Disclaimer: All characters belong to the creators of All My Children.

Author’s Note: For the sake of this story, Krystal and Tad’s “vow renewal” didn’t take place until early March. Also, this chapter moves a little more slowly, covering almost whole days instead of skipping days or weeks. I didn’t plan it that way, it just kind of happened, but hopefully you guys will enjoy it.

Against the Tide: Chapter Three

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t want to. I hate that dress.”

“Well then what do you want to wear?” Greenlee, who had just entered the Lavery penthouse and was making her way upstairs, had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. Ryan was so going to lose this argument. She stopped in the doorway of Emma’s room and watched father and daughter face off.

“I don’t want to wear anything.” Emma, still dressed in her Disney princess pajamas, crossed her arms over her chest and glared at her daddy.

“Sweetheart, you have to wear something.”

“Why?”

“Because you can’t go out in public without clothes.”

“Why?”

“Because everybody has to wear clothes when they leave the house.” Emma shook her head emphatically, her blonde hair flying into her face.

“Nuh-uh. You and Uncle Zach don’t wear shirts when we go to the beach or the pool. So, why can’t I go outside without clothes?”

“Because it isn’t socially acceptable.”

“Why?” Ryan sighed and rubbed his hand over his face as the sound of laughter filled the room. He turned and saw Greenlee standing in the doorway of his daughter’s room, doubled over with laughter.

“Aunt Greenlee!” Emma ran to Greenlee and jumped into her arms.

“Hey, beautiful girl. I see you’re giving Daddy a hard time.”

“He’s trying to make me wear that dress.” Emma pointed to the dress that Ryan was still holding and Greenlee looked at the offending item. It was a beautiful dress, pastel blue, knee-length, with quarter-length sleeves, the only problem was all the lace. Greenlee couldn’t blame Emma for refusing to wear the dress. It looked like whoever had made the dress had bought out a lace factory.

“Okay, why don’t you wear that yellow shirt you got for Christmas and your white skirt?” Emma nodded and climbed out of Greenlee’s arms, running to her closet. Greenlee followed her and handed the little girl her outfit. “Go get dressed in the bathroom and then I’ll do your hair.”

“Okay.” When they heard the bathroom door shut, Greenlee turned to Ryan, still smiling.

“It isn’t socially acceptable?”

“I was running out of logical reasons.”

“Ryan, she’s five. She doesn’t understand what’s socially acceptable and what isn’t. You couldn’t have just helped her pick out another outfit?”

“I tried that and she wouldn’t agree to anything I chose. That was the third outfit I’d picked out. Every outfit had something wrong with it.”

“What was wrong with the first two?”

“They were green.”

“It isn’t unusual for kids her age to want to avoid certain colors. When I was five, I didn’t like yellow or orange. It didn’t matter if it was food, clothes, crayons, or anything else. If it was yellow or orange, I wasn’t going anywhere near it.”

“So what was wrong with the blue dress?”

“Too much lace. Even I wouldn’t wear that dress.”

“So, what do I do about it?”

“I’ll take it home and get rid of the lace.”

“And all of her green clothes?”

“Keep them. She’ll get over her color aversion in a few months.” Ryan nodded and watched as she moved over to Emma’s bed and sat down.

“How are you doing?”

“Are we talking specifically about today or overall?”

“Both.”

“I’m okay today, but for the most part I’m still hurting. And I know I will for a while, I just wish I could get over this already.”

“You could. You could say you’re over it and pretend like what happened doesn’t bother you, but then you’d be lying to yourself. And you’d be demeaning what you and Aidan had.”

“He did that on his own, Ryan. Without any help from me. He destroyed what we had.” Ryan nodded and reached over, rubbing her back.

“I know, but you’ll get through this. And you won’t do it alone.” She laughed and laid her head on his shoulder.

“You know, a year ago I never thought I would be here. You, Annie, and Zach are my best friends, Emma calls me Aunt Greenlee and I’m actually calling Jack Dad now. My whole world has done a one-eighty.”

“Don’t forget you’ll be Aunt Greenlee to Spike and Ian, too.”

“Ryan.”

“No, I’m not trying to make you feel better. Kendall told me she wants it that way. She knows that you and Zach are close and she wants Spike and Ian to be close to you.”

“Ryan, I don’t want you and Annie to shut Kendall out because of me.”

“Kendall is the mother of my son and in that way, our lives will always be connected, but what she did was wrong. And she didn’t just lie to you, she lied to Annie and me as well.”

“Aunt Greenlee, I’m dressed,” Emma said, coming back into the room.

“All right, let’s find some shoes for you to wear and then go fix your hair.”

“Sorry we’re late. Ryan had a clueless daddy moment,” Greenlee said as she and Emma stepped onto the set of the latest Fusion photo shoot.

“It’s okay. The photographer’s running a little late himself. Hey, Emma, you look very pretty,” Annie said.

“Aunt Greenlee helped me pick my outfit. And she fixed my hair.”

“Well, she did a good job. Now, go find Ava and let her do your make-up.” Emma nodded and ran off to find Ava. “So, what happened?”

“When I got there, they were having a stand-off in Emma’s room. He was so desperate that he told her it wasn’t socially acceptable to leave the house without clothes.”

“How many outfits did he go through?”

“Three. He didn’t know that Emma doesn’t like green and the third looked like someone had thrown-up lace.”

“That horrible blue dress, right?”

“Yeah, I told Ryan I would get rid of the lace. Except for the lace it’s actually a really beautiful dress.”

“I think Erica gave her that dress. So I couldn’t really get rid of it, but there was no way I was going to make Emma wear it.”

“I don’t blame you. You would have had to force her into it.”

“Greenlee, have you seen the samples of our new lip gloss?” Kendall asked.

“I thought they were supposed to be on set when we got here.”

“Well, they aren’t. I’ve checked the entire set twice.”

“Okay, I’ll go up to the office and check for them. Just breathe and relax, all right? We can pull this off.” Greenlee left the set and Annie looked after her, surprised at how well she was handling being around Kendall.

“She’s right. We’re going to pull this off. Deciding to make products for Emma’s age group was a great idea.”

“Yeah, Greenlee’s had a lot of great ideas the past couple of weeks.”

“Yeah, she has.” Annie wasn’t going to say anything else. She and Kendall had had their share of fights in the past two weeks, but she wasn’t going to go there today. Not in front of her daughter.

“How’s she doing?”

“Kendall, don’t put me in the middle of this. If you want to know, you should ask her. She isn’t going to shut you out while we’re at work.”

“Mommy, how do I look?” Emma asked, running over to Annie and Kendall.

“You look beautiful, sweetheart. Ava did a good job with your make-up.”

“Yeah, for once she didn’t do anything too outrageous,” Greenlee said, rejoining Kendall and Annie.

“Hey, did you find the samples?” Kendall asked.

“Yeah, they were in the lounge. Apparently the delivery guy got a little confused.” She held out her free hand and Emma took it. “Come on, let’s go put this stuff out on the set and then we can get started.”

“Do I get to take any make-up home?”

“Yes, you do. That’s one of the good things about being a model. Sometimes you get to keep the product you’re advertising.”

“Oh, look, a chair,” Greenlee said, sitting down in the first chair she saw.

“Rough day?” Zach asked, handing her a margarita.

“You have no idea. It started off well and then the product samples got delivered to the wrong place and the photographer was two hours late. After that, it was just one thing after another and somewhere in the middle of it all, I got a migraine and now it feels like someone is using a sledge hammer on my head.”

“If you want to go home, you can.”

“You’re kidding, right? Dinner with you is the one thing that got me through this day.” She took a drink of her margarita and leaned back in her chair. “How was your day? Better than mine I hope.”

