There was a knock at the door of my apartment. As I opened the door, I saw a policeman and a social worker. My breathing quickened – this couldn’t be positive. Then again, maybe they were lost and needed directions. I tried to convince myself to just breathe and see what they had to say before jumping to any conclusions. “Miss Megan Jennings?” The man asked me. I gulped and noticed the little hand attached to the social worker’s hand – it was my best friend’s daughter.

“Y-Yes?” I stammered and smiled at little Avery. She looked so scared and had tears rolling down her cheeks.

“Miss Jennings, there’s been an accident. May we come in?” The policeman asked calmly. Something had happened and it was bad. I nodded and stepped back and opened the door wider for them to come in. Avery immediately let go of the woman’s hand and hurried to me. I scooped her up and kissed her cheek. I couldn’t stay strong much longer.

“Is there something wrong with Kate?” I asked, silently praying that it was all just a weird dream, or maybe Avery was lost. Please, God let it be a weird dream.

“I’m afraid Miss Lynn was in a car accident this evening,” the man began as we stood in the foyer. I bit my bottom lip to try and fight back the tears. “Miss Lynn was hit head on by a drunk driver. And she was killed.” The officer sighed.

“Oh, God,” I cried. I couldn’t help it; the tears had already begun to fall. “No, please, no. Isn’t there anyway you can like, bring her back?” I was rambling. I needed them to say she would be all right and it would be okay.

“I’m so sorry, Miss Jennings. She was killed on impact,” the officer replied.

“You’re the one that has full custody over Miss Lynn’s daughter, Avery,” the social worker started. I frowned and looked at the little three-year-old in my arms.

“Excuse me?” I cried. What were they thinking? Why would Avery be mine?

“Yes, Miss Lynn left Avery to you,” she handed over the will Kate had kept a secret from me. “Have you ever seen this before?”

“Well, no,” I gasped. This was way too much for me to think about in such a short period of time. Two hours ago I had been on the phone with Kate. She was on her way home and we were making plans for this weekend. “I can’t believe this.” I cried and put my head in my hand. “What about Kate’s parents?”

“You’ll have to speak to Miss Lynn’s lawyer about that,” the social worker explained. “I’m just here to place Avery with you. You can contact the lawyer through me sometime tomorrow. I have a lot to sort through with Officer Craddock, here.”

“O-Okay,” I stuttered.

“My name’s Regina Lambert, you can reach me at this number,” she slid a business card across the table.

“My name’s Officer Robert Craddock and you can contact me through the city police department. Just tell them you need to speak with me,” the man smiled warmly. “If you have any questions or anything, please don’t be afraid to call.”

I nodded and walked them out the door. I closed it and bolted it shut. What was happening to me? I was only twenty-five years old and here I was, being handed my best friend’s daughter. I didn’t know what it was like to have a child. I wasn’t even in any kind of relationship.

“I want my mommy,” Avery whispered as she clung to me so tight I thought I would begin to feel dizzy if she didn’t let go.

“I know, honey,” I sighed and rubbed her back soothingly. “It’s going to be okay, though.” I decided to save the Heaven discussion for another time. “It’s late. Let me put you to bed tonight, okay?” I tried to say without crying. I remembered back to my days as a three-year-old. I could never imagine living without my own mother. I put an extra blanket on the double bed in the guestroom and set Avery down on top of it. “If you need anything, my room is right next door, okay?” I whispered and ran my hand over her head.

She bit her bottom lip and looked up at me. “Can I sleep with you?”

“I don’t know how to take care of a three-year-old!” I exclaimed and slid the will across the table back to Kate’s former lawyer. “You don’t understand!”

“Miss Jennings, you don’t understand,” the lawyer shoved it back. “Miss Lynn’s mother was diagnosed with leukemia months ago and doesn’t have much time to live. Miss Lynn clearly expressed to me that her father would be lost without her mother. Her parents both agreed that you would be the appropriate guardian.”

I rubbed my temples trying to massage away the growing headache. “How am I supposed to explain all of this to her?” I looked through the glass door into the waiting room where Avery was playing with toys. “She asks for her mom all the time.”

The woman looked at me and sighed. I could feel her pity and sympathy through the looks she gave me. “My advice?” She began. “Tell her that her mommy went to live with Jesus in Heaven. Explain the Christianity behind it. She has to come to terms with it eventually. Just be there for her like a parent would.”

Tears formed in my eyes. “I don’t know how to be a parent.” I sighed.

“It’ll all come together,” she smiled warmly. “I promise. I’m a mom of three. I was actually in a similar situation with my husband’s baby cousin. The parents were alcohol abusers and my husband was given full custody of her. She was two when she came to us. It was very difficult every night when she would ask for her mommy. We ended up adopting her.”

“I don’t want Avery to forget about her mom,” I wiped away the tears the best I could. “That’s the last thing I want to happen.”

“Then make sure her mom is a big part of her life. Show her pictures and tell her stories,” the woman explained. I realized there was no way around this. No matter what, Avery was coming home with me to stay.

“Thank you for your help,” I mumbled and gathered my things. I tried to clean my face up a little bit before I walked out into the waiting room.

“It was my pleasure,” the woman rubbed my back soothingly. “If you have any more questions about anything, please, come and ask me.” She handed me an envelope.

“What’s this?” I frowned.

“This is the money and bonds Miss Lynn left for Avery. It was something she started working on when Avery was born so Avery would be able to go to college,” she explained. “And this,” she started as she handed me another envelope. “Is all the savings she left to you. To help pay for things for Avery.”

