About 5 months later
Scott's pov:
"Happy Birthday, Emma!" I exclaims as I come through the door with a small pink bag in hand.
I kiss her cheek contently and pass her the gift.
"Hey, Allison. Hi, Max." I greet the pair, who are sitting at the dining room table.
"Hey. Thanks for coming. Help yourself to drinks and stuff. Your mom, Sheriff Stilinski, Lydia's mom, and my parents should be here any minute, and Lydia, Stiles, Isaac, Danny, Ethan, and Aiden will be a bit late because of their flights and stuff. Just make yourself at home." Allison informs me.
I nod and grab a Root Beer, standing around the kitchen aimlessly.
"I forgot to check the mail. Emma, do you wanna come?" He asks.
"Yeah."
"Okay, be back in a few minutes." Max informs us, grabbing Emma's hand and leaving the apartment.
Allison stands beside me at the kitchen counter and sighs.
"I can't believe she's three already."
"I know. It's feels like she was just a tiny baby yesterday." I reply.
Two years earlier
"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Emma. Happy birthday to you!" Everyone sang as I placed a chocolate cake with one purple candle, in front of our daughter who was happily sat in her high chair.
Allison and I assisted her with blowing the candle out, and we kissed either of her cheeks at the same time.
Allison sliced a small piece of cake and placed it on a paper plate before passing it to Emma. She made a mess, spreading it on her face, and squishing it on her plate, which made everyone laugh.
I hugged Allison from behind, kissing her cheek softly. She grabbed my wrist gently and smiled.
"It's been a year already."
"I know. It's crazy, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is. I love you."
"I love you too." I replied, spinning her around and planting a quick kiss on her lips.
•••
"Everything was so different then." Allison whispers, turning to face me.
"Maybe they don't have to be different anymore." I replied as she placed her hand on my cheek.
Our noses touched, and our lips were hovering centimetres away from each other.
"No, we... We can't." I whisper, pulling away.
"Oh, yeah, you're... you're right." She stuttered, awkwardly looking away.
"It was just the emotions, right?"
"Yeah, of course. Just the emotions. Nothing else." She reassured me.
Just then, Max and Emma returned. Allison and I put on a fake grins, and pretended nothing was wrong, going back to how it was before.
~
Everyone has arrived, and it's really nice to have all of my friends and family back in the same place at the same time.
"Mr. Argent, can I talk to you?" I ask, pulling him away to a more quiet corner in the living room. "You have every right to be upset with me, but I'm really sorry. It was something I needed for myself. I'm back now, and I'm staying for a long time, okay? Emma's gonna grow up with two parents, I promise."
"I'm not upset, Scott. I would do the exact same thing if I was in your position, maybe even worse. I actually admire you, not as much as I admire Allison, but anyway." We both laugh,
"Thank you, sir. That means a lot."
"Of course. Now, get back to your friends."
~
The party has ended, and everyone had gone home, or to hotels. Stiles and Lydia are staying with me in my new apartment for the weekend, but headed there before me so I could put Emma to sleep.
"Which story do you want me to read?" I ask.
The little girl, who's tucked away under her blanket, looks up at the ceiling, thinking for a moment.
"Goldilocks and the three bears." She finally decided.
I search for the book on her shelf, and quickly find it. I sit on the end of Emma's bed, book in hand, and begin reading to her in a soft voice.
"Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Goldilocks. She went for a walk in the forest. Pretty soon, she came upon a house. She knocked and, when no one answered, she walked right in.
At the table in the kitchen, there were three bowls of porridge. Goldilocks was hungry. She tasted the porridge from the first bowl.
'This porridge is too hot!' she exclaimed.
So, she tasted the porridge from the second bowl-" I stopped reading when I noticed that her eyes were shut, and she was obviously asleep.
I plant a gentle kiss on her forehead and whisper "sweet dreams." Before exiting the room, leaving the door half open behind me.
"Well, I better get going. Thank you both for having me, it was really nice." I say to Allison and Max as I slide my grey Vans onto my feet.
"Anytime. Have a nice evening." Allison smiles.
"Thanks, you too. Bye."
I left the apartment, and rushed home, still panicked by the almost-kiss with Allison earlier. I had no idea what happened, I thought she was happy with Max. She is, I guess that the memories of Emma's last two birthdays- while we were together, just made her emotional. It meant nothing. Maybe it did- no, it didn't. It couldn't mean anything. Just as I'm arriving home, I get a text from her.
"So sorry about earlier. Could we just pretend it never happened? I'm just really good where I am, and I don't want to jeopardize that."
"Pretend what never happened? ;)"
"Thanks, Scott. You're the best. Goodnight."
"Night."
I suppose I didn't want to forget it. I wanted our old life back. The one where I didn't have to plan when I'd see my daughter again, the one where we had family dinners every night, the one where we were happy. It was just an almost-kiss, though. Nothing more. I had to remind myself of that.
I walk into the apartment to find Stiles watching the news with a beer in his hand.
"Where Lydia?" I ask.
"Reading and then going to bed. I took a beer, I'm not really sorry."
"Of course you're not." I chuckle as I grab a bottle of my own.
I plop down next to him, and rest my feet on the coffee table, taking a swig on the drink.
"Allison and I almost kissed today." I say, like its the most casual sentence in the world.
Stiles literally spits his drink out and turns his head to face me
"Dude!" I exclaim, as the liquid goes flying all over the floor.
"She what?" He asks in shock.
"Almost kissed me. Do you need me to spell it out?"
"But I- I thought-"
"It was just because we were talking about when Emma was younger. Made her miss our old life for a second, I guess. I pulled away before anything happened, though."
It's silent for a moment, and then Stiles asks the one question that I was hoping he wouldn't. "Do you still love her?"
"Yes, I mean no, I mean- I don't know. I guess so, but Max makes her happier than I did, so whatever. I'm not gonna destroy their relationship just so I can with her. That's not who I am."
"I know, but what if she'd be better off with you?"
"Stiles, don't start, please."
•
Author's note:
So, Allison and Scott still love each other. What do you guys think is gonna happen next? As always, thank you for reading! <3