.  If I had known I would have found a way to help you.”  Bryce replied.  He picked up Addilyn and hugged her tightly.  “What is her name?”

C: “Addilyn.  She’s nearly three years old now.  She’ll be starting nursery school in the fall.”  Chloe’ answered back.

Addilyn look up at her Daddy.  So this is who Mommy and Rowan have been talking about! She leaned closer to his ear and whispered softly.  Bryce listened intently to Addilyn as she confided in him.  He look down at her and smiled warmly back.

“We’ll see Addilyn, we’ll see.”  Bryce replied to her question.

Seeing that Rowan was becoming impatient, Bryce returned Addilyn to the floor.  The two began passionately talking to one another about their lives and how they were managing.  Rowan asked to see the photo album that Bryce had brought with him, he happily obliged.  Looking over the photo’s of when her parents was young was very amusing.   They had been so in love in the pictures.  She was surprised to see that her Mom was so beautiful when she was Rowan’s age.  There were also a few newspaper clippings of when Chloe’ and Bryce had gotten married and also a few articles of Bryce’s police endeavors.  As they neared the end of the album, Bryce placed his hand on Rowan’s.

B: “I want you to know that I have thought about you every moment of your life.”  Bryce said to her.  “The only reason I had to stay away was because if I hadn’t, the police would have arrested your Mom along time ago.  And I couldn’t have done that, to either of you.”  He said looking both into Chloe’ and Rowan’s eyes.

R: “I understand.  I’m just so glad that I have finally found out the truth.  Secrets get pretty hard to swallow after a while”  Rowan stated.

B: “Well, I hate to cut this visit short, but I have to get back.”  Bryce announced as he looked down at his watch.

R: “Oh, OK.”  Rowan replied looking down at the grown sadly.

B: “I have to deliver some documents to China.  Why don’t you come with me, Rowan?  I would only be for a week or so.  That is if you Mom doesn’t mind.”

R: “Oh Mom can I please?  Please, Please, Please!”  Rowan excitedly asked while jumping up in down.  Chloe’ gave Bryce a dirty look from behind.

C: “Alright.  Just please bring her back home in one piece, Bryce.”  Chloe replied as she gave him a stern look.  Rowan squealed as she raced up to her room to pack.

Still hurt from finding out the truth of her Mom’s troubled past, Rowan tucked herself away in her room.  She flopped down on her bed and began to cry softly into her pillow.  Her whole life was a lie.  She was a lie.  Rowan wiped her tears and sat up on her bed.  From across her room, her laptop seemed to be beckoning her.  Drawn in by its silent calls, Rowan sat down at her desk and starred blankly at its screen.  Then it occurred to her.  She had to find her Dad.  Surely if he knew how much she missed him he would come back and fill the void that was weighing down her heart.  Fervently she typed away on the keys of her laptop, scouring the internet for any piece of information that may lead her to her Father.

Rowan came up empty handed.  Defeated she slumped back in her computer chair.  She thought back to when she had last seen her Dad.  He had given  her Mom something that night.  Surely it was some kind of clue to where he could be.  But talking to her Mom right now was out of the question.  Rowan was still too devastated to face her.  On top of the quarrel they had at the restaurant, Addilyn had transformed into a toddler while they were out.  Rowan was very close to her younger sibling and felt horrible about not being there for her when she grew up.

“Well, I’ll just have to come up with a new plan.  A better plan.  And my Mother better not get in the way.”  Rowan stated out loud angrily to herself.

Meanwhile, Addilyn was playing quietly with her wooden dollhouse.  She giggled at how the furniture inside jiggled around when she shook the house.  She picked up the daddy doll and stared sadly at it.  In her picture books that Rowan read to her, their was always a Mommy, a Daddy and happy little children.  Addilyn often herd her Mommy and Rowan fighting about her own Daddy.  But where was he?  Why had he never come to see her before?

A huge smile crept across Addilyn’s face.  She knew what she had to do to make everyone happy again.  She would have to wish as hard as she could for her Daddy to come back home.  Then they would all be a family again.  Addilyn closed her eyes as tight as she could and began wishing with all her might.  But her wishing was interrupted by Rowan picking her off the floor.

“Hey Baby girl.  What are ya doing in here?”  Rowan asked.  Addilyn smiled up at Rowan.  Her contagious smile even made miserable Rowan feel better.

“Pwaying.”  Addilyn replied holding up her dollies proudly for Rowan to see.

“Are you ready for dinner?”  Rowan asked sweetly.  Addilyn nodded her head energetically.

