Aaron's POV

"But.." I start and blink, letting his face and words sink in. "But, I thought you left her?" I ask, my voice too low for my liking as my nerves start kicking in.

He gives me a small smile, almost a sad one and it makes me scowl even further as I stare at him, afraid that he'll ask me to stop looking at him like he's crazy.

"Did she ever say that, son? Or did I?" He questions and I try to recall my conversation with Lily.

I feel at loss of words as I continue to look at him, and notice more familiar features. I am not sure if Diana is aware of the fact that this man is Ian Marks, a.k.a my biological father, but a heads up would have done me some good. That woman is literally driving me insane. To avoid the awkward staring I have been doing, I take a sip of my coffee and pray for my vocal chords to come in handy because I don't want to sound like a sap right now.

"The way she talked, it looked like you were heartbroken with the idea of adoption, so I figured.." I start but don't find enough words to finish the sentence and Ian gives me a nod, as if he understands why I came to that conclusion.

"It would have been an easy way out, yes, but I couldn't do that to her, or myself and us. She regrets that decision every day, and I remember how hard it hit her when the baby she had been growing in her womb wasn't there after nine months to be held in her arms. It wrecked her, and during those nine months, I fell in love with her. I couldn't even stomach the idea of leaving her after all that we had been through." He explains and I take in his words.

I can't even begin to imagine how tough it would have been for this man to stick by his woman's side even after taking a decision that he was absolutely against. It requires a lot of strength and determination to love someone whose one decision can absolutely break you.

"I am sorry for jumping to conclusions, I shouldn't have." I apologize and mean it, sincerely.
It's actually quite hopeful to see a love like that.

"That's okay." He shrugs and motions towards the cup in my hands, as if asking me to drink up so that's what I do. "Like I said Aaron, we would like to know you. A lot of years have already passed, but we could never contact you. Hell, McCall's can still file a law suit against us as I talk to you right now because it was a contractual closed adoption. But, you initiated the contact so I am not sure how that works. Are they aware about this?" He asks and I nod, thinking his words over.

"Yeah, um.. actually, I didn't find out about adoption until a few months back. It came as a shock, especially because it was spilled to me in a moment of anger by Derek." I spill and mentally slap myself for sharing a lot more than I should.

"What? They never told you?" Ian asks, sounding more than surprised.

I was too, when I found out about it. And the worst part was how it was declared to me. I remember freaking out as hell and calling up Diana to come see me in the middle of the night. I am not sure how she managed to actually do that, even though she had Emily. I make a mental note to ask her about it afterwards. It surprises me sometimes that how long she kept about Emily from me.

"No, I didn't think they would have if it weren't for Derek. But I am sure I would have found out eventually since obviously Diana knew as well." I say and he frowns, obviously confused but I don't bother to explain the history between Derek and Diana. I already have enough people in my life who judge her for her past, I don't need more.

"But he told you when he was angry with a bad intention. That's not a way we would have ever liked you to find out." He says, a scowl set on his face and I shake my head.

"It's done, nothing can be rectified about it. I know now, and I am glad that I do because I don't know how long my parents were planning to keep me in the dark." I say and then sip on my coffee before continuing, "I told my mom before coming here that I was going to meet Lily, she wasn't pleased with the idea, especially when they went out of their ways to keep this adoption stuff from me."

He nods, chewing on his breakfast before he speaks, "If they didn't tell you, how did you find out about us?" He asks, purely out of curiosity.

"Diana helped. She knew how much it bothered me not knowing, because I confided in her about how everything was messing with my head. She thought that this would somehow help me get some closure." I say and he nods, an understanding setting underneath his gaze.

"She must care tons for you to get that information, because it's not easy to get hands onto things like this, especially closed adoption cases. They are highly confidential." He explains.

His words make me think how I never thanked Diana enough for doing this, for asking Matt to dig this up even when I never asked for her to do so. She did it purely out of her kind heart, because she loves me and she wants me to be happy. The thought makes me smile.

"Well, my girlfriend is highly resourceful." I shrug, not even caring about the fact that it sounds like bragging.

Ian laughs at my words but nods nonetheless. "You have two siblings, you know?" He says and it's for the second time that I choke on my coffee.

This man wants me to die, I swear!

I sober up and cough a little again before setting my eyes on him. "Really?" I ask, sounding as surprises as I feel.

"Yeah. Brian and Amelia, they are both wonderful children." He says, his eyes filling up with pride and a feeling of jealousy sets inside me, making me highly uncomfortable.

