✰ Ashland's POV: ✰
This was like a ticking time bomb. After throwing up the once amazing, delicious, and sacred dinner my mom made tonight, I decided it was more than likely time to go and take the pregnancy test.. This has to be the scariest moment of my whole entire life, and I've been through quite a bit in my twenty-four years of life. But that's enough talk about that, I just want these three minutes to hurry up and be over with. Ugh, what if it's positive? How in the hell will I keep a pregnancy and the test a secret?! This is already stressful and the test hasn't even given me an answer yet.
Tears were rolling down my cheeks, fear was creeping crazy fast into my mind and whole body, the worst three minutes of my life. Yeah, I haven't had my period yet, but sometimes it can be a little late because my period is never on time, but all of these symptoms so close and jumbled up together just doesn't set well with me.. At all..
Finally though, those dreadful and depressing three minutes were finished. Now's the time to see what lies ahead.. Me being me, I had ended up turning the stick around so that the results weren't facing me. The second that the right side was turned up, my heart sank and fell all the way into the low pit of my stomach.
*Two pink lines.. Positive*
No, no, no.. This was like, the worst case scenario. What am I going to do? Who do I tell? This will be one hell of a journey. A baby.. Inside of me? At this point, I'm not sure whether to cry over the fact that me and Jon had unprotected sex, or over the sole fact that now I'm carrying his baby..
Maybe, just maybe I might need to take another one, just to be absolute sure. I bought a "First Response" one, then a "Clearblue" one. Not sure what the difference is, but they seem to be the most purchased pregnancy tests on the market. And the most trusted ones too.. Man, I'm nervous. In the morning, I'll just take the "Clearblue" one. Give it a few hours to settle and whatnot.
There was a knock on the bathroom door. Fuck! The pregnancy test, need to hide the box, the test itself, and any other evidence that leads to the whole thing as a whole. Thank goodness though, I had brought my purse in the bathroom with me. It was my surefire way of covering up all my tracks of the newfound news that the white stick had just presented to me and my eyes.
"Uh, someone's in here!" I called out to the door-knocker.
"Baby girl, it's me. Your mama and daddy went to bed, and I was actually thinkin' of doin' the same. I've already unloaded all our bags and stuff, it's in your bedroom. You've been in there for like thirty minutes, you alright?" Jon asked softly, a wooden door being the only thing dividing us from one another.
Oh no, no, no! Of all people, J definitely can't know about this. Not for a long while. Maybe there's some miraculous way that I'll be able to hide the pregnancy for a while. Baggy clothes it is, not like I'd be complaining. I already wear baggy clothes anyway, just this time it'll be for nine whole months or however long it takes me to start showing.
My eyes darted to the mirror and what was in the reflection broke my heart. The way I'm letting this affect me and my emotions is ridiculous! We'll work this thing out, but then again, there is a possibility that this may cause some kind of trouble or something of that nature... Yeah, it's mine and Jon's fault, but at the same time, these things happen all the time. Becoming a mom is something that a lot of girls have in their mind to do before dying. That's been one of my dreams and wishes since the age of four. This isn't changing my mind on that. Nope, nada.
Shoving all the wrappers, boxes, trash, and the oh so sacred stick in my purse, I unlocked and opened the bathroom door, and looked up at Jon's tall figure, the only light shining on him was the one from the bathroom's ceiling light.
"Mmm, if we weren't at your parents' house right now, I'd rail you so hard into our mattress back at home.. You look so hot wearing that shirt. Don't get me started on those short shorts of yours.." He mumbled in my ear, kissing it gently.
Jon then noticed my sad and defeated look. Trust me, it was taking everything out of me to even stand there, much less gather any kind of energy to fake a smile and everything else. Tomorrow better be a whole lot better than today and tonight. All I'm really looking forward to now, is lying down in bed, embrace the feeling of being back in my old house and comfort zone, and clinging onto J while I catch z's. Or attempt to, anyway.
"I'm sorry for the dirty talk, it's true though. You do so much to me, baby girl. Why the long face?" Jon asked, genuinely concerned over me and my very present sadness.
"Umm, well, here's the thing.. I am just, uh, tired," I kept stuttering through all my words.
"Come here and let ol' Jon make you feel better. Or at least, attempt to. All of our stuff is in your old bedroom. Your mama showed me where it was. I promise I wasn't being nosy or snooping through rooms," He laughed sheepishly.