I sighed heavily. The longer time went on, the more real this entire situation became. “Thank you.” I muttered and smiled down at Avery. “Hey, let’s go home, okay?”

“Is mommy coming home today?” She asked as I picked her up and carried her on my free arm. I sighed. She still didn’t understand that her mom wouldn’t be coming home.

“No,” I sighed. I smiled a weak smile back to the lawyer and made our way out of the building. When we got in the car, I buckled Avery into the booster seat I had gotten from Kate’s car and got into the driver’s seat. I opened up the first envelope that would be for Avery. I couldn’t believe it. She had already managed to save five thousand dollars for Avery’s college expense. I knew a lot of it had come from Kate’s parents, but that was it.

“Miss Megan?” Avery questioned me from the back seat.

“Yeah, sweetie?” I replied and looked at her in the rearview mirror.

“If I can’t see my mommy, can I send her a letter or call her when we get back to your house?” She asked me so innocently. This was too much for me to handle. I wasn’t used to having a kid around. I didn’t want to be the bad guy to tell her she wasn’t able to call her mom. But I knew she didn’t have anyone else to tell her that.

“We’ll see when we get home, okay?” I smiled the best I could. I didn’t open the other envelope – I just wanted to get home. When I pulled up to the apartment, I saw another good friend of mine, Casey Little, in the parking lot. I silently thanked God for sending her so quickly. I got out of the car and opened the passenger door for Avery.

“Megan! Oh my God, I am so sorry. I got here as soon as I could!” Casey exclaimed and hurried over to us. I held Avery in my arms as Casey and I hugged. “Avery, sweetie, are you okay? You remember me?” She looked to the little girl. Avery nodded and went to Casey willingly. I sighed and collected my things out of my Honda Civic and headed upstairs to my apartment, followed by Casey.

When we got upstairs, I let Avery play with her toys in the guestroom that we had gotten from her old house while I sat in the living room talking to Casey.

“What are you going to do about work?” Casey sighed.

“I have no idea,” I mumbled. “I mean, I know Kate had Avery in a day care while she worked, but my job is so different with my working out of the house. Avery could technically be at home, but if I need to be on a conference call or something, then things would change.”

“Well, Dylan and I decided to move back to Tampa. Why don’t you move her over there?” Casey tried to persuade me. “That way you could be around us and we could try to help out. Plus, doesn’t Nick still live over there?”

“Carter?” I asked, making sure we were talking about the same guy. Casey nodded. “Nick’s in a band, remember. I barely ever see him anymore. You would think with him being my best friend I’d see him all the time, but I don’t. Plus, he’s just a kid himself.”

“I called him today after you called me,” she said. “He told me he’s coming back to Tampa immediately. He was in California promoting his new show.”

“Well, it would be nice having some help. Because I know for a fact I don’t know what the hell I’m doing with her,” I sighed and ran my fingers through my long blonde hair.

“Kate told you, didn’t she?” Casey frowned. “I mean, she can’t exactly write it on her will without telling you.”

“She didn’t tell me directly,” I replied. “I mean, we went to lunch one day – just me, Kate and Avery. She told me then that she’d want me to have Avery if anything ever happened. She wanted to be able to have someone for sure without having to worry about her parents passing away or her ex coming back into the picture. So, I guess that was her informal way of telling me?” I sighed.

“Guess so,” Casey said with a smirk. “I mean, out of all of us…you were the one we all imagined having the most kids and being the perfect soccer mom.”

“I love kids,” I shrugged as I watched Avery come out of the guestroom. “I just imagined being married and pregnant for nine months before being thrown a child.”

“Would anyone else like to say anything?” The minister asked. I couldn’t believe we were here. I held Avery in my arms protectively as I tried to shelter her from the pain. I knew it wasn’t helping. I knew she was confused and scared.

“It’s okay,” I whispered to her for the millionth time, or so it seemed. I gave her a gentle, yet comforting, squeeze as she wrapped her arms around my neck tighter.

I felt two hands – one on each shoulder – and turned to see who was there. On my right stood Casey and on my left was Nick. I smiled weakly at him as he gave me a soothing hug and stood back. I had no idea he was coming; he must have just gotten in.

“Let us pray,” the minister interrupted my thoughts. “God, thank You so much for giving us the time with Kate on this Earth. Please Bless her family and friends and let them know that You are with them, and so is Kate. Let us realize that she lived life to the fullest and is happy with You in Heaven. In Your name we pray, Amen.”

A soft chorus of “Amen” could be heard throughout the rather large turnout. “Time to go put the flower down,” I whispered to Avery as we walked hand-in-hand to the coffin. We placed our white roses on the coffin and Avery blew it a kiss goodbye. She wasn’t crying, but I knew for a fact she had no idea she was saying goodbye to her mother’s body.

It was finally over. I went to Nick and wrapped my arms around him tightly. I couldn’t help but let the tears fall. “I’m so sorry, Megan. I can’t believe this happened.”

“That makes two of us,” I muttered through the tears. I hurried to stop them as Avery approached. “Hi, sweetie. Do you need anything?” I asked her quickly.

“I miss my mommy,” she whispered as I picked her up into my arms. I kissed the top of her head and nodded in agreement.

“Lets go home, okay?” I nodded at Casey and Nick as we walked back to our cars. I didn’t have much of a chance to talk with Nick until we pulled into the driveway of Kate’s parents’ home. They had agreed to have all of the funeral arrangements there since it was their daughter and my apartment could barely hold fifteen people.

