Chapter 88: The Truth

"Aaron." She opens the door and welcomes him in open armed.

He comes in and settles down on the couch with a questioned look on his face. "So, explain your statement."

"Well, I had decided the other night to take the plunge and give him all of my heart. I showed up at his house wearing a very seductive outfit and before I could knock, I heard him talking to a woman on the phone. He told her he loved her and then hung up, then I ran for my car and left. I haven't talked to him since and today he sent me a package. No name, just a box of gummy bears and this note. I read it and found he was sitting outside probably hoping I would come out."

She pauses and then Aaron asks, "What did the note say? And I'm assuming you didn't go out to him, did you?"

"The note told me in so many words that the woman he was talking to is his aunt and no I didn't. Here is the thing, I don't believe him. The way he was talking to the woman was all too familiar. It sounded like he was talking to someone he was intimate with."

"Could it have been in your head? You’re always questioning everything and not ever willing to give anyone a chance usually. I mean, Ben was the first person you opened to completely, without giving him hell. I remember well when we got together you questioned everything. Never thinking you were good enough for me, so you figured I wasn't serious."

"Really?"

"Yes. Samantha even though I loved Kelly in part, I loved you too. I knew we would never work out just like me and Kelly wouldn't. I am the one who isn't good enough for either of you. I realize that now and that's why I am trying to help you so much when it comes to your welfare and love life. I just want you to be happy."

She looks up at him shocked as she never realized he loved her. Knowing he always loved Kelly, she never realized that they would have had a good chance at happiness at some point. However, that was the past, now knowing that she couldn't ever think about it again. It would tear her completely apart inside if she did.

"I only opened up to you, because if you let this man go it will eat you alive. You must find out the truth for yourself. Go to him and talk. I know you will see the truth after you have talked to him. He could be lying, but you will never know till you confront him. Samantha, I said I loved you when I should have said I have never stopped loving you."

"Then why are you pushing me towards Jonathan?"

"Because I want you to be the happiest you can be, and I honestly don't know if we would ever be truly good together. If you have a chance to be happy and have a family with this man, I believe you should go for it." He holds her hands in his and then gives her a quick peck on the cheek.

Looking confused he tells her, "Go out there. I saw him sitting across the street still. He's making sure your o.k. I think it means that he does care and he's telling the truth. At least I hope so for your sake."

He gives her a hug and then walks to the door. "I will call you tomorrow to check up on you. If you need me before then, don't hesitate to call." He opens the door, and she follows him out.

"O.k. I just don't know, but I will listen to him. Thanks. I will call you when I find out. Talk to you later Aaron." She hugs him again and then he gets in his car and leaves.

She sees Jonathan sitting across the street in his car watching them. Putting her head up and holding in her emotions she approaches his car. Right away he jumps out and walks over to her quickly. "Samantha." She puts her hand up to stop him.

"We have a lot to talk about. It can wait till we get in the house." She leads him in.

"Baby. I have missed you so much."

"Not now. I want to hear your explanation directly from your lips." She keeps her feelings in check, as she sits next to him on the couch with her hands clasped.

He moves closer to her and tries to hold her hand as he starts to talk, "Baby, my aunt had called because usually I call her every night. Since I have been with you and working extra shifts, I haven't been calling her. She was worried."

"Why did it sound like you were talking to your girlfriend or like you talk to me then?" She gets up and starts pacing as she grows upset.

"I love my aunt and she is really dear to me. That's the way I sound to anyone who is close to me."

"Are you as intimate with them as you are me?"

"Hell no! That's disgusting and you are really starting to make me angry." His face starts to turn red.

"O.k. I'm sorry." She apologizes before a full-blown fight breaks out. Her hands ball up and she tries to calm down as she still paces.

He stops in his tracks and looks at her. "Baby, I need you to see that your everything to me. There is no one else. You are my all and you make me whole. I just want to spend the rest of my life with you. Why is this so hard for you to believe?"

She studies his face to see if he's lying to her and can't help but to feel he is leaving something out. Someone isn't telling the truth and since it isn't Samantha, it means its Jonathan.

"Look, I'm not stupid. You are flat out lying to me. Just tell me you have a girlfriend and get it over with. I won't be the second place here. I'm sorry." Tears threaten to cascade down her cheeks as she moves away from him. "It's not fair to me."

"I'm sorry but you're right I am lying. It's not what you think though. I just don't know how you will take this."

"What on earth do you mean?"