Rowan fixed Addilyn some dinner.   As she placed the bowl down on Addilyn’s tray, Addilyn began playfully squishing and slurping the food.  She laughed at her as she ate.  Who ever knew that babies could be so entertaining.

As they sat down at the table, the pair chattered about work, school and Addilyn.  Chloe’ casually brought up the subject of Rowan and Joshua’s relationship.  Rowan blushed as her Mom asked how everything was between them.

“So, how is Joshua doing?”  Chloe’ asked as nonchalantly as she could.  But Rowan could clearly see the smirk forming on her Mom’s face.

“Ah, good.  So how’s work going?  Anything exciting happening at the Bistro?”  Rowan quickly said, trying to get their conversation off of Joshua.

“Nice try, Rowan.  I want you to invite Joshua and his family over for dinner this weekend.  So we can all catch up.”

“Alright.  Just don’t bring up any embarrassing stories, Mom.”  Rowan replied sternly.  Chloe’ chuckled and playfully promised that she would never do such a thing.  Rowan shot her Mom a look, letting her know that she better not even think twice about embarrassing her in front of her new boyfriend.

Rowan was looking for the opportunity to ask her Mom yet again about their past.  After all, she had promised quite some time ago that once she turned sixteen she would explain everything to her.  Rowan began playing with her food with her fork nervously.  They were getting along so well, she didn’t want to ruin it.

“Is something bothering you, Rowan?”  Chloe’ asked concerned with Rowan’s demeanor.

“No.  Just getting full, that’s all.”  Rowan lied to her Mom.

The two finished their meals and paid for the bill.  With that, Rowan couldn’t hold in her questions any longer.

“Mom.  I’ve been trying to wait for you to tell me about our past, but I can’t wait anymore.  Please, tell me.  I need to know.”  Rowan pleaded with her hands clasped together.

“Alright.  After all, I did make a promise to you.  You may want to sit down for this Rowan.”  Chloe’ replied wearily, knowing the outcome of such revelations.

Chloe’ slowly began to tell Rowan about how her and her father met.  About how they once were happily married, so much in love.  And how her father began focusing on his career in the law force.  Chloe’ was left in the house by herself for long periods of time becoming increasingly lonely and besides herself with boredom.  She began shopping excessively to pass the time while Bryce was working.  But soon, the thrill that shopping had brought her began to dwindle.  Chloe’ then discovered the art of shoplifting.  The rush she received from stealing was like nothing that she could explain or compare to.

Meanwhile, Bryce was steadily climbing the corporate ladder at his job.  He quickly went from paper pusher to a decorated officer.  He was finally earning enough money to buy a house for Chloe’.  Beaming with pride, he arrived home one day with a newly minted key.  The key to their new home.  Chloe’ knew that she should be as proud and excited as Bryce was, but she just couldn’t force herself to be.  She longed to be out about town, learning new ways to scam and swindle others out of their hard earned cash.

It didn’t take long for Chloe’ to get noticed by other well known harden criminals.  After she had proved herself worthy of their companionship, she quickly began to make a name for herself within their ranks.  But all good things must come to and end.  The gang was set up to be taken down by the local law department.  Bryce was undercover at the time of the raid and found Chloe’ at the scene.  He told her he would give her twenty four hours to run, and then he would have to hunt her down and bring her into custody.

And so began her life as a fugitive, on the run from the only man that she had ever loved.  But that wasn’t the worst of it, she had found out she was pregnant a few weeks before the bust and was waiting for the right time to break the news to Bryce.  And now she never could for fear that once she was caught, he would take her daughter away from her.

“You mean I’ve been thinking this whole time that Guy who has been chasing us was an evil man, but he is my Father!  But you said my Dad died when I was a baby!  How could you lie to me about that?  Lie to me about everything?!”  Rowan screamed.  Chloe’ coward her head in shame.

“I’m so sorry.  Please forgive me, Rowan.  I was young and foolish.”  Chloe’ lamented.  But Rowan couldn’t stand to look at her Mom for another second.  She exited the restaurant, leaving Chloe’ behind sobbing.

“Mom!  When did you have the baby?”  Rowan exclaimed.

“Shortly after you left this afternoon.  Isn’t she just perfect?”  Chloe’ proclaimed, staring down at her new baby girl.  Rowan lifted the blanket around the baby to get a better look.  She had to be the cutest thing she had ever seen.  Chloe’ began to make her way upstairs to put the baby down in her crib.  Rowan trailed behind her still in awe of the sudden arrival of her baby sister.  They entered into the baby’s bedroom, stopping once again to admire the angel faced infant.  Rowan asked to hold her new sister and Chloe’ happily placed her in Rowan’s arms.  The baby girl was pink in color and smelled of new linen.