“As good as it can be when you spend the whole day filling out paperwork. So, how did the photo shoot go?”

“It went really well despite all the setbacks.” She stopped talking as the waiter approached their table and asked if they were ready to order. They placed their orders and as the waiter left, Greenlee placed her drink on the table. “Ava was great and Emma is a natural at modeling. I just hope this wasn’t all for nothing.”

“It won’t be. Deciding to sell to Emma’s age group was a great idea.”

“I wasn’t so sure about that today.”

“And now?”

“I think it’s a great idea.” He nodded and took a sip of his own drink.

“Whose idea was it to use Ava and Emma in the commercial?”

“Annie’s. And it should help us sell more of the product.”

“It was a good advertising strategy. You and Annie make a great team.”

“That’s what everyone keeps telling us.”

“You should listen to them,” he said as their salads were brought to the table. “They’re right.”

“You really think so? You aren’t just placating me?”

“No. I know better than that. This should help raise your profits even more.”

“That’s what we’re hoping. I mean, Fusion’s doing great now, but it’s always nice to have more money coming in.”

“Yeah, it is. Especially when you created the company from scratch.”

“How’s Cambias doing?”

“Really well. Josh did a great job of running things.”

“Nothing like having your boss fall in a bomb shelter to test your business sense.” Zach laughed, glad that he and Greenlee could laugh about that now. As their waiter brought their entrees and took their salads, hers barely touched, he looked at her, trying to hide his concern. He didn’t say anything though, not wanting to push the issue.

Ten minutes later, Greenlee put her fork down and bit her lip, fighting back her tears. “What’s wrong?”

“Zach, can we go? My head is killing me and it feels like the whole room is spinning.” He nodded and stood up, moving over to her, and helping her stand. He put down some money for their meal and as they began walking out the restaurant, she leaned into his side, not trusting herself to walk on her own.

“Do you want me to take you to the hospital?”

“No, I don’t think it’s that bad. I just need to go home and turn out the lights and lay down.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, just don’t let me go.”

“I won’t. I’ve got you.”

The next morning, Greenlee climbed out of bed and slowly made her way downstairs, still a little light-headed. When the smell of coffee, cinnamon, and bacon assaulted her, she entered the kitchen curiously. What she found surprised her. Zach was standing at her stove, making breakfast.

“Tell me you didn’t stay here last night.” He turned the stove off and turned to face her.

“I stayed here last night.” She groaned as took a coffee mug from her cabinet and walked over to the coffee pot, filling her cup.

“Damn it, Zach. I thought I told you to go home.”

“You did, but I didn’t listen.” She shook her head and couldn’t help smiling as she sat down.

“Big shock there. Why do you have to be so stubborn?”

“I’m not the only one who’s stubborn.”

“Yeah, yeah. So not the point here.”

“Then what is your point?” he asked, putting a plate of French toast and bacon in front of her then sitting down across from her with his own plate.

“That I may be stubborn, but I’m not as selfless as you.”

“You see it as me being selfless, but it’s pure selfishness. I keep the people I care about happy and do whatever they want or need because it makes me happy.”

“And you deserve it, Zach. After everything that you’ve been through, you deserve to be selfish and do what makes you happy.”

“What about you? You said you aren’t selfless. Then what are you?”

“You should know better than anyone. You told me yourself that I was selfish.”

“I was also said that I was wrong.”

“Then what am I?” Before he could answer, her phone began ringing. She considered letting the answering machine get it, but then she remembered that Annie had gone to see Richie yesterday. “I’m sorry. I have to get this.”

She walked to the living room and picked up the phone, wondering what Zach had planned to say. “Hello?”

“Is this is a bad time?” Annie asked.

“Kind of.”

“I can call back later.”

“No, no, it’s fine, Annie. Tell me what happened with Richie yesterday.”

“Can you come over? I don’t want to do this over the phone.”

“Yeah. I’m in the middle of something right now, but I can be there in an hour.”

“Greenlee, if I’m interrupting something, you don’t have to rush.”

“Annie, it’s fine. I know this whole Richie thing has you freaked out and I know you can’t always talk to Ryan about it. So, I’ll see you in an hour, okay?”

“Okay. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” She put the phone back on the receiver then headed back into the kitchen.

“Who was that?”

“Annie. She went to see Richie yesterday. I told her I’d be there in an hour.”

“You can go now if you want to.”

“Zach, are you sure? I hate to leave you after you stayed with me last night and then made breakfast.”

“You can make it up to me by making lunch tomorrow.”

“You may regret that. I’m not exactly the best chef in the world.”

“I’ll live.” She smiled and impulsively kissed his cheek as he stood up and they began cleaning up the kitchen.

“Thank you.”

“So, what happened yesterday?” Greenlee asked as she and Annie settled on the couch with coffee.

“It was just Richie being Richie and I really needed someone to talk to about it.”

“It’s more than that, Annie. I haven’t seen you this freaked out since Richie was with Babe, Little A, and Emma last fall.”

“I grew up with Richie. I’ve seen him at his best and his worst, but I’ve never seen him like he was yesterday. He was absolutely vicious. I wanted a guarantee that if I got tested to see if I was a match for the bone marrow transplant he would leave Pine Valley, he basically said that if I didn’t get tested he would come after me and my family.”

“I don’t blame you for being freaked out.” When she saw the look on Annie’s face, Greenlee’s brown eyes widened slightly as she realized that Annie was still considering getting tested to see if she was a match for her brother. “Annie, you can’t be serious.”

“He’s my brother, Greenlee.”

“It doesn’t matter. If you give in this time, if you give him what he wants, he’s going to keep taking. Trust me I’ve been there before. I know what it’s like. There’s only so much you can give before you start hating the person you’re giving to. I went through the same thing with my dad.”

“Jack doesn’t seem like that kind of person.”

“I’m not talking about Jack. I’m talking about Roger. I grew up thinking he was my dad. He was constantly screwing up and making me feel like a horrible person, but I always gave him another chance. I always let him back into my heart and he always took another part of it.”

“So, what finally happened?”

“He died. The night Leo and I were supposed to get married. And then when I found out that Jack was really my dad, I went to Roger’s grave and broke down. I yelled at him for everything he’d put me through and I tried to destroy his headstone.” Greenlee sighed as she took a sip of her coffee. They were getting way off topic. She hadn’t thought about this in years and she forgot how much it still hurt to think about everything that Roger had put her through. “The point is that you don’t need to put yourself through that, Annie. Especially when you have Ryan and Emma to think about. They’re the ones that deserve your heart. And they need it in one piece, not broken and tainted.”

“You’re right. I can’t do this, but how do I protect my family?”

“Ryan and Zach will protect everyone that you love and so will I. Richie won’t be able to touch Emma. I know it’s hard, Annie, but you’re doing the right thing.”

“Richie won’t see it that way.”

“Well, then, that’s Richie’s problem. Keeping your little girl safe is more important than giving into your brother’s twisted vendetta.”

“I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Annie admitted tearfully as she and Greenlee set their cups on the coffee table.

“You’d be hopelessly lost.” Annie laughed as they hugged.

“You’re probably right.”

“Of course I’m right. Haven’t you learned that by now?”

“I’ll remember from now on. I promise.” Greenlee smiled through her tears as she rubbed Annie’s back.

“You better. I’m holding you to that.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

“How’s Greenlee doing?” Ryan asked as he and Zach sat down at the bar in Zach’s casino.

“She’s doing okay. You know, just taking it one day at a time.”

“How did she do yesterday with the photo shoot?”

“She handled it really well, but she ended the night in tears.”

“What happened?”

“It wasn’t anything that happened at Fusion. She had a really bad migraine. She tried to make it through dinner, but she couldn’t.”

