There was a couple of seconds of silence before he spoke again.
"But you are on the pill, right?" he asked, turning towards me. I didn't answer. "Aubrey?" he tried again.
"I hadn't had sex in three years, I couldn't have known it would happen," I mumbled.
"Three years?!" he yelled.
"Shhh," I shushed him.
"Three years, Aubrey?," he whispered. I rolled my eyes and looked away.
"Alright, good talk," I said, pushing him further away from me onto the bed.
"Baby, don't take it like that," he said softly, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me back in. "I just mean, like, why? You're a very pretty girl, I just don't understand," he whispered.
"I don't know, the occasion just didn't present itself," said. He chuckled.
"Girl, you know Jared would have loved to fix that for ya, right?"
"Well, I'm not like you!" I snapped.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I can't just sleep with anyone; I'm not one of those girls," I said. He rolled his eyes.
"The girls I've been with don't necessarily sleep with just anyone," he defended himself.
"That's really the hill you wanna die on?" I inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"Look, picture this: you're at a bar in Burlington and young Johnny Depp shows up. Even if you don't usually sleep with random men, you're telling me you wouldn't try and get a piece of that?"
"Are you comparing yourself to young Johnny Depp, right now?" I asked, audibly judging him by the tone of my voice.
"No I- You know what, nevermind," he laughed. "But I'm making you an appointment tomorrow to get that pill cause ain't no way I'm gonna glaze you up like a toaster strudel every time we have sex."
"Morgan! That's so crass!" I said, feeling my cheeks turn red. He laughed and kissed the top of my head.
"Tired?" he asked. I nodded. "Alright, let's get to bed," he said, turning off the lights and getting into bed. I got under the blankets and he pulled me into his arms. "I'm really glad you're here," he whispered, placing a gentle kiss on my forehead. I smiled to myself and slowly, I dozed off into his arms.
***
I woke up the next morning to the smell of freshly cooked bacon. I quickly checked my phone; 11:00 AM. I jumped out of bed and immediately got dressed, quickly throwing on sweatpants and a t-shirt and putting my hair up into a ponytail.
"Ellie?" I called, making my way down the hallway.
"In here, mama!" She yelled from the living room. I followed her voice and found her sitting on the floor playing with her barbie dolls with a woman I assumed was Morgan's mom.
"Hi, I hope you don't mind, we decided to let you sleep in a little," the woman said, smiling at me. She had long dirty-blonde hair, amazing cheekbones and gorgeous blue eyes, just like his. "I'm Lesli, by the way. Morgan's mom," she smiled.
"I'm Aubrey," I said. "Ellie's mom," I added jokingly. She laughed.
"Isn't she the sweetest little girl," she said, pinching Ellie's little toes and making her laugh. I smiled. Ellie looked so at ease already. She really was good with kids. I looked around the room, trying to figure out where Morgan was.
"He's in the shower," Lesli said, noticing my eyes scanning the room. "Should be out any minute now, but please, grab some coffee and make yourself at home. It's been a while since he's had a woman in his life that he felt he could bring home to his mama. I'm very excited that we get to have you with us," she winked. I smiled.
"That's very nice of you to say," I smiled timidly.
"Morgan told me that you might be a little shy at first, but I think