I just giggled at his statement and grabbed ahold of his extended hand, and the two of us walked into my old bedroom. The second I had walked inside the bedroom, that nostalgic feeling entered inside of me, and it was a strong feeling. The room not only felt like how it did before, but it smelt like it, too. Some things do change, but some things don't, of course. This being one of them.
**the next morning**
Jon's alarm wouldn't quit going off and it was making my head hurt. Hurt ten times worse than what it already does. Yep, that's been yet another common thing I've been getting so far, morning and late night sickness, crazy mood swings, and the worst of it all; these shitty migraines. I'm not entirely sure why in the hell experiencing major headaches like the ones that have been happening, but taking some medicine and a hot shower always helps me out a ton.
I lightly kicked his leg to wake him up, but to no avail. Fuck, I am definitely not getting up out the bed just to shut off that damn alarm of his. Besides, what time even was it, anyway? I don't even recall going to bed last night. The only thing that's in my mind that happened last night was eating dinner, chatting with Jon, Bryson, and both my parents. Then after we were done with dinner, J, my mom, and me decided on watching one of my all time favorite movies, "The Parent Trap". But that's where things get foggy after a while. The only other events I can surefire remember that actually happened was that damned old pregnancy test.
Positive.. That's normally a good result. Something that some women would die and or kill to see on a white stick with the two lines. But for me, it's a nightmare.. What if J hates me because of our reckless thinking that night back in April..?
I'm not saying this to be rude, but he's just as responsible for this now newly growing baby in my womb just as I am.. But no doubt, there's so much fear in this situation. How the fuck will I be able to hide this pregnancy? See, all the big time celebrities are talented as hell with covering up and hiding their pregnancies, maybe that means if I pull some strings right, that could be the same case for me.
"Ow, fuck, why'd you kick me in the shin, baby girl? That hurt.." He groaned out in pain as he turned over to face me.
His eyes were barely open. Loose strands of brown locks were stuck to his forehead and temples. Damn, he was so cute. Yeah, he's cute all the time, but the way he looks right when he wakes up is hard to beat. And don't even get me started on how soft spoken his voice is and everything, just can't place my finger on exactly what it is that draws me into him even more right when he awakes from sleep.. Okay, I need to learn to tell myself mentally that enough is enough for now, sheesh.
I stretched lightly and told J why on earth I had to kick him. Oops..
"Sorry, babe, your alarm sound or whatever, it's loud. I know it's supposed to be so you'll wake up to it, but your heavy sleeping ass can sleep through absolutely anything, no doubt!" I laughed.
"Well, I'm sorry! My alarm always wakes me up, what are you talkin' 'bout?" Jon was quick to defend himself. In turn, making me laugh even more than before.
"You're so lame!" I giggled and snuggled my head in his neck, kissing on his neck a couple times.
"Baby, stop, we're at your parents' house.." He whispered softly to me while shaking his head. "I'm not lame, I am very fun and loveable!"
"Stop being so dramatic, I was just playing around with you! C'mon, don't be like that," I kept giggling.
"Okay, and? Nothing should ever stop you from something you really want to do.. But hey, that's just my opinion," I admitted, rubbing my hand up and down both his chest, and stomach.
"Fuck, keep doin' that.. That feels so good. I'm starting to just say fuck it, and we're about to do a little quickie or somethin'.." J replied, putting his hand on top of mine.
"Quickie? That's all you've got on the brain, my dude. I'm not entirely turning down your offer, however.." I whispered in his ear and moved my hand even lower down, teasing him a bit.
"You're so mean! That's not all that rests in my mind. But when it comes to you, I can't help it.." Jon admitted to me, his voice still as soft as could be.
The only thing that I was able to do was shake my head at that dude. Man, he's something else, but to be fair, he's my something else, and I love him so much for it. This is just one of the many things that makes me fall more and more in line with Jon. He's the cutest, I swear!
Obviously, there's nothing wrong with a little quickie every now and again, especially when it comes to my sweet and amazing boyfriend, but this morning was different.. Because the second he was about to get up and start it up for us, that ripple of sickness came upon me, and that meant if I didn't get to the bathroom immediately, I'd throw up everywhere. Which isn't a good thing, at all.
Without any hesitation, I practically jumped off the bed and ran into the bathroom that's down the hall, and thankfully made it to the toilet in time. I can't wait until this morning sickness stage passes on because it's getting old and rough rather quickly.
