"I love you, Daddy," Kai says to me before rushing forward to give me one more hug even though I just told him that the last hug was the last one. I didn't care though since this was his first day back to daycare after the whole Beckett thing happened. Yesterday, my parents, Kadri, Ximena, and I spent the day playing the games Kai wanted to play and watched movies to have a relaxing day before we had to go back to the real world. After Aria left on Saturday night, I sat down with Kai and asked him how he felt about my boyfriend and he went on for what felt like hours about how much he liked him.

I was surprised that he wasn't jealous or anything, but I made sure that whenever Kai and Aria were in the same place, I showed Kai more attention because the last thing I wanted was for him to feel like I was replacing him. But I guess that having more people in his life to listen to him talk and for him to play with really excited him, so that was good. I was really happy about that.

"I love you too, buddy, I'll pick you up later, alright?" I remind him to make him feel better about me leaving.

He nods eagerly before kissing me, which he usually doesn't do whenever we're here at daycare, so it showed me that he really was nervous about today. I ruffle his hair before standing up while one of the workers escorts him into the room where the rest of the kids were. I watch them leave and stay in the spot even after I couldn't see my son anymore, wondering if I should call off from work and spend the rest of the day with him. It's too soon. He only had one day to relax after that horrid day, so it was definitely too soon for him to be alone.

I go to move into the room where he just went into, but someone gets in my way. I look up to see Margaret, the owner of the daycare center that had assured me multiple times that my son was safe here. I used my mother's phone to call her yesterday, filling her in on everything that happened because I didn't want her to worry when Kai might act a little off today.

Margaret gives me a small smile before patting my shoulder lightly. "I know you're worried and I know you probably don't think he's ready," ...fucking mind reader. "but he won't ever be ready if you keep taking him home."

I give her a confused look. "But I haven't taken him home yet."

"Yeah, but if you take him home today, then there's a higher chance you'll keep him home the next and the next and the next and-" she says, telling me that she was right. That's probably exactly what I would do.

I sigh before waving her off. "You know, you don't always have to be right."

She chuckles before patting my back. "I promise you that he'll be alright. If anyone shows up for him that's not on his list, we'll call you immediately... oh, right, your phone's broken. Uh, we'll call your mother, alright? He'll be okay. I'll keep an eye on him all day."

I smile, nodding my head before letting out a sigh. "Okay, thanks, Margaret. I'll see you at six."

"See you then," she says with a smile and wave before walking away from me. I take a few more seconds to look at the room in front of me before sighing and walking out of the daycare center. I make my way back to Aria's car since he drove Kai and I here this morning, just like we had planned on Saturday. I slowly get in the car before leaning back in the seat, continuing to stare at the building in front of me.

"You okay?" Aria asks me, not making any move to drive back to his place until he knew how I was feeling. I look over at him to see him looking a bit concerned while masking it with a small smile, but thankfully, I was able to see through his masks at this point. Well, some of them, at least. I just let out a sigh and lean over, setting my head in his lap to persuade him to run his fingers through my hair since that easily makes me feel better when he does it. He doesn't even hesitate, just starts to do it like it was an instinct for him.

"What if he freaks out?" I whisper into his legs that I was leaning on.

"Then you'll pick him up. You mother has my number now, so she'll just text me if there's a problem or anything," he whispers to me, leaning down to press a kiss to the back of my neck. I shiver lightly before sitting up to look at him. He was still giving me that soft, adorable smile that I was in love with at this point and always made my heart jolt at the sight.

"Have I ever told you that you're a great boyfriend?" I whisper, not being able to contain my feelings. Sure, I wasn't going to use the L-word just yet, but I feel like it's only right to tell him that he's pretty awesome. Not only as a person but as a partner as well. He's truly selfless and I admired that.

He doesn't even say anything, just leans over and presses his lips against mine. I slide my hand around his neck, pulling him even closer to me as I slowly reach my tongue out to lick at his bottom lip. He chuckles against my mouth before pulling away with the cutest smile on his face. "You do realize we're in my car, in front of the daycare center where your son currently is?"

