I wasn't the happiest I'd ever been waking up in Zane's arms the next morning, but I couldn't say it was the worst position I'd ever woke up in my either.

He had one arm under me, curled around my hip, the other was draped over my chest, a little too close to my breast. His face was nuzzled against the crook of my neck, his warm breath sending involuntary shivers through me. The second I shifted my body, he jolted, sitting upright.

"Are you okay?" he asked, taking in his surroundings. "Shit."

"Language." I mumbled, feeling myself flush as I sat at the end of the bed. "Liam's in here."

"Liam is a few months old, he won't remember any of this." Zane said, crouching down with a grimace. "Where is my shirt?"

I opened my mouth to tell him to look somewhere in the house, pausing when I looked down to find I was in it. I jumped up, throwing my hands over my chest as if I were naked.

"We didn't-" I stopped myself, shaking my head as I tried to recall what happened last night.

I had no alcohol in my system, so why couldn't I remember getting into this shirt or anything else that happened after Zane handed Liam back over to my mom? Had I been that exhausted?

"I don't think so." Zane scratched his head. "But you in my shirt and me in nothing but boxers doesn't look too good."

"You don't remember either?" I whispered.

He shook his head. "I had like four exams and had to run the track yesterday, not mention walk here from school. I'm sorry if I was tired, Paige."

"You don't have to be such an ass." I snapped, then caught myself. "I meant jerk."

His eyes suddenly dropped from my eyes to my abdomen. "Does it like, you know, feel like we did it?"

"You guys didn't have sex." McKenna appeared in the doorway, a carrier full of coffee in one of her hands. "Paige called me last night drunk. When I got here, she had thrown up all over her clothes."

"I wouldn't drink, I-" the words fell flat when flashes of last night began to resurface.

I had taken one of the small bottles of liquor from my dad's cabinet after getting off the phone with Molly. She had asked me a ton of questions about Marcus before explaining that someone at school was spreading rumors that I had slept with him yet again. I had no doubt in my mind it had been the devil himself that had done it, and I hadn't been able to focus, so I downed the bottle by myself. I had no memory of what happened afterward.

"I checked your Facebook page, and I highly suggest you don't go on right now." my best friend stated, handing the coffee to Zane.

In the fifteen years I'd known him, I hadn't ever seen Zai look so embarrassed. His cheeks were flushed, eyes on the ground, even his body was tense. I knew all he wanted was to get out of my bedroom and house as soon as possible.

"Zane, wait." I caught his elbow. He started to shake my hand off, but he hesitated on moving forward.

"Thank you." I slipped my arms around his waist and smiled. It was nearly nonexistent, but I felt a slight flutter deep in the bit of my stomach when I felt his arms circle around me and hug my body against him.

He pulled away a second later and ran the back of his hand over my cheek. "I told you I'd make up for my mistakes, for Mark's. I'm here, Paige. You aren't going to be able to get rid of me."

*

In the end, Zane leaving didn't make a lot of sense. He was back at my house in about an hour, fully dressed and looking refreshed. Knowing of my slight addiction to chocolate covered strawberries, he set a small four pack on my kitchen table seconds after entering the house. "I hope you still like these. I remember you couldn't live without them when we were younger."

"She eats them on a daily basis." McKenna piped up from the couch, not looking up from her phone. "And somehow she manages to keep the figure of a model."

Zane laughed, nodding toward the small box. "Go ahead, I promise they don't bite."

I crossed the room and plucked one out, my eyes widening once I tasted it. "This is the best thing I've ever eaten."

"I made them." Zane smiled, "Glad to know I'm still a great cook."

I shook my head. "Zai, you need to sell these! They taste like heaven."

"Thanks." I saw genuine happiness light up the blue in his eye for a moment. "McKenna, I hate to be this person, but you need to leave."

"I need to leave? Are you worried I'm going to find out about Liam?" she raised an eyebrow. "I was in Pai's room for over an hour and you guys expected me not to notice a baby in the room?"

Zane and I exchanged a long look, before speaking in unison. "You can't tell Marcus."

