I sit in the passenger seat of Tobias’ car and stare out of the window. Noah is in the back seat doing his best to sing along to the song on the radio and Tobias is driving, his left hand is on the steering wheel and his right hand is in mine. My stomach is in knots as we approach Huntington Beach. Today is Noah’s birthday and since Zack and Tobias both wanted to have dinner with the birthday boy, we’re headed to Zack's for dinner.

Knowing Tobias has unresolved feelings and issues with the fact that I got pregnant by Zack worries me. Noah is five now, I thought Tobias was over the fact that I betrayed him, but he clearly isn’t – and never was. It’s in his right but I can’t help but wonder if we will ever get past this. And now that Zack is back with no signs of disappearing, I wonder how well this co-parenting thing is going to work, or if it’s going to work.

“So, is it just going to be Zack there or did he invite his friends?” Tobias asks.

I glance over at him, pushing my worries aside. “I don’t know.”

“Well, he could have just come to Los Angeles,” he mentions.

“Tobias, he offered to host us tonight – and quite frankly, when he said he would cook I was in. That just meant I wouldn’t have to.” I smile at him, hoping to keep him in a good mood.

Tobias smiles back. “I would have cooked.” He brings my hand to his lips and kisses it.

“Dad, you get to meet Meatball!” Noah chimes in, happy as a clam.

Tobias glances at Noah through the rearview mirror. “I know bud. I’m excited!”

I turn my attention back to the road just as we pull onto Zack's street. “It’s just a few houses down.”

Tobias doesn’t reply and pulls into the driveway when I point out Zack's house. As soon as the car stops, Noah is unbuckling himself and climbing out of the car.

“Hey, slow down!” I holler, but he ignores me and runs up to Zack's front door.

Tobias raises his brow. “He’s really excited to see someone.”

“It’s probably just Meatball,” I assure him, climbing out of the car.

Tobias follows me, and we meet at the front of the car just as Zack opens the door and scoops Noah up in a hug. Tobias notices this, too.

“Please be nice,” I say, facing him. Smoothing the front of his shirt out with my hands and allowing my hand to rest on his waist.

Tobias’ jaw twitches but he looks away from Noah and Zack and back at me. “I will,” he tells me.

“Promise?”

Tobias shifts his weight from one leg to the other before nodding. “I know Noah has the right to know Zack and…” he sighs, “and vice versa. It just sucks, you know?”

I give him half a smile. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, well…” he leans down and kisses me. “We should get inside.”

“Okay,” I say, lacing my fingers with his as we make our way up to Zack's door.

Zack is standing right inside the door, watching Noah ask Meatball questions like ‘have you been a good boy?’ and ‘did you miss me?’ When he hears our footsteps, he turns around and smiles at me. “Sheridan, hey.”

“Hey Zack,” I smile back.

Zack holds my gaze for a moment before turning his attention to Tobias and outstretching his hand. “Hey, Tobias! It’s good to see you again.”

Tobias takes Zacks hand and they shake. “Yeah, you too, dude.”

Zack invites us in and before anyone else can say anything, Noah is excitedly telling Tobias about Meatball. Tobias bends down, scratching Meatballs belly as Noah giggles at Meatballs twitching leg.

“Hey, thanks so much for agreeing to this,” Zack says beside me.

I shake my head. “Of course. Thanks for the invite.”

“I hope it isn’t causing any problems between you in and Tobias,” he replies.

“Nope, none at all,” I smile. “Um, dinner smells great.”

“Oh, yeah I should go check on it. It should be ready any minute now.”

Zack disappears to the kitchen and I join Tobias who is now sitting on the couch. “His house is nice.”

I nod, looking around. “Yeah, it is.”

“Hey, guys, dinner is ready,” Zack says, walking out of the kitchen.

“Is there mac and cheese?” Noah asks, jumping up.

Zack laughs. “There is!”

“Yay!” Noah cheers, jumping up and running towards the dining room.

If it wasn’t for Noah, the beginning of dinner would have been silent. He tells us about the cupcakes his teacher brought in for his birthday today and the way the entire class sang to him.

“I have another birthday present for you, too, Noah. It’s in your room, I’ll give it to you when dinner is over,” Zack says.