I turn my head to look at the daycare center that makes my face heat up a bit when I realize where we still were. I'm just way too horny for my own good, I guess. I let out a sigh and lean back in my seat before buckling up. "You make a fair point."

"Oh, really?" He asks, playfully, while putting the car in reverse and backing out of the parking space we were in. I get comfortable in my seat to stare out the front window since I didn't have a phone to occupy my thoughts.

Kadri had gone and bought a burner phone for me at Target or something so I could do my work on it. I had already emailed my supervisor and told him the switch in phone numbers in the time being, so I was all set to do my work today. I was planning to save up for a bit before buying a new one since I refused to let Kadri or my parents buy me one when if I just waited a bit, I would be able to afford it on my own.

I glance over at Aria to see him focusing on the road in front of him, looking deep in thought about something. When he feels my stare, he gets out of his train of thought and glances my way for a second before turning back to the road. He makes a confused face while a smile plasters onto his lips, seeming happy that I was occupied with him. "Tell me about your internship."

He immediately perks up at my statement since he absolutely loves talking about school and astronomy, what I've learned. "Well, it's with this really awesome program that picks a handful of undergraduates to participate in active research for different research projects. I'll hopefully be picked for the one that focuses on earth and planetary sciences since that's what I'm best at, but since it's so early, I won't know until it's just about to begin."

"When do you start?" I ask.

"I actually don't know since I haven't been picked for a specific project yet. Some of them are in the summer while others are in the fall, which means I'll be super, super busy since I'll still be in school at that time, which means working practically 24/7 on the intern project along with my studies," he says with a shrug of the shoulders. He didn't seem too concerned that if he was picked for a fall project, he wouldn't have any time for anything. In fact, he actually looked pretty excited about it, so I was happy for him.

"And Roman got you the internship?" I ask him.

He nods his head, looking a bit hesitant to tell me. "Um, yeah, he did. He had some influence with the program since he did a bunch of designs for them at some point, so he asked the director of the research programs if there was any way he could guarantee me a spot in one of their internships and they said yes after they checked me out a bit. I... I could've gotten it on my own, but before I could even apply, he had gotten me a spot."

I instantly realize that the reason he didn't really want to tell me was that he was ashamed that he hadn't gotten it for himself. I mean, it made sense. He's an intelligent, 25-year-old man that must feel insecure that he had only gotten this opportunity because his rich, persuasive brother-in-law had gotten it for him. I would feel pretty ashamed too if that had happened to me, but for him, it was completely different.

He is smart and definitely could've gotten this without the help of Roman. It was extremely nice of him to help him out, but I know that if Aria had sought this opportunity out himself, he definitely would've landed a role in their program.

I reach out, setting my hand on his back and rubbing it a little bit for comfort since I knew his feelings were a bit down after telling me that. "Hey, you don't have to tell me that. I know that you could've gotten this without his help. You're smart and really dedicated to your schoolwork and I know you'll be even more dedicated to this research program. They would've seen that as soon as you applied, so don't feel bad that Roman got it for you. It doesn't make your potential any less."

He shrugs his shoulder, not seeming convinced. "I don't know. I feel like I only got it because of Roman. He did a bunch of work for the company and offered to do some free stuff for them if they got me in. I just... I don't know."

"Hey," I say in a soothing voice, continuing to run my hand over his back. "you said that they said yes to you being a part of the program after they looked into you a bit, which means they did see something in you. They saw your grades and probably saw a lot more too, so Roman didn't just get this for you, you did that yourself. Sure, he got you an edge up on your competition, but you did the real work here. Do you think they would've allowed someone that wasn't as dedicated and smart as you into the program, even if they were getting some free stuff?"

Aria glances at me for a second, a frown clear on his face before he looks back at the road. He shakes his head lightly. "No... I guess they wouldn't."

I smile, leaning over and kissing his cheek quickly so I don't distract him too much. "See? You did do this yourself. He helped, yeah, but your work ethic and dedication are probably what really got you in."

He gives me a sincere smile, reaching his hand over to hold mine in his while his other one stays on the steering wheel. "Thank you, Levi."