"Why?" McKenna shook her head in confusion. "Isn't he your son?"

My best friend's eyes lingered on Zane, lips pursed as she shook her head in confusion

"Yeah." Zane lied. "I just don't want him to know about Liam. Can you please just not mention anything?"

"I guess that's why the baby is here." McKenna muttered, scratching at her arm. "Okay, I won't say anything."

Zane breathed out a sigh of relief and gave her a gentle shove toward the door, pushing her purse and jacket into her arms. "Thanks, McKenna. I owe you."

"Whatever, Matthew." she quirked an eyebrow. "You really are a weirdo."

With that insult, my best friend turned on her heel and walked out of my house Zane waited until she was gone to step forward and shut the door. I nibbled at another strawberry as he spun around to face me.

"Mark always takes his girlfriends to the exact same diner before taking them home to have sex." Zane stated. "If we can catch a waitress that may have seen the girl, it might help us narrow down the load."

I nodded, shifting my weight back and forth between my feet. "Okay. What diner is it?"

"That one on Cheyenne Avenue."

"The pizzeria?" I responded.

He nodded. "Yeah."

"A pizzeria isn't a diner, Zane." I pointed out. He rolled his eyes and mumbled quietly under his breath.

I watched in silence as he tore Liam's stroller from the closet at the end of the hall and pushed it back out toward me, waiting until he was only feet away to start to assemble it.

"Don't just stand there." he said without looking away from the stroller. "Go get the damn baby."

*

I had spent most of my life having doors slammed in my face rather than having someone hold it open for me. Pushing a stroller around, it amazed me how much people's characteristics changed when a baby was involved. I was a good hundred feet away, and a woman stood at the door of the pizzeria, holding the door open until I reached it.

Zane trailed behind, carrying around the baby bag I had thrown into his arms after climbing out of the car. Thanking the woman, Zane jogged forward and took the door from her with the signature Dryer smile.

Upon walking into the pizzeria, nobody hid their looks of disgust and irritation when they saw two teenagers walking in with an infant in a stroller. Even if I were to try and explain, I knew they wouldn't care or try and believe it. It was no where near worth the hassle.

Zane found us a booth seat near the back of the pizzeria and looked toward the cashier's. "I'm gonna go get us a pizza and talk to a few of the cashier's to see if they noticed anything. My brother's a regular, so they'll probably recognize the picture I show them."

Before I could get a word in, Zane stood and walked across the restaurant and to the counter, leaning against it with a small smile. The girl standing behind the register looked up from the phone in her hand, a grin breaking out across her face at the sight of Zane.

I turned away, shaking my head in disgust. It didn't surprise me that she was acting the way she was, I was just a little disappointed in Zane for flirting with her. With his perfect grin and glistening blue eyes, he looked so much like Marcus it made me sick. Not to mention he looked seconds away from handing over his number.

"Hey, hey, don't cry." I reached over and took Liam's hand when he started to whimper. "I'm right here. I know it's kind of noisy in here, I'm sorry."

I pulled the blanket from the stroller and stared down at Liam for a moment. Considering how much I disliked Marcus, I couldn't feel anything but love for the infant before me.

"You're gonna love me." Zane threw himself down in the seat across from me, pushing a napkin in my direction. "I got a lead and a date."

Smiling, I stared down a the list of names scribbled on the napkin. In the bottom corner, a name was printed in a beautiful calligraphy with a phone number beneath it.

"That's great."

I swear I saw his smile waver at my response, as if he was expecting a different one.

"The pizza should be over here in a couple minutes." he said, then stood and gently pushed Liam's stroller back for a second and fell into the booth beside me.

I watched, my head cocked to the side a fraction, as he laid his finger against the baby boy's cheek. A looked crossed his face as he stared into the eyes of the baby, but I didn't get enough time to process exactly what the look meant. He twisted around and kissed me, hands on either one of my cheeks. I sat frozen, in his embrace, before pushing my thoughts aside and deepening the kiss.

***AN***

Hope you guys enjoyed! 

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~ChasingMadess24