“Is she okay now?”

“Yeah, I think she was still a light-headed this morning, but she’s okay.” Ryan smiled as he took a drink of his scotch.

“You’ve been really great to Greenlee the last few weeks.”

“It isn’t that hard. She’s a great woman.”

“Yeah, she is and she deserves better than this. She deserves to be happy for more than a few months at a time.”

“She’ll have that. Maybe not right away, but she’ll find someone that can make her happy and give her what she wants and not break her heart.” Ryan looked at his friend curiously. He’d seen how close Zach and Greenlee had been since they’d been rescued, but he knew that neither one of them was ready for a relationship right now. Still, he couldn’t help wondering if maybe they would end up together once they got through their heartbreak.

“You sound so definite.”

“Nothing’s definite. You and I both know that.” Ryan nodded as he set his drink on the bar. Zach was right. The two of them knew, probably better than anyone, that nothing was definite. That’s what had brought them to where they were right now. And Ryan was more than ready for their lives to finally start falling into place. For the past few years, it had been one disaster after another.

“How are you doing?” Ryan knew that Zach wasn’t much for talking, especially conversations about feelings and relationships, but they were friends and he was concerned about Zach.

“About the same as Greenlee. Some days are worse than others, but you get through it and then the next day isn’t so bad.”

“It’s a good strategy. I think everyone’s used it at one time or another.” Zach nodded in agreement as he took a sip of his drink.

“How are you and Annie doing?”

“We’re good. She’s still stressed out about this whole Richie thing, but other than that we’re okay.”

“You’ll figure out a way to get rid of him.”

“I’m not so sure about that. It’s been six months since he came to Pine Valley.”

Ryan couldn’t help the smile that escaped him when he saw Greenlee laying on the beach, her eyes closed. She looked peaceful for the first time since she and Aidan had broken up. Deciding he didn’t want to disturb her, he turned to leave, but she called out to him.

“Hey. How did you know I was here?”

“You were blocking my sun.”

“Sorry. I’ll be more careful next time.” She smiled as she sat up and turned to face him. She liked this. Liked that things between them were no longer strained and that conversation flowed easily. More than that, she liked that they were really friends.

“So, how did you know where I was?”

“You’re kidding right?”

“Oh, please don’t tell me I’ve become that predictable. Because if I have, I really need to shake up my routine.”

“Trust me, Greenlee, you could never be predictable. A couple of months ago, I would have gone to the falls, but after everything that’s happened there, I know you’ve been coming to the beach a lot more. You still feel close to Leo, but there’s nothing to fall off of here.”

“Good point. So, what did you want to talk about? And if you say Kendall and Aidan I will throw you in the ocean.” Ryan’s eyes widened in mock-horror as he sat down beside her.

“Don’t worry. I know you’re sick of people asking you about that. I’m actually here to ask you a favor.”

“And what would that favor be?”

“Wednesday, Emma’s out of school, but Annie and I both have meetings so would you mind watching her?”

“Not at all. I’m actually watching Kathy too, so we’ll just go to Julia’s apartment and make it a play date.”

“Great. Emma will love that.”

“How’s Spike doing now that his implants have been turned on?”

“He’s great. He has his first speech therapy session in a couple of days.”

“Ryan, that’s great. I’m just sorry I couldn’t be there the first time he heard your voice.”

“It’s okay. You’ll make up for it by helping him learn new words.”

Wednesday morning, Greenlee was painting Kathy’s nails while Emma stood in front of her best friend’s mirror, admiring the way Greenlee had fixed her hair. While her hair was still short, falling just below her chin, Greenlee had managed to pull it back into a braided half ponytail. “What do you think, Em?”

“I like it.”

“What about your nails, Miss Kathy? Do you like the color?”

“Yes!” Greenlee smiled as she closed the bottle of nail polish then put it back in her make-up bag. “When that dries, I’ll put on a top coat to make the color shine more.”

“Aunt Greenlee, I’m thirsty,” Emma said.

“Do you want lemonade or juice?”

“Lemonade.”

“Okay. Kathy, do you want anything?”

“Apple juice,” Kathy requested.

“Okay, I’ll be right back.” Greenlee left the room and started down the stairs. Just as she stepped into the living room, the door to Julia’s apartment flew open and Richie came in. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Well, it seems that my sister has decided not to save my life, so-”

“So, you decided to kidnap your niece and see if she’s a match. I hate to ruin your little plan since you put so much work into tracking us down, but you are not going anywhere with Emma.”

“Are you sure about that?” he asked, pulling a gun from the waistband of his pants. Greenlee took a step back, her mind racing as she tried to think of a way to keep Emma and Kathy safe.

“Okay, why don’t you just put the gun down? Then we can call Annie and talk to her.”

“I don’t think so, sweetheart. See, I wasted almost two weeks waiting for my sister to make up her mind and I can’t afford to lose any more time.” Before she could respond, Emma and Kathy came downstairs.

“Girls, go back upstairs.”

“Uncle Richie!”

“Emma, stay where you are. Uncle Richie was just leaving.”

“Why does he have a gun?” Kathy asked. Greenlee looked at Richie, tilting her head in curiosity and silently echoing Kathy’s question. Richie sighed and began thinking of an alternative plan. Things were definitely not going the way he had planned.

“Emma, how would you like to go on a little trip with me?”

“You’re not going anywhere with her. You’re going to leave right now before I call the police,” Greenlee said. He lifted the gun, aiming it at her.

“That would be a bad idea. You’ll be dead for they get here and Emma and I would be gone.”

“Why do you want to hurt Aunt Greenlee?” Emma asked, moving to stand beside the older woman.

“I don’t want to, sweetie, but she isn’t leaving me much of a choice.”

“I’m not helping you with your twisted vendetta and there’s no way I’m letting you use Emma to get to Annie.”

“Then I guess that leaves me with only one choice, doesn’t it?”

“Kathy, go upstairs and call Aunt Julia. NOW!” Kathy nodded and ran upstairs before Richie could stop her. “All right, let’s talk about this.”

“There’s nothing to talk about. I’m taking Emma whether you let me or not.”

“And how far do you think you’re going to get? Even if you make it out of this building, everyone in this town knows about you. They’ll stop you and if Ryan and Zach are the ones that stop you, they’ll kill you.”

“That’s a risk I’m willing to take.” His finger tightened on the trigger and Greenlee swallowed, trying to contain her fear for Emma’s sake. “You have exactly one minute to decide what’s going to happen here. I’m leaving with Emma, but you get to choose how I leave. Either you let me leave with her or I shoot you and then leave with her.”

“Stop it, Uncle Richie! Leave Aunt Greenlee alone!” Emma yelled.

“Emma, it’s okay, sweetie. He isn’t going to hurt any of us,” Greenlee assured the little girl.

“That’s probably the worst choice you’ve ever made,” Richie said.

“Not even close. I made the worst decision of my life eight months ago and it almost cost me my life.” The shift in Richie’s stance was so minute that Emma didn’t see it, but Greenlee did. She pushed the little girl out of the way just as he pulled the trigger.

White-hot pain coursed through her body, but she ignored it, trying to calm her breathing as Richie knelt beside her. When he reached out to check for her pulse, she gripped his arm and twisted, causing him to cry out and drop the gun.

She forced herself to sit up, grab the gun, then stand. “I told you I wasn’t going to let you take Emma.” Richie opened his mouth to respond, but Greenlee fired the gun. The last thing she saw before she was overwhelmed by pain was Richie collapsing.

“Ryan, what the hell happened?” Jack asked as he rushed into the waiting room. “All Julia told me was that Greenlee was in surgery and I needed to get the hospital as soon as possible.”

