A few weeks have gone by, and everyone has fallen into a comfortable routine. Every day Reid can do more on his own, and at every one of his therapy sessions, he has progressed faster than doctors anticipated. He has days when being in his chair frustrates him more than others. Take Alba and Gabriel's wedding for example. He was having a hard time maneuvering across the yard and snapped at me when I tried helping him out. He later apologized. I need to remember a man's pride is everything to him. Especially a man like Reid. He didn't like looking vulnerable in front of his brothers.

The swelling around his spinal cord has reduced significantly, and in turn, they've been able to determine in time he should regain complete function and feeling in both his legs that he had before the most recent accident. I'll be sad to go when he no longer needs me. I've become very fond of him. We've both been dancing around unspoken attraction for one another since before I started this assignment.

Ava has become very attached to Reid since our stay here in his home. As soon as she get up in the mornings she is looking for him or calling his name. As soon as she's home from preschool it’s the same thing all over again. I won’t say she'll be the only one to miss him; I know I will too.

Weeks ago I poured some of my heart out to him, not too much, just what was weighing me down at the time. The whole situation with my parents and Grams had me on edge. I wasn’t looking to dump my worries on someone, but I instinctively felt like I could trust Reid with a little piece of me. When he pulled me into his lap that night and let me cry, let me release a portion of what I had been keeping bottled up for years, he showed me compassion.

It's crazy how fast it all happened, but I think I'm falling for Reid Carter and it scares me. Besides Grams, the only person I know I can count on in my life is myself. What if he does like me in return? What if we did start a relationship? What if it doesn’t work out if we try? I couldn’t put Ava through heartache like that, especially when she adores him so much already, and what about my heart? I'm not sure I'm willing to hand it over to someone who as of right now has so much of a hold on it as it is.

This morning Reid finally got his cast taken off his arm. And after going through several rehab sessions of physical therapy for the past few weeks, I'm watching him walk out of the Doctor's office this afternoon using crutches, which means my time with him will be over soon and I think we both realize what that means. At least I know what it meant to me. "It's about time for me to pick Ava up from preschool. Mind if we swing by on the way back to your place?" I ask him as we make our way to the car.

He makes his way around to the driver's side before I open the door, "Not a problem," he reaches for the door handle.

"What are you doing?"

"Doctor said I could start driving again, so I'm drivin', babe. Go get your sweet ass in the passenger's seat." He informs me. Sticking his hand out, he waits for me to hand over my car keys. Digging into my purse, I take out the keys and hand them over.

Once we make it to the preschool center, Reid pulls up in front of the entrance instead of parking in a parking spot. "I'll wait right here for ya, babe."

"I won't be but a minute," I smile. I'm a few minutes earlier than usual, so when I get to Ava's class, I find all the little ones busy picking up toys and putting them back into the places they belong and overhear my daughter having a conversation with her best friend, a little-redheaded girl named Willow.

"My daddy said I can bring a friend to my party." She tells my daughter eagerly.

"Weally? I wanna go… can I go too?"

Did she get invited to a birthday party I don’t know about?

"Hey, munchkin," A deep voice I recognize from behind me calls out, and Willow giggles then runs past me. I turn around to see her dad, River reaching for his daughter. "Hey, Mila. How you been? I haven't seen you around for awhile. How's your Grams?" He inquires.

River lives down the road from Grams' house. He moved in about a year ago. He's a widower. He lost his wife while giving birth to their daughter. Willow and Ava get along so well that I sometimes drop her off to play on the weekends. Especially when I was taking night classes during nursing school. River is a good looking guy. Tall, dark brown hair and grey eyes. From pictures I've seen, Willow is the spitting image of her mother minus the grey eyes she got from her father.

"Grams is doing okay. I've been helping a friend lately, which is why I haven't been home." I tell him.

"Momma, Willow says I can go to a party," Ava tugs at the pant leg of my scrubs.

"It's not a party. I told Willow on her birthday I would take her and a friend to the bounce house downtown. She instantly started asking for Ava," River says.

"Sounds like fun. Give me a day and time, and I'll make sure she's there," I tell him. Happy with what they hear, both girls get the giggles and hug one another.

"Well, I have to get going. You ready, Ava?" I announce.

Running to her cubby she grabs her coat and lunchbox, then skips her way back over and takes hold of my hand.

