"Gavin!" I yelled from the living room. "Gavin, come pick up your toys!"

Loud footsteps traveled through the house as Gavin made his way to the living room.

"W-What?" He stutters. His shirt was covered in food stains and he had a piece of rice hanging from his nose.

"Damn," I say in a hushed voice. "Does your uncle not know how to feed you?"

"Hunger is in my room." Gavin says in a baby voice.

"Hunter," I tell him. "It's uncle Hunter, not Hunger." I bend down and pick Gavin up, having him at my hip and walk down the hall.

Hunter was on his knees, with a cloth in hand and rubbing on the carpet.

"What are you doing?" I furrow my eyebrows.

He looks up at me, shocked and with an apologetic grin. "Well, uhm, Gavin sort of spilled the rice all over the floor and then he spilled his juice on the carpet."

"Mhm," I nod. "It was Gavin." I look at Gavin who has his finger up his nose. "You spilled your food?"

"Nooo." He mumbles out.

Hunter gets off the floor and places Gavin's half finished food on the counter. He takes Gavin from my grasp and starts swinging him around, making baby noises at him.

"I suggest you don't do that." I chuckle, watching the two of them laugh.

"Why? He's having fun." Hunter smiles, throwing him up in the air and catching him.

"He just at-" Just as the words left my mouth, Hunter was suddenly covered in chunks of solid food. He immediately puts Gavin on the floor and begins cursing, pacing around the room for anything to clean the mess off.

"Emma!" He takes off his shirt and wipes his mouth. "Fuck, what the hell?"

I laugh to myself as Gavin giggles from the ground, clapping his hands together.

"Mommy, look!" He laughs.

Just then, keys ruffled from the living room and the front door swung open. Gavin's eyes popped open and he smiled widely.

"Guess who's here?" I say in a baby voice.

Gavin runs out of the room, running through the hall and I grab the plate of food and make my way into the kitchen. Throwing out the remains of his food, I place the plate in the sink and walk back out to Gavin's room.

Hunter had managed to get most of the vomit from his face but his shirt was now stained and smelled of it.

"Where's your mom?" I hear his voice through the halls.

"My room!" I hear Gavin's voice.

Footsteps are heard throughout the house and I smile to myself when I see his familiar green blue eyes staring back at me.

"Hey, princess." He kisses me.

"How was work?" I asked as he bring me to his side, Gavin on his hip.

"Exhausting." He responds. "Teaching math to middle schoolers all day makes me want to rip my ears out." He looks at Hunter. "What's wrong with you?"

"I am never babysitting again." He jokes.

"He threw up on you again?"

"You think maybe this time it'll be a different outcome, but no." Hunter sighs.

"Gotta start learning to take care of a child, man." Jax chuckles. "Grab a shirt from upstairs."

Hunter makes his way out of the room and goes upstairs, leaving us alone.

"Emma." He says my name in a deep husky voice. He puts Gavin down and he goes off to the corner to play with his toys.

Wrapping my arms around his neck, I smile to myself as I look into his eyes. "Jax."

"Have I told you how beautiful you look?" He mumbles.

"Mhm, only about a thousand times."

Things have changed.

Not in any bad way, but in a way I've never imagined they'd change.

After Jax left for college almost nine years ago now, a lot changed. I went into my senior year without Jax nor Hunter by my side.

Although, we kept in touch, after a while we lost communication. Jax was doing his own thing, studying at a fancy college with a scholarship he couldn't afford to lose.

I graduated my senior year and went to Newton, fulfilling my father's dream. After a year of no word from Jax he appeared on my doorstep out of the blue and changed my life.

"Dad, have you seen Hunter's laptop?" I walk into his room. "I have an assignment due and I haven't started."

"He took it with him to Marissa's." He tells me.

I groan, face palming myself and leaving his room, making my way downstairs. I was about to go into my room when the door bell rang.