“I know as much as you do, Jack. Greenlee’s in surgery and Emma has a cut on her forehead and a mild concussion.”

“What about Kathy?”

“She’s fine. Annie’s with her and Emma in the nurse’s lounge.”

“Julia, how is she?” Jack asked when the nurse came out of the operating room.

“She’s stable. The bullet hit a couple of arteries, but we managed to repair them, and it didn’t hit any organs.” Jack breathed a sigh of relief and ran a hand through his hair. This was the third time in as many months that his daughter had been in the hospital and he was seriously considering locking her in a padded room to keep her safe.

“When can we see her?” Ryan asked.

“It should be half an hour at the most. She’s in the recovery room and once we clean her room and move her, you can go see her.”

“Thanks, Julia,” Jack said.

“No problem.” She smiled at the two men then turned and left them alone.

“Hey, Emma has something to tell us,” Annie said, coming into the waiting room with her daughter and Kathy.

“Hey, sweetheart, how does your head feel?” Ryan asked, sitting down and allowing Emma to climb into his lap.

“It feels a little better, but it still hurts. Daddy, Uncle Richie was at Julia’s today. He wanted to take me on a trip and Aunt Greenlee wouldn’t let him. She said that even if he left the apartment with me, you and Uncle Zach would stop him.”

“What happened after that?”

“She told Kathy to go upstairs and call Julia and Uncle Richie said she only had a minute to decide how we left Julia’s. Then she pushed me out of the way and I hit my head.”

“Do you remember anything else?”

“Just Aunt Greenlee screaming. Daddy, is she going to be okay?”

“She’s going to be fine.” Ryan pressed a kiss to the top of Emma’s head then looked up at Jack and Annie. “Hey, sweetie, why don’t you and Kathy go back in the lounge and watch tv, okay? I need to talk to Mommy and Jack.”

“Okay.” Emma climbed out of Ryan’s lap then took Kathy’s hand, the two of them running back to the nurse’s lounge.

“She saved our daughter’s life,” Annie said. She moved over to Ryan and took Emma’s place in his lap.

“She saved all of their lives,” Jack said.

“The one thing missing is how Richie died.”

“And the only person who knows the answer to that mystery is unconscious,” Derek said, joining the group.

“But we know it was a bullet, right?” Ryan clarified.

“Yes, and Greenlee’s prints were on the gun, but we can’t be sure that she fired the shot that killed him until she wakes up and gives us her story.”

“Wait? You think Richie killed himself?” Annie asked.

“Mrs. Lavery, we can’t be sure of what happened.”

“I understand that, but I know my brother and if Greenlee was unconscious he wouldn’t have shot himself. He would have taken Emma like he planned and they’d be God knows where right now.”

“All right, Derek, it’s been a long morning and I think we all need a break,” Jack said. Derek nodded and placed his pen and notebook back in his pocket.

“Okay, I’ll be at the station. Call me when Ms. Smythe wakes up.” Derek turned to leave then turned back to the group. “Jack, your daughter’s a hero. Make sure you tell her that when she wakes up.”

“Derek’s right, Jack,” Ryan said. “Greenlee protected Kathy and Emma today. And Annie and I will be grateful to her for the rest of our lives.”

“So will I,” Julia said, walking over to Jack and wrapping her arm around his waist.

Jack watched his daughter sleep, feeling a sense of relief that she was okay. Still, at the same time, he couldn’t help wondering when she would finally catch a break. Since Ryan had faked his death, Greenlee’s life had just been one disaster after another.

He wished there was some way he could take away the pain she was feeling right now, but he knew that was impossible. And even if there was a way he could do that, he knew Greenlee would never let him. She would stubbornly refuse, saying she didn’t need help and that she was fine.

It had been almost twenty-four hours since Richie had broken into Julia’s apartment and he’d been sitting beside his daughter for most of that time. Occasionally, he’d been relieved by Ryan and Annie, or Zach, but for the most part, he hadn’t left her room.

“Daddy.” That took him by surprise, Greenlee had been calling him Dad since January, but she’d never once called him Daddy. He couldn’t help smiling when she looked up at him, her eyes slightly glazed with pain medication.

“Hey, sweetheart, do you remember what happened?”

“Richie,” she murmured groggily. “He wanted Emma and I made Kathy go upstairs and call Julia. And then there was this really bad pain in my stomach and I grabbed the gun from Richie. The last thing I remember is seeing him collapse.”

“Greenlee, you shot Richie and he died.” Her brown eyes widened in shock and Jack knew that even through the haze of pain meds, she could comprehend exactly what she’d done.

“I killed him?”

“Sweetheart, it was self defense.” She shook her head and tried to sit up, but he stopped her. “You can’t sit up yet. You’ll open your stitches.”

“I don’t care. I have to find Annie. She has to know that I didn’t mean for this to happen. Let me go! I have to find her!” Despite Jack’s warning about her stitches, Greenlee sat up and pulled off her pulse-ox, causing the monitor to start beeping and a nurse to rush into the room.

“Ms. Smythe, you need to calm down.” Greenlee continued trying to get out of bed and a second nurse came into the room, handing the first one a syringe. She put the needle in Greenlee’s i.v. then slowly pushed the plunger down. As the sedative began taking almost immediate effect and the nurse put her pulse-ox back on her finger, Greenlee laid back and took Jack’s hand as he moved back to the side of her bed.

“Daddy, I have to tell her.”

“I know. Annie should be here soon and you can tell her then. Right now, why don’t you just get some sleep, okay?” She nodded and closed her eyes, squeezing his hand.

“I love you, Daddy.” He smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“I love you, too.”

“Hey, please tell me you’re here to break me out.” Zach laughed as he sat down in the chair by Greenlee’s bed.

“Sorry. I’m just here to visit.”

“Well, in that case, I’m asking you for a favor.”

“As long as it doesn’t get me arrested, you can ask me anything.”

“Sorry, this is something simple. You don’t even have to leave my room. You never answered my question.”

“What question?”

“The one I asked you Saturday. You said I wasn’t selfish. So what am I?”

“You’re selfless, loving, generous, kind, resilient, and you’re a great friend. You know people are calling you a hero.” Greenlee laughed even as tears came to her eyes.

“That’s a big change, but I’m not a hero. I did what anyone else would have done.”

“Don’t be so modest. Accept their praise.”

“I’ll work on that.” She smiled as she wiped her tears away and for the first time, Zach noticed that she was crying.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing. I’m just being a baby.”

“Greenlee.” She sighed and looked up, knowing that she could never lie to Zach.

“What you said meant a lot to me and I guess I just wasn’t expecting to hear it. See? I told you. I’m being a baby.”

“You’re not being a baby. You’ve been through a lot in the last few weeks and it’s normal that you’re feeling emotional.”

“Zach, you’re freaking me out. When did you become all super sensitive and insightful?”

“I don’t know, but I’m going to stop now because I’m freaking myself out.”

“Thank you.”

“So, when do you get out of here?”

“Tomorrow, thank God. I think they’re getting ready to name a wing of the hospital after me.”

“You spend enough time here.”

“Hey, there will be no making fun of the patient.”

“I wasn’t making fun. I was just stating facts.”

“Liar,” she accused, her voice light and teasing. Their gazes locked and she couldn’t help it, she burst into giggles. After everything that had happened in the last three weeks, it felt good to laugh. And the fact that Zach was there just seemed right.

As Greenlee calmed down, she noticed that Zach was watching her. “What?”

“It’s nice to see you laugh like that. It hasn’t happened in a while.”

“Well there hasn’t been much reason for me to laugh like that lately.” He smiled and took her hand in his, offering her comfort.

“You should do it more often. I’ve missed seeing your beautiful smile.” She blushed at his compliment and the tension that had been between them on the beach was there again.