Jon followed suit and rushed into the bathroom as he looked at me with a perplexed look plastered on his face. His arms were around his chest and he waited for a second or two to speak, "Are you, uh, okay?"
"No, no I am not okay. I'm not feeling well, at all.." I groaned before throwing up once again. Jon then zoomed over behind me and pulled my hair back for me. That simple, sweet gesture made me and my heart melt.
"Damn, I'm so sorry, Mama. Why do you not feel good? Was it because of dinner last night? Are you gettin' sick?" He asked curiously.
I knew deep down what the real reason was for my sickness, but everything in my body was telling me to not tell him what the true reason. It'd just put a strain on our new, blossoming relationship, I don't want to fuck that up. Not this early on, anyway. Maybe hiding it is my best bet. Then I can drop the bombshell on him a while later instead of this early on. I'm still trying to figure out everything as I've just found out myself, there's so much that goes into this already..
"Umm, it must be the change of atmosphere and everything, my body and everything has to get used to it all. I could be wrong, I'm not entirely sure..." I lied, my heart breaking at the stupid lie that came out of my mouth.
But what broke me more was the fact that not only did I actually lie, but lied to my best friend slash boyfriend. You don't do that, that's not good- at all. So good going on my part. This is so difficult. I can't stress though, stress will kill the baby and that most certainly isn't good! Maybe a brisk walk down the pavement in the neighborhood is all it'll take to get my mind off things, maybe just for a little while.
Jon didn't say anything, but he smiled warmly, meaning that he understood, his arms directly draping around my waist. Soon though, he settled his lips to my ear and began mumbling lowly.
What he said was more than enough for the universe to tell me that he's my forever, one and only, and so much more. My life and career wouldn't really be anything if it weren't for J. He's helped me out with a lot both life wise and career wise, as well. I can only hope that he knows how much of an impact he's made on not only me, but others around him, too.
"I'm so proud of you, baby girl. I don't say it enough, but when it does get said, I mean it always. Things are rough right now with you being sick or whatever, but you'll get through this, because you are the strongest woman I've come to know and love. It's true!" He exclaimed happily yet softly before continuing on.
"I'm so excited for the rest of our lives with one another. I'm not a time traveler or anything by any means, but I like to think that you'll be in my future. On God, Ash, you're the one who should and hopefully will be standing right in front of me under a wedding arch, looking stunning as ever when the two of us get married. You're the one who I want to travel, see the world, and be hand-in-hand with for the rest of my life. Last but certainly not least, you're the one who I want to have little mini you and me's runnin' around with. But until then, you're the most amazing girlfriend. I love you like crazy, girl.."
Obviously, for me, I was racking my brain on what on earth I would say back to all of that. There's not enough words in the human dictionary to describe my love, adoration, and appreciation for that man. He's been there to see my ups in life, and he's also been there to see my downs in life. He's seen me at my best, and seen me at my worst. Both of which, J never ever left my side through anything.
In the back of my mind, there's this thought, and it tells me one thing often; the one who stays through anything and everything, loves you for who you are, lifts you and your spirits up, brightens your day, makes you smile and laugh until your sides are hurting, and tears are coming from your eyes, and is the one who makes you feel worthy of everything good in life, is in fact, your soulmate.
I live by that thought daily and constantly. It's something that keeps me from going insane when it comes to love. My soulmate truly is Jon and I'm not even the slightest bit mad about that.
"I love you like crazy, boy. You're the best thing to ever happen to me. You're the only one I'll ever need or want. Thank you for having my back through everything that I've endured since meeting you. There are times where I sit back and think to myself; how in the hell did someone like me get so lucky to know and love someone like you? I'm beyond lucky and blessed to have you in my life, Langa," I started to tear up at both Jon's words, and my own.
"Stop being so damn emotional, baby girl. Everything I said, however, I meant it all. Forever and always, Ash. You want anything to eat? I don't know if your mama or daddy is awake, but we can head to that one diner we passed by on the way here. What do ya say?" J asked, rubbing his hand up and down my back softly.
I just laughed and shook my head, my hair going everywhere. As I laughed more and more, the words finally came out of my mouth, clear as can be, "Me? Emotional? Couldn't be me, never ever. I'll take you up on that offer, cowboy. Let's go and get us somethin' to eat. I sure am hungry." After saying that, he walked us both back into my old bedroom.