"Of course," I whisper before focusing back on the front window to watch his driving. After a few more minutes of the car ride, he pulls into his apartment parking lot and we take our time making it up to his floor. Once we stand in front of his door, he takes out his keys and unlocks it before swinging the door open for me to get the first look at his apartment. On the left of the front door was the kitchen portion that wasn't that big. It had black cabinets that contrasted with the light wooden floors.

Then, it transitions into the living room, which was actually pretty cute. He had a dark blue couch with a matching loveseat that looked super comfortable. It was a bit worn, telling me he's had it for a little bit of time or he had bought it like this. He had two orange throw pillows on the couch along with a light gray wool blanket that also looked super comfortable. There was a TV sitting in front of the couch that had a PlayStation sitting next to it with a pile of games. Of course, he liked video games, it just made perfect sense.

Next to the main room was a large entryway with no door that led to the bedroom. It was blocked a bit by the wall in the living room, but since the entrance was so big, you could see the bed perfectly. He had on a black comforter along with patterned pillows that looked really soft. He had a few art pieces hanging up around the apartment that were full of color and personality. And don't even get me started on the plastic stars stuck to the ceiling above his bed. It was, in fact, one of the most adorable things I've ever seen.

"Your place is cute," I tell him, turning to face him to see him standing close behind me with his hands in his pockets. He takes the few steps to be right in front of me before snaking his arms out to wrap around my waist. He pulls our bodies flush against one another while my hands slide up to wrap around his neck.

"Thanks," he whispers before leaning down to press kisses to my neck. My eyes flutter closed at the marvelous feeling of his soft, but rough lips and I didn't want to move from this spot. But at the same time, I had to work since it was almost time for my shift to start. I go to say something, but then he nibbles on my skin, making me let out a shaky breath.

"A-Aria," I whisper, sliding my hand up to pull on some of the strands of his hair.

"Do you want me to stop?" He whispers against my skin before continuing to suck on it. I lean my head forward to lay against his shoulder as I try to gain the strength to tell him 'yes', even though all I wanted was for him to continue. My free hand slides down his chest to grab a fistful of his shirt, pulling on it slightly to urge him forward. He chuckles against my skin before humming in question. "Hm?"

I pull myself out of my trance and take a few steps back from him to look at the small smirk plastered on his face. I let out a frustrated sigh before using the sleeve of my shirt to wipe away his saliva that was now coating my neck where there were probably dark marks forming from his lips. Aria chuckles again before coming back towards me to press a firm kiss to my forehead and motioning for me to follow him. We walk into his bedroom where I see that there are two doors leading to other places.

He opens one of the doors to reveal a white room that held a light wooden desk that seemed to have been cleaned off for me. There was a notepad sitting on it with a cup full of pens and pencils and I'm assuming he set it out since he didn't know what I would need for work. I really only needed my laptop and a phone along with an internet connection, but I wasn't going to tell him that since it was super thoughtful of him.

"So you can work in here. For some reason, it's practically soundproof, so you can talk on the phone and whatever and I won't hear anything and you won't hear me. I wrote down the WiFi password and everything else you could possibly need," he says, pointing to the notepad that had some writing on it. I look up at him with a smile and a nod before setting my bag down on the ground that held my laptop and the burner phone I had.

"Thank you so much for this," I say.

He gives me his cute smile before nodding his head. "Of course, so, um, if you need anything, I'll be in the living room."

I nod my head before he walks out of the room and shuts the door, leaving me alone. I look around at all the bookcases he had also in the room. They held a bunch of books along with CDs, DVDs, and other games that looked a little old. I smile at the pictures he had on his shelves, showing him with Arabella with they were younger along with an older couple that must've been his parents. I let out a sigh before sitting down at the desk, realizing that I should probably actually do work instead of staring at his things all day.

We ate lunch at around 12, just spending time talking. He told me all about his family, especially his parents who seemed like really lovely people. They were very into helping their kids out and were very supportive, from what Aria told me. They were very well off since his father was a well-known lawyer for years until he decided to quit once Audrey, their five-year-old daughter was born. Apparently, Aria's mother was a stay-at-home mom as soon as Arabella was born and ended up becoming a librarian a year before Audrey was born.

