Daddy's Home - Sequel to My Daddy || Ashton Irwin

Chapter 18 -

I say goodbye to the four boys and Maggie and Paula, slipping into my dorm room while managing to push Mouse away from the door. The enormous dog jumps up, nearly knocking me over, his tongue finding my cheeks. "Oh, god, Mouse," I groan, not being able to subside a giggle.

I stand up straight walking to my bed and plopping down, and patting the space beside me. Mouse leaps up, laying down beside me. I sigh, smoothing down his fur.

I stand up, motioning for him to stay there while I walk to my dresser, pulling out a pair of shorts and a tank top. I change into them, discarding my clothing into a hamper, and falling back into place beside Mouse.

I hear my phone buzz on my bedside table and I flip over, quickly grabbing it up and staring at the screen. It's a text from Ashton, letting me know he'll pick up condoms after class tomorrow. I roll my eyes, laughing quietly.

I put it back down, making sure to set an alarm for the morning, and smiling as Mouse curls up beside me. I absolutely love having Mouse here, but it's awfully stressful. Calum and I take turns sneaking him out for a potty break, and being terrified of random room searches is troubling. It's only been around a week since we adopted him but I'm already wondering if it truly was the right choice.

I shake my head, ridding my head of the thoughts as I place my arm across his body, closing my eyes.

-

The next morning my alarm goes off, and I check my phone first for any new notifications. There's one from my mother, telling me she'll be here in the evening. I crawl out of bed and hurriedly shower and change into fresh clothing, pulling my wet hair up into a ponytail.

I grab my bag and sling it over my shoulder, waking up Mouse so I can bring him over to Calum's dorm. Michael answers the door and I can instantly tell he's hungover.

"Hey, Michael," I greet him, my voice purposely louder. I laugh when he winces, glaring at me. "This is why we make responsible choices," I scold him, frowning. "Now let me in, I have a dog."

Michael opens the door wider and I step through, glancing around. "Cal's in the shower," he tells me.

"Okay. Well, here's Mouse. I have to get to class." I kneel down, peppering a few kisses to his head. "Later, Mikey." I rush out of their dorm, jogging down to the building's shared kitchen. I have fifteen minutes so I make coffee and pour myself a cup, sitting down at the table to enjoy it. I glance over when I hear footsteps approaching, mentally cringing when Shawn comes up.

He grins at me, not hesitating to pour a cup of the coffee I made. He sips, sitting down across from me. "You make good coffee," he compliments, nodding.

"Thanks," I murmur, forcing a smile.

"So..." he starts, his cheeks reddening a shade. "I was thinking for our next date-"

I cut him off. "Actually, Shawn, I can't date you." I decide to just come right out and say it--rip off the bandage is what they always say, right? I'd feel awful for leading him on anyways. "Something came up.. but I don't want to get into it. Look, you're a great guy, and I'd love to stay friends."

"Ah," he sighs, frowning as he looks down. "The whole 'stay friends' thing, such a classic."

"No, really!" I say, shaking my head. "I would really, really like to stay friends. I know everyone says that but I mean it."

"If you say so," he tells me, smiling softly. "Is it something I did?"

"No," I answer. "You're great. I told you, something happened and I'm not available right now." I glance at the clock planted on the wall and huff as I stand up, taking my last drink of coffee before tossing it into the trash. "I have to get to class, I'm sorry."

I don't wait to hear his response before I walk away, taking a deep breath of the fresh air when I step outside. I could hardly breathe when I was talking to Shawn. I feel bad for letting him down, but I'd feel even worse for leading him on.

-

Class goes by dreadfully slow but I manage to make it through the day. I decide to stop by Ashton's dorm on the way to mine, just to check if he's back. Luckily, he is.

"Ella," he says as he pulls open the door, grinning immediately. "Come in." He holds the door open wide, stepping back to allow me through.

"Thanks," I say, sitting down at his desk. "I can't really stay long, my mom's due soon and I have a shit ton of homework, but I wanted to see you."

"I'm glad," he murmurs, sitting down on his bed. "Your mom's coming?"

"Yeah," I chuckle. "We got in a fight the last time I saw her, since she," I pause, remembering I never told anyone I'm seeing a therapist. "Well, never mind. But it'll be nice to see her."

"Does she know about us?" He asks, more nervous.

I nod slowly, shrugging my shoulders. "Kind of. She knows about what happened before, to a certain length, but she doesn't know we've been talking lately."

He nods. "Alright."

"No need to worry, Irwin," I tease lightly, standing up. "Anyways, I'm going back to my dorm. I'm going to try and catch up on some homework before my mother arrives."

I nearly walk out right then and there, but then I wait and kiss him goodbye, jogging out before he can talk any further. I pull out my dorm key, sticking it into the lock and twisting it. But when I try the door it's now locked, which means it was unlocked before. I distinctly remember locking it this morning, or did I not?

I sigh, trying it again and succeeding. I push into the room, my eyebrows furrowing at the sight in front of me.

My mother's here.

But so is Maggie.

-