I went back, dragging my feet against the floor and pressing my hand on the handle. I twist it and swing it open to find practically a ghost standing in front of me.

No words. Silence.

Silence for a year from the guy standing in front of me and here he was. A broken promise, a broken engagement, a broken past.

"Jax."

"Emma."

"Well," I hear Hunter say from behind us. "I have to pick up Marissa from the airport are you guys coming?"

I nod. "Yeah, I'm coming."

"I'm going to stay and clean Gavin up. Poor baby looks like he went through world war three." Jax laughs.

"Hey! I tried." Hunter protests.

I give Gavin and Jax a kiss goodbye before grabbing my purse and heading out with Hunter. The way to the airport was filled of reminiscing events from the past and how everything happened for a reason.

I swore to myself after Jax and I lost communication that if a moment like this ever happened I'd have to stomp on Jax's face.

Instead, he stood in front of me and I barely recognized him. His one head that was filled with locks of hair was now bald and shaved.

"You look..different." I let out.

He chuckles, nervously. "Yeah, well college does that to you."

"I know."

"Listen, I-"

"Jax," I stop him. "Why are you here?"

"I know I owe you an explanation and you have every right to be mad at me but so much changed for me when I left Boston." He rambles on.

"I'm not mad." I shake my head, leaning against the wall. "I was mad at first and then upset, but now I'm just confused."

"I'm sorry." He whispers.

"That's not enough." I cross my arms. "You left me. We were engaged for fucks sake. I was seventeen and agreed to marry you because I loved you. You took advantage of that."

"I never took advantage of you." He steps closer. "I loved you and I still do."

"Clearly not enough."

"So, I have some news to share" Hunter snaps me out of my thoughts.

"Mhm?" I mumble.

"Well, with Marissa being gone this past week to visit her parents, it gave me time to do some shopping." He tells me.

"What kind of shopping?" I question.

We stop at a red light and he unzips his sweater and takes out a black box.

"No fucking way." A smile appears on his face. "You're proposing?" My eyes water.

"Yeah."

"After I left I just needed a new start. At first it was all amazing and I couldn't imagine life without you and then something hit." Jax explains. "I felt like I hadn't even lived my life."

"We were so young." I respond. "I don't blame you for doing what you did. I blame you for the way you did it. You could have called or texted and told me you needed a break. I had to call your mother for her to tell me every time you were too busy."

"I know I handled things the wrong way." He speaks. "But I came back to fix things. To fix us."

"It's too late." I say.

"I don't think so." He leans in. "I know you still love me."

"I never said I didn't. I just can't do this again. You promised me you wouldn't hurt me and you broke that. You broke me." A single tear drop falls down my cheek.

He brings his hand up to my face and wipes away the tear, cupping my cheek.

"You should go." I move away.

"Don't do this." He shakes his head.

"I didn't do anything. It was all you."

"Where is she?" I ask getting anxious.

I peered my head, looking all around to try and find Marissa. Crowds of people came our way, exiting the airport.

"Are you sure she landed already?" I ask Hunter.

"Yes, she texted me." He assures me. He gets on his tippy toes, looking around frantically to try and spot her. "Ohh, I see her!"

I follow his glance and coming out from the door I see Marissa waddling her way towards us. She holds her luggage in one hand and her belly in the other as she spots us, smiling widely.

"Hello, beautiful." Hunter wraps his arms around her stomach and kisses her.

"I missed you." Marissa grins. "We missed you." She looks down. He rubs her belly, and leans down, giving it a kiss. "How's my little angel doing?"

"Okay, enough, move." I push Hunter out of the way and lean in to hug Marissa, her stomach being in the way of us.

"How was the flight?" I ask her.

We got into the car and Hunter made his way out of the airport with Marissa in the front and me in the back.

"Long," she sighs. "I need a foot rub."

"I'll give you one when we get home." Hunter promises.

"And your parents?" I wonder. "How are they?"

"Good," she smiles, looking back at me. "They were happy to see me and they send their hellos. They went on and on about wanting to meet Gavin."