As silence stretched between them, she licked her lips nervously, not sure how to react. They’d shared two kisses and there had definitely been something there, but neither one of them was ready for anything right now, serious or not. Still, it was hard to ignore what was so obviously between them.

She bit her lip, trying to think of what to say as he rubbed circles on the back of her hand with his thumb. The urge to kiss him a third time was almost overwhelming, but she resisted it and tried to focus on the thoughts racing through her head. Some of them were screaming at her to kiss him, but most of them were telling her to back off and just continue to build their friendship.

Finally, she pulled her hand from his, but he still held her gaze. “Zach.” She stopped and silently berated herself. That had not come out the way she wanted it to. She’d intended for her voice to be strong and get his attention and instead his name had come out as a whisper. She swallowed hard and tried again. “Zach, we can’t keep doing this. I don’t want this to ruin our friendship. And I know that if we keep doing this, if we keep sharing these passionate kisses and then pretending that we don’t feel anything, it’s going to get awkward between us. I don’t want that to happen, Zach. Our friendship means too much to me for it to be confused with some weird sexual tension.”

“I agree. So, no more kissing.” She nodded resolutely, but she didn’t have the slightest clue how she was possibly going to stick to this new rule. Kissing Zach was amazing and even now, her mind was replaying the kiss they’d shared on the beach.

“Right.” He nodded as well and stood up.

“I should get back to the office. I have a conference call that I can’t miss.”

“Go. I don’t want you missing important business calls because of me.”

“It would be worth it.” She smiled and kissed his cheek.

“Go.”

“All right, I’m going. You don’t have to be so pushy.”

“Then I wouldn’t be me,” she laughed as he kissed her cheek then moved toward the door. As the door shut behind him, she carefully reached over and grabbed the files Babe had brought by earlier. She opened one of the folders and began reading just as there was a knock on her door. “Come in!”

“Hey, Greenlee, how are you feeling?” Lily asked as she and Jack came into the room.

“I’m okay. I’m glad you came to see me.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner.”

“Lily, you don’t have to apologize. No one likes coming to the hospital, especially when someone they love is hurt.” Jack smiled as he watched his daughters talk. Since Greenlee had been rescued from the bomb shelter, she and Lily had gotten closer. And apparently, that was exactly what his youngest daughter had needed, because he’d seen Lily become more social and definitely more confident.

“Dad said that they’re releasing you tomorrow. I bet you’re happy about that.”

“I’m very happy about that.” Lily smiled as she moved to the edge of her sister’s bed.

“I’m glad you’re getting better.” The two women shared a smile and Lily surprised Greenlee and Jack when she leaned over and hugged Greenlee. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, Lily.” Greenlee raised her eyes to meet Jack’s gaze, but he simply shrugged, just as mystified by Lily’s actions as she was. When Lily finally pulled back, she offered a shy smile. “Lily, I . . . ” Greenlee trailed off, not sure what to say or even if she should say anything.

“You’re surprised, aren’t you?”

“You could say that.” Lily giggled, pleased with herself.

“I’ve been working with a therapist so that I could hug the people I care about.”

“Sweetheart, that’s great, but why didn’t you say anything to us?” Jack asked.

“I wanted to surprise you. I wasn’t sure I could do it, but after the first five or six sessions it got easier.”

“Lily, that’s great. I’m so proud of you,” Greenlee praised.

“Thank you.” Jack smiled and when he noticed his oldest daughter hide a yawn, he moved toward the door and opened it.

“All right, Lily, I think we should be going. Greenlee looks a little tired.”

“Dad, I’m fine.”

“Is that why you can barely keep your eyes open?” She sighed, relenting, and put the files she’d been reading back on the tray by her bed then laid back. Lily walked toward the door as Jack walked over to Greenlee’s bed and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“Get some sleep and I’ll see you tomorrow.” She nodded and closed her eyes as Jack and Lily left.

“You’re not going.”

“Yes, I am.”

“Greenlee, you’ve only been out of the hospital for three hours.” She sighed and looked up at Zach, giving him her patent glare. Apparently, it didn’t have the desired effect because he refused to give in.

“Zach, the only way you’re going to keep me from going to Tad and Krystal’s party is if you handcuff me to this bed. They’re my friends and I’m going to celebrate their marriage. And besides, their party isn’t for another two days. You’re acting like it’s tonight and I’m going to go out and start dancing on some bar.” Zach groaned in frustration and ran a hand through his hair. He’d forgotten just how stubborn Greenlee could be.

“Help me out here, Ian.” The little boy squealed loudly and threw his toy at Zach’s head, causing Greenlee to laugh.

“See? Even Ian’s on my side.”

“What did you do? Bribe him with an extra bottle?” She smiled and kissed the top of the baby’s head.

“I didn’t have to bribe him. He agrees with me, you’re being overprotective. I’m fine, Zach. If I wasn’t, Joe never would have released me from the hospital.”

“I know that. I just think you should take it easy for a while.” She groaned and brushed her hand over Ian’s hair.

“Zach, please. I’ve spent most of the last three months in the hospital or here in my apartment. I’m going crazy here. I need to get out of here and do something.”

“You really want to go to this party?”

“Yes, and I’d like it if you’d come with me. You were invited too, you know. And you need to get out and have some fun, too. Doesn’t he, Ian?”

“Hey, no using my son against me.”

“But, it’s so much fun. Now, can we please go to this party? Please?” She widened her eyes and pretended to pout, causing Zach to run a hand over his face.

“Fine, you win. We’ll go to this party.”

“Thank you. Now go get some ice for your head because apparently your son already has a damn good arm.” He laughed and left Greenlee’s room, heading downstairs to the kitchen. She smiled and looked down at Ian as he looked up at her. “Your daddy isn’t always this crazy. He’s just really protective of the people he cares about. And while it is nice, sometimes it drives me crazy, but I put up with it. You know why? Because Zach is my best friend and I know that he just wants me to be safe.”

Ian lifted his tiny hand and put it on her cheek, giggling. “And you know what else? Your daddy loves you so much. You and your brother are the two most important people in his life and he would do absolutely anything for the two of you. And I think that is the most amazing thing in the world. You are so lucky to have Zach as your dad because he’ll always be there for you and he’ll always love you. You’ll never, ever have to doubt that.”

“You really think he can understand that?” Greenlee looked up and smiled shyly when she saw Zach standing in the door of her room.

“Yes, I do. If you can talk to him about hockey, then I can tell him all about his amazing daddy. How long have you been there?”

“Long enough to know that you love my son.” She smiled and kissed the top of Ian’s head.

“Of course I love him. He and Spike are the two most precious little boys I’ve ever known.” Ian squealed happily and Zach laughed as he joined them on the bed.

“So, you really want to go to this party?”

“Oh, my God. Ian, I think you should throw another toy at your daddy. He’s being impossible.”

“Come on, Adam Chandler is involved and that never leads to anything good.”

“Okay, you have a point, but we’re going. Because there’s a chance that if he does have something planned, it’s going to blow up in his face and that’s always fun.”

“Now I’m confused. Are you going to celebrate Krystal and Tad’s marriage or to watch Adam Chandler get burned?” She smiled as she let Ian put one of her fingers in his mouth.

“Both. And you have to admit, you’re curious too.” Zach sighed and shook his head, but couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face. “See? I knew it.”

“You always have to be right, don’t you?”

“No, now you’re confusing me with yourself.”

“There’s no confusing you with anyone else, Greenlee.” He’d learned that in the bomb shelter, but even if he hadn’t, he definitely would have learned it in the last three months. And what set her apart from everyone else became infinitely clear when she and Kendall were together.