After that, we both went back to work since he was researching for his internship. He had an interview soon, so they could place him in the one they saw was best for his skills, so he wanted to impress them by studying a lot. He rambled on for a bit about space weathering, I think, and I didn't have the heart to tell him that I didn't understand a thing he was saying because he just looked too excited. I sat there and listened, nodding my head every few moments and tried to understand what he was talking about. He talked a lot about asteroids and Mercury, but I wasn't able to retain any of the information because he used a bunch of big words not in my vocabulary.

It was currently 5:23 and a call with a woman complaining about one of the products ran a little long. Apparently, her kid had swallowed a part of it when it specifically says on the package to keep them away from children, so all I could really do was listen to her rambling. Once that was over, I walk out of the office and into the living room where Aria was using his coffee table to spread around a bunch of papers and books.

When he hears me coming in, he looks up with a cute smile. "Hey, you done for the day?"

"Yeah," I whisper, coming over to sit next to him on the couch. He instantly wraps his arm around my shoulder and kisses the side of my head. My heart flutters with positive emotions because I really care for this man. He's sweet, kind, selfless, and super confident that it's kinda scary sometimes. I don't think he's scared to say anything at this point.

"What're you thinking about?" He whispers to me, setting his head on top of mine.

"You," is all I say, making him lift his head and turn to look at me. He smiles lightly, running his fingertips in a circle against my shoulder. It puts goosebumps on my body and he chuckles when he feels them.

"What about me?" He whispers.

"Just you. You're really great, like really, really amazing. I'm just..." don't reveal your feelings too early. "I'm just really grateful that you're in my life."

His smile gets even wider at my statement and I can see the genuine happiness in his eyes that continues to make my heart flutter. I love him. "I'm really grateful to have you too. I know that our relationship isn't the most normal or average or anything, but I don't mind. I know you have someone that will always be number one in your life and I know that won't ever be me and I respect it and completely understand it. I know Kai means everything to you and I want you to know that as long as you allow it, I would love to continue getting close to him because he's really great and I think it would be good for us to establish a relationship."

I love that he wanted to get to know my son, like I never expected that in a relationship. I never thought I would find someone so selfless, so caring about me and the people in my life. I mean, he already met Kadri, who played one of the biggest roles in my life, and the entire time they were together, he was so interested in her. He didn't even care if he never told her a single thing about himself, he just wanted to know who she was. I never expected to have a boyfriend that was like this and I was so happy it was Aria.

"As long as Kai is okay with that, then so am I. You're... you are..." I try to say, but my mouth wasn't able to form the words. Aria turns in his spot on his couch to face me while keeping his hands clasped around one of mine. I follow his lead, turning in my spot to be facing him because I could tell this was going to be a pretty important conversation.

"What is it?" He whispers, sounding a bit worried at what I was going to say.

"You're amazing, Aria. I just... I can't get over it. You're truly one of the best people I've ever met and you're so selfless that it's kinda too perfect, you know? Like-" I start to say, but he cuts me off by holding his hand up with a small smile playing on his face.

"You're waiting for the other shoe to drop, huh? You think that there has to be something wrong with me," he says, saying exactly what I was thinking.

"Yeah, I guess," I whisper, a bit nervous at what he was going to say. He looks down at his lap with a bit of a worried look in his eyes, confusing me. He was always so calm and collected, but I could tell that my words had made him think of something from his past. Was there something big that he hadn't told me about?

"Look," he whispers before hesitating. When he looks up at me, I give him a supportive smile to urge him to continue with what he was saying. "I don't want you to hate me for what I'm about to tell you. I just... I never tell anyone this because it's a bad thing I did from the past and it's been fucking with me ever since it happened. And... I lied to you and I know you'll be mad about that, so... just, please, don't hate me."

I freeze. He lied to me? About what exactly? "What're you talking about?"

He scrubs his hand over his head, letting out a stressed sigh before looking back down at his lap. He didn't want to meet my eyes, which wasn't good. Really not good. "I never worked for Roman. I just made up that story a few years ago because it was easier to say that than to say what actually happened."

