When Ashley had left town, she had gone home to her mom's in Colorado. Her
dad had died a couple of years ago, so she lived on her own. She knew her mom
would tell her that she told her so, and that she would hear it over and over
again. But it was better than being alone. She hadn't however expected her mom
to scream at her the way she did. The moment she showed up without Christopher
was when it began. Even after a month had passed, she was still hearing about
it.
" Mom, will you stop with the yelling? I'm not cut out to be a mother! I
never was, or it would have worked out the way I planned it to." She screamed
back at her.
" You can't always expect things to go your way, Ashley! Things happen, and
you have to make it work the best you can." Her mom screamed at her.
" I can't protect Christopher from his dad the way Taylor can. He has
security around him half the time! Not to mention he has Arielle to look out
after him."
" How do you even know that he is with Taylor? He could be with some stranger
in a way worse situation. Now get your butt back there and bring him home."
" I can't go back there, mom. You don't understand! They all see me as
nothing but trouble, and they are right. Because if I had my way, I would have
Taylor."
Rolling her eyes, her mom let out a sigh. " I will never understand your
obsession with him. But if you really love him, then fight for him. Go back
there and prove them all wrong. Just be who you were when you were first with
him. Take your time and show him that you are the same person you were
then."
Ashley walked out of the room, and thought about it. She did miss Christopher
and Arielle so much, but she didn't think they would want to see her after
leaving them behind. On the other hand, if she went back and tried hard enough,
she wondered if in time she could win Taylor back. Maybe her mom had a point.
She had to act more grown up, and give it enough time.
Packing up her things, she said goodbye to her mom and left for Oklahoma once
again.
______________________________________________
" Pull in here and let's do this, Arielle. I think you are more than ready
for this." Natalie pointed to the parking lot in which to go.
" I hope your right." Arielle pulled in and parked next to a truck.
For the last few days, Arielle had been taking driving lessons from Natalie,
and going over study notes for the written test. It had been agreed on that it
was time for her to get her license. They didn't want her to count on them to
get a ride wherever she wanted to go, especially since they were sometimes too
busy to do so.
" You'll be fine. I promise. You have studied hard for this, and you are a
great driver. You really are."
Arielle smiled, and hugged you. " Thank you."
Getting out of the car, they went inside and she took the written part of the
test. She took her time and went through each question carefully. She passed it
no problem at all, and went on to take the actual driving test while Natalie
found a seat, and took out her phone to text Kate.
She got through the written test, she texted to her
happily.
That is awesome. You are doing so great with her Natalie. I am proud of
you for stepping up and taking her in. Kate texted back.
Natalie smiled. She makes it easy. Her mother raised her into a wonderful
young woman. It's just too bad she took off the way she did.
It really is. She is wasting precious time with her kids.
Before Natalie could text back, she saw that familiar face walk into the
building. Ahsley came up to her, and smiled. " Hi Natalie. I'm guessing you are
here with my daughter?"
Natalie looked at her, giving her a nasty look. " As if you haven't been
following us. You know I am."
" Look, I can totally understand why you..."
" Why I hate you?" Natalie interrupted her. " I hate you with a passion,
Ashley. You took off and left your kids behind, and especially when Arielle
needed you most. You don't deserve to be a part of her life, or
Christopher's."
Ashley manage to keep her cool, although what Natalie said pissed her off. "
I can't even imagine they want me in their lives at this moment. But I am back,
and I'm going to be a better mother to them."
" Just go back to where you came from, Ashley. They don't need you when they
have us." Natalie snapped at her.
They continued to go back and forth like that, with Ashley trying to convince
her that she had changed. When Arielle got back from the driving test, she
paused for a second in the doorway when she saw her mom. Then she ran up to
Natalie, and gave her a big hug. " I passed it." She said happily. " You were
right, Natalie."
" I am so happy for you, Arielle! Not too many people pass the first time
around." Natalie smiled and hugged her back.
" Let's get my paper license and get out of here. I want to celebrate." She
ignored her mom, who stood there trying to get her attention.
" We'll stop for some ice cream and cake. How does that sound?" Natalie
walked past Ashley, and up to the counter with Arielle.
" Sounds great!" Arielle smiled, continuing to ignore her mother.
_________________________________________
" Christopher, that is enough. I want you upstairs now, and I want you to
stay there until I call you down. If you take one step out of that bedroom, I
swear I will..."
" What? You'll hit me? If you do that I will call the police!" Christopher
screamed at Isaac, interrupting him.
