A few hours later, Natalie took the kids out for the shopping trip she had told Taylor she was taking them out for. As a promise to the kids, they stopped at a coffee shop first where they got themselves a cup of hot chocolate and a doughnut, while she got herself a cup of coffee and a doughnut. Then they started their afternoon of shopping at the mall.
" Mom, can I get a new toy? I don't just want to shop for some new clothes, because that's boring." Ezra asked her, giving her a pleading look.
" Maybe. As long as you try on some stuff for me and don't complain, then I don't see why not." Natalie smiled at him, and looked at her other kids.
"You guy's can get one new toy too, but like I told him you have to not complain about the clothes shopping."
They grew excited at that idea, and asked to go pick out their toys right away. But she put her foot down and said they were looking at clothes first or the toys wouldn't happen at all. They quieted down, and followed her into a clothes store.
While they were trying on some new stuff, they ran into her other sister in law Nikki, who was there with her two boys doing some shopping as well. Clarke and Monroe came running up to her to give her hugs.
She hugged them back, and kissed them on the cheek. " Hey guys. How are you two doing today?"
They smiled up at her. " Good."
Nikki smiled at her. " It looks like we had the same idea." She hugged her nieces and nephews. " How was your night last night? You and Taylor have a good time?"
" It was amazing! I can't remember the last time we even had such a romantic evening together."
" That's great, Natalie. I'm happy for you."
The two of them walked together with their kids, and had them trying new things on. They even found some new clothes for themselves as well before going to the toy store, where they let the kids find one new thing each depending on the price. They weren't going to let them get anything that they didn't really need that costed a ton of money.
Afterwards, Natalie made one last stop on the way home from the mall. She stopped at the grocery store to pick up stuff for dinner, and got what she needed to make up lasagna and garlic bread.
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" Mommy, I'm bored. Can we please stop somewhere so I can get a new toy or something?" Christopher asked, with a pleading look on his face.
" You don't need any new toys, Christopher. You have your hand held video games and an ipod. That should be good enough for you to keep yourself entertained for the way to Oklahoma. We're not even that much further away." Ashley told him, looking at him through the rearview mirror.
" Mom is right. Just deal with what you've got." Arielle agreed, as she turned the page of a book she was reading.
" Stay out of it, Arielle. I asked mom, not you." Christopher looked from her to their mom. " Please. I promise I won't ask for anything else for awhile." He tried the sad puppy face on her.
" No. Now stop asking for a new toy, Christopher. I've made up my mind. Go back to playing with your games."
Arielle stuck her tongue out at her brother, who did the same and kicked the back of her seat. " Go back to your stupid book."
Ashley rolled her eyes, and pulled over to the side of the road. She looked from Arielle to Christopher. " Both of you stop it now. I am not in the mood to deal with you two fighting right now. Now Arielle, I understand you were just agreeing with me, but it is my business to deal with your brother, and not your's. Christopher, you do not kick the seat again or I will take your video games away from you. Got it?" She snapped at the both of them.
Arielle nodded. " I'm sorry, mom. I'll stay out of it from now on."
" I'm sorry too, mom." Christopher looked at her sadly. " I won't kick the seat anymore."
" Good. Now we're going to drive a bit more, and then we will stop for lunch. Until then, I don't want any complaints or distractions." She got back onto the road, and continued the drive to Tulsa.
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Taylor stopped at the gas station on his way home from the studio that night to fill up his car with gas, and got some munchies for himself and his kids for a little treat later on. The minute he stepped out of the station is when he saw her, and he stopped dead in his tracks. He hadn't seen Ashley in a very long time, not since her parents moved her away from him. Now here she was, and he was in shock to see her again. She still looked pretty much the same, just a bit older.
She finally saw him a moment later, and she ran to give him a big hug. " Taylor, it's been way too long. I... I was hoping to run into you. I have so much to tell you."
" It's good to see you, Ashley. Your looking great." He smiled. " And I have a lot to tell you too. But I actually have to get home. It's been a long day, and I'm ready to just relax."
" Alright. Well, I will just give you my cell phone number and we can get together when you have some free time." She got out a piece of paper and a pen, writing her number down and giving it to him. " I'm moving back into town, so whenever is fine for me. Give me a call." She smiled back at him, and kissed him on the cheek.
" Yeah. I'll give you a call." He took it and gave her a small hug. " I'll see you soon, Ashley." He headed back to his car and got in, driving off a moment later.
When he got home, Ezra was setting the table as Natalie was just taking dinner out of the oven. He set the bag of goodies on the counter, and kissed her on the lips. She kissed him back. " Hey honey. How were things in the studio?" She asked him.
" Great. We laid down a couple of tracks." He told her. " And I ran into an ex of mine at the gas station. I've told you about her before. Her name is Ashley."
Natalie looked at him when she heard the name. He had in fact told her about Ashley, and she knew they had quite the history. Especially a baby they almost had together, before Ashley was forced to move away and give it up. But she knew they had planned to run away together as well before that happened.
Taylor saw the look of worry on her face, and hugged her. " It's okay, sweetheart. You have nothing to worry about. She... she is moving back into town, but you know you are the only one for me, right?"
" I guess. It's just... I know you guys were two teenagers who felt they were so strongly in love with each other, and I... I don't know if I can compete with that."