I chuckle. "We'll all fly out soon to visit them and my dad."

"Speaking of your dad," she says. "I saw him. He was with Joyce. He seems so happy."

"Good for him." Hunter says. "I'm glad he's doing good."

"Gavin and Jax are home?" Marissa asks.

I nod, staring out the window. "Cleaning up Hunter's mess.".

"Oh, man. We need more babysitting before Maddy gets here." Marissa says.

"Five weeks is it?" I ask.

"Yup," she nods. "I can't believe how fast it went by."

"Before you know it she'll be turning four and already talking back." I chuckle.

"It's crazy," Hunter shakes his head. "Gavin's turning four next week."

Things change.

Things will always change and they'll keep changing drastically.

It's been a year since Jax came back. It's been a year since I regained hope for us. It's been a year since we've been trying to fix our relationship.

It's been two years since we separated and here we were trying to improve ourselves in order to make this relationship work.

Working a part time job while juggling college wasn't the easiest thing. Jax was still going to Hopkins but visited on weekends and we talked every day.

Fear still lingered in my heart that he'd leave and disappear again, but I had hope. It was the only thing keeping me going.

Jax and I were trying to make it work.

"Good morning." Hunter walks into the kitchen.

"Morning." I say.

"Where's Jax?"

"He left last night. He had a final today and he couldn't stay." I tell him.

"Okay, well," he grabs a water bottle from the fridge. "Marissa and I are going for a run, wanna join?"

I shake my head. "I'm not really feeling up to it, you guys go, have fun."

He makes his way out of the kitchen but before stepping out he turns back to me. "Also, uhm, I don't know if dad told you about Marissa and I?"

"What about you guys?" I look up at him.

"We're moving in together."

My eyes go wide. "Really?" He nods. "That's amazing, I'm happy for you guys." I give him a smile but it didn't quite reach my eyes.

"Thanks," He furrows his eyebrows. "You don't seem too pleased with the news."

"It's not that," I shrug. "I just, I don't know, don't you think it's a little fast?"

He chuckles. "Im in my twenties, Emma. Marissa and I are about to make six years. If anything it's a little over due. I wanted to move out sooner but with college and money, I wasn't financially where I wanted to be."

"You're right." I agree. "I'm sorry, I really am happy for you guys." I get up and hug him.

"Thanks," he pulls away. "Now it's your turn."

"What do you mean?" I question.

"You and Jax. Sooner or later you have to start pushing the relationship or you guys are going to be stuck in this weird place forever."

"Jax and I are fine." I defend. "We're together."

"Yeah, but," he sighs. "I don't know, just, he really loves you, Emma."

"I know, I know he does."

I was in utter shock.

The sight in front of me was enough to make me cry a river and I didn't know whether to be filled with joy or panic.

So many things were running through my head as I stared back at the tests in front of me.

Positive.

I took three tests and they were all positive.

I was pregnant.

"Babe, I'm home!" I yell out as I enter my house. I settle Marissa's bag on the couch and leave her luggage by the side of the door.

I hear Gavin's giggles from his room and out comes Jax with a sippy cup in hand.

He welcomes Marissa and we all gather around the living room as Gavin comes out from his room and joins us.

"You know," Marissa begins with a smile. "If you would have asked me eight years ago I would be sitting here with my best friend, pregnant by her brother and her kid with his best friend, I wouldn't believe it for a second."

"Things really did change, huh?" Hunter looks at Jax and I.

"Yeah, they did." I nod. "For the better."

Sometimes in life you have to remind yourself to slow down and take in the little things that are around you. Not everything is what it seems and so much can change with a blink of an eye.

I never imagined myself living the life I do today and I couldn't complain because it was an amazing life.

"Thank you." I turn to Jax.

"For what?"

"Giving me the best gift ever." I look at Gavin. "And for coming back." I grin. "Thank you for coming back."

~