Beautiful Mistakes

She didn't know.

As her thoughts drifted around, she began to get the uncomfortable feeling that the "Do Not Open" box's life expectancy was growing shorter.

But then her mother's words came back to her, the words about Matt being the baby's father…

He was technically the father, but who was leaving work to take her to the emergency room when something could have been going wrong with the pregnancy?

Granted, she hadn't given Matt the chance to come to the rescue, but would he have even come?

As much as she wanted to say he wouldn't have, she suspected if she would have called Matt, he would have come to help her.

What surprised her was how easily Aaron had. And of course the fact that he spent the evening supporting her, holding her and trying to comfort her while she cried and freaked out over the baby that wasn't even his.

And then having the doctor mistake him for the father and say all that stuff to a man who can't even have children…

Not that she minded. Honestly, she had no problem sharing those experiences with Aaron. There was something about him—despite his occasional grumpiness—that she just seemed to inherently know she could trust.

When he finished his shower he came straight in and climbed into bed with her, moving around to situate himself and then—with less hesitation than before—he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

She was a little more than surprised by the extra pull, but she wasn't arguing.

"Did I thank you?" she asked.

"About 43 times," he replied.

"Okay, just making sure," she said, smiling a little as she rested her cheek against his T-shirt—wishing he wasn't wearing one so she could rest h

er face straight against his chest.

"Can I ask you a question?" he asked.

Since normally he was all silent and mysterious, she welcomed straightforward questioning. "Absolutely."

"Am I the first person you called to take you to the hospital?"

Translation: Did you call my brother first and use me as a last resort?

"You're the only person I called," she verified quietly.

He didn't say anything, he merely nodded.

"Can I ask you one now?"

"I suppose it's only fair," he said reluctantly.

"Would it bother you if I hung the ultrasound picture on the fridge?"

That must not have been the question he was anticipating, because his eyebrows shot up a little and he half-smiled. "No, that won't bother me at all."

"Okay, good," she said happily. "I just wanted to make sure, I wasn't sure how you would feel about it… you know, considering."

"It's not your baby's fault that Shannon cheated on me with my brother," he stated plainly.

"I know that, I just… I didn't want to do anything to make you uncomfortable. You've been so incredibly… good to me, and I don't want to repay your kindness by rubbing anything in your face."

He shook his head, but he didn't say anything, so she still felt uncertain.

But she didn't argue, because somehow even though she had been napping, her eyes felt heavy and she was really tired again.