He just laughed and squatted down to rummage through his suitcase for something to wear. If it's anything like yesterday before we left Nash, he may take forever to pick out his best looking outfit. Either way J will look so damn hot in whatever he plasters on! I'm just the luckiest girl in the world because of that man alone.
"Here, baby girl, here's your Vera Bradley girly girl suitcase. All your stuff should be in there. If for some reason it's not, then it's possibly either in my luggage somehow, or in the truck. Whichever one, that's my guess," Jon gently rolled my suitcase over to where I was standing at.
Quickly unzipping the zipper on the floral suitcase of mine, there was that one shirt of mine that was sitting at the top of the pile in all its glory. Perfect! I've got the perfect shirt, now just for the pants, and I'll be dressed and ready to go for the day.
Then it hit me; there was still a few of my few hats I had packed up for this trip, it was in the backseat of his truck. Didn't want them to get bent out of shape, so why not wear it? Hey, it's cute and makes me feel pretty, so it's a win-win all in itself.
"Hey, J, can I go out to your truck real quick? I have somethin' in there that I need to get for my outfit. Pretty please, babe?" I pleaded sweetly.
Jon fiddled with his keys that were settled on the bedside table where he had set them last night, "Mhm, it should be unlocked now. Be careful. While you're doin' that, I'll go and get changed. Don't take too long, gorgeous."
I nodded my head slightly just so he'd know that I acknowledged what he had told me. He's so overprotective and thoughtful. Even though the only thing that I was doing was going out to his truck to get my hat, he was looking out for me, telling me to be careful and whatnot. Jon's such a gentle, loving, and kind soul. What I wouldn't give to just tell him that over and over again until he got tired of it.
Right before I was going to head out to his truck, which I call Baby to tease him with, I rushed over to J and gave him a sneaky yet quick kiss on the cheek. His cheeks turned red and he laughed it off. Soon after, I rushed out of the bedroom, and out to his truck to get that hat of mine before I forgot or got sidetracked.
✰ Jon's POV: ✰
Man, whatever's happening with Ashland and her being sick, it's starting to make me worried- like it's making me super worried. Obviously, I believe her with what she said about the whole thing about her body having to readjust to the atmosphere of South Carolina. But then again, there's another part of me that just isn't buying that statement. Look, I'm not a doctor by any means, but in someway, it doesn't make that much sense. Oh well, I'll worry dangerously if it keeps up or gets worse.
She had to go and get something out of the truck. I'm not entirely sure what it is, but here's to hoping that she won't take too long when it comes to getting dressed and ready. Because quite frankly, this guy is starving like a mad man, so the quicker the both of us get ready, the quicker the both of us will get some yummy food. Don't mind me, when I'm hungry, the things that end up coming out of my mouth get weirder and weirder... Whoops.
Slipping the jeans, t-shirt, and the denim pullover shirt, I dug through my suitcase for the one hundredth time it seemed like, and grabbed the oh so holy bottle of cologne that came along with me for the trip. That cologne, man, it sure is my go-to each and every time I'm headed out the door. It could be something so simple, like going to the grocery store, or it can be something crazy, like going out and doing a show. It really is my favorite. Oh, and it's Ash's favorite, as well.
Man, it's just something about her going crazy about my scent that drives me some sort of wild. Don't know how or why, but it certainly does. So once she comes back inside the house from the mini pit stop to my truck, she'll be all over me within five seconds. I'm sure of it, *wink wink*.
{{Jon's outfit!}}
After admiring the scent of my cologne, I put the bottle away in the mesh part of the suitcase. Right as the bottle plopped into the thing, Ash peeped her head through the bedroom door.
"Hey, are you done gettin' dressed? You're not nude, are you?" Ashland asked with a small laugh.
She's kidding, right? It wouldn't matter if I'm in the "nude" or not, we've seen each other naked, we've fucked quite a few times. Nah, she's just messing with me. There goes my mind thinking way too much into things again. Ugh, that sucks.
"I'm dressed. Come on inside, baby girl," I informed her as she walked in, shutting the door behind herself.
"Just thought I'd ask. That, and I didn't want to barge in and scare the life out of you," She giggled and set her hat down on top of the bedspread.
"Is that what you got out of the truck, gorgeous?" I questioned as I motioned my finger over to the hat, placing my phone in my back pocket. Then my eyes darted to my wristwatch.
Damn, it's only 8:05 in the morning. May just get some coffee while I'm at it with the whole breakfast thing. Not like I'm complaining or anything, haha.