“I have a room?” Noah asks, surprised.

Zack nods. “Yeah, we finished it yesterday.”

“Who’s we?” I ask, curiously.

“Oh,” Zack responds, setting down his fork. “I asked Val and Michelle for some help. Val has two boys, so she kind of knows how to do this whole thing and Michelle has baby fever, so she was eager to help.”

“So, I know you’re in a band but that’s pretty much all I know about you, Zack,” Tobias speaks up. “Are you going on tour soon or…?”

Zack shakes his head. “Um, no, actually we just got home from our tour a couple of weeks before I found out about Noah.”

“So, what’s next then?”

“We don’t really have anything set in stone right now,” he shrugs. “We’ll probably relax for a little while and then start on the new record.”

“Do you know what direction you’re going to go in?” I ask.

Zack shakes his head. “No, but I'm sure Matt will start texting me ideas soon.”

“I’m done!” Noah replies. “Can I have my gift now?”

Zack laughs. “Guess I should have waited to mention the gift, huh?”

“Oh, come on, Zack! I mean dad!” Noah laughs.

I cut my eyes to Tobias but he’s staring down at his half empty plate. When I glance over at Zack, he’s also looking at Tobias. We lock eyes for a second before he looks back at Tobias and then to Noah.

“Yeah, come on. I’ll take you to it,” Zack says, getting up from the table. “You are the birthday boy after all.”

“Yay!” Noah cheers, sliding down from his seat and running out of the room. Zack follows.

I stare at Tobias for a moment, before reaching for him. “Hey, are you okay?”

Tobias looks up at me. “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just going to take some getting used to, that’s all.”

I give him a weak smile, leaning over and kissing him. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” he tells me. “Otherwise I wouldn’t be here.”

“I know,” I tell him. “I really appreciate it.”

“Wow!” we hear Noah yell. “Mom! Dad! Come look!”

Tobias smiles, “Sounds like we’ve been summoned.”

We walk out of the dining room and see Noah standing there while Zack adjusts the straps around his little body.

“You got him a guitar?” I ask, shocked. The guitar that hangs off Noah’s body is matte black and is complete with Zack's signature 6661.

“I had Schecter make one really quick. I wanted it to be done by today and they came through.”

“Wow,” Tobias says. “You got him a fully functioning guitar? You know he just turned five right?”

Zack shrugs. “My best friend started playing guitar at a young age, and his dad did too. And my other best friend was an absolute legend on drums by the time he was thirteen. It’s never too young to learn, if he wants to, that is.”

Noah isn’t paying attention to the conversation. Instead, he strums on the guitar, using four of his fingers. “I love it! Thanks!”

“Yeah, you’ll be the greatest guitar player in the world in just a few short years,” Zack smiles down at him.

After cake, ice cream and watching Zack and Noah play around with the guitar, Tobias is ready to go. I don’t blame him – he’s been great the entire night, so I decide to break the news to Noah that it’s time to go.

“Aww, but mom!”

I smile. “No, no ‘but mom’. You have school in the morning.”

“But it’s my birthday,” he replies, giving me the sweetest grin, he can.

Zack smiles at Noah. “Listen to your mom, Noah. You can come over this weekend, okay?”

“Actually,” Tobias says, “Sheridan and I are getting married this weekend and we can’t get married without our handsome ringbearer!”

“Oh,” Zack says. “Uh, yeah, of…of course. Sheridan told me, I just…it slipped my mind.”

“We should really get going,” I say. “Say goodbye, Noah.”

Noah sighs dramatically. “Bye,” he says, hugging Zack. He takes off his guitar and hands it to Zack.

“No, Noah, that’s yours. You can take it with you,” Zack tells him.

Noah gives him a confused look. “But mom and my other dad don’t know how to play.”

Zack laughs. “You can still take it home and play with it. You just have to be careful with it.”

“Okay!” Noah smiles.

Zack stands up. “Alright, I’ll go get your case for it,” he says before disappearing upstairs.

As soon as he’s gone, Tobias stands up. “Come on, Noah. I’ll buckle you in.”

Noah gives Tobias a weird look. “But dad – my guitar!”