“Megan, you don’t understand how grateful we are that you agreed to take little Avery,” Margaret Lynn, Kate’s mom, smiled warmly at me with tears in her eyes. “When Kate told us she had chosen you to be Avery’s guardian if anything ever happened to her, I could never imagine it actually happening. I mean, you never want to think of your daughter dying,” her tears began to fall rather quickly. It was incredibly difficult to stand there and watch her. Her green eyes were a dull gray color now – so full of sadness and stress. “But now I know why she chose you. You are an amazing motherly figure.”

“Thank you,” I said. It was all I knew to say in response to that. “I’m going to go check on Avery.” I smiled a small smile and disappeared in the living room. I saw Nick and Casey talking in the corner. “Please get me out of here.” I whispered as I approached them.

Nick grinned sympathetically and opened his arms for me to step into. “I missed you.” He said, trying to change the sad topic.

“I missed you, too,” I sighed and allowed a few tears to escape. I was tired of holding them in for every damn person. If they didn’t want to see me cry, they could look away for all I cared. “Thank you for coming back.”

“Absolutely,” he kissed the top of my head.

“Miss Megan,” I felt a tug on my dress. I wiped away the tears hastily. Okay, so maybe I did care who saw me crying. I had to be Superwoman for this little girl, remember?

“Yeah, baby?” I knelt down to Avery’s level and tried my hardest to smile.

“Can I go back to your house now? Everyone’s sad and I want to go home and watch Veggie Tales,” Avery said very calmly. I knew one of these days she would have her mental breakdown.

I smirked. I, secretly, wanted to get myself out of there. Too much sadness for one day. “Absolutely. Let’s get your things together, okay?”

“Megan, Kate’s parents are okay with you moving Avery back to Tampa,” Casey said for the hundredth time that day. I pulled the popped popcorn out of the microwave and shook it lightly so it wouldn’t be so hot.

“I understand that, Casey. I’m just not too sure I want to move back down there by myself right now. I mean, Avery’s only been here for twenty-four hours. I just don’t think right now is the right time,” I sighed and poured some popcorn into four different bowls. “Nick, can you put some apple juice into a toddler’s cup in the cupboard above the sink?” I asked. He nodded and went to the fridge.

“Megan, you wouldn’t be alone,” Casey followed me into the living room where I handed Avery a bowl of popcorn.

“Here you go, sweetie. Nick is getting you some apple juice, ‘kay?” I said sweetly.

“Are you listening to me?” Casey was fast on my tail as I went back into the kitchen. I sighed and took the cup from Nick and unscrewed the lid. I put it under the faucet and added a bit of water to delude it. “Look at you, Megan!” She folded her arms over her chest. “You’re already turning into a mother! Keeping baby cups in a cupboard already and filling juice with water so the baby won’t get sick.”

“I used to watch Kate do it,” I whispered softly as I screwed the top back on. Nick wrapped his arms around me from behind.

“Listen, we just want to help you. Casey’s right, you know. You wouldn’t be alone. We’d be there to help you,” he whispered and kissed the top of my head. I shook out of his embrace to try and rid myself of the funny feeling in my stomach.

“No offense, Nick, but you’re hardly ever home. And Casey, you constantly have guys at your apartment. It’s not an appropriate place for a kid,” I defended my reasoning. “It’s fine. I’ll be fine here. I have some friends and some of Avery’s family.”

I headed back into the living room to hand Avery her juice. I faintly heard Nick say, “Case, just let it go for now. Don’t worry. We’ll get her to come back.”

“Mrs. Albertson, could you hold on for one moment?” I said as professionally as possible as I rubbed my temple to try and rid myself of the growing headache I had there. I heard her sigh and I switched over lines.

“Geoffrey Stevens Realty, this is Megan Jennings speaking. How may I help you?” I said and prepared myself to write a note for my boss. Usually people ended up getting sent to my number because his was always busy.

“Megan, this is Anna from next door in your apartment?” I heard my neighbor’s stressed voice. I tried to soften my voice as much as possible; she was the one watching Avery today for me. My boss had called me in because his secretary was out sick with the flu.

“Hi Anna! Is everything okay?” I asked as I opened an e-mail that I had received from someone.

“Actually,” I heard her sigh. “I wish it were. Little Avery is terribly upset.” She said. I loved Anna. She had four children of her own, two of which were in high school, and two in middle school. She had agreed to watch Avery because she missed having young children at home. “She keeps asking for her mother.”

I sighed and rubbed my head some more. “I’ll come home, just give me a few minutes to talk to my boss, okay? Just tell Avery I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“Okay,” Anna said sympathetically. “Again, Megan, I am so sorry.”

“It’s alright, I’m sorry for the trouble in the first place,” I sighed. We said goodbye and both hung up. “Great, this is perfect.” I muttered and stood from my desk to go and speak with Mr. Stevens, my boss. I tapped lightly on the door.

“Come in,” I heard him bellow from behind the door. I opened the door and smiled warmly at him. “Ah, hello, Megan.” He smiled. However, his smile didn’t look as friendly as I had hoped. “How has your day been so far?”

“Fine,” I lied through my teeth. “But, you are aware of my situation at home and I just received a personal phone call and I need to leave for the day.” I tried to explain as politely as possible. He chuckled to himself. I wasn’t sure if it was a friendly laugh or an annoyed laugh.

“You see, before you go,” he spoke up. “We really need to talk about those personal phone calls.” I frowned, confused, and sat down.