Ash nodded for an answer and started stripping the clothes she wore to bed off. Not only was she taking them off right in front of me, but she was taking them off nice and slow.. Man, she's driving me crazy, if only she knew the things she does to me. Not just right now, but all the time. She's gonna mess around and we won't be making it to breakfast, and all there will be to say is a big ol' uh oh.
"Umm, baby girl, I said somethin' to you. Use your words. You know how I get when you don't answer me.." The second that slipped from my lips, my hand went over my mouth. What in the fuck has gotten into me? I've never been this way- like ever!
"Sorry, Jon.. To answer your question though, yeah. I just wanted my hat to complete my look for the day. Is that a problem with you?" She asked sassily. Her sassy remarks and tone only added more fuel to my fire and she knows that good, and very damn well. She's pushing me to some sort of limits that I don't want to get to. Especially this early in the morning.
It took everything out of me to not be sassy back. Oh, just so she knows, she's definitely paying for that when we get back home to Nashville, where it's only me and her in the house. Oh yeah, she certainly doesn't know what's coming to her. But she will, she will. I'll be sure of it!
I lied my back on the bed and started scrolling and looking through random emails that were on my phone. Just the same shit, different day, honestly. I get hundreds of thousands of emails a day, it is rough and pretty stressful, come to think of it. Oh well, it happens. Just another day in the life of being a musician. Besides, there's no need to reply back to all of them, right?
As that was happening with me, Ashland smiled at me and she pulled her hair up into a messy bun, kissed my cheek, and spoke to me softly, "I'm goin' to go and do my makeup. I'll be done soon. I love you, my handsome."
Welp, now that Ash is gone out of the room, there's only one thing left for me to do, which is to do a whole lot of scrolling, reading, and skimming through some stuff on my phone. Okay, but in all honesty, reading through emails is boring, and obviously Ashland is taking her sweet time to be getting dressed, putting on makeup or whatever it is she said she was doing, because she has yet to come back and give me the heads up that she's done or whatnot, is just making me more bored yet antsy. If she takes any more longer, then I'll start to get hangry, which isn't a good thing... At all, and everyone who knows me, knows this.
**
Ten minutes had passed and Ashland walked back into her old bedroom, her hands sweeping off any of the wrinkles in her shirt. Fuck, she looked so damn hot and good just standing there and doing simple hand movements like that! She does something to me on a daily basis, and I know good and well that she only makes it worse to tease me. If only she knew that it's working, and it's working good as hell.
{{Ashland's outfit!}}
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! All I can say is, damn, Mama! Who on earth told you that you could look that hot? Because I'd like to thank them personally," I flirted innocently with her.
Ash just blushed and beamed, "Oh, you! You're so damn hot and handsome, thank you. Like, mmm, I sure am one lucky lady. Well, I'm lucky for a multitude of reasons, not just because of your looks, but if I list all the reasons why I'm so lucky with you, we'd be here for eternity," She laughed.
"Well, I'm starving and I'm sure you are. That said, let's head out and get some food. Then we'll talk on the way to the diner, and the whole time we're in there. Whatcha think 'bout that?" I suggested.
"Sounds pretty awesome to me. Let's go, my boo!" Ash exclaimed excitedly as the both of us exited out of her bedroom, then out of the house...
~ ASH IS PREGNANT!!! SURPRISE!! yeah, i know, a lot of my book series, they keep getting pregnant while dating instead of doing it the whole "old-fashioned" way by waiting until marriage, oops. To be fair, this is all fictional, so a lot of things that happen in this book (and other books of mine) wouldn't necessarily be considered "normal", but that's okay, well that, and it adds drama and spice to my story- to me anyway!! i'm just doing my own lil thing with the series, i hope y'all have been enjoying all the books that i have published so far. your love and support means so much to me! 🤍🤍
~ okay, so I'm racking my brain to figure out a cute way for Ash to announce the pregnancy to JLang. So gimme some ideas, as I want it to be a cute way. the reason I ask and say all this is because, in forever girl (book 1) when Julia had broke the news to J in that book that she was pregnant, it was like a really shitty announcement. I'm wanting to redeem myself from that embarrassing shit, so if you guys have any kind of ideas, don't hesitate to tell me some! 🤗 it'd be greatly appreciated!
~ if you guys enjoyed this chapter, lemme know, vote, comment and add this story to your library. thank you in advance!! 🤍💕
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