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

Chapter 19

"Mom?" I ask, my eyebrows raising as Maggie jumps away from my mother, her cheeks flushed, her lips swollen as they'd been pressed against my mom's just seconds before. "Oh my god," I murmur, shaking my head.

"Why--you--fuck!" I shriek, pointing at my mom as I drop my bag, closing the door behind me. Then I turn to Maggie. "And you! You're cheating on Bethany with my mother?"

Maggie rolls her eyes, shaking her head. "Your mom is Bethany."

"Honey, sit down. We can explain," my mother says quietly, patting the seat beside her.

"No, no," I mumble, beginning to pace in front of my bed. "This," I wave my hand between the two of them, "is an explanation enough."

"I'm sorry, Ella," Maggie sighs, glancing down  at her lap.

"How long?" I ask, narrowing my eyes. "How long have you two been seeing each other?"

"About a month after we left Australia," my mother says honestly.

"So nearly four years? You neglected to tell me you were in a lesbian relationship with one of my best friends for that long? God, mom. She's my age!"

"We didn't intend for it to happen!" Maggie pipes in. "Don't yell at your mom because of me. She was at your old house, picking up the last things and I stopped over. One thing led to another, and..."

"Stop there, please," I murmur. "I don't want to hear anymore. In fact, I gotta somewhere." I ignore the lump in my throat and bend to grab my bag. When I stand my mother jumps up, shaking her head. "Now, now. Don't overreact. Stay, we'll talk about this."

"Overreact? Mom, you started dating my best friend without thinking about how it would affect me. If you break up, it'll be awkward between her and I. If you stay together, she'll end up my fucking step-mom." I turn towards the door. "I'm going to get food."

-

Food doesn't hurt you or break your heart. It won't cheat on you or lie. Hell, it won't start dating your best friend.

Which is exactly what I start thinking in the parking lot of Walmart, with my tub of cookie dough ice cream and a slice of cheesecake. I begin digging into the ice cream with a plastic spoon, propping my legs up on the dashboard as I lean back and think.

They're happy, together, aren't they? And all I wanted since Australia was for my mother to have someone who makes her happy. But now that's she's found that someone, I'm starting to think twice. Does it really have to be my best friend?

I shake my head, sighing as I bring another spoonful to my mouth. No, the whole point of hiding out in the parking lot with food was to avoid thinking about this stuff. So I switch on the radio and start singing along, my voice muffled as my mouth is filled with ice cream.

My phone begins to ring, the radio nearly drowning the sound out but it's loud enough for me to hear it. I turn off the radio and answer the phone without looking at the caller ID, and mumble, "hello."

"Ella? Where'd you go?" It's Ashton.

"Something came up and I had to leave for a while. I'm just chilling at Walmart, I'm fine."

"Mhm, so what happened then?" He persists.

I sigh, shaking my head a little. "I walked in on my mom and, well, Maggie."

"Maggie?" Ashton asks, almost sounding like a gasp. "Holy shit, talk about drama."

"I know! I just didn't know what to think of it so I left," I say, shrugging. "Look, I'll probably be back in like twenty minutes. I'll see you then."

I hang up the phone and grab my ice cream container and plastic utensils, and hop out of the car, jogging over to a nearby trash can to toss it. Once I'm safe back inside my car I start it up and begin my way home.

Ashton's waiting outside the building when I pull into a parking space. He's leaning against the wall, sunglasses perched on his face as he looks down, scrolling through his phone. I take a moment to watch him, sighing over how adorable he looks.

"Hey," I say loudly, climbing out and slamming the car door behind me. "Why're you out here?"

He looks up, smiling when he sees me. He slips his phone into his pocket, walking towards me. I don't move out of the way when he leans forward, planting a quick kiss to my lips. "Figured I could walk you up," he says, shrugging.

"That's sweet," I murmur, locking the car. "Let's go then." He takes me hand and together we walk up to the dorms. I'm nervous about seeing my mother and Maggie again, but Ashton helps take my mind off it.

We stop outside my dorm and he moves down again, this time lingering longer on my lips. I smile, bringing my hand up to his cheek. "I wish you could come in... but my mom and Maggie probably beat us to it."

Ashton groans, pulling away. "I didn't need that vision in my head, Ella," he grumbles, and I laugh aloud. "I'll see you later though, I have work today."

"Can I drop you off?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Why?"

I shrug. "I just wanna see where you work."

He swallows, glancing away briefly. "Uh, maybe another time," he says quietly, giving me an awkward smile. "Besides, you should really talk to them." He gestures towards the door. "I'll see you later."

I nod, watching him walk away before heading in. My mother sits on the edge of the bed, her head propped on her hand as Maggie sits at my desk, standing up when I walk in.

"Okay, so how long has this been going on?" I ask. As much I don't want to know, I need to know.

"Ever since I went back, four years ago," my mother says softly, nodding her head firmly. "That's why I went back so many times, for 'business trips.'"

I nod slowly, fighting back the temptation to confront her about lying to me about that. "Okay, okay. And did you ever even consider telling me you two were a thing?" I say calmly, cocking an eyebrow as I sit down beside my mother.

"Of course we did!" Maggie pipes in. "I wanted to tell you so bad. But we both knew it'd hurt you."

"It hurts more knowing you held it back from me," I tell her, shaking my head. "Like, what the hell? Maggie is my age. We're best friends, mom."

"Don't bring that up again," my mother sighs, waving it away. "Darling, I'm in love. And we don't choose who we fall in love with, however inconvenient it may be for others."

I groan, hiding my face in my hands. "Mom, please go. I'll meet you for dinner later or something."

I hear my mother sigh and leave. Once I know she's gone, I look up, narrowing my eyes at Maggie. "And you, get the hell out, please."

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