“Mr. Stevens, you had said that with my situation you were okay with the personal phone calls if I used them for emergencies only,” I explained what he had told me when I decided to fill in for his secretary. “There was only one today.”

“Yes, I understand that, Megan,” he sighed. “But I also understand that you had left Mrs. Albertson on hold.” He said firmly. My heart fell and my eyes bulged nearly out of my head. “Leaving her on hold is one thing, but completely forgetting about her is another.”

“Mr. Stevens, I am so sorry,” I apologized.

“I’m just not so sure that’s good enough this time, Megan,” he folded his hands on his desk in front of him. “What exactly should we do here? You, obviously, don’t have the time or focus for this job anymore.”

“Oh, no, Mr. Stevens! I can assure you that’s not the case,” I tried to defend myself. He held his hands up and closed his eyes. He didn’t want to hear any of it.

“You have completely lost focus for our company over the past few months. You had personal time off a month ago and then again recently,” he said firmly. I bit my bottom lip gently. I had completely forgotten about last month. My boyfriend of six months had cheated on me and I took personal days. Then with Kate’s death, I was constantly taking off.

“Mr. Stevens --.” He cut me off with his hands again.

“This isn’t working out, Megan,” he sighed. “I’m going to have to let you go.”

I bit my tongue so the tears in my eyes wouldn’t pour out. I couldn’t believe this. This day couldn’t get any worse.

The door opened and I saw Avery on the floor hiccuping in a fit of tears. A sigh slipped from my lips as I trudged over to her. “We tried everything,” Anna whispered behind me. “I’m sorry she got upset. Will I be seeing her tomorrow?”

“No, it’s not necessary,” I smiled in her direction. “I won’t be going into the office tomorrow.” I said and lifted Avery from the floor into my arms.

“Oh, okay, dear,” Anna smiled. I handed her some money but she pushed it back towards me. I didn’t fight her on this one. I thanked her and walked back to my apartment.

“I-I miss my mommy,” Avery cried softly into my shoulder. I could feel my jacket soaking through from her tears.

“I know you do,” I silently prayed to God to give me patients to take care of this little girl. The mention of her mother tore me apart every time it came up. How was I supposed to raise her when she told me every day that she missed her mom? I wasn’t sure how much longer I could stay strong. I let her crawl up on her bed and fall into a restless sleep.

As soon as I got back out to the living room there was a knock at the door. I opened it and smiled to see Nick standing there. “Hey,” he smirked and pulled a bouquet of orange lilies out from behind his back. “These are for you.”

“Aw, Nick,” I smiled. “Thanks for the flowers. But if this is part of your crazy plan to get me to move back to Tampa, forget it.”

“Nah,” he wrinkled his nose. “I figured you had a long day. When I called your office to talk to you and they told me you had been sent home, I got kind of worried.” I rolled my eyes and plopped down on the couch. He closed the door behind him and followed me over.

“Yeah, I got fired,” I muttered and brought the lilies up to my nose. I loved lilies. They had always been my favorite flowers. “My boss said I had ‘lost focus’ on work over the past few months – when Greg and I broke up and with Kate’s death. I guess it’s kind of a good thing because I don’t have to worry about sending Avery off every day. But right now, I need to have money coming in for monthly payments and grocery bills. I guess I’m not Superwoman after all.”

“Well,” Nick sighed and pursed his lips together in deep thought. “I have some good news that might make you feel better.” I frowned at him, urging him to continue. “I talked to my brother today. He has a bunch of promoting to do for his new music and my sisters decided to take a vacation to visit my mom, so we aren’t going to be filming for the next few weeks. I thought I would stay here in New York for a while and help you out.”

“That’s awfully sweet of you,” I rubbed his shoulder. “But you don’t know much about kids.”

“Ah, that’s what you think,” he winked at me and I laughed. “Just hear me out!” He jumped up from the couch in excitement.

“Shh,” I tried to hush him through my laughter. “Avery’s asleep.” I reminded him. He nodded and began to quiet down a bit and continued.

“Okay, okay,” he nodded and put his hands up like he understood. “But listen, my friend Brian, you remember him, right?” He asked and I nodded with a smile. When the Backstreet Boys first took off and Nick and I were so close, I spent every waking moment tracking those boys online with all of their fans, just so I could know exactly where Nick was. “Well, he has a son named Baylee, and he’s about Avery’s age, maybe a little older. I spend a lot of time with him. I know a lot about kids.”

“Nick, you’re amazing,” I smirked. “But just because you spend a lot of time with kids doesn’t mean you know a lot about them.” As soon as I finished my sentence, I heard Avery begin to cry softly.

Nick cocked an eyebrow at me and folded his arms across his chest. “Watch and learn, Meg. Watch and learn.”

"You wanna watch Veggie Tales?" I heard Nick whisper to her softly. "Okay, how about we lay down on the couch together and watch it." He suggested. She must have given into his request because the next thing I knew, Nick was carrying a sad Avery in his arms. He motioned to me to get off the couch, so I did. I watched as he lied down on his back and let Avery lay in front of him as he ran his fingers through her hair softly. I took his cue and put in the video and went around closing the blinds. I stood back and watched as her eyelids became heavy once more and she was out.

Nick found a way to slowly manuever around her and he came over to my side. "I told you." He whispered. "You just have to make her feel a part of your family, whether she's a blood relative or not. She needs to feel comfort." My mouth must have been hanging open, because Nick tried not to laugh and took my hand to pull me into my bedroom. He softly shut the door and shook his head at me. "What is it going to take for you to see I can do this?"