I know it's wrong because my parents have never done anything to make me feel deprived of their love – I know they love me, but this man sitting in front of me is my biological father, the only father I should have had but I never got to grow up with him. So when he talks about his other children and how they were lucky enough to grow up with their biological parents, it makes me envy them.

"How old are they?" I ask and he smiles.

"Brian's nineteen, he recently started college, focusing on law as his major and Amelia's turning fourteen in a couple of months." He says and a strange feeling sets inside me as I hear about them, almost like a sense of loss.

I have two younger siblings, I could have been their older brother. Most of all, I have a little sister, something I have always wanted – to be a protective older brother but I never got the chance. Wow!

"You guys got pregnant again when she was twenty?" I say, mentally doing the math and he almost gives me a sheepish look.

"Well, twenty one actually, and it wasn't planned but we never repeated the same mistake of giving up on what we love. I am sorry kid, you have no idea how much I wanted to run away with you the first time I held you in my arms." He says, his eyes glistening and I nod.

I am afraid that if I say anything, I will honestly choke up on tears because this conversation has been so overwhelming. I have this entire other family, and the fact that they want to get to know me is so scary because as much as I want it, I am not sure how my parents would react – it would break Mom, she would think that she's losing me even though that's from the truth. I love my parents, they gave me this life and made me the person that I am today. And yes, they can be overprotective but I understand that, I wouldn't want to lose my child as well, doesn't matter blood related or not. It reminds me of Emily and I know how horrible I would feel if someone even threatened to take my place in her life.

"Aaron, think about it, alright? Discuss with your parents because we don't want to disrupt your life with them. They are your parents, and nothing would ever change that. I promise you, both Lily and I do. But we would love to get to know you." Ian says and I nod, processing his words.

"Okay, I'll think about it." I say and he hands me his business card with his number on it and I notice that he's a well established business man here in Chicago, running his company related to real estates.

I take the card and stand up to leave, wanting to get away from him to think more clearly. The conversation we have had, it's clouding my mind way too much for my liking and I feel like I am on the verge of breaking down.

As soon as I am out of the diner, my hand reaches in my pocket as I pull out my phone and immediately dial the only person I need by my side right now. Her phone rings for a few seconds before my ears are filled with her sweet voice, "Hey, you free already?" She asks and I want to snap at her for leaving me alone for this torture, but I know she isn't wrong, I needed to do this alone.

"Yeah, and if you don't meet me within five minutes, I can think of all the possible ways I can punish you." I say and she laughs loudly on the other side.

"Now, babe, no need to sound all sadistic. Although the offer sounds very tempting." She teases and I smile to myself.

"C'mon, I need you. Please. Have you already checked out of the hotel?" I ask.

"No, I am not stupid. When I postponed our flight, I made sure we had the suite till evening." She says and I nod.

"See you in five?" I ask as I am already walking towards the hotel.

"Yup." She says before hanging up.

It takes me exactly five minutes to reach the hotel and another two to get to the floor where our suite is. I knock on the door, and a second later Diana opens the door. I don't even wait for a single second before claiming her lips and she gasps, definitely not expecting my actions but soon she starts kissing me back and I shut the door behind us, my hands behind me as I make sure to lock it before my full attention is on this amazing woman in front of me as her tongue invades my mouth and she kisses me in the way that shuts out every other thought from my mind. My hands move to her hips as I press her closer to myself and groan when she moves against my hard self.

Diana's POV

The way his mouth is claiming mine and the sounds of pleasure that are erupting between us, I know whatever conversation he had with Lily's husband must have been extremely overwhelming. He wants to tune it out, and I don't for a fucking second mind being his distraction.

My legs meet the side of the couch before Aaron pushes me down on it, hovering above me. A small smile takes over his lips as he continues to kiss me and we both make ourselves comfortable on the couch. I part away from him and stare at his face – his eyes closed, as a small smile plays on his lips and it's too tempting for me to look at his adorable face without leaning forward and placing a kiss on his lips.

"Why are you smiling?" I finally ask before adding, "Not that I don't love it, I absolutely turn into this giddy high school girl when you smile like that, but seriously, what is it?"

He laughs, his cold hands moving underneath my sweater and my breath catches in my throat as he starts placing kisses beneath my ear and trails the kisses down to my neck. I hold back a moan and when his hands grab my breast underneath the sweater, and then I know I wouldn't get the response to my question.

