(Edited)

I've slept in the same bed with Michael before, but that time it did not feel as perfect. I was on cloud nine, feeling light and free. After last night and everything I told him, he didn't chase me away. He pulled me closer and made me a promise that everything was going to work out. And I believed him. I was ready for whatever the world had in store for me. I wasn't sure what Michael and I were, but I knew that he would be with me through what was to come. The only thing we didn't talk about was the kiss, but I could sense that things were already different between us.

"You sleep like a log!" I heard his voice interrupt my beauty sleep. I felt Michael's arm wrapped securely around my waist, my body tight against his. I opened one eye slightly and looked towards the direction of his voice.

"You snore worse than an old man!" I taunted and closed my eye again, snuggling, deeper into the pillow. The bed moved, and the next thing I felt was a thump on my head. I opened my eyes and glared at Michael, rubbing the sore spot but received one in return.

"I don't snore!"

I looked up and couldn't help but chuckle at what I saw in front of me. Michael sat with his back against the headboard, arms crossed with pouty lips. Such a child.

"And I don't sleep like a log!" I sat up and looked around for a watch but found none. "What time is it?"

Michael looked to his left at the clock on the bedside table. "Ten, almost eleven. I told you, you sleep like a log." He chuckled, but I sat frozen with panic. "I tried waking you up three ti-"

"Ten in the morning!" I exclaimed interrupting him, jumping out of bed, looking around frantically. "I need to get home!"

"You're not going home!" Michael demanded, panic written all over his face. I could see it on his face; he was frightened for me.

I sighed and sat down, pulling him with me. I turned my body and crossed my legs. "Please don't do this!" I pleaded. "I didn't regret telling you about everything last night, so don't make me regret it now."

Michael's eyes were big with worry. "I just don't want you to get hurt." He exclaimed.

My heart warmed up at his words, and I pulled him into a hug. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he engulfed me into his arms, burying his face in the crook of mine.

"I get that. I really do, but I can't stay Michael. I have to go."

"No!"

"Michael!" I whined.

He shook his head being stubborn. "Fine leave, whatever, but you're not leaving until this afternoon," he said, leaving no room for arguments.

I rolled my eyes, brushing my fingers through my hair to tame the wild mess. "You're just trying to keep me here as long as you can."

"Wow, you're smart."

"Jerk!"

I stood up and looked around the room for my shoes. I couldn't see them anywhere, so I stayed barefoot. I walked into the bathroom and brushed my teeth with the toothbrush Michael had given me last night. We were alone, Amanda and May-C were away for the weekend visiting some friends. I wonder what she would think of me for sleeping over at her house.

He chuckled, watching my every move. "The biggest. Now, how about we get food into that tummy of yours before the whales in there start a war." He joked, poking my stomach. I smiled at how carefree our conversation got.

"They're not starting a war, they're planning your demise," I replied with a straight face, watching him get ready.

"Sounds brutal!" He played along.

After Michael finished freshening up, and forcefully put on a shirt because he wanted to walk around bare-chested and that was tempting me, I followed him out of his room and down the stairs, towards the kitchen.

I sat on the chair in front of the counter. "It is! I'll let you know when to run!"

He chuckled and shook his head, making his hair even messier than before. I had to sit on my hands to stop myself from reaching over and touch them.

"What's for breakfast?" I asked, my stomach finally bothering me.

Michael's head was inside the fridge, rummaging for something. "Patients young grasshopper!" He said, but it came out like a mumbled because of his position.

I sat forward with my chin resting on my palm, waiting patiently for Michael to feed me. I was enjoying the view of Michaels perfectly shaped butt.

After some rummaging and a bit of slamming things around, Michael exclaimed triumphantly. "Aha, I got it!"

I sighed. "Finally." I tried looking past his shoulder. "What is it?"

He rolled his eyes. "So impatient. Perfection takes time, you know!"

"Sure!"

I couldn't see what he was up to and at times like these, I hated being shorter than him. He moved around the counter and grabbed two plates. When he finished, he turned around with the biggest smile on his face and started walking towards the screening room with two plates in his hands. I jumped off the chair and followed him.

"It took you so long for that?" I asked, shocked, looking at the pizza slices on the plates. I didnt mind pizza for breakfast, but the amount of time that he took for it was astounding.

"Yeah! Perf-" He started to say, but I interrupted him.

"Perfection takes time!" I mimicked his earlier statement, rolling my eyes.

"Exactly! Now you just need to get your voice the right pitch and then you would sound like me." He commented, walking up the stairs, in front of me.