"Well, that pretty much proved it right there," I chuckled. "You were perfect with her. Better than I was."

"Nah," he wrinkled his nose and shook his head. "I just know how to handle her in different situations. You know all the important things - like to fill her juice cup with three-quarters juice and one-quarter water. That's a motherly instinct I just don't have." I smirked. He really knew how to say things sometimes. "So, I was thinking I could stay in a hotel down the road for the time being. I'll probably be able to stay through November, and then if things start to get crazy after I leave," he winked, as if all hell would break lose without him around. "Then maybe you and Avery could come spend time with me."

What exactly was him implying? He seemed to know exactly what he was talking about. Had this been on his mind for a while now? He sure did have it all planned out. "It sounds good, but Nick, I don't want you staying at a hotel. Just stay here with us. I have an extra bedroom you can stay in. I mean, I understand if you don't want to be around us twenty-four-seven, but I also don't want to ask you to stay somewhere else and pay for a place when all you're doing this for is my sake," I smiled.

"I'll pay you rent, then," he said. Nick knew my financial state wasn't good right now. It was generous for him to want to help.

"That would defeat the purpose of not staying in a hotel," I folded my arms over my chest and cocked my head at him. "What exactly are you up to, Nickolas?" I questioned and frowned as his eyes darted back and forth between my eyes and my lips.

"I just want to help you out, that's all," he shrugged. The sensitive, sweet Nick seemed to disappear as he folded his arms across his chest. "I'll stay here, but I'm helping out with groceries and stuff. We both know you can't raise Avery and pay for everything at the same time."

"Excuse me," I began to get a little frustrated. I didn't like it when people (especially men) told me what I could and couldn't do. In my eyes, my life was up to me.

"Come on, Meg," he rolled his eyes, realizing he had said something insensitive. "You just got fired from your job, you have no idea where to look for another one, and you don't want to put Avery in daycare. How exactly do you plan on taking care of everything?"

I tried to come up with an answer; honestly, I did. But nothing came to mind. "Fine, Nick. You can stay. But you will not pay me rent and you will not live under any kind of circumstances or beliefs that you have to help me with Avery or with money. I'm a big girl, Nick."

"I know that," the smirk reappeared on his lips. He walked closer to me and wrapped his arms around me. "I'm not trying to be Superman, Megan."

I smirked as well. Growing up I had always claimed the powers of "Superwoman" and Nick had always claimed the powers of "Superman." "I know that," I repeated what he had said. "But you know, I must admit it is always nice having a hero."

He pulled away and smiled. "Then let me be your's."

I don't think Nick understood the meaning I felt behind that statement. Ever since Nick had been back in my life again, I felt...strange. The feelings were unlike anything I had felt in a long time. "Miss Megan," I heard a small voice behind me. I turned around from my desk and smiled at her brightly. "Are you going to work today?" She frowned and approached me. I lifted her on to my lap and sighed.

"Not today," I muttered. "I think I might stay home for a few weeks. Would you like that?" I asked her. I knew Nick would be here if I needed money. Plus, Kate had left practically her life savings to Avery. I could use that to buy Avery's clothes and food. I could manage to take care of the rent.

"Yes," she smiled and looked out over the leave-covered pavement. I watched her big blue eyes scan the street in wonder. She bit her bottom lip as her eyes darted back and forth between the street and my eyes.

"You know what?" I asked her and smiled. Maybe Nick was right. Maybe she needed to feel the real me in a family instead of the me that walked around on egg shells around her. "How about we go outside and play in the leaves?" She looked at me strangely and then burst into a fit of giggles as I scooped her up and ran towards the front door. Maybe this family thing would work out after all.

"Are you sure you want to be Bob the tomato from Veggie Tales?" I wrinkled my nose as we stood in the middle of Party City. Avery nodded her head quickly. I sighed. I enjoyed seeing her so excited, but the idea of her being the male tomato from the movie series she was obsessed with was too much for me. "What about this pretty dress right here? You could be Cinderella, a princess!" I exclaimed, trying to spark her excitement.

"Megan, I really wanna be Bob!" She squealed. I smiled. She had finally gotten out of the stage of calling me "Miss Megan" and now was just happy with "Megan." I liked it better.

"Okay, okay," I sighed. "Fine, you can be the vegetable for Halloween. I mean, who in their right mind would want to be a princess?" I muttered to no one in particular as I continued to push our cart through the party store. Avery threw a few different things in the cart to buy with the costume.

"Oh, weren't you aware? Vegetables are the new trend," I heard a voice come from behind me. I frowned, wondering who had butted into my conversation. As I turned around, I met a very nice pair of emerald green eyes. A smile formed upon the mysterious man's lips and a hand reached out towards me. "Sorry, my daughter wanted to be Larry. I understood the whole vegetable thing so I thought I would share my own situation. I'm Chad."

"It's fine," I smiled. "I'm Megan." He smiled down at Avery who now looked incredibly confused.

"I'm Avery," she muttered and cocked her head to the side. Chad knelt down in front of her with a big smile and put his hand out for her to shake.

"It's very nice to meet you, Avery. I'm Chad," he smiled warmly. Avery seemed quite comfortable with him and a little smile found its way upon her lips. "You know, I was just headed out to pick up my little girl and take her to McDonald's for lunch. Would you and your mommy like to join me?"