" I wasn't going to say that, Christopher. I would never hit you in a million
years. But you are really pissing me off right now." Isaac snapped. "I asked you
more than once to leave Monroe and Everett alone while they watched their shows.
You had the chance to watch tv earlier, and instead you picked to play that
gameboy of yours."
Christopher had been whining and complaining as Everett and Monroe watched
cartoon's together. As if that wasn't enough, he then decided to switch the
channels on them. When that didn't work to get the tv away from them, he started
to tease them for what they were watching.
" That's not fair. I should be able to watch tv whenever I want to." He
whined.
" It does not work that way in this house. We share the tv, and right now it
is their turn. Now get upstairs!"
Isaac and Nikki were on their own with the kids right now. Zac and Kate were
out on a lunch date, trying to get some time alone. However, Nikki had gone to a
doctor's appointment and he was at the moment watching all of them himself. It
wasn't easy though to handle them. Especially with Christopher around.
Christopher stormed up the stairs and slammed the door upstairs behind him.
Isaac started up the stairs to yell at him some more, but changed his mind. He
was too mad, and didn't want to do or say anything that he may regret.
As he waited for Nikki to come home, he sat on the living room floor with
Junia and played with her. She giggled as he tickled her, and they wrestled
around until the front door did open. He looked up at his wife, who was smiling
at them. " Hey honey. I am so glad your home."
" Having a rough time with Christopher?" She asked, walking up to them and
sitting down on the floor.
He kissed her. " Yeah. He threw a complete fit about not being able to watch
tv when he wanted to, and started teasing the boys. Then he slammed the bedroom
door when I told him to go upstairs and stay there until I came and got
him."
She kissed him back, and hugged him. " Well, I may have some news that might
cheer you up."
" Really?" He kissed her again, and looked into her eyes. " I can't wait to
hear this."
With a smile on her face, she gave him the big news. " It looks like there
will be two babies being born into the family, honey. Not just the one that
Arielle is having, but... our own. The doctor told me I'm pregnant."
He looked at her in surprise, and smiled. Wrapping his arms around her, he
kissed her yet again. " That is the best news ever!"
" I think... we either need to look into a bigger house, or find Zac and Kate
a new one. Especially with Christopher. It would be too tough to deal with a new
baby and him." She told him.
He nodded. " I couldn't agree more."
dad had died a couple of years ago, so she lived on her own. She knew her mom
would tell her that she told her so, and that she would hear it over and over
again. But it was better than being alone. She hadn't however expected her mom
to scream at her the way she did. The moment she showed up without Christopher
was when it began. Even after a month had passed, she was still hearing about
it.
" Mom, will you stop with the yelling? I'm not cut out to be a mother! I
never was, or it would have worked out the way I planned it to." She screamed
back at her.
" You can't always expect things to go your way, Ashley! Things happen, and
you have to make it work the best you can." Her mom screamed at her.
" I can't protect Christopher from his dad the way Taylor can. He has
security around him half the time! Not to mention he has Arielle to look out
after him."
" How do you even know that he is with Taylor? He could be with some stranger
in a way worse situation. Now get your butt back there and bring him home."
" I can't go back there, mom. You don't understand! They all see me as
nothing but trouble, and they are right. Because if I had my way, I would have
Taylor."
Rolling her eyes, her mom let out a sigh. " I will never understand your
obsession with him. But if you really love him, then fight for him. Go back
there and prove them all wrong. Just be who you were when you were first with
him. Take your time and show him that you are the same person you were
then."
Ashley walked out of the room, and thought about it. She did miss Christopher
and Arielle so much, but she didn't think they would want to see her after
leaving them behind. On the other hand, if she went back and tried hard enough,
she wondered if in time she could win Taylor back. Maybe her mom had a point.
She had to act more grown up, and give it enough time.
Packing up her things, she said goodbye to her mom and left for Oklahoma once
again.
______________________________________________
" Pull in here and let's do this, Arielle. I think you are more than ready
for this." Natalie pointed to the parking lot in which to go.
" I hope your right." Arielle pulled in and parked next to a truck.
For the last few days, Arielle had been taking driving lessons from Natalie,
and going over study notes for the written test. It had been agreed on that it
was time for her to get her license. They didn't want her to count on them to
get a ride wherever she wanted to go, especially since they were sometimes too
busy to do so.
" You'll be fine. I promise. You have studied hard for this, and you are a
great driver. You really are."
Arielle smiled, and hugged you. " Thank you."