“Your mom will get it. Come on, let’s go.”

“Okay,” Noah says. “Be careful with it mom. Don’t break it!”

I laugh. “I won’t, son.”

Noah kisses Meatball on the head and then Tobias leads him out of the house. I wait on the couch patiently for Zack. He returns less than a minute later, carrying a small guitar case.

“Where’d he go?” Zack asks.

I stand. “Tobias is buckling him up.”

“Oh, okay.” He says, putting the guitar in the case and then handing it to me.

“Thanks, Zack. Tonight was great, Noah had a lot of fun,” I tell him.

Zack shoves his hands in his pockets. “It was my pleasure. Seriously, I love that kid so much.”

I smile. “He’s pretty fond of you too. Uh, listen, the wedding is Saturday. I don’t know if I’ll be able to bring Noah over before then and Sunday morning we’re leaving super early for our honeymoon. Noah will be with my friend Brooke, so I’ll call her and come up with a schedule for you guys for the next three weeks.”

“Okay,” Zack replies.

“Alright, I better get going. Thanks again, Zack.” I say, turning around and heading to the door.

“Sheridan,” Zack stops me, grabbing my arm gently. “Actually, can I see you tomorrow? Around noon? I can drive to L.A.”

“Um, Noah will be in school until about –”

“No, I know. I actually just meant you,” he tells me.

“Oh,” I say. “Yeah. I have my last fitting for my dress at eleven, I can meet you after that.”

Zack nods. “Okay, great. Just let me know where you want to meet – my treat.”

“Okay,” I smile. “See you later, Zack.”

Tobias and Noah are waiting patiently for me when I slide into the car. “You ready?”

“Yeah,” I nod, smiling. “Hey, thanks for coming tonight and being civil.”

Tobias smiles. “Of course, babe,” he leans over and kisses me. “You’re my girl. I’d do anything for you.”

I smile, and kiss him again before Noah says, “Yuck! Can we go now?”

Tobias laughs, pulling away. “Alright, we’re going!”

---

The next day, Brooke accompanies me to my last fitting.

“Well,” Brooke says, “how about Zack can pick Noah up from school on Fridays, keep him through the weekend and bring him to school on Monday mornings?”

I nod, stepping out of my dress. “That could probably work.”

Brooke takes my dress from me and begins to put it back into its bag as I change. “Really, whatever is fine with you and Zack is fine with me. What’s Tobias think about it?”

I shrug. “I figured I’d wait until I had a schedule to mention it to him.”

Brooke raises her brows. “Do you think that’s a wise decision? I mean, what if he’s not okay with Zack watching him?”

Again, I shrug. “He knows Zack has rights. He may not be happy about it, but he wants to do what’s best for Noah.”

“Well, alright,” Brooke says. “Hey, do you want to grab lunch? That new Moroccan restaurant that I was telling you about just opened.”

“Oh, I’ve actually got plans…with Zack,” I tell her. Brooke gives me a look of suspicion. “I told him I’d meet him after I talked to you about a schedule.”

The lie comes out before I even know why I’m telling one. Maybe it’s just habit, or because of her suspicion. Maybe it’s because I don’t know why I’m having lunch with him in the first place.

“Oh, okay,” she says, handing me my dress.

I laugh nervously. “Oh, please keep it and bring it to the church Saturday. My nerves are only going to get worse and I’ll end up forgetting it and have to wear my underwear down the aisle.”

Brooke laughs. “Alright, I’ll babysit the dress.”

I glance at my phone, noticing the time. “Okay, I have to get going or I'm going to be late. I’ll call you tonight.”

I arrive at the restaurant right as Zack tells me he’s been seated. The hostess is polite and shows me the way to the table, and when Zack sees me, he smiles instantly.

“Hey,” he says as I sit across from him. You’re here.”

“Sorry, I’m late, the fitting ran a little long.”

“No, it’s fine. How was it?”

Before I can reply, the server walks up, dropping off Zacks beer and asks for my drink order. “Just a water, please.”

She walks off and I turn my attention back to Zack. “It was great. The dress fits perfectly, so as long as I don’t gain any weight in the next few days…” I trail off, laughing.