Greenlee was self reliant, strong-willed, and willing to do anything to get what she wanted, but she also had a softer side. And seeing that side of Greenlee was what had made him realize that he was wrong about her. She was tough, he’d give her that, but underneath all that, she just wanted to love someone and more than that, she wanted someone to love her.

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“That’s a good thing. It makes you unique.”

“Unique doesn’t always mean good.”

“It does this time. I just told you that. Can’t you just accept a compliment?”

“I’m sorry, I’m just not used to hearing you give me compliments.” Zach nodded, acknowledging that it was weird. Then again, the situation they were currently was weird. The fact that he and Greenlee had managed to get along for five weeks without killing each other was strange, but for them to be able to become friends was truly amazing. “But, there’s a lot of stuff about the last few months that’s been weird.”

“That’s the truth.”

“Hey, I didn’t think you’d come,” Babe said, as she carefully hugged Greenlee.

“I almost didn’t. Not because I didn’t want to, but Zach’s appointed himself my bodyguard and he was adamant that I wasn’t going to come here tonight.”

“How did you finally convince him?”

“I had to convince twice. Two days ago and then again last night. I told him that if he didn’t let me come then I’d lock him in the closet and come anyway.” Babe laughed as she and Greenlee walked over to the bar.

“I’m impressed. I didn’t think Zach would cave that easily.”

“Neither did I, but being locked in the closet coupled with the threat of Ian being a Rangers fan worked very nicely.”

“Using his hockey team against him, very creative. I may have to use that.” Greenlee laughed as she ordered a martini.

“JR likes hockey?”

“I don’t know. I’ll have to ask Tad about that.” As the bartender placed their drinks in front of them, Babe turned and couldn’t help smiling when she noticed Zach just a few feet away from them. “You and Zach have been spending a lot of time together lately.”

“Yeah, who knew he would turn out to be one of my best friends?”

“And that’s all that’s between the two of? Friendship?”

“Yes. He’s still married and neither one of us is ready for another relationship.”

“And when you are ready for one? Do you think you and Zach could be together?”

“I don’t know and it’s way too soon to even be thinking about that.”

“I don’t blame you. I’m taking a break from guys myself.” Greenlee looked at Babe in surprise before realization dawned.

“Oh, my God. I forgot you and Richie had a thing.”

“Yeah, I’m trying to forget about that. Or at least remember him as Wes. How’s Annie doing with that by the way?”

“She’s handling it as well as she can, you know? I mean, he was her brother, but he had a lot of problems and there was a lot of bad stuff between them.” Babe nodded and took a sip of her drink.

“So, when do you think we’ll find out what Adam has planned?” Greenlee opened her mouth to answer just as Adam approached Tad and Krystal.

“I think we’re about to find out.” Babe put her drink on the bar then went over to find out what was going on. Zach took Babe’s place and Greenlee smiled at him as she took a sip of her own drink.

“What do you think that’s about?”

“There’s no telling, but it doesn’t look good.”

Thirty minutes later, Tad and Krystal had just finished renewing their vows and everyone gathered around them to give their congratulations.

“Okay, explain to me again why we’re here,” Greenlee requested as she and Zach walked over to the bar.

“Because Adam wanted revenge. He wanted an audience and I don’t think it’s over yet.” He turned from the bar so that he was facing everyone and raised his glass. “A toast to the bride and groom. They’ve had a rough ride. Seen the best of times, the worst of times and all the time they had a great sense of humor about everything. And a really nice sense of style and grace. Tad and Krystal.” As everyone took a sip of their drinks, Zach turned to Adam. “And of course you wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the man who brought it all together. A man who knows life and knows that there are choices. You can create things, you can destroy things. He destroyed something here and he created this beautiful moment. Memories for everyone. Adam Chandler, former, and if I’m not mistaken, new CEO of Chandler Enterprises.” As silence fell over the room, Adam walked over to Zach and Greenlee.

“You’re pretty smug for someone who just got beaten at his own game.”

“Zach, why are you making it worse? Can we please just get out of here?” Greenlee asked.

“Everything’s fine,” Zach assured her.

“Zach, please, let’s just go.”

“Oh, Adam, Adam. I’m sorry, man, I stole your thunder. I know you wanted to tell everybody yourself.”

“Is it true, Dad?” JR asked, joining the three of them. “I mean, did you get Chandler back?”

“Yes,” Adam answered.

“Now why don’t you ask your dad how he got his company back. By praying on a defenseless woman,” Zach said.

“The woman you fathered a child with? Hannah Nichols? The one that went out and grabbed a rifle and took aim at your wife?”

“That’s enough.”

“Oh, no, no. I think we should discuss these things openly. Particularly somebody like your deranged ex-lover.”

“It’s time for you to go home now.” Zach attempted to walk past Adam, but the older man grabbed his arm, forcing him to turn around.

“Don’t you dare dismiss me.”

“Or what?”

“Zach, don’t do this. You’re better than he is,” Greenlee interjected. Zach heard her, but didn’t acknowledge what she’d said as he shook off Adam’s hand.

“Everything you touch goes south. Your family, your company, your kids. Everything.”

“Well, I know who my kids are. That’s more than I can say for you. Hannah was fixated. How could you desert her and then, what’s his name, Ethan?” Adam questioned.

“You can say anything you want about me. Don’t mention Hannah and don’t mention Ethan.”

“Oh, come on. We can mention Hannah and Ethan. You’ve done nothing to be ashamed of. You just knocked her up and left her.”

“Don’t do this.”

“And you left her in whose capable hands? Your father’s. Alexander Sr. Can you imagine being and an eighteen-year-old girl trapped in a house with a crazy man?”

“I’m warning you.”

“And then she came to you years later. For a little love, a little recognition, but what did you do? You took her in your hands. Her life in your hands and you just let her go. And you didn’t let her go conveniently. No, you killed the poor woman.”

“Adam, for once in your life, just back the hell off,” Greenlee snapped. She grabbed his arm, trying to pull him away, but he shook her off and swung his arm out, hitting her directly in the stomach.

She doubled over and bit her lip to keep from crying out as JR, in an uncharacteristic move, checked to see if she was okay. Tears welled in her eyes, but she kept her eyes on the scene in front of her, concerned about Zach.

“You pushed her right over the cliff!” Zach wrapped his arms around Adam’s neck and growled as he spun around so that Adam’s back was to everyone else in the room.

Adam brought his hands up, placing them on Zach’s arms in and effort to pry his hands away, but he wasn’t strong enough. When Adam lost consciousness, Zach let him go then quickly left. Greenlee sighed and moved to follow him, but JR stopped her even as the other occupants checked to see if Adam was okay.

“Get your hands off of me, JR.”

“You can barely stand. There’s no way you can chase after Zach.” She glared up at him, irritated by the strong hold he had on her arms.

“Like you give a damn about me. Shouldn’t you be more concerned about your father right now?”

“He’s got a whole room full of people making sure he’s okay. And believe it or not, I’m not as heartless as you think I am.”

“Says the guy who told me that my embryos still existed. Now if you don’t let me go, you’re going to be the next Chandler that winds up unconscious.” JR sighed and reluctantly let her go.

As she moved over to the chair she’d left her coat on then rushed out of the room, calling out a quick thank-you to JR, she never noticed the man that she ran past. He, however, noticed her and as he watched her run down the hallway, he spoke her name, but she never heard him.

“I thought I’d find you here.” Zach looked up at Greenlee, concern filtering through his eyes when he saw that she was favoring her right side.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Despite her claim as she sat down beside him, she couldn’t hide her whimper at the pain she felt when her stitches pulled.

“Greenlee.”

“Zach, I’m fine. I’m still just really sore.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. Adam hit you exactly where you got shot less than a week ago.”

