Outlaw Eyes (a Ashley Purdy Love story)

Chapter 46

When Ashley found Scarlett’s room, he found her asleep on the bed, passed out from exhaustion proberly.

He smirked, she looked so innocent when she was asleep – like a real angel that had crashed onto the bed-he couldn’t resist walking up to her and stroking her soft crimson locks for what seemed an eternity but was actually only mere moments. This was a privilege only he had.

“Ashley” he heard her moan in a sleepy voice as she moved a little under his touch and the spell was broken; Scarlett looked up at him and smiled “Hi”

“Hi” Ashley returned the smile, bending down to kiss her and brushing a loose red hair from her eyes “how you feeling?”

“Sore” she admitted, using her arms to hold herself up “Nothing I’m not used to”

Ashley holding her in his arms to support her better “You’re allowed to be, you just gave birth”

Scarlett burying her head in his chest “I can’t believe I accepted a proposal as well”

“I can’t believe I actually proposed” Ashley chuckled to himself a bit “but looks like we’re in it for the long haul now”

“Still got the ring?” Scarlett asked, looking up at him “You wanna brand AP on me while we’re at it?”

Ashley laughed “no but I still have the ring” he dug into his pocket again to find the ring box and presented it to her again

“Get down on one knee, dummy” Scarlett laughed, shoving him off the bed

“ok, ok” Ashley laughed with her getting down on one knee again, taking a deep breath to get serious again “Scarlett Rose, will you marry me?”

“maybe…..” Scarlett trailed off as if she was thinking hard before bursting out with a smile “of course I will Ashley” her smile spreading to him as he slide the ring onto her finger then stood up to kiss her; both nearly on the verge of tears again from happiness as he hugged her close.

Scarlett whispered into his chest “How’s Marilyn?”

“She’s so small” Ashley replied remembering his little girl tied up in the tube and hooked up to a machine being so fragile like a china doll “she reminds me of you though”

“Can you take me to see her later?” Scarlett asked; it killed her a little inside being so weak that she couldn’t have seen her own daughter after she had been born.

“Promise” Ashley smiled, holding her close – so close she could hear the calming sound of his heartbeat

The moment had to be interrupted by a piercing cry.

“Don’t cry don’t cry” Scarlett chanted; instinctively getting up and walking over to the plastic crib the nurses had put in the room. She picked up a squirming pink body, who had seemed to of calmed down straight away once in her arms, then walked back over to Ashley still sitting on the bed.

"Here’s your son Ash" she replied handing over the blue blanket baby into his arms; Ashley looked down at the baby in his arms.

He was so afraid that he could break like a flower: so delicate and fragile. Ashley peeked in it again, his heart beating quickly because there is still a part of him that didn't believe he's real, that something this new and this perfect could be trusted to him. But there he was, tiny and beautiful, breathing soundly, his hands clenched in minuscule fists. He looked like his tiny sister; they had his dark hair but their eyes were a special kind of blue, dark and bright, like Scarlett’s. Ashley was so happy they had her eyes.

"Hey Ace" he breathed in awe – he had never pictured this moment, himself as a father, himself as a husband, himself with a family beyond a band. This tiny miracle that just nine months ago was nothing and now was a living, breathing person, he realized that it didn't matter what he'd pictured. It didn't matter how he thought his life would turn out, because this moment here was perfect.