As usual around two in the morning Howie awoke, this time he wasn’t alone. He had a sleeping beauty next to him, her hair extended over the pillow in waves like silk. Her bare body nestled against him, wrapped around the expensive satin sheets. Mason was moving around, whimpering as he looked for his pacifier. Howie sat up taking in the moment, like if it was a scene in a movie. A beautiful woman and a baby in a play pen. He smiled, hovered over Mason and helped him find his pacifier, sticking it back into the sleepy babies mouth.

Howie turned his attention back to Millie, and noticed that his phone was lighting up and moving around as it vibrated on the dresser. “Shit” he mumbled running over to check it, his stomach sinking as he saw the name flashing. He hesitated to answer, but flipped it open “Hello” he whispered stepping out to the hallway and taking a seat.

“Hi…I almost didn’t call, but I know it’s become a habit to do so. I thought you might be waiting for me.” Leigh giggled “I’m just kidding. So what did you do today?”

“Sounds like some fun. So is she staying there with you and the baby?” she asked the line going silent as Howie remembered his earlier encounter with the sleeping girl. He smiled and answered softly “Yeah she’s in the babies room. That’s why I’m whispering they are next door and I don’t want to wake them” he lied, holding the phone in one hand and peaking through the door to make sure Millie was still asleep.

Millie shifted, and opened her eyes gradually when she felt the empty spot next to her. She looked around disoriented and then remembered what had happened as she felt the satiny sheets against her body. She sat up and noticed the hall light on. Imagining Howie downstairs making a bottle for the stirring child. “It’s ok…” she whispered, putting on her undergarments and the shirt Howie had been wearing. Tip toeing over to Mason, she took him in her arms as she hummed and rocked him back and forth.

“You think this is going to work Howard. Are you scared of trying again? I am. What if it doesn’t work out again and we just end up hurting each other.” the woman sounded sincere and he could hear the concern in her voice.

With a loud sigh he answered “I think that we should go for the plunge. Give it a try, we are married you know and well if it doesn’t work we can…” his eyes grew wide as he saw Millie standing at the door, holding Mason in her arms. “Uh…hey…” he fumbled on his words.

“You jerk.” she yelled as she made her way back into the room.

Howie sprung up from the floor “Listen Leigh the baby is crying and he won’t stop I’m going to have to call you later today. Ok…alright bye.” he closed his phone and walked into the room. “Millie” he said dodging something that flew by his head.

“You asshole, fucking asshole.” she flung one of Mason’s toys at Howie. “You liar….shit I fell for it all over again.” she placed her hands over her face. “I can’t believe you guys are really getting back together? You could have told me this BEFORE…”

Howie’s heart was racing and his hands were clammy as he placed the phone in the pocket of his sweat pants. “Millie I was going to tell you. It’s just that…I missed you and I…I got caught up in the moment.” he looked down at the carpet.

“Caught up?” she laughed hysterically “Nice to know I’m just a moment to you. Poor Leigh…I’m guessing you didn’t tell her you were just fucking me a couple of hours ago.” she crossed her arms.

“Don’t say that…you know it‘s not like that.” he snapped, then noticed that Mason stood in the play pen rubbing his eyes. “How about we get the baby back to bed and then we can talk.” he made his way towards the baby.

“No! I’m done with you…I’m never talking to you ever again.” she pulled the shirt over her head and flung it at him, walking out of the room in only her undergarments.

He swiftly grabbed Mason and the pacifier, sticking it back into his mouth to keep him from crying. “Millie wait!” he almost ran down the stairs reaching her at the bottom. “It just happened ok…I didn’t know that she wanted to get back together and you didn’t want to talk to me. I thought it was the best thing to do. Then tonight…you…and I…” He sighed in frustration as he placed the baby in his jumper. “Hold on little guy!”

Millie searched for clothes in her unpacked bag, finding some shorts and a T-shirt she changed as Howie stood at the doorway. This time she didn’t cry, the anger wouldn’t let her. Instead she flung a pillow at him, wishing it was something breakable. Then another, and another. “You’re an idiot…you have no idea what I’ve been through…Howie! I…” she stopped herself as he looked at her confused.

“What? Your not…well…?” he tried getting the words out, afraid of what the answer would be.