Getting out of the car, they went inside and she took the written part of the
test. She took her time and went through each question carefully. She passed it
no problem at all, and went on to take the actual driving test while Natalie
found a seat, and took out her phone to text Kate.
She got through the written test, she texted to her
happily.
That is awesome. You are doing so great with her Natalie. I am proud of
you for stepping up and taking her in. Kate texted back.
Natalie smiled. She makes it easy. Her mother raised her into a wonderful
young woman. It's just too bad she took off the way she did.
It really is. She is wasting precious time with her kids.
Before Natalie could text back, she saw that familiar face walk into the
building. Ahsley came up to her, and smiled. " Hi Natalie. I'm guessing you are
here with my daughter?"
Natalie looked at her, giving her a nasty look. " As if you haven't been
following us. You know I am."
" Look, I can totally understand why you..."
" Why I hate you?" Natalie interrupted her. " I hate you with a passion,
Ashley. You took off and left your kids behind, and especially when Arielle
needed you most. You don't deserve to be a part of her life, or
Christopher's."
Ashley manage to keep her cool, although what Natalie said pissed her off. "
I can't even imagine they want me in their lives at this moment. But I am back,
and I'm going to be a better mother to them."
" Just go back to where you came from, Ashley. They don't need you when they
have us." Natalie snapped at her.
They continued to go back and forth like that, with Ashley trying to convince
her that she had changed. When Arielle got back from the driving test, she
paused for a second in the doorway when she saw her mom. Then she ran up to
Natalie, and gave her a big hug. " I passed it." She said happily. " You were
right, Natalie."
" I am so happy for you, Arielle! Not too many people pass the first time
around." Natalie smiled and hugged her back.
" Let's get my paper license and get out of here. I want to celebrate." She
ignored her mom, who stood there trying to get her attention.
" We'll stop for some ice cream and cake. How does that sound?" Natalie
walked past Ashley, and up to the counter with Arielle.
" Sounds great!" Arielle smiled, continuing to ignore her mother.
_________________________________________
" Christopher, that is enough. I want you upstairs now, and I want you to
stay there until I call you down. If you take one step out of that bedroom, I
swear I will..."
" What? You'll hit me? If you do that I will call the police!" Christopher
screamed at Isaac, interrupting him.
" I wasn't going to say that, Christopher. I would never hit you in a million
years. But you are really pissing me off right now." Isaac snapped. "I asked you
more than once to leave Monroe and Everett alone while they watched their shows.
You had the chance to watch tv earlier, and instead you picked to play that
gameboy of yours."
Christopher had been whining and complaining as Everett and Monroe watched
cartoon's together. As if that wasn't enough, he then decided to switch the
channels on them. When that didn't work to get the tv away from them, he started
to tease them for what they were watching.
" That's not fair. I should be able to watch tv whenever I want to." He
whined.
" It does not work that way in this house. We share the tv, and right now it
is their turn. Now get upstairs!"
Isaac and Nikki were on their own with the kids right now. Zac and Kate were
out on a lunch date, trying to get some time alone. However, Nikki had gone to a
doctor's appointment and he was at the moment watching all of them himself. It
wasn't easy though to handle them. Especially with Christopher around.
Christopher stormed up the stairs and slammed the door upstairs behind him.
Isaac started up the stairs to yell at him some more, but changed his mind. He
was too mad, and didn't want to do or say anything that he may regret.
As he waited for Nikki to come home, he sat on the living room floor with
Junia and played with her. She giggled as he tickled her, and they wrestled
around until the front door did open. He looked up at his wife, who was smiling
at them. " Hey honey. I am so glad your home."
" Having a rough time with Christopher?" She asked, walking up to them and
sitting down on the floor.
He kissed her. " Yeah. He threw a complete fit about not being able to watch
tv when he wanted to, and started teasing the boys. Then he slammed the bedroom
door when I told him to go upstairs and stay there until I came and got
him."
She kissed him back, and hugged him. " Well, I may have some news that might
cheer you up."
" Really?" He kissed her again, and looked into her eyes. " I can't wait to
hear this."
With a smile on her face, she gave him the big news. " It looks like there
will be two babies being born into the family, honey. Not just the one that
Arielle is having, but... our own. The doctor told me I'm pregnant."
He looked at her in surprise, and smiled. Wrapping his arms around her, he
kissed her yet again. " That is the best news ever!"
" I think... we either need to look into a bigger house, or find Zac and Kate
a new one. Especially with Christopher. It would be too tough to deal with a new
baby and him." She told him.
He nodded. " I couldn't agree more."