I feel all of my confusion hit me at once, making me jolt back a bit. All these times he's told me about Roman and about working for him, he was lying? He made that complex story up of Roman making him work at the bottom of his company before climbing his way up to the top? It was all a lie. I immediately retract my hand from his, making him look up at me with fear in his eyes. "What the fuck are you saying?"

He sits up a bit, reaching out to hold my hand again, but when I shake my head, he realizes that I didn't want him to touch me right now. He drops his hands in his lap before clearing his throat. "I didn't want to lie, but if you knew the truth, especially since you have a child, you would've hated me."

"What's the truth?" I snap at him, not wanting to dance around the conversation any longer.

"I..." he starts before stopping to gather his thoughts. I cross my arms over my chest, watching as he lets out little frustrated groans while he plays with his fingers. "When I was 19, I had just gotten over being scared. You know how I told you that we moved away from the liberal town and that's when I saw the full look at what homophobia was? Well, I had just gotten over that. I was my confident self again, but I was still scared, so I relied heavily on my parents. They helped me make decisions and things like that because I was going through a lot."

"Then, my mom got pregnant with Audrey. I... I fucked up, Levi. I want you to know that I know that I fucked up. I had never really been around kids and always assumed that I hated them, so I fought with my parents. I told them that they didn't need another kid and things like that. I was a bratty teenager and didn't care about anyone, except for myself," he whispers, which actually surprised me. He was so selfless now that I can't even imagine him acting like that, especially with his parents.

"But that's not what you're like now," I whisper, still angry, but definitely more curious now.

"I'm different, I learned from this," he whispers, still not looking up to meet my eyes. He clears his throat before continuing. "after my parents fought back and told me that they were going to keep this baby, I got mad. Like, really mad, so I left. I packed up all my things and left. I didn't say bye to anyone. Not Arabella or Roman, not my parents, no one. I was a brat and just left when things didn't go my way."

I was confused. He just bolted like that? "What?"

"Yeah, I know that it must be a shock, but I was a different person. Talking about this... it doesn't show who I am now. I learned from these mistakes and I wish they never happened, but they taught me to be a better person. Who I was in the past doesn't reflect who I am now and I don't want you to think that," he whispers, finally looking up at me. I could see that he looked so heartbroken about the story he was telling that it almost made me forgive him right then.

But I didn't. I needed to hear the full story before I made any decisions. "Continue."

He nods his head before continuing to play with his fingers, probably as a nervous tick. "Well, after I left, I didn't have that much money, so I just crashed on some of my friend's houses in my old town. I was, like, four hours away from home, but I didn't care. I was back in my little liberal home where I knew I could be myself, especially with my friends. I turned my phone off, I didn't even know if my family realized I was gone at that point. After a few weeks, I had been kicked out of all my friend's places that I had nowhere to go. So I lived on the streets for a bit."

"What?" I say, absolutely puzzled. He deliberately left a loving family that just wanted to support and care for him to live on the streets?

"I know, I know," he whispers, waving me off. "I didn't care where I was, Levi. I just didn't want to go back home where I thought no one even cared about me when that wasn't the case. They looked for weeks upon weeks for me and I didn't even know. They do care for me and they do love me, but I was too much of an idiot to see that."

I motion for him to continue because I didn't know what else to say right now. "So after living on the streets for a bit, I got a job. I got multiple jobs and I worked my ass off before finding the cheapest apartment I could. I lived there for a long time. I got into a busy routine of work, then sleep. It was like that until I was 21."

"Wait, hold on," I say, sitting up a bit. "you stayed in a cheap apartment for three years because you were mad about having a little sister?"

He nods his head, letting out another frustrated sigh. "I know how bad it looks," he whispers, sounding super defeated. "I know, trust me. And I know that me saying that I was a brat and only thought of myself isn't a good excuse, but I didn't know any better. I was so spoiled as a kid that as soon as something didn't go my way, I instantly didn't feel loved. It was all my fault."

"What happened next?" I whisper.

"Well, my parents, Arabella, and Roman all tried to keep getting me to come home. They kept paying for my phone and my car like they didn't give up. They were absolutely amazing, Levi, like they didn't care that I practically fucked with their lives... they just cared about me that entire time," he whispers.