"Willow and I will walk you out," River says as he hoists his daughter into his arms and carries her coat in the other.

We walk out of the building and right away Ava sees Reid sitting behind the wheel. "Reid!" she squeals with delight.

"This the friend?" River questions with a raised eyebrow.

"It's not like that," I roll my eyes then notice a blonde partially bent over talking with Reid on the driver side. Hearing Ava's laughter causes the woman to stand and glance in our direction over the top of my car.

Claire.

I shoot daggers in her direction as anger starts to bubble inside me.

"Oh, hello, Mila," she says with way too much perkiness.

"Are you trying to convince yourself or me?" River says observing my reaction to the scene in front of us.

Am I that obvious?

When Reid turns his head, he sees River standing beside me. The neutral expression he had is gone and replaced with one of anger. Jesus, what a pair we are, both of us staking claim to someone that doesn’t belong to us.

"Listen, send me a text about the birthday. We'll be there," I smile as I open the back door and Ava climbs into her car seat waiting for me to buckle her in. I watch as Claire bends down to say something to Reid before she looks at me, waves and makes her way through the preschool doors.

"Say goodbye, Willow," River says still holding his daughter.

"Bye, Ava," she waves.

"Bye, Willow," Ava replies with a wave of her own.

I toss her things into the back seat and get her buckled in.

Reid tears his eyes away from me and puts the car in drive, gripping the steering wheel the whole ride home. I sit in my seat stewing in my jealousy as Ava sits in the backseat singing The Let It Go song. The irony is not lost on me.

It's after dinner, and Ava has been bathed and put to bed for the night, so I sit down on the couch and start to fill out my paperwork. I'll be going home tomorrow, and Reid finally gets to transition back into having his space again.

"Hey," Reid says from behind me.

"How can you be so quiet on a pair of crutches? That's a little unnerving." I lean my head back and look up at him as he hovers above me from where he is standing. Moving around the corner of the couch, he sits his crutches to the side and situates himself on the couch.

He's wearing a pair of sweats that are hanging low on his hips, and my gaze drops.

I look up after gazing at his body to find him watching me. Oh god, he caught me looking at his package. Shifting, I squeeze my legs together, trying to suppress the sudden ache I'm feeling between them for this man; trying to ignore the sudden surge of attraction filling the room I mention the subject we both have been avoiding. "Tonight is mine and Ava's last night here. I'll be heading back home tomorrow. I need to thank you for making us feel welcomed this past month. Ava is going to miss you, so maybe we could drop by for a visit sometime? That’s if you're not too busy. I know now that the doctor has cleared you for more activities you'll get back to being busy with work and of course the club," I tell him as the heat starts to rise up my neck, and I feel my cheeks flush because of the way he's looking at me.

Reid twists his body, putting one leg near the back edge of the cushions and leaves the other draped over the side with his foot planted on the floor.

"Come here, Kitten," he orders in a deep voice. Reaching out, he grabs my hand pulling me towards him. At the moment I don't question what he's doing or reason with myself as to why I'm complying. I don’t think at all. I let what I'm feeling guide me. He pulls me forward until he has my body laid out to where I'm chest to chest with him, and my hips have settled between his legs. My rapidly beating heart feels like it's about to burst from my chest as his eyes drop to my lips. If the hard length I feel pressed against my stomach is any indication, I would say his body is wanting the same as mine.

One taste before I leave tomorrow won't hurt. Will it? I want to know what it feels like to have Reid's lips pressed hard against mine.

"Momma, Momma," Ava cries out. And just like that, the moment is over. The charge in the atmosphere still so thick I find it hard to breathe, but the climactic moment I feel we were about to have is suddenly pushed to the side.

I look at him knowing we both want this to happen, but neither one prepared to say it.

"Momma," Ava hollers again.

Too wordless to say anything I get up off the couch and head towards the hall in the direction of mine and Ava's room. "Reid…" I turn to find him watching me walk away, the same look of want in his eyes, and I smile at him, "Goodnight."

With a heavy sigh and a look of understanding, knowing my daughter comes first he replies, "Goodnight, Kitten."

* * *

"Well, that’s it. We are all packed and ready to go, sweetie. Did you remember to grab teddy from your bed?" I say to my daughter as I zip the last suitcase closed. Teddy is her stuffed bear she has had since the day she was born. Grams gave it to her as a welcome home present when we stepped off the bus. She can't sleep without it.

