*The next morning*

When a loud noise hits my ears, I blink my eyes open to see I'm still sitting in the foyer, under my fist imprint on the wall. I must've fallen asleep at some point last night because it is currently morning. Looking around, I see the noise that woke me.

"Well good morning sleepy-head. We didn't think you would ever wake up." The feminine voice says.

"Mom?" I ask, blinking away the last of my sleep and standing up.

"And dad." A deep masculine voice rumbles from behind me. I turn to see it is in fact my father carrying two suitcases in from the garage.

"What are you guys doing home?" I ask, still confused to see my parents.

"Well, our last day of business got canceled, so we decided to come home early and surprise you. Sadly, we can't stay too long because Marcus has found another company in Japan we need to meet with. Although, I suppose a few days is better than nothing, right honey?" My mom smiles at me sweetly.

"Uhh, ya. Right." I reply right before she pulls me into a bone crushing hug.

"Well, Helen, don't lie now. That wasn't our only motive for coming back." My father says and pulls me from my mom's grasp for his own hug.

"Oh yes! Where is this girl you told us about on the phone. I can't wait to meet her and the little siblings. I thought you said she was staying here, but I don't see any stuff except ours. Did she move out?" My mom asks obliviously. At her words the events from the night before come crashing into me and I am literally knocked flat on the ground. I can feel my eyes watering up again and can see my parents' worried faces.

"Nathan? What's wrong, my baby?" My mother asks with a tone of worry in her voice, getting on the ground and bringing me into another hug.

Like I did when I was a child, I bury my face in her neck and cry. After a few minutes I let out a sigh and pull back to see two questioning looks pointed my way. I wipe my tears from my face and look at them, my face the picture of guilt and heartbreak.

"I really, REALLY messed up."

______________________

30 minutes later I'm standing in front of my parents, who are sitting on the couch, and I have finished telling them everything. Throughout the story their emotions changed, a lot. They were really happy for me when I told them all about Lainey, angry about her uncle, and finally the look on their faces now, in regards to my actions last night. Disappointment. They haven't said anything, just let me get it all out, but I can tell they want to. As if reading my thoughts, my dad speaks up.

"You love this girl right?" He asks. Not shocked that he knows, since I have never been one to hide my emotions, I simply nod my head.

"And she loves you?" Another nod.

"But you hurt her." This time I don't need to nod. It's not a question, he knows I did. He takes a few breaths and runs his hand through his hair. My dad has always been one to think through everything before he speaks. My mom, not so much.

"Nathan Andrew O'Conner. We raised you better than to treat another person like that, especially a lady. How could you do such a thing?" My mom asks, appalled at my behavior. I go to answer but she doesn't let me.

"And to think, this girl trusted you enough to tell you. You should have comforted her, not yelled at her. On top of all that you treated your friends, who were only trying to help, awfully. And I swear if that sweet little girl's head has even the tiniest of scars, you are in a world of hurt young man." My mother threatens shaking her finger at me angrily. She opens her mouth to continue yelling, but my father lightly places his hand on her shoulder.

"Darling, I'm guessing nothing we say is going to make him feel any worse than he already does." My father says knowingly. That seems to be enough to quiet my mom down. The room is silent for another couple of minutes before my father speaks again.

"Son, we could stand here all day and say how we 'raised you better' or tell you everything you should have done differently, but I don't think it's going to make a difference. The only reason I am not letting your mother continue to yell at you is because I can see the guilt on your face. I can tell that your heart is probably ripping in two every time you think about her and what you did." He says. I nod my head solemnly, even though it wasn't a question, and look down to the floor.

"That tells me we raised you right." My eyes snap up to his and I can see my mom giving him an incredulous look. He simply holds up a hand and explains.

"What you did was wrong, but not unforgivable. The fact that it is eating you up inside, tells me you are truly sorry. Everyone makes mistakes, Nathan. It takes a real man to admit to his mistakes and try to fix them. Throughout your retelling, I could see how much you love not only the girl but her siblings too. I saw the pure rage on your face at the mention of her god awful uncle. But most importantly, I saw nothing but guilt and sorrow when you told us everything you said to her.

You didn't place one ounce of blame on anyone else, nor did you try to sugarcoat anything. And you stood there and let your mother rag on you, without any objections. I'm guessing you did the same thing last night because there is no doubt in my mind that Candace gave you hell. In my book, you are a man who made an awful mistake but will do anything to fix it." He finishes.

"You're right about everything, Dad. I hate her uncle, but I feel like I treated her even worse. She put her trust in me and I shattered it to pieces. I love that girl with my whole heart and soul. I'm not going to stop showing her how sorry I am, even if it takes the rest of my life." I say without hesitation.

Both my parents nod their heads and their disappoint seems to fade slightly.

"I agree you need to fix your mistake, but she needs time. I say give her a bit of space and then try again." My mom says.

"I hate to admit it, but I know. If I go to her now, she won't even listen to me. I'll give her some time, but then I'm not backing down." I say confidently.

"Good plan. So, what are you going to do to fix it?" My father asks.