My hands meet the ends of his sweatshirt as I tug it on and he takes hint because his hands leave me and he pulls off his clothes before doing the same with mine. His kisses trail down even further and my attempt to hold back any sound goes right out of the window and my hands crawl to his toned back, his muscles flexing underneath my touch as his tongue nibbles on my skin.

"Fuck." I moan.

I never thought it was possible for any man to exert any emotions within me while we are getting physical but every time I am with Aaron, it just tips me off so much that I end up feeling extremely overwhelmed. I am in love with this man, and he deserves every fucking inch of love I have for him because if it weren't for him in my life for past few months, I would still be going off the rails and probably becoming the worst version of myself.

My thoughts are long forgotten when his hands go to my back and he unclasps the hook and soon his mouth is on the sensitive skin on my breast. I arch my back and that only gives him the advantage, his tongue darting to every inch of my skin, making me cry out a moan. I can feel him between my legs and it's driving me absolutely insane as his mouth and hands are frenzy on my body. There is nothing slow about this, but it's more than enough to drive us both crazy.

A few seconds later both of our remaining clothes are on the floor and I switch our positions, pushing him back on the couch as I place a kiss on his lips before moving down to the side of his neck, my tongue and teeth nibbling on his skin as our hips rub together, and I feel him growing more underneath me, making my thoughts turn into a mush. I part away from him enough to look down at the mark I left on his neck and I smirk when his eyes meet me, and he gives me the pout which makes me want to kiss him even more.

But, I ignore the temptation as my lips move further down his body and when I am inches away from his hard self, his hands tug at the roots of my hair and I know he's almost dying in anticipation so I give him a sense of relief as my mouth claims him.

"Diana." He literally groans in pleasure and that is all the motivation I need before carrying on with what I began.

My mouth does wonders to him, and I am aware of it because I can feel the way his eyes are shut close and his breathing is deep, ragged and the way he's chanting my name again and again.

"Fuck, stop!" He says and I blink at him as he looks down at me. "Holy shit!" He curses again before pulling me by my shoulders and regaining his initial position as he flips us over, and I end up below him again.

"As amazing as it is to see you like that, I just want to end this a little differently." He kisses me, his lips soft on mine and my hands move into his hair, pulling him closer as we don't even stop for a single breath.

Before I know it, he thrusts inside of me and that is when I gasp, pleasure overwhelming at the contact of his skin. He buries his face beside my neck to mumble out his moans as we both begin to move together, wanting to get the best of each other.

"Fuck, baby.. I love you so much." He whispers and my heart beats even faster at his words, making me want to never leave his arms.

Just minutes later he's meeting his end and I follow suit. We are both panting by the end of it and I smile at him, like literally grin at him like an idiot and he frowns at me.

"So, why are smiling like you just won a lottery or something?" He asks and I laugh.

"I just love you, that's all." I shrug.

He presses a kiss to my forehead and smiles, "I love you more, Dee."

He almost sounds distant which makes me frown as I look at him, "What's wrong?" I ask and he shakes his head.

"We should probably wear clothes for that conversation, because it's way too cold." He gives me an amusing smile and I laugh.

"Well, you can wear sweatpants and I can definitely wear your sweatshirt, but we are not wearing anything more than that. Come on, let's snuggle up in bed." I say standing and he nods.

He pulls me in his arms and then carries me to the bathroom. We clean ourselves up before I pull on his sweatshirt and throw the sweats on his face and he grumbles under his breath before pulling them on.

We leave the rest of our clothes on the living room before I jump onto the bed and he comes to lie down, keep his head on my belly as he faces the ceiling and I wait for him to talk.

"Well, you going to tell me what exactly you and Lily's husband talked about?" I ask and he looks at me, his eyes filled with sorrow as they meet mine.

"He isn't just her husband, Dee. He's my father." He says and for a second, my hand which was caressing his cheek freezes mid air before he turns on his side so he's facing me, his cheek against my belly.

"I am so fucking sorry for leaving you with him like that, Aaron. I had no idea." I whisper and he nods.

"I know baby, I figured that if you knew, you would have at least given me some hint." He says.

"What did you guys talk about?" I ask, and almost slap myself. What if he didn't want to share it because it was too personal?

"Well, he explained to me what Lily went through after the adoption. I kind of understand now, at least I am not mad at her. I probably would have done something very similar if it were me." He says and takes a deep breath and when I meet his eyes, they are glistening. I can tell he's on the verge of tears and my thumb strokes his cheek.

"Babe, you don't have to repeat anything, I am sorry I asked." I say and he shakes his head.

"You're the only person I want to tell this to, I want to get it off my chest." He says and I nod, motioning for him to continue.