'Thank you, stairs, for making his butt look so good!' Lilly swooned.

"I didn't sound like you?" I asked, confused. I was sure I sounded like him. "What did I sound like then?"

"Like a little girl with a squeaky voice!" He said but stopped at the top of the stairs and turned around. "And stop staring at my ass!" He smirked and walked further on.

I stopped dead in my tracks and placed both of my hands on my cheeks to hide the blush. I shook my bewilderment away and decided to answer back with a snub remark. "I sounded like a little girl with a squeaky voice?" I asked, and he hummed in agreement. "So, I nailed you then?"

Instead of him being offended, he entered the screening room with yet another smirk and said. "Not yet princess, not yet."

I scrunched up my nose, catching onto what he meant. "Perv!" I mumbled, grabbing the plate with the largest pizza and sat down.

Michael sat down next to me, laughing. "You love it!" He winked.

'You really do,' Lilly commented smugly. I internally rolled my eyes because I knew she was right.

"Ya whatever!" I said with my mouth full of pizza, trying to hide my flustered face.

"What movie do you want to watch?" Michael asked, taking a giant bite of his pizza.

I didn't look up at him. I was too engrossed in my pizza but answered him anyway. "You can pick."

"Seriously?" He asked with a mouth full of pizza. I hummed in agreement.

He smiled so big that his dimples were prominent. He scrolled through Netflix until he found what he was looking for. To say that I was shocked was the understatement of the week. Instead of picking some action-filled movie -which I thought he was going to choose - he picked Frozen. Frozen, out of all the animation he could have picked.

Michael sat like a giddy little kid, eyes transfixed on the screen. His smile stretched past his ears, and he didn't even notice the shocked look I was giving him. I honestly couldn't believe my eyes. He sat so happily, singing to the frozen songs, without a care in the world.

He must have felt my stare because he removed his eyes from the television and looked at me. "What's wrong?"

"Are you serious?" I asked, pointing at the screen.

He looked at me, confusion written all over his face. "Why not? It's a great movie."

I chuckled. "Yeah, but you picked it voluntarily!"

He shrugged. "May-C made me watch it, and now I'm hooked."

I laughed at the cute smile on his face. Michael turned around and continued watching the movie. I really admired the love he had for that little girl and the fact that he would go to the ends of the earth to make her happy. That thought, even though it made me happy, it saddened me too. I really missed Max, and I just wished he could be here with me right now. Maybe one day...

I looked at Michael and smirked, an idea crossing my mind. "I messaged the boys and invited them to watch frozen with us!" I lied to Michael.

Michael jumped up from the couch and turned Frozen off immediately. "Dammit Autumn!" He yelled in panic, the look of utter horror all over his face.

I couldn't hold it anymore and burst into a guffaw of laughter. I clutched my stomach because of the pain, but I could not stop laughing. Michael realized I was lying and glared at me. He sat down and started poking me.

"You think you're being funny, do ya?" He asked in a super cute British accent.

"That's for calling my stomach a whale zone." I laughed and pushed him away. He chuckled and sat back on his spot, pressing play again and continued watching the movie.

I smiled happily; the thought that crossed my mind warmed my heart. Michael was comfortable with me. He knew I wouldn't make fun of his movie choices. I honestly loved that he felt save enough to be himself around me. Even though I didn't want to break the peaceful silence between us, I had to. My thoughts were driving me crazy, and I knew he would have a solution.

"Michael," I called his name with a whisper. He hummed in acknowledgement, but when he realized I didn't speak, he paused the movie again and turned towards me, a worried look on his face.

"What's wrong?"

I didn't understand what was going on with me. I had been such a coward recently. I could barely get my things together. I couldn't understand why I felt like the world was on my shoulders, even though with my confession to Michael, I should have felt lighter. I hadn't gotten to the processing part yet; everything had been happening so fast lately that it was getting too much for me.

I fumbled with my hands and avoided eye contact with him. I'd put him through enough and didn't want to put him through anymore. I didnt deserve to be here with such a wonderful guy.

"Princess?" He addressed me. I still didn't look up, so Michael moved my face so that I looked into his eyes. "Talk to me, what's bothering you?" Our kiss, the fact that I am not worthy of you, you deserving better than someone as broken as me.

I sighed and faked a smile. "It's nothing, forget about I-"

"Don't!" Michael interrupted me with a warning. The looked on his face made me stop and think. He was serious about wanting to help me in every aspect of my life, but for goodness sake, we were not even going out, so it honestly baffled me how he cared so much.