“You’ll look stunning,” Zack tells me. “You always do.”

I feel the heat rising to my cheeks, but I ignore it. “Thanks…um, Noah isn’t looking forward to wearing his suit. I’m hoping when he sees Tobias in his he’ll be more excited.”

Zack laughs. “Well, I can probably find some pictures of myself dressed up, too. Maybe that’ll help.”

“Thanks! It definitely couldn’t hurt.”

The server walks up and sets my water down. “Are you guys ready to order?”

“Yes,” we both answer.

Zack orders a club sandwich and I order a salad, dry which earns me a weird look from Zack.

“What?” I ask as the server walks off.

He shakes his head. “I’ve just never taken you as the type of person to order a dry salad. As a matter of fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you eat a dry salad. You always drown your lettuce in ranch or vinaigrette.”

I laugh. “I just told you I’m trying to keep the fit of my wedding dress perfect.”

“Your salad dressing is not going to cause your dress not to fit,” he teases.

“Also, I had cake and ice cream last night. It won’t kill me to be on a strict diet for the next couple of days.”

Zack is shaking his head. Someone behind me catches his attention and he waves them down. “Excuse me, she ordered her salad dry but what she really meant to say is she wants like a gallon of vinaigrette on the side.”

The server chuckles a bit. “Of course,” she replies and then walks off.

“Zack!” I exclaim, laughing.

Zack is laughing, too. “What? I had her put it on the side!”

“I’m going to kick your ass if I don’t fit in my wedding dress,” I tease.

He rolls his eyes and takes a drink of his beer. “So, you’re really going to go through with it, huh?”

I narrow my eyes. “Yeah,” I say. “Why wouldn’t I?”

Zack shrugs. “I mean, your track record with engagements isn’t a very good one. I mean, look at the last guy you were engaged to.”

I scoff, smiling. “The last guy I was engaged to blew off our engagement and married someone else the next day.”

“Ooh, ouch,” Zack jokes. “To be fair, that guy totally got what he deserved a few months later when lawyers and divorce papers got involved.”

I smile, but can’t think of anything else to say. The server walks up and drops off our plates with several ramekins of dressing. Zack laughs as I shake my head.

“Is there anything else I can get you?” she asks.

“No, thank you,” I say, smiling at Zack as he chuckles. “You think you’re funny, do you?”

“Oh, I’m hilarious,” he says between laughs. I shake my head and empty a ramekin of dressing by pouting it over my salad. “So,” he says, back to normal. “Are you nervous?”

“For the wedding?” I ask and he nods. “Yeah. I’m ready for it to be over, believe it or not.”

“Does he make you happy?” he asks me, quieter.

I glance up at him, but he’s focusing on rearranging the tomatoes on his sandwich. “Yeah,” I tell him. “He does.”

“That’s good,” he responds, taking a bite of his sandwich.

I nod. “Hey, Zack…what are we doing here? I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to be able to joke around and stuff like before but…I don’t know, I guess I’m just confused.”

Zack shrugs. “There’s nothing to be confused about. We have a son together and we’re doing this whole co-parenting thing. We should be able to just hang out, shouldn’t we?”

“Yeah,” I agree. “Of course.”

“Plus, I think after everything we’ve been through I should make sure you’re happy. I mean, just because we’re not together anymore doesn’t mean I don’t still care about you. Your happiness is important to me, you know? Always has been…even if it hasn’t always been obvious,” he tells me.

“Well, thanks, Zack. Your happiness is important to me, too,” I respond.

Zack glances up as if I said something to surprise him. “Is it?” He asks.

“Yeah,” I respond. “I loved you for a long time, Zack. A part of me always will, so, of course, your happiness is important.”

Zack nods. “That’s good. I’ll have to remember that when I need a favour.”

“Oh, so you’re going to use it against me, huh?” I laugh.

Zack winks. “I sure am.”

Notes

Sorry for the late update guys! I'm hoping to get back on track! Thank you so much for reading! Don't forget to comment, subscribe and recommend!

Thank you to BeccaBearSc, Kimmie, vengenz61 and overneaththepathofmisery for commenting on the last chapter!