“And I’m fine, I told you that. I’m more worried about you.”

“There’s nothing to worry about.”

“Zach, you strangled Adam Chandler. Not that he didn’t deserve it, but he knew exactly how to get you.”

“He got lucky.” She rolled her eyes, hiding her grimace as pain continued to shoot through her stomach.

“What did I tell you about that?”

“You said something like I can’t always control everything and I should just accept it.”

“And I thought you had, but apparently I was wrong. Zach, you-you’re so much better than Adam could ever hope to be. You can’t let him get to you like that.”

“I’m not allowed one bad day?”

“Where Adam Chandler is concerned? No. Because then he starts thinking that he has power over you and that’s bad.”

“Lesson learned. Now how about you? How are you doing?”

“Okay, I know you’re not much for talking, especially where feelings are concerned, but you can’t just try to kill someone and then pretend it didn’t happen. Come on, you know you can talk to me.”

“I don’t know what you want me to say. Adam managed to get to me. It won’t happen again.”

“Whatever you say.” She shifted uncomfortably and he looked over at her.

“All right, that’s it, I’m taking you to the hospital. I know you’re hurting.” She shook her head stubbornly even as she wrapped her arm around her stomach.

“I’m not going back to the damn hospital. I’m fine, Zach, I just- ah, God!” As tears once again filled her eyes, he reached out, placing his hand on her forehead.

“Greenlee, you’re running a fever.” She pushed his hand away and leaned against one of the posts on the porch.

“Give it up, Zach. The only place I’m going is home. Now, you can take me or I can walk.”

“Do you always have to be so stubborn?”

“Yes, you should know that by now. So what’s it going to be?” He let out a frustrated groan and stood up, holding out a hand to her.

“All right, come on. But if you’re still running a fever tomorrow, you’re going to the hospital.” She stood up slowly then leaned into his side as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

“We’ll see about that.”

“Will you just agree with me for once? I care about you and I don’t want you to get sick.” She smiled up at him as they walked to his car.

“I’m sorry. I know you’re just trying to take care of me and I really appreciate. It’s just that I’ve almost forgotten what it’s like to have a life outside of the hospital and the thought of going back again isn’t very appealing.”

“Then start taking it slow. You don’t have to throw yourself completely into your work. And a good start would be staying home for the next couple of days and getting your strength back.” She nodded as he helped her into the car.

“Okay, you win. I’ll stay home.”

“Thank you.”

Thursday morning, Greenlee was sitting in the waiting room on the fourth floor of the hospital waiting for Spike to get out of his speech therapy session. He’d been coming for almost two weeks and while she’d promised Ryan she would go with the little boy, this was the first time she’d been able to. When she heard him laugh, she looked up and smiled when she saw him.

“Hey, Spike-man, how was your therapy session?” she asked, standing up and taking him from Dr. Simpson.

“It went very well. He learned two new words. Can you tell her what they are, Spike?” He smiled brightly and clapped his hands excitedly.

“Home. Brover.” Greenlee smiled and kissed his cheek.

“Spike, I’m so proud of you.”

“You did great today,” Dr. Simpson said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” She left and Greenlee turned to Spike.

“Are you hungry, little man?”

“Yes!” She laughed and set him on the counter so she could put his jacket on him.

“All right. Let’s get your jacket on and then we’ll go eat.”

“Greenlee?” She picked Spike up and turned around, her eyes widening with surprise when she saw Jake Martin.

“Jake!” She hugged him and when she pulled back, she couldn’t help smiling. “What are you doing here? The last I heard, you and Jamie were saving lives in Africa.”

“Well, I decided to come back to Pine Valley. And apparently I missed a lot.”

“More than you know. Spike, this is one of Aunt Greenlee’s old friends, Jake Martin. Jake, this is Spike Lavery.”

“Hi,” Spike greeted. Jake smiled and waved at the little boy.

“Hi, Spike.”

“So, how long have you been back in town?” Greenlee asked.

“Since Tuesday. I actually saw you Tuesday night.”

“The vow renewal. I didn’t see you.”

“That’s probably because you were a little preoccupied.”

“Right, sorry about that.”

“Don’t be. So, who were you chasing after?”

“Zach Slater. And not that I’m over concerned or anything, but how is Adam doing?”

“He’s fine. It was probably a little hard for him to talk for a couple days, but I’m sure he survived.”

“Good point.” Spike placed his little hand on her cheek and stared at her seriously.

“Hungy.”

“All right. Spike and I are going to get lunch, do you want to come with us?”

“No, not at all. Besides, I want to hear why you decided to come back.”

“Are you sure about that? It’s not a very interesting story.” She tilted her looking at him curiously, she could see the pain in his eyes, but she didn’t say anything. He’d tell her what happened when he was ready.

“Yes, I’m sure. Now, let’s go before Spike decides to walk to the pizza place himself.”

Jake smiled as he watched Greenlee cut up a slice of pizza for Spike. She was great with him, but he couldn’t help wondering why she’d referred to herself as Aunt Greenlee when she talked to the little boy. He looked to be about two, which meant he’d been conceived when she and Ryan were still married. “You’re wondering why Spike isn’t mine, aren’t you?”

“Well, I have to admit, I am curious. I mean, he’s what? Two. And from what I’ve been told, you and Ryan were married when he was conceived, yet you refer to yourself as Aunt Greenlee.”

“I told you that you missed a lot. You’re right, Spike was conceived when Ryan and I were still married, but it’s a long, twisted story.”

“We’ve got time.”

“All right, you asked for it. It started out with Ryan and I both wanting a baby, but then after everything that happened with Jonathon and Braden, Ryan changed his mind. He said he wasn’t bringing a child into this world after everything he’d been through with his father and brothers. But I was selfish and I didn’t listen to him and without Ryan knowing it, I had Greg Madden do in vitro. When I told Ryan I was pregnant, he was furious. He wound up driving his motorcycle over a cliff and faking his death. A couple of weeks later, I lost the baby.”

“Greenlee, I’m so sorry.” She smiled as she took a bite of her slice of pizza.

“Thank you, but I’m just getting started. After I lost the baby, Kendall offered to be my surrogate. Zach, however, didn’t like that idea because he decided to cause a blackout in the whole city, destroying my embryos. And because of that, Kendall decided to use her egg and Ryan’s sperm. I didn’t find out until just a few days before Thanksgiving and then I wound up leaving town. What happened when I came back is an even longer story that I’ll save for another time.” He nodded, sensing that her return to Pine Valley hadn’t initially been welcome.

“So, do you have a boyfriend?”

“Not anymore. Aidan and I were dating, but then I found out that he and Kendall slept together and we broke up about a month ago.”

“And what about Zach? Is there anything going on there?”

“No. Zach and I are just friends. He’s Kendall’s husband, but they’re in the process of getting divorced.” He nodded, his eyes wide with surprise as he took a drink of his soda.

“Okay, so let me get this straight. You and Ryan got divorced, Kendall wound up carrying Ryan’s child because of something Zach did, you and Aidan dated, he slept with Kendall, and the two of you broke up, and now you’re friends with the man who destroyed your chances of ever having a baby.”

“Basically, yes, but don’t forget, I haven’t told you the whole story.”

“Well, if it’s as interesting as everything you’ve told me so far, I can’t wait.”

“Oh, trust me, you can wait. My return to Pine Valley wasn’t exactly filled with good times. But that’s enough about me for now. What have you been up to? How’s Carolyn?”

“How do you know about Carolyn?”

“I am friends with your brother. And friends talk. However, since he and Aidan run a business together and he spends most of his time there, I haven’t seen him since the ill-fated vow renewal and we didn’t exactly have a lot of time to talk then because I was playing referee.”