"What am I going to tell the guys?" I asked him after a while.

Better to talk about that than about me feeling worthless, it wouldnt sit well with him, not after I told him about my suicide attempt. He sighed and brushed his hands through his hair, removing them from his eyes. The way he was looking up at it made me realize that he probably thought he needed a haircut, but I was surely going to stop him, I love that length.

"The truth?" He suggested.

I groaned frustratedly. "I can't, Michael! I can't tell them everything I told you."

Michael moved some stray hairs behind my ear. "Don't tell them everything! Just tell them about Max, that's something they will definitely badger you about."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, I've realized, my phone is proof of it." I joked looking at the bunch of text I had received.

He chuckled. "Yeah, they're persistent. You should see our group chat, it's filled with why the hell was she pregnant." Michael pulled his phone out of his pocket and gave it to me. I scrolled through the chats, and it was cracking me up.

"This one is my favourite so far," Michael said, showing me Ashton's message.

"Who the hell gave her permission to get pregnant? I sure as hell didn't, I strictly told her not to. We even had the birds and the bees talk." Ashton had texted.

I slapped my forehead and groaned, remembering that horrible day.

"Did he really have the talk with you?" Michael asked.

"Yes!" I groaned. "He said he could see that you and I were getting close and that he wasn't ready to be an uncle yet. It was his prime time, and if he became an uncle, he would lose his game with the ladies." I told Michael, the experience vividly in my mind.

Michael started laughing so hard his eyes teared up. "He doesn't have any game at all!" He exclaimed, drying his eyes.

I slapped Michael on the arm, scolding him. "Anyway, he even went as far as to show me how to use protection on a banana. I will never again look at a banana the same. I honestly just wanted to crawl in a hole and die." I said, blushing.

Michael chuckled and pulled me closer. "Don't worry, princess, I know how to use it. We'll be safe." Michael commented casually.

I pushed him away and slapped him again. "Keep dreaming."

He winked. "Every night, baby!"

***

Michael and I spend the rest of the day on the couch watching movie after movie. Michael kept throwing stupid cringy comments every now and then, and I would end up slapping him. We cuddled, talked and laughed so much that when the time came to go home, it was exceedingly difficult for both of us. The only way I got Michael to drop me off was with the agreement that I told him my address, but I gave him strict rules and hopefully, he would follow it. Since his mustang was at the repair shop, he took his black Range Rover to drop me off.

"Drop me a few houses away," I instructed Michael.

"Autumn, I said-" Michael wanted to protest.

"You'll see the house I'm going to walk into, ok. Just do it!" I exclaimed, with aggravation. I was scared. I didn't want them to know about Michael and end up hurting him to punish me.

Michael placed his hand on my thigh and squeezed it in a comforting motion, sensing my fear. "I just... I'm here for you if you need me." Michael promised, a battle behind his eyes.

Michael stopped the car a few houses down, far enough to still be able to see mine. "I'll call you tonight, ok. We'll talk some more about what you can tell the guys." Michael said, holding my hands. He took each one and kissed it on the inside of my wrists.

I shook my head in agreement. "Ok."

He leaned forward and placed a lingering kiss on my forehead. "Go on." He ushered me.

I kissed his cheek and climbed out of the car, walking towards the house. At the door of the house, I turned around and found Michael staring intently. I took a deep breath and entered the house.

"Honey, is that you?" Bags!

My foster mom only called me 'honey' when we had important company over. Important as in; be on your best behaviour, if they find something out, you're dead. I shook off the fear that had consumed me and put on a fake smile.

"Yeah, it's me!" I called back, clenching my fists.

I followed where the sound was coming from and walked towards the living room. Like so many things had been shocking me recently, this was no exception. There, on our sofa, sat Mr and Ms Loud with Lacy, my social worker. My heartbeat spiked up a bit, so many different scenarios crossing my mind all at once. I didn't want to believe that the boys were stupid enough to tell their parents about me having a child.

"Don't worry sweetheart, you're not in trouble," Lacy said with a smile, but from the look on the fosters faces, I begged a differ.

"What's going on?" I asked, avoiding eye contact with the Louds and the fosters.

Lacy smiled widely, showing excitement. "Well, we have great news for you. You know that since I became your social worker, I've been looking for your real family nonstop." Lacy explained.

It was true, ever since I got here, she had been great at her job. If only I trusted her enough, maybe she could have taken me away from these monsters. I honestly couldn't put two and two together. Why were the Louds here, and how does Lacy know them?