“What is her name, Mom?”  Rowan asked excitedly.

“Addilyn.  Addilyn Whitmore.”  Chloe’ said, beaming with pride.

“Hello Addilyn.  I’m Rowan your big sister.”

After much coddling and cooing, they finally put Addilyn to bed.  Chloe’ laid down on her bed in a heap, exhausted from all that had occurred that day.  Rowan came into her Mother’s room and covered her up with a blanket.  She sat down on the bed next to Chloe’, thinking things over.  Even though they seemed to buck heads over everything, she still loved her Mom.  Hopefully now her Mom would finally grow up and start being more responsible.  But Rowan could only hope.

Later that evening, after everyone was asleep, Rowan got up and crept into her little sister’s bedroom.  Looking down on Addilyn, Rowan smiled.  So much happiness had begun to flood into her life.  It was such an odd feeling to be so happy.  Addilyn cooed at Rowan and lifted her small hands to reach for her.  Rowan placed her hand on her sisters.  She wrapped her tiny hand around one of Rowan’s fingers.

“Don’t worry.  I won’t ever let anything bad happen to you.  No matter what.”  Rowan promised Addilyn solemnly.  Addilyn responded back by squealing happily.

The following morning Chloe’ woke up earlier than usual.  She entered her bathroom and studied her reflection.  Although she was nearing middle age, she still dressed risqué most the time.  She knew that her choice of clothing had been bothering Rowan for quite some time. “Why can’t you just grow up and act like a real Mom?  You dress like your fourteen but your almost forty.  It’s so embarrassing!” Rowan’s words echoed in Chloe’ s head as she scrutinized herself.  With that she decided it was time for a change in her life.

Rowan agreed to watch her sister as her Mom went out downtown.  Chloe hailed a taxi and headed straight for the spa.  After many hours of primping, styling and tweaking, Chloe’ emerged from the building.  She took a quick look at her new reflection in the store window.  The new Chloe’ starred back at her vacantly.  Chloe’ scanned her eyes over her new facade.  The woman in the window seem so perfect.  Hopefully she would be able to live up to her new look.

That night as Rowan slept, she couldn’t stop thinking of Joshua.  In her dreams, that night had played out completely different.  Instead of running from the fear of getting hurt, she had stayed on that Pier.  Stayed with Joshua.  As he leaned forward to kiss her, she did not recoil, but embraced it.  They had stayed locked in each others arms until the dawning sun broke over them.

Rowan sat up suddenly in her bed.  She was surprised to be in her own room.  The dream had been so vivid, so real.   With her hand she touched her lips.   She could still feel the sensation of Joshua’s lips on her own.  In that moment Rowan realized how huge of a mistake she had made.  Joshua had been there, by her side, for years.  And now to hurt him like she did, was unforgivable.

The morning sun beamed through Rowan’s windows.  Wearily she opened her eyes and sat up on her bed.  She knew what needed to be done.  All she needed was the courage to do so.  Breathing out a heavy sigh, she nervously dialed Joshua’s number.  It rang for what seemed like eternity before he finally answered.

“Hey.”  Joshua said with a depressed voice.

“Hey.”  She answered back, even more depressed than him.  “Meet me at Look Out Rock…I need to talk to you about last night.”

“OK.  Give me Five minutes and I’ll be there.”

Rowan hung up the phone and got ready as quickly as she could.  As she neared their hang out spot, she could see that Joshua was already waiting.  Its now or never, she thought to herself, knowing that this was her one and only shot at fixing things with him.  She walked up and stood in front of him.  Almost in tears, she was searching for the right words to say.  But she didn’t even fully understand why she did what she did, how was she going to explain it to Joshua?

“I’m sorry about leaving so suddenly last night.”  Rowan finally managed to say.

“Aww, its alright.  I shouldn’t have tried to, you know.”  He said looking away with embarrassment.

“No, I wanted you to kiss me! Its just that I’m scared … and  I don’t want to loose you…” She replied.  Rowan was shocked of her own boldness.  Joshua reached his hands forward and pulled her in close to him, happy that she reciprocated his feelings.  This time Rowan fought the urge to slip away again.  She knew she loved him, she had since the first day they had met.  She starred up into his gorgeous blue eyes and smiled tenderly at him.  Rowan could feel her heart beating faster the closer she came to him.

“Now, let’s try this again.”  Joshua said suggestively.  He leaned forward to kiss her.  As their lips met, everything around them faded away.  Until all that was left was them.