My heart nearly stopped at the "M" word. I closed my eyes and bit my bottom lip, just waiting for the tears to cascade down Avery's cheeks and her tantrum to start. "She's not my mommy." She said simply and the smile fell from her lips almost as quickly as it had come.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he muttered and then glanced quickly between me and Avery. I wanted to beat this man. I wanted to take him outside and beat him. I would just have to beg him not to open those beautiful eyes because then he would make my knees weak. Why did he have to mention the whole mom issue? I knew he hadn't meant it, but still. I had worked so hard and gotten so far with Avery, I didn't want it to be ruined.

"Avery, honey, let's go," I muttered and started pushing the cart.

"No, wait!" He stopped us. I sighed and turned back around. "Listen, I didn't mean any offense to that comment. It was stupid of me to assume." Why did he care so much? "Let me make it up to you. Let me take you and Avery to lunch?"

In most scenarios I would be petrified by now that this man was some kind of ex convict, but his eyes pulled me in. Plus, that smile was something I couldn't resist. Besides, McDonald's was a public enough place. If he pulled a gun or a knife we could always scream loudly and find help. I sighed and smiled back at him. I felt something different in my stomach...then again, it could have just been hunger pains.

I had given in. I'm not even sure why, but I gave in. Avery and I pulled into the parking lot first because Chad had to go pick his daughter up from his ex-wife's home. "I don't like him." Avery scrunched up her nose as we sat at our table and waited for our food.

"Avery, he seems like a nice man that asked us to go to lunch," I explained. "There's nothing wrong with that."

"I like Nick better," she mumbled and took a sip from her orange Hi-C drink in her Happy Meal cup.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I frowned. Our conversation was interrupted as the door to the fast food place was swung open.

"Hey!" Chad smiled from the door, holding the hand that belonged to a beautiful little girl. She had long blonde hair and beautiful green eyes - just like her daddy. I smiled and waved as they walked over. "Avery, Megan, I want you to meet my daughter, Tessa. Tessa, this is Miss Megan and Avery." He introduced.

"Hi Tessa, it's nice to meet you," I smiled at the little girl. She blushed bashfully and hid behind her father's legs.

“How about you girls go play on the play set while I order food? Tessa, you want a Happy Meal Cheeseburger?” Chad asked his daughter. She nodded with a smile and hurried off with Avery to play on the huge play escape that took up the back end of the fast food restaurant. I smiled and walked up to the cash register with Chad to wait while he ordered and wait for our food. “Thanks for coming. Again, I’m so sorry about the comment earlier.”

“It’s really okay,” I sighed with a smile. “I can’t imagine it’ll be the last time we get that comment.” I smiled a small smile as my tray appeared on the counter. I took it and returned to our table and waited for Chad to join me. I decided to wait until his food came to call Avery and Tessa back in.

“It’s really hard being a single parent, I completely understand,” he tried to find a common issue we shared as he returned back to the table with his tray.

“Oh, well, I’m not exactly a parent,” I tried to explain. I hadn’t really been thrown the opportunity to explain my situation. No one had really asked before. “Avery’s mom was my best friend. She was killed in a car accident a while back and she left Avery with me.”

“Wow,” Chad looked surprised. “That’s a pretty strong bond you must have had with her mother. She seems very happy with you.”

“Not all the time,” I laughed. “It was hard to become a surrogate mother, if you will. I didn’t know what I was doing for a while and it was really stressful. I actually have an old friend living with me and he’s helping me out.”

“He?” Chad questioned. He seemed awfully interested for just meeting me recently.

“Yeah, we kind of grew up together and he’s filling his position as best friend,” I smiled just thinking of Nick. In a way, it was slightly awkward. I was telling a complete stranger about my friendship with Nick.

“That’s great,” he smiled and started unloading the Happy Meal from the tray.

“Yeah,” I smiled back. “I’ll go get the girls.” I decided to leave the table in hopes that when I returned we would change the subject.

Avery ran through the front door of the apartment with her Bob costume from the party store. “Hello?” I called out to Nick.

“Hey, I’m in the living room!” He yelled back. Avery ran in that way and jumped up onto his lap. Nick grunted and began tickling her. I smiled at the sound of her giggles. “What’d you buy, Munchkin?” He smiled and watched as she proudly presented her bright red tomato costume. “Ah! Bob from Veggie Tales? That’s pretty amazing.” He smiled.

“See,” Avery stuck her tongue out in my direction. “I told you it was a good choice.” She went and put the costume neatly on the love seat next to the couch where Nick was sitting. “We went to lunch, too!” My heart nearly froze. I knew she was going to mention Chad. “We met this man at the party store and he asked us to lunch and Megan said ‘yes’ so we all went to McDonalds.” Avery rambled on and on.

“Hey Ave, how about you go try on your costume quickly so I can see if we need to hem it, okay?” I cut her off before she could say anything more complicated. At the mention of her Halloween costume, she was off the couch and in the bathroom nearly tearing her clothes off on the way.

“A guy, hmm?” Nick frowned and stood from the couch to join me in the kitchen. I continued washing dishes in the sink as he picked up a rag to dry. I tried not to make much eye contact.

“Yeah, his name was Chad and he had a daughter Avery’s age, so we went to lunch to introduce the girls,” I explained rationally. “I figured it would be a great chance for Avery to make a new friend. God knows she needs one other than you and I.”

“And we might go trick-or-treating with them!” Avery chimed in from the bathroom. I closed my eyes momentarily and a smile cracked across my dry lips. She was trying, desperately, to get Nick fired up.

“Might being the key word, Avery,” I called back. Why was I so worried about Nick getting upset over this?