“Of course not. I’m just sick ok!” she interrupted him before he even said the word. Just he sound of the word coming out of his mouth, would have sent her into a crying fit.

“What’s that scar…what happened?” he swallowed hard, hoping that she would answer his question.

“It’s none of your business…it doesn’t matter.” he could see the pain and the tears in her eyes. He could tell that she was struggling to keep them from falling. Stupidly he had hurt her again. He thought if he could have one more night with her then it would help him with his decision. Then the call from Leigh only confused him more.

“I’m confused Millie…” he spoke softly still at the door.

Taking a seat on the bed, her back to him she spoke softly “I know…but I‘m not and I have never been. I was the idiot who thought that maybe you DID love me. That you were just afraid of letting me know.” her head bowed in defeat “But now I know that you love her…I understand…now please leave me alone.”

He stood in the doorway, wanting to let her know his real feelings, but it was to late. If he told her now, he would let down his wife. The woman he was bonded to. He swallowed hard as he began to turn away, she looked at him walking away then stood up to close the door.

He swiftly turned to find himself face to face with her again “I’m only going to say this once Millie…I do…” he breathed hard “I do love you…so much that it hurts. I hate that I‘ve hurt you…but…”

Her eyes sprung open as she watched his eyes fill with tears “But I’m also married and my family taught me that you don’t play around with marriage. So as of the day that I told her ‘I do’ it was a promise that I made to make sure she is taken care of. I have an obligation to make sure that my WIFE comes first. I‘m sorry” he turned back around and began down the hall.

Millie yelled at him “Yeah meanwhile FUCK everyone else right.” she slammed the door and leaned against it, overlooking the fact that the man had told her that he did love her. She should have been happy that he was only going back to Leigh as an obligation, but the fact that he was going back instead of staying with her was unbearable. She grabbed the phone and dialed.

The next morning AJ awoke to an arm around his waist, his neck hurt as he leaned against the headboard. He smiled as he traced her face with his finger, her eyes were swollen and the after breathes of a lot of sobbing made her chest rise and fall shakily. He was startled as he looked up to see Mr. Nunez in his red uniform looking at him curiously “Morning sir” he bowed his head.

“What the hell happened now? You know…” he began and sighed hard. Taking a seat at the end of the bed, patting Millie’s leg. “I never thought my little girl would go through so much drama over men. Not even as a teen did she have so much trouble. So what you doing here kid?”

He looked back down at Millie making sure that she was still asleep “Uh…she had another encounter with Howie, she said that they argued. I just know that around three thirty I was getting a phone call to pick her up, she was sobbing uncontrollably and yelling at Howie.”

He hadn’t been told everything but he could imagine it starting with Howie telling her that he was leaving back to Orlando after the concert with his wife, then all hell breaking loose. “So when I got there, Howie was balling like a baby in fact. He was surprised to see me, so I went to get her and they started arguing again. She smacked him around…” he smirked at that, the memory of Millie letting Howie have a couple of slaps was pretty entertaining. “Then we left…got here, she continued to cry and finally she fell asleep and so did I. I’m sorry…I just didn’t want to leave her alone.”

Mr. Nunez smiled at AJ “So you really don’t love her huh? She’s just your best friend and nothing else? Or where you just saying that so that Howie could have a clear shot that he doesn’t deserve. I always thought you were out for one thing Alexander.”

AJ smiled “Yeah I got that feeling. I must say that you were right, that’s why we fell apart, sex was more important then, than loving her.” he ran his fingers through her hair “I do love her Mr. Nunez, but she loves someone else and I respect that. I pushed her away and she…”

Millie groggily lifted up her head “Dad…AJ?” she questioned rubbing her eyes.

“Hey honey. I just got off of work. Are you ok?” he gave her a look and she jumped into his arms and began to cry again.

“He’s going to back to her, he doesn’t want me.” she cried with fury and agony.

AJ swallowed hard as he watched the twosome embracing. Watching her in so much pain broke his heart. He wanted to push a rewind button and never call Howie. Erase all those women he had shared nights with, when he was supposed to be with her. All those fights over her waiting for the right time.

All this time he had spent with her, the nights of laughing and playing around. Nights of just holding her in the dark as she cried. The horrible night in the hospital woke him up, from that long slumber he had been in, making him realize that his feelings were real. That he loved her. He loved Millie and not like a friend.