"Okay then, I am all ears, and I am here, alright? Always." I promise him.

His hand comes up to cup mine and he moves it towards his lips, placing a gentle kiss on my palm, "They want to get in contact with me, get to know me but it's against the rules of closed adoption. My parents can file a case on them if they try, so he asked me to discuss it with them if I want to." He says.

I can't even imagine what must be going through his head at the moment. "Do you want to?" I ask and he nods, a tear rolling down his cheeks.

"I have siblings, baby. I could have been a big brother to a sister and a brother." He breathes.

I know how hard this must be for him, to get to know that an entire family of his exists that he had no idea about. And now that he does, there is no guarantee that he will ever be close to them.

"You still can be." I remind him and he stares at me, "You'll be crazily overprotective but you'll be great, Aaron."

"You think so?" He asks and I nod, a small smile on my face.

"I know so, babe."

He nods, "I am not sure if Mom or Dad will understand, you know? I don't think they will, and I don't know how to explain it to them that getting to know who my biological parents are, and getting to know my sibling would mean the world to me." He explains and I nod in understanding.

If anyone were to threaten my place in Emily's life, I would lose it, so I seriously understand where his mother comes from, and why she's so overprotective of him. She got him after years of failed pregnancy to have another child.

"You can still try to talk to them?" I suggest and he nods.

"I plan on doing that, maybe with Dad. He's a little more rational than Mom is." He says, and I wipe his tear stained cheeks.

"I have only met your Dad once, and it was just for a few seconds but he looks like a scary dude." I tell him and he laughs.

"He is sometimes, but he's a very intelligent man. I love him, I love both of them." He says and I feel a little guilty for being jealous of him.

He has two parents who love him so much and as much as I hate to think about my biological sperm and egg donors, it kills me to know that they didn't care enough to let me have them in their life. But right now, this isn't about me. It's about Aaron, so I shake off my thoughts as I look at him again, and he's studying me carefully.

I shake my head at him, as if a warning to not begin the topic and he nods, snuggling close to me. "Hey, I wanted to ask you something." He says.

"What is it?" I ask and he smiles.

"Remember when I found out about the adoption and called you up in the middle of the night?" He says and I nod, a frown setting on my face. I have no idea where he's going with this. "How did you manage to come? Didn't you have Emily with you?" He ask and I smile at the memory of rushing out of the house in the middle of the night just because he sounded so upset.

"Yeah, well, thank Ella and Connor, they came to the rescue as soon as I called them." I say and he gapes at me.

"Did you seriously wake them up at that hour so you could come see me?" He asks and I nod, a sheepish smile on my face.

"You were upset, what did you expect me to do?"

He doesn't say anything but sits up a little before scooting over to me and placing his lips on mine, "God, I love you so much." He kisses me again

"As much as I love you more, I don't think my body can take another round after last night and an hour ago." I say against his lips and he frowns at me.

"I can control myself, lady." He says and my hands move to palm the front of his sweats.

"Sure you can." I laugh loudly at his expression as he closes his eyes on my touch.

"Don't tempt me, seriously." He groans as I continue to laugh. Before he gets any ideas, I slip out of the bed and he pouts, "The least you can do is cuddle me." He says in a whining voice, making me want to kiss him but I shake my head.

"I am just going to get the shopping bags, while you were with Ian, I shopped a little." I tell him and he looks at me, surprised.

I disappear behind the closet where our bags are and get the stuff I bought today before going to spill it on the bed. Aaron is half lying down, half sitting up as he looks at me curiously.

"What all did you buy?" He asks and I smirk.

"You'll see."

"Sexy lingerie?" He asks, his eyes and voice both filled with hope and I bark out a laugh.

"Sure baby, it's so sexy that you'll have tears in your eyes." I say and he frowns at me.

To lessen his confusion, I pull out the contents from the bags and he looks between me and the clothes on the bed, as if I just lost my fucking mind.

"No way in hell." He says and I hold in a laugh.

"Yes fucking way." I grin.

"Ugly Christmas sweaters, Diana! Really?" He asks and I laugh, dying at his reaction.

"Wouldn't I look sexy in it, babe? Should I model it for you?" I ask and he glares at me.

"And that too matching ones, for all three of us! You have lost it woman, there's no way I am wearing this." He says and I grin at him.

"Well, the undressing part would be easy, and if you ever want to get laid again, you will wear this on Christmas." I tell him and he literally pales as I wink at him.

"Fuck, I am screwed."