" There is no need to compete, Natalie. I love you and only you. You and our kids are the only thing that I need." He kissed her again. " I promise you."
She kissed him back, and hugged him. " I love you so much."
" Mom, can I get a new toy? I don't just want to shop for some new clothes, because that's boring." Ezra asked her, giving her a pleading look.
" Maybe. As long as you try on some stuff for me and don't complain, then I don't see why not." Natalie smiled at him, and looked at her other kids.
"You guy's can get one new toy too, but like I told him you have to not complain about the clothes shopping."
They grew excited at that idea, and asked to go pick out their toys right away. But she put her foot down and said they were looking at clothes first or the toys wouldn't happen at all. They quieted down, and followed her into a clothes store.
While they were trying on some new stuff, they ran into her other sister in law Nikki, who was there with her two boys doing some shopping as well. Clarke and Monroe came running up to her to give her hugs.
She hugged them back, and kissed them on the cheek. " Hey guys. How are you two doing today?"
They smiled up at her. " Good."
Nikki smiled at her. " It looks like we had the same idea." She hugged her nieces and nephews. " How was your night last night? You and Taylor have a good time?"
" It was amazing! I can't remember the last time we even had such a romantic evening together."
" That's great, Natalie. I'm happy for you."
The two of them walked together with their kids, and had them trying new things on. They even found some new clothes for themselves as well before going to the toy store, where they let the kids find one new thing each depending on the price. They weren't going to let them get anything that they didn't really need that costed a ton of money.
Afterwards, Natalie made one last stop on the way home from the mall. She stopped at the grocery store to pick up stuff for dinner, and got what she needed to make up lasagna and garlic bread.
____________________________________
" Mommy, I'm bored. Can we please stop somewhere so I can get a new toy or something?" Christopher asked, with a pleading look on his face.
" You don't need any new toys, Christopher. You have your hand held video games and an ipod. That should be good enough for you to keep yourself entertained for the way to Oklahoma. We're not even that much further away." Ashley told him, looking at him through the rearview mirror.
" Mom is right. Just deal with what you've got." Arielle agreed, as she turned the page of a book she was reading.
" Stay out of it, Arielle. I asked mom, not you." Christopher looked from her to their mom. " Please. I promise I won't ask for anything else for awhile." He tried the sad puppy face on her.
" No. Now stop asking for a new toy, Christopher. I've made up my mind. Go back to playing with your games."
Arielle stuck her tongue out at her brother, who did the same and kicked the back of her seat. " Go back to your stupid book."
Ashley rolled her eyes, and pulled over to the side of the road. She looked from Arielle to Christopher. " Both of you stop it now. I am not in the mood to deal with you two fighting right now. Now Arielle, I understand you were just agreeing with me, but it is my business to deal with your brother, and not your's. Christopher, you do not kick the seat again or I will take your video games away from you. Got it?" She snapped at the both of them.
Arielle nodded. " I'm sorry, mom. I'll stay out of it from now on."
" I'm sorry too, mom." Christopher looked at her sadly. " I won't kick the seat anymore."
" Good. Now we're going to drive a bit more, and then we will stop for lunch. Until then, I don't want any complaints or distractions." She got back onto the road, and continued the drive to Tulsa.
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Taylor stopped at the gas station on his way home from the studio that night to fill up his car with gas, and got some munchies for himself and his kids for a little treat later on. The minute he stepped out of the station is when he saw her, and he stopped dead in his tracks. He hadn't seen Ashley in a very long time, not since her parents moved her away from him. Now here she was, and he was in shock to see her again. She still looked pretty much the same, just a bit older.
She finally saw him a moment later, and she ran to give him a big hug. " Taylor, it's been way too long. I... I was hoping to run into you. I have so much to tell you."
" It's good to see you, Ashley. Your looking great." He smiled. " And I have a lot to tell you too. But I actually have to get home. It's been a long day, and I'm ready to just relax."
" Alright. Well, I will just give you my cell phone number and we can get together when you have some free time." She got out a piece of paper and a pen, writing her number down and giving it to him. " I'm moving back into town, so whenever is fine for me. Give me a call." She smiled back at him, and kissed him on the cheek.
" Yeah. I'll give you a call." He took it and gave her a small hug. " I'll see you soon, Ashley." He headed back to his car and got in, driving off a moment later.
When he got home, Ezra was setting the table as Natalie was just taking dinner out of the oven. He set the bag of goodies on the counter, and kissed her on the lips. She kissed him back. " Hey honey. How were things in the studio?" She asked him.
" Great. We laid down a couple of tracks." He told her. " And I ran into an ex of mine at the gas station. I've told you about her before. Her name is Ashley."
Natalie looked at him when she heard the name. He had in fact told her about Ashley, and she knew they had quite the history. Especially a baby they almost had together, before Ashley was forced to move away and give it up. But she knew they had planned to run away together as well before that happened.
Taylor saw the look of worry on her face, and hugged her. " It's okay, sweetheart. You have nothing to worry about. She... she is moving back into town, but you know you are the only one for me, right?"
" I guess. It's just... I know you guys were two teenagers who felt they were so strongly in love with each other, and I... I don't know if I can compete with that."
" There is no need to compete, Natalie. I love you and only you. You and our kids are the only thing that I need." He kissed her again. " I promise you."
She kissed him back, and hugged him. " I love you so much."