"O.k. About six years ago I screwed around with this other woman, or I guess you would refer to her as a girl. She was 23 at the time and she told me she was on the pill. I never thought anything of it till she told me about two months later that she was pregnant."

"What?"

"That's exactly what I said. I told her to keep it and I would do anything to help, but soon after moved away and I never heard from her again. A week ago, she called me and let me know that she was moving back to town with our five year old little girl."

"Oh." Samantha looks down at the floor as her world comes crashing around her.

"Jennie has decided that she wants our little girl to go to kindergarten at the same school we went to. Also, that she would move back in with her parents and go to college. The most important part is she thinks I should finally be a part of our little girl’s life."

"O.k. I get it. So, you are going back to Jennie so that way you three can become a happy family. It all makes sense." She slumps down and the tears start flooding her eyes as she takes her face in her hands.

"No! That's not what I'm saying at all. Samantha, I love you." He takes her in his arms and lets her head fall on his chest.

He waits for a few minutes and then continues, "What I'm saying is, the person you overheard me talking to on the phone that night was my daughter. Not Jennie. I was telling Skye, I love her."

"Oh." She looks up at him with red eyes and then starts to cheer up.

"I just couldn't tell you for fear that you would never understand. I didn't want you running away again ever. I figured that if I got you back in my life, then I could work out some way to tell you without losing you. I just wasn't prepared to tell you right now. I'm sorry about that."

"Can you tell me something?"

"Sure, anything for you."

"Is there anything else I really need to know about you or your past that is going to come back and haunt us?"

"No, that was the elephant in the room."

"I can deal with that. Now tell me have you met your daughter yet? Or just talk to her on the phone?"

He forms a smile only a proud papa could and then replies, "Yes, I got to meet her four days ago. She is so beautiful. She looks like my birth mother. I saw a picture of her once and she was magnificent."

"Awe, I bet she is such a little cutie! So, tell me why doesn't Jennie want to get back with you then? I mean it only makes sense to get back together so she will have a mom and dad in the home."

"Actually, Jennie tried to seduce me the night she brought little Skye over. Skye had fallen asleep on the recliner while Jennie and I were talking about old times, then all of a sudden, she kissed me and her hands were all over me. She got really upset when I sent her packing. I guess she thought that she could weed her way into my bed and then they both would have a place to stay. As it is now, she's living with her parents."

"Oh." She feels a pang of jealousy as she imagines Jennie's hands all over him as she has had her hands on him before. It makes her incredibly uncomfortable, and she has to get up and walk around.

"I didn't do anything. Please don't be mad with me. I can't take it. I love you with all my heart and soul baby." He sits down on the couch looking miserable, as he doesn't know if Samantha is going to tell him to get out or not.

Finally, she decides what she must do. "I am going to need a little time to sort all this out. I have so many thoughts going through my head right now and I don't know if I trust myself at the moment to do the right thing with you."

"What do you mean?"

"I think it's honestly best if I take a couple days to ponder all this by myself."

"Samantha, please give us a chance. I know we haven't even been in a relationship for very long and now you found out I have a daughter. It's a lot to deal with. I still haven't figured out everything yet, but I do know I need you to be by my side for the rest of our lives. You mean everything to me and without you, I can't handle this."

"I can't mean everything to you. Remember, you have a daughter now and she should be your number one priority. Maybe it's best if you and Jennie did get back together so she will have a complete family instead of a mom there and a dad here."

"Samantha." He sighs. Tears threaten to fall from the corners of his eyes. "Please don't do this. I love you. If I didn’t know how bad it was to grow up without my real parents around, I would have told her to completely bug off and find someone else. It's important that I share my life with my child."

"Yes, that you should. Right now, she should be your everything and that doesn't leave room for me. Specially, when you just found out about her."

He stands up, grabs her, and forces her to look into his eyes, "Baby, you're it for me. If I don't have you, I don't have anything."

Still staring into his eyes, she tells him, "I can't promise anything, anymore. I am so confused. You probably should go."

He takes her chin in his fingers and forces her to kiss him. A passionate kiss filled with regret and longing for what they once had and hopefully would again tastes bitter on her lips as she realizes that it may be the last kiss they ever have together.

Releasing her, he starts to say something and then stops. Instead, he collects his things and walks out the door. Samantha feels horrible and after she shuts the door collapses on the floor as she cries for the relationship that had started beautifully to end how it did. She lays there for what seems like an eternity until the phone rings.