“So, how did you meet this guy?” Nick frowned as he dried a cup that I handed him.

“We ran into him in the party store,” I shrugged. “He seems like a nice guy and he asked us to lunch. No big deal.” I tried to play the situation down.

“That’s cool,” Nick shrugged. I handed him another plate and he began to dry it. “I was hoping I could go trick-or-treating with you guys, too. I wasn’t really planning on doing anything else…” he trailed off.

“Of course,” I smiled. “I just didn’t want you to feel obligated into coming or anything. Avery would love it if you came, too.”

“I don’t feel obligated into anything, Megan,” Nick sounded offended. I knew that would happen. As soon as Avery mentioned Chad I knew it would be awkward with Nick, but why?

“Nick! Nick!” Avery called loudly from the living room. Nick followed her voice in a hurry, hoping that nothing was seriously wrong. As both Nick and I entered the room, I saw Avery cuddled up on the couch with the blanket. “It’s a scary part.” She whined and held her arms out to Nick. Nick went over and lifted her up with a sigh.

“What are you watching, anyway?” He glanced at the TV and saw it was some horror film in the spirit of Halloween. “Aw, come on, Ave. You shouldn’t be watching this stuff. Let’s go watch some Veggie Tales, okay?” He carried her into his bedroom and plopped down on the bed. I watched as she nearly suffocated the pillow and waited for him to come back. I watched how great Nick was with her. I watched as my heart nearly crashed just wishing he would hold me like that.

Halloween approached quickly. The weather had quickly changed; the temperature dropping rapidly and the leaves all falling to the ground. I watched as Avery and Tessa run up to a door to ring the doorbell. Chad had been rambling on about his business. He was an architect that built malls and department stores like JC Penny and Macys.

“Megan, I could really design a great house for you in the middle of Manhattan – very modern and gorgeous,” Chad smirked in my direction. A small smile crept across my lips as I went to reply.

“We like the apartment that we’re in, Chad,” Nick’s smile couldn’t have been any faker, but Chad didn’t care to notice. “Right, Meg?” They both looked at my direction.

I sucked in a deep breath. “I think we’ll stay where we are for now, Chad. Thanks, though. I just don’t want to throw too much change into Avery’s life just yet.”

“Well, how about you, Nick? I’m sure I could pull some strings and find you a nice quaint place to live somewhere,” Chad threw a comment in his direction. Nick rolled it off his shoulders and reached out to catch Avery as she jumped off the stoop of the house she was at.

“I’m tired,” she rubbed at her eyes sleepily.

“We should probably head back soon,” I said in Nick’s direction and glanced at my watch. “She has a school day tomorrow.”

“Could Tessa and I walk you home?” Chad asked me kindly. I smiled and looked back at Nick. I saw this look of pain in his eyes that had turned an insanely dark blue ever since we met Chad and his daughter to go trick-or-treating. It almost reminded me of times when Nick became jealous over something.

“I think we’ll be fine,” I smiled and patted his back. “But thanks for the offer. And thanks for coming trick-or-treating with us. It was fun.”

“Avery, don’t you want to come sort candy with me at my house?” Tessa practically pleaded from the ground. Tessa and Avery had really become close friends. At the mention of candy, Avery squirmed out of Nick’s arms.

“Megan, can I?” Avery pulled on my pant leg.

“I don’t know, Avery. It’s getting kind of late and you have school tomorrow,” I contemplated the idea a little longer.

“Thirty minutes max,” Chad smiled. “And we can walk the two of you home afterwards. You don’t live that far away from us. That way you wouldn’t have to worry, Nick.” He sent a victorious grin Nick’s way.

“Yeah,” Nick nodded with a sigh in defeat. I didn’t know what to do. Avery was so adamant about going to sort candy, but I felt bad for Nick. He looked so hurt. But he turned towards me. “So, it’s settled? I’ll see you back at the apartment in thirty minutes?”

I looked back and forth between Nick and Chad, who had already started walking towards his home with Tessa on one hand and Avery on the other.

“Y-Yeah, I’ll see you there,” I smiled and small smile and went to catch up with them.

"What's your relationship with Nick like?" Chad asked as we both watched Tessa and Avery sit in the middle of the kitchen floor sorting through their candy. Every once and a while one of them would ask if they could have a piece.

"What do you mean?" I frowned and took a sip from the glass of water that Chad had given me. "We're friends, if that's what you're asking. I grew up living near him and we've always been close." I explained.

"Does he not have a place to live?" Chad questioned. I wanted to ask him why he was questioning me about Nick, but I decided to let it go.

"No, that's not it at all. He's helping me. Taking Avery in was a huge step for me and I wasn't sure I could do it on my own. Nick stepped up to the plate as my best friend and offered to move in for a while and help with the rent on my place. I love him for it," I answered truthfully. I saw curiosity and confusion in Chad's glance.

"I really like you, Megan," Chad looked at me seriously. "But I don't feel like competing with some guy over you. That's just not my style," he explained. "Do I have a chance?" His blunt nature threw me off. I wasn't prepared for him to say something like that. Not yet, anyway.

"I-I like you too, Chad," I sighed. "But right now...with Avery, I mean. I'm just not sure it's the right time." I tried to explain as I ran my finger over the rim of the glass.

"I can't wait on you, Megan," Chad sighed. "If there's something there, then we'll work it out. Avery is fine. I've seen her. She's moving on from what happened. I'm beginning to wonder if she's just an excuse."

My eyes darted back to his. "I don't make excuses." I tried to defend myself. Chad held his hands up in surrendor.

