My Girls| a.i.

two

I follow the duo into the small but cozy house, the wooden door opening into a living room full of assorted toys and dolls strewn across the carpet and the couch.

"Sorry for the mess, I wasn't expecting anyone," Ashton says quietly, an embarrassed blush rising on his cheeks as he looks at the messy room.

"Don't worry about it. My room looks just like this but it has clothes everywhere instead of toys." I explain, a small grin forming on his face to relieve the embarrassment that had filled his features.

"Okay, so everything you should need in the way of emergency contact is on the list on the fridge. It has my cell number, my mom's number, and it also has the number for the pediatrician." He tells me, pulling off his jacket and offering a hand to take mine before placing the both of them in the closet. He kneels down, retrieving Maisie's discarded coat, mittens, and hat before placing them on the lower hook in the closet.

"Everything in the cabinet and fridge is fair game, feel free to eat whatever you want." He tells me as he guides me into the kitchen, pointing out the cabinet full of snacks and pointing towards the stainless steel fridge in the corner of the room.

He glances down at his watch before looking back to me. "We usually eat 5:30 or 6, and its 3:45 now. I have absolutely no idea how long Luke is going to need me. Knowing him he'll wrangle me into helping him plan out the proposal and buy clothes for it so I probably won't be back until later on tonight." He explains, rambling on slightly before catching it and stopping himself.

"Maisie, c'mere!" Ashton yells, the light pitter patter of her feet growing louder as she rushes into the kitchen, sliding across the floor in her little fuzzy socks. "Elsie is going to hang out with you tonight while I go help Uncle Luke. I need you to be good for her and listen to what she tells you, okay?" He asks, kneeling down so that he is level with her.

"I be good," She reassures him, giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek before running out of the kitchen and back into the living room.

"She's got some speed," I say with a laugh, Ashton's head nodding in agreement as he lets out a laugh. "I'm constantly chasing after her," He adds, beckoning for me to follow him upstairs.

"This is my room," He says pointing at the closed door immediately at the top of the stairs. "Her bathroom is right here and her room is the door at the end of the hall." He explains, gesturing to the other two doors in the hallway.

"Her bedtime is at 8, don't let her try to tell you anything differently. She's known for doing that." He tells me with a giggle. "If you have time to give her a bath that would be wonderful but if you don't, it's not a big deal." He tells me as we walk towards her room. He opens the door, revealing a good sized room with white walls, butterfly and flower appliques decorating the walls and glow in the dark stars stuck onto the expanse of the ceiling.

"Before bed she likes to listen to a story. She can pick one off her shelf for you to read." He walks towards the one wall lined with two large bookshelves; pictures, books, and toys filling the many shelves.

"Does she have anything she needs while she sleeps, like does she have a nightlight or music she likes to have on while she sleeps?" I ask, his head nodding immediately in remembrance at my words.

"She always have to have her nightlight on and if she wants music she can pick one of nighttime CDs that's next to her player." Ashton explains as he points out both the nightlight and the CD player.

"Okay, I think I got everything covered but if you need anything just give me a call." He tells me, running a hand through his curls briefly. "I'm going to go change my shirt quickly but you can head on down if you want." I nod in response, following him out of the room and walking down the stairs as he walks into his room.

I wander into the living room, finding Maisie in the center of the carpet, a green tutu adorning her hips and a crown made of multicolored flowers entangled in her curls as she babbles quietly with the stuffed animals surrounding her.

"Watcha up to?" I ask quietly, her head shooting up at me at my words. I slip my shoes off and place them by the couch before walking over and sitting down next to the little girl.

"You play tea party wiff me?" She asks, handing me a small plastic cup before shoving a tiara onto my head without waiting for my response. "You da queen, I da princess, dese da other people." She informs me, pretending to pour tea into my glass before filling the glasses of the assorted animals sitting in a circle with us.

I hear Ashton coming down the stairs a few moments later, his footsteps leading into the kitchen before he pops onto the living room. "I put some money for dinner on the table with some carry out menus. Maisie likes pretty much everything so feel free to order whatever you want. And one more thing, could I get your number in case I need to call you?" He asks with a wide grin, his tone indicating he wants the number not just because I happen to be babysitting his daughter.

I let out a laugh but do give him my number; his hazel eyes locked intensely onto the screen of his phone as he adds my contact. "Okay, goodbye Mais. I love you darling." He tells her, her little body rushing into a standing position before she throws herself at her daddy, hugging his legs tightly. "Be good," He reminds her quietly before leaning down to press a kiss onto her forehead, taking the time to whisper something in her ear which she immediately looks at me and giggles at.

"What?" I ask mock defensively, widening my eyes and sticking out my tongue at the two grinning people looking at me. "Nuffing." Maisie tells me with a giggle, skipping back towards me.

"I'll let you know when I'm on my way home, Elsie. And thank you so much." Ashton tells me more seriously before grapping his coat and walking down the hallway and out of the house, closing the door behind him.

I turn my gaze back to Maisie, her mossy green eyes already locked onto mine. "Now what?" I ask the toddler, an intense bout of nervousness settling into my body as the reality of what has happened in the past hour sets in.
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Chapter two!! I hope you guys are liking the book so far, let me know what you think of it if you want! I hope your day went well, mine was gross cause of midterms but after tomorrow they'll be over thank god.
Love you guys!
-Eryn xx