"I got it, Momma," she responds in a sad little whisper.

I know she doesn’t want to go, but this was only temporary. Unfortunately, she's too young to understand that right now. "Come on," I kneel and tickle her tummy trying to steal a smile from her, "We can always visit," I tell her. Looking up, I see Reid standing in the doorway.

"Quinn is here to follow you home since it's getting late."

No sooner does he say his name, Quinn appears in the hallway behind Reid. "Holy shit these tacos are good," he says stuffing the last bite of what we had for dinner in his mouth. I watch Ava walk towards the door, squeeze past Reid and his crutches and stop in front of Quinn. I try to hold back a smile because my little girl is on a mission.

She cranes her neck to peer up at him, and he looks down at her with a grin, "What's up little bit?"

All business, Ava puts her hand on her hip and sticks the other one out and voices, "You say a bad word."

"Shit… I mean darn. I'm sorry. Here," he pulls out his wallet and gives her two one-dollar bills. I told him the first time that he made a mistake giving her money like that. Her sass doesn’t seem to faze him at all. His smile only gets bigger.

Reid turns from the little chastising Quinn just received from a four-year-old and says to me, "You sure you don’t want to head out in the morning?"

"No, I'm all packed and ready to go. Besides, it's not too late. The sun hasn’t even set yet." I explain. I should have left sooner, but I wanted to make sure I had prepared a few extra meals for him before I went. He nods his head and starts to make his way down the hall with Ava on his heels and me following behind. Quinn soon follows with our bags in his hands, and we all pile into the elevator. Making our way outside to my car, Quinn loads my things and announces he'll wait for me on his bike and walks off lighting a cigarette.

Clearing his throat, Reid speaks, "Listen, the guys are throwing a party for me this weekend. Why don’t you and Ava come out to the clubhouse."

Assuming it's going to be a family-friendly event, or he wouldn’t have asked I decide there isn’t any reason to say no. I've been to a few with Bella and have enjoyed myself. Ava made a few friends with some of the member's kids also. "Sure, I'd like that," I smile at him.

Before we turn so I can load Ava into her seat, she pulls away from my grasp and walks to Reid and holds her teddy up. Reid takes it from her tiny outreach hands. "He makes me feel better when I sad," she warmly says to him. I watch him take in my sweet girl. This is a big gesture from her. I hope he is aware of the fact she is handing him a huge source of comfort. Doing my best not to cry I silently watch her make a very grown-up decision as her hands let go of her teddy bear.

Squatting, he holds the bear close to him, "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," she confirms, and my heart swells even more.

"I'll take really good care of him. I promise," he ensures her, then wraps her in his arms for a big bear hug. Running back to me, Ava climbs into her car seat. As I'm buckling her in I lean in and kiss her forehead, "You are such a brave and caring girl, Ava Marie Vaughn."

Rounding the trunk of my car I glance at Reid who's now standing and watching. "I'll call when I get settled."

I make it home in fifteen minutes. Quinn carries my suitcases inside and sets them down just inside the living room. "I hate to run, but the guys need me out at the clubhouse. Don’t forget to call Reid," he informs me.

"I'll call him soon. Thanks, Quinn."

"Ya know, he didn’t want you to leave. Sometimes we gotta take the chance and go all in even when it scares the shit out of us," he says walking towards the door, "See ya this weekend." Closing the door behind him, I wait to listen for his motorcycle to take off.

Ava had settled into her room playing with her toys when I walk towards the back of the house to check on her. "Come on sweet girl; let's get you ready for bed."

"Okay, Momma."

After getting Ava into her nightgown and tucking her into bed, we read a little from her storybook. As I'm reading, she falls asleep hugging one of her dollies. Mentally tired I kiss her cheek, turn on her night light and turn the lamp off. There's a stack of mail I need to go through and a brand new bottle of wine I picked up at the store today with my name on it. I change into my sleep shorts and a tank top before heading toward the kitchen. Pouring myself a drink I take it to the couch. The first piece of mail I notice is a large manila envelope, so I open it first. The letterhead is what catches my attention. Vaughn & Vaughn Attorneys at Law. My parents are contesting my legal rights to not only the home I live in, but they are challenging the validity of Grams’ Power of Attorney. It states that she wasn’t in her right frame of mind due to her illness and that I coerced her into making the decision? What the hell?