“Right. Well, Carolyn died four months ago.”

“Oh, Jake, I’m so sorry. What happened?”

“She died in a car accident. It took two months to take care of the financial stuff and I stayed for another two months before I decided to bring Colleen back here so she could be raised with family.”

“Who’s Colleen?”

“My daughter. She’s six-months-old.”

“You have a daughter? Why didn’t you say anything sooner? Where is she?”

“I didn’t say anything sooner because I wanted to hear how you’d been and she’s with Tad.”

“I’d love to see her sometime.”

“We can get together this weekend and go to the park if you don’t have any plans.”

“That would be great. I’d really like that.”

“Greenlee, I thought you were taking the next couple of weeks off,” Babe said.

“I am, but Spike wanted to see his mom.” She put him down and he ran over to Kendall.

“Momma!”

“Hi, baby boy. Are you and Aunt Greenlee having a good time?” He nodded enthusiastically as Kendall picked him up and settled him in her lap.

“I’m glad and I see you made a new friend.”

“Jay.” She smiled and kissed his head then looked up to Greenlee and Jake.

“It’s nice to see you again, Jake.”

“You, too. How long have you been back in Pine Valley?”

“Just a couple of days.”

“Greenlee, can I talk to you in the back?” Amanda asked, standing up and grabbing the sketches on her desk.

“Yeah.” She followed Amanda to the back and couldn’t help laughing when she saw the blush that colored her friend’s cheeks. “You like him, don’t you?”

“Yes. Is he seeing anyone?”

“No, his ex-wife died four months ago, but he does have a six-month-old daughter.”

“I can deal with that. Do you think he’s ready to date again?”

“I don’t know, but I can find out.”

“I’d really appreciate it.”

“All right. I’ll find out and get back to you.”

“Thank you.” Greenlee nodded and took the sketches from Amanda.

“Are these for the updated spring line?”

“Yeah. They just came in this morning.”

“I really like these. And the models were willing to work with Ava?”

“Surprisingly yes. They’re just waiting for us to call them.”

“Make sure you do it soon before Ava pulls some outrageous stunt and scares them off.”

“Good point. We’ll make sure we do that.”

“So, are you really sure you want to date someone with as much responsibility as Jake has?”

“Yes, I did the whole immature, bad boy thing with JR and he wound up sleeping with Babe. I’m twenty-six, I’m ready for a serious relationship and I think Jake could be that person even if he does have a daughter.”

“Well, he’s definitely the guy to go to if you want a serious relationship.”

“Hey, Greenlee, you might want to get back out there. Jake mentioned going to the batting cages and I think Spike might actually explode,” Annie said. Greenlee groaned and ran a hand through her hair.

“I’ll kill him.”

“I’ve had a really great time today. Thank you,” Jake said, taking a sip of his wine.

“You’re welcome. So, you really don’t think I’m a horrible person for everything I did to Kendall and Spike?” Greenlee asked.

“No, we all do horrible things and you’ve more than paid for what you did. Besides Kendall forgave you.”

“Yes, and then she turned around and slept with my boyfriend.”

“And now you’re sleeping with her husband.”

“Oh, my God. Jake, how much wine have you had? I told you at lunch that nothing is going on between me and Zach and you believed me then.”

“Well, now I’m rethinking things. From what you’ve said, the two of you sound pretty close. And you have kissed before.”

“Okay, that’s it. I’m cutting you off. There will be no more wine for you tonight.” She giggled as she took the bottle of wine off the coffee table and refilled her glass. “The rest of this is all for me.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Yes. I’m off the antibiotics and I’m barely taking the pain meds.”

“If you’re sure.”

“I am. And I suggest you make that glass last because I was serious about it being your last.”

“Oh, we’ll see about that.”

“Yes, we will,” he smiled, reaching out to take the bottle from her. She laughed and put her glass back on the table then held the bottle out of his reach.

“Come get it.” She stood up and he immediately did the same as she began backing away from him.

“Give me the bottle, Greenlee.”

“No.” She took another step backwards, but his long legs quickly closed the distance them and he wrapped an arm around her waist. “Jake, that’s cheating.”

“Is it now?” She nodded as he took the bottle from her and put it on the table behind the love seat. Before she could figure out what he had planned, Jake began tickling her and she squealed loudly.

“Hey, hey, Spike’s asleep upstairs, remember?”

“Damn, do you think I woke him up?” Before Jake could answer, Spike provided his own answer to Greenlee’s questions. “I can’t believe I woke him up.” She kissed his cheek then ran upstairs.

Five minutes later, she came back downstairs with a still crying Spike. “Hey, buddy, what’s wrong?” Jake asked as they joined him on the couch.

“He’s probably not used to sleeping here.”

“Do you have a movie he can watch?”

“Yeah. What do you think, Spikey? You want to fix a sippy cup and watch a movie?” He nodded and laid his head on her shoulder as she rubbed his back. “All right, Jake, can you get his drink while we pick a movie?”

“Yeah, sure.” As he stood up and walked to the kitchen, Greenlee stood up and moved over to the entertainment center. “All right, baby boy, what’s it going to be? Mickey Mouse or The Backyardigans?”

“Mick Mouse.”

“Mickey Mouse it is.” She took the DVD out of its case then put it in the player as Jake came back into the living room. They settled back on the couch and as Spike took his sippy cup, Greenlee laid her head on Jake’s shoulder.

“How was your weekend?” Zach asked Sunday afternoon as he and Greenlee walked along the beach.

“It was good. I forgot how much fun Jake and I have together. It’s really nice to have him back here again.” Zach simply nodded in response, hiding the jealousy he felt at the fact that Greenlee had spent almost three days with Jake, helping he and his daughter get settled in their new apartment. Logically, he knew that he had no reason to be jealous because the only thing between them was friendship, but the jealousy was there.

“So, you two are good friends?”

“Yes, and that’s all there is between us. In case you’ve forgotten, he’s interested in Amanda.”

“I haven’t forgotten, but maybe he has.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he silently upbraided himself as she looked up at him in surprise before putting everything together.

“You’re jealous.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are. I saw the way you were looking at Jake Friday when we dropped Spike off at Ryan’s. You’re totally jealous.”

“And you’re imagining things. Why would I be jealous of someone I barely know?”

“Because I’ve spent the last couple of days with him? But Amanda was there too, Zach. That’s the main reason I spent so much time at Jake’s this weekend. Amanda asked me to go with her until she and Jake got to know each other a little better because she was nervous.” He continued to watch her, but didn’t say anything and she reached up, brushing her hand against his cheek. “Hey, lighten up. You know you’re my favorite non-boyfriend. No one else could ever take your place.”

He finally smiled and she giggled as he brushed a strand of hair out of her face. “I know you’re right. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“Zach, it’s okay. I have been ignoring you for the last couple of days and I’m sorry about that. I really didn’t mean for it to happen.”

“It’s okay. Like you said, we’re just friends, which means I had no right to be jealous.” Greenlee smiled and stretched onto her tiptoes, kissing Zach’s cheek.

“Well, I have to admit, it was kind of nice. It’s a side of you I’ve never seen before.”

“Oh, you liked that?” She nodded, watching as a mischievous glint entered his dark eyes.

“Zach, what do you have planned?” Instead of answering, he took her hand and led her over to the water. “Are you crazy? The water’s freezing.” Seconds later a wave crashed into them, knocking them down, and she shrieked loudly. As they stood back up, she began coughing and he began rubbing her back, concerned.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I just swallowed a gallon of ocean water.” When another wave threatened to knock her down again, he helped her keep her balance, but couldn’t help laughing. “Oh, that’s it. You asked for it and you’re going to get it.” She pushed him backwards and he laughed before chasing after her.