"I wasn't trying to push any buttons or open up any new feelings," he sighed. "I would like to take you out on a date. I'm simply trying to find out if it's a smart move to ask that or if I'm going to get shot down. I have feelings too, you know." He said calmly. He was handling this situation perfectly. He couldn't be a better guy. What was I supposed to say? This is the type of guy any girl would love to date. A single dad, a hard-working man that still had time for women.

"I-I just don't know," I muttered. "We've only known each other for a month or so."

"It's not like I'm asking you to move in with me," he chuckled. "Just a simple date. If it's honestly this hard to answer, then maybe it's not the right thing. I don't want to push you in any direction or influence you in anyway. You're a great girl, Meg. I just think you need to figure some things out."

I bit my bottom lip, hoping that the pain shooting from my teeth into my lip would spark some kind of thought or give me something to say in my head. But there was nothing.

"Megan, can we go home?" Avery tugged at my pant leg. I looked back and forth between Chad and Avery.

"I'll walk you home," Chad sighed, realizing I wasn't sure what to say or do. Instead I stopped him and put my hand on his shoulder.

I managed to open the door to the apartment with one arm wrapped securely around a sleeping Avery in my arms and the other hand holding her bag of Halloween candy. Nick walked by the door as I opened it and hurried to help me. "Sorry, I didn't realize you weren't going to have any help coming in. Did you walk the whole way like this?" He sounded disgusted with Chad.

"No, I took a taxi," I muttered as he took Avery out of my arms. "She really needs a bath." I whispered.

"I can give her one tomorrow morning. I'll put her in bed for now," he rubbed her back soothingly so she wouldn't wake up. I nodded and took off my coat and put the candy on the counter. Nick reappeared from her bedroom a few minutes later.

"Sorry about tonight," I said and sat down at the counter. Nick shrugged and leaned across the counter from the opposite side.

"It wasn't a big deal. I'm sorry Chad and I don't really see eye to eye on things," Nick tried to explain. I knew that wasn't what he was trying to say. He really felt bad about being so jealous. A smirk formed over my lips.

"It's ok," I said softly with a smile playing on my lips.

"Did he get the taxi for you?" Nick asked as I went to the kitchen to get a cup of hot chocolate.

"No," I shook my head. I sighed. I would have to explain all this to Nick sometime. It was hard for me to admit to Nick everything. "Do you want a cup of hot chocolate?" I asked him. He nodded and waited for me to continue. "Well, he kinda confronted me about maybe deciding to see him...as in, go out on a date with him." I began as I heated the water. I watched Nick's jaw clench out of the corner of my eye. "I said no." I whispered softly.

"Why?" Nick frowned and tried to avoid making eye contact so I wouldn't see the jealousy.

"Well," I sighed. Here was the hard part. "I don't really feel like my relationship with him would go anywhere." I couldn't help the tears that welled up in the corners of my eyes.

"Did he hurt you?" Nick nearly jumped out of his chair and hurried over to where I was standing as he noticed the tears in my eyes.

"God, no," I tried to laugh to discourage the tears from falling. "He's perfect. He's everything I could ever ask for in a relationship." I muttered quietly and turned towards him. A frown creased Nick's brow.

"Then what's the problem?" Nick asked me softly as the microwave beeped, informing me that the water was hot enough.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and glanced up at Nick with a blurry vision. "He's not you."

Nick took a step back from me after he watched my lips close. It scared me that maybe he didn't feel the same way after all. "It's funny, because Chad was everything and anything I could have asked for from anyone. He was good to me, he was great with Avery and he was a hardworker," I tried to ramble to make the silence disappear. "But every time I thought about him my mind was distracted. There was something else, rather someone else, my heart felt like it belonged to..."

I stopped talking when I felt Nick's hand on the side of my cheek, lifting my face so my eyes met his. "You have no idea what you do to me, do you?" He whispered and bent down so his lips planted themselves on mine. I sucked in a deep breath as his fingers cupped my face and I leaned back against the counter. His lips seemed to work some kind of magic...a magic I had never been able to feel before and it was better than ever.

He pulled away softly and I managed to open my eyes. His big blue eyes had turned a very dark color -- a color I had never seen before. They seemed to be full of all sorts of feelings...lust, love, happiness, passion. "I think I have an idea." I whispered before his lips overpowered mine once more.

I heard giggling behind Nick and we both turned to look at a smiling Avery dressed in a red tomato costume, holding a worn teddy bear close to her face. Nick laughed as she ran to his leg and grasped on. "I knew you would finally kiss her." Her muffled voice managed to say into Nick's pant leg. I laughed even harder.

"Is this what you wanted?" I smiled as I pulled her away from Nick's leg and held her in my arms. She nodded quickly.

"Good, 'cause I want it too," Nick smiled and leaned in to kiss me once more. I watched a sparkle in Avery's eyes and I wondered what she was thinking as Nick pulled back again.

"What are you thinking about, munchkin?" I frowned.

"I was wondering," she began. "Can we go to Florida now?" She glanced in Nick's direction. I frowned and looked at Nick. From the redness in his cheeks I realized he had told her about Florida and she had wanted to go. Chad was right. All along I was making excuses for myself. I didn't feel the love or the confidence to leave New York. It didn't have anything to do with Avery.

I smiled at her and Nick. I was finally satisfied. I was finally confident enough to move on from this step to something bigger and better. I was okay to leave. "Baby," I glanced in Avery's direction and then Nick's. "As long as I have the two of you, we can go anywhere."