"Sounds like more than I would've done," I tell him. If I was his family, I probably would've given up because as soon as you don't want in my life, I'm not going to force you to stay. I don't know how his family didn't give up after three years of him being gone and being a bratty kid, but I guess they were much more patient than me.

Aria sighs lightly before nodding, looking pitiful that he was telling me this. "I know and I don't know why they kept trying to bring me home, but they did. They eventually did. By that time, I had missed Audrey's birth. I missed three years of her life. She didn't know me and I didn't know her. So when I got the invitation to Arabella and Roman's wedding, I knew I had to go. I left my little apartment and went back home to see them get married. I hadn't seen them in three years, so it was weird. It was strange and different, but that day changed my life."

"I showed up just on time to the ceremony so I didn't have to see anyone before it started. I sat there and saw my sister get married to my best friend and I cried. For three years, I didn't cry because I felt too good. Too confident. Even if I lived on the streets for a bit and had a crappy apartment, I was never sad. I only cared that I was away from home, but in that moment, I missed home. I missed my family and I was so upset. So... after the ceremony, I spent about an hour crying to my parents on my sister's wedding day," he whispers to me and I can see the tears building in his eyes, telling me that he was just as affected by that day now than he was then.

I reach out to grab his hand in mine, feeling like he needed support right now. Even though I was a little unsure about this story he was telling me about his past, I still didn't want to see him cry. "What happened after that?"

"Well, I apologized about 100 times to everyone and met Audrey. She was the first kid I actually liked because she's the sweetest little girl ever. I think you would really like her," he tells me, squeezing my hand between his.

"I bet I would," I whisper with a simple nod of the head.

"Uh, but," he says, turning serious again. "after that, I moved home and we all worked through our problems. I apologized about 100 times more to everyone and I changed. I went to therapy actually and that's what really helped me because I was able to see this side of me that I just didn't know. Then, Roman actually had me help with an astronomy project that he had and that's how I fell in love with it. That part was true."

I nod my head before looking down at my hands, feeling a bit nervous now. Did I believe that he wouldn't do something so stupid with me? Was I supposed to just move on and hope that he truly learned from his mistakes? I didn't know what to do. I wanted to forgive him for lying to me because I know how bad he felt, but that doesn't fix the fact that he completely lied about three years of his life. I look down at our hands together, realizing why I was so affected by his confession to me. I love him. I really do and now, after finally facing my feelings, he drops this bomb on me.

"I don't expect you to forgive me anytime soon, but I do want you to know that I have changed. I'm a better person now and I would never even think of doing something as foolish as leaving now. I love my family and I like this relationship we have and I'm not going to mess it up by leaving when things don't go my way. That's not me anymore, Levi, I promise you," he whispers to me, running his thumb over the back of my hand while trying to look me in the eyes even though I didn't want to.

"How..." I start before stopping to take a deep breath. "how am I supposed to believe that?"

I finally look up to face him and he nods his head with a small smile on his face, telling me that that wasn't a stupid question. "Before I told you all that, was there any part of you that thought I would leave? Did I ever give you a reason to think that?"

I shake my head immediately. "No."

"Then, remember me as that person. I know things might be different now, but I want you to remember that the person you've known for almost two months is me. But now, you just know a bit more about my past than you originally did. I want you to trust me, I do, so however long you need or whatever I need to do to earn it, I will do," he whispers to me in the most sincere voice that I nod my head, believing him.

Maybe he made mistakes in the past, but he's shown me that he wouldn't do them again. I didn't expect him to do it to me before, so that isn't changing. He's still the same man I've slowly been falling in love with.

"Okay," I whisper before leaning forward to lay my head on his shoulder. He instantly wraps his arms around my neck, letting out a soft sigh of relief. He presses a kiss to my head before laying his own head on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Levi, I never meant to hurt you," he whispers and I believe him. I don't think he would mess this up intentionally. I really don't. This was his past and I can't hold that against him when I wasn't there to see him make all those mistakes. That wouldn't be right of me. For now, I'll focus on the man I know and the man that's proved to me that he is trustworthy and amazing and see if I continue to see that in Aria. And I know I will.