"Well sweetheart, I found them!" She declared, happily. "Actually, they found me, but you get the point." She chuckled.

Then everything clicked; Why the Louds were here, how Lacy new them and why Jonathan and Mary looked at me like they had lost something. My brain and my heart were working at different paces. Everything was fitting in like a perfect puzzle. It explained why I had such uncanny similarities with Jason and Mason and why my hair colour matched Mary's and my eye colour match Jonathan's. Everything made sense now. Everything.

"What? How? What?" I asked, confused, my head spinning slightly.

Lacy jumped up. "Come sit down sweetie, you're pale." She guided me towards the spot where she was seated, right across the Louds. "I know this must be a lot to process, but they'll explain everything to you." Lacy comforted, she turned towards the fosters. "Why don't we give them some space so they can get acquainted?" She asked them. They stoop up a bit reluctantly and shot me a glare, following her out of the room.

The three of us sat in utter silence, not saying anything. How did they find me? How was it possible that I was sitting here in front of my birth parents? The people that left me when I was four years old. When that thought crossed my mind, I glared at the ground.

Mary was the first one to break the silence. "You seem upset." She noted.

"Really, what gave it away?" I asked, sarcasm lacing every word.

'Be nice!' Lilly scolded, and I wanted to roll my eyes.

Jonathan smirked. "Definitely not the look on your face." A ghost of a smile spread over my face.

Mary groaned and rubbed forehead. "This is precisely what I feared." She turned towards Jonathan. "All of the kids are as sarcastic as your smug ass." She playfully glared at him.

It was cute the way they acted with each other. My heart broke at that; I wished I had the chance to experience it since I was little. Why did they keep Jason and Mason but not me?

Jonathan winked at her and turned serious. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions, Autumn, and we would love to answer each and everyone." he smiled, his eyes softening.

I had so many questions until I remembered the story Jason told me of how their sister disappeared, and since these are Jason and Mason's parents, I'm the missing sister. That made me feel a lot better.

I shook my head. "Not really."

They looked at me, confused. "You aren't wondering how you went missing?" Mary asked, rubbing her hands up and down her jeans. It was clearly a sore subject.

Now that I noticed her hands, I realized how casual they were dressed. Mary wore a simple blue shirt with jeans and pumps, while Jonathan was wearing a pair of jeans with a long-sleeved black shirt and boots.

"No, I already know the story. Jason and Mason told me about their sister and how they lost her, and since I'm her, no need for more explanation."

They shook their heads, agreeing and we sat in silence once again. This was honestly very awkward.

"This is awkward," Mary mumbled making me chuckle.

"Then stop making it so. You haven't seen me for thirteen years, and you don't ask me questions, but the first time we met you guys couldn't stop talking." I pointed out. It made sense now why they were acting strange that day and what Amanda was trying to say had probably something to do with this.

Jonathan glared at Mary. "She's blunt like you!" He exclaimed. Mary rolled her eyes.

Mary and I answered him at the same time. "It's not blunt, it's called being honest."

I smiled at that and looked down at my shoes. I looked up through my lashes and found Jonathan smiling at Mary and me.

"Before we go on, would you mind showing us your birthmark?" Mary asked, smiling.

"What birthmark?" I asked, pretending not to know. They both looked at each other shock and sadness concentrated all over their faces. That was probably a sign for them that I was their daughter.

I chuckled and stood up. "I was only joking."

I pulled my shirt up until under my breast, revealing my leaf-shaped birthmark. I was grateful for the fact that my bruises were not as visible as usual. The power of not being home that often so you can't get beaten up.

They both gasped and looked at the birthmark in awe and wonder. "It's really her, Jona," Mary exclaimed, happy tears rolling down her cheeks. "Just like the one on your butt cheek."

I chuckled and scrunched my nose with disgust. I didnt need to know that Jonathan had one on his butt.

I pulled my shirt back and sat down again. We stayed quiet for a bit, just taking everything in. Then it hit me again that Jason and Mason are my brothers and my heart broke.

"They're going to hate me!" I gasped.

Mary scrunched her nose, confusion written all over her face. "Who, Honey?"

"Jason and Mason."

Jonathan chuckled, shooting down my absurd thoughts "Off course not, they'll be thrilled that it's you."

I looked down at my white painted nails and bit my lip. They were kidding themselves if they thought that the boys were going to accept this with open arms. I knew them well enough to know that this was going to feel like a stab in the back to them. They were going to blame me for keeping it from them. They werent going to accept it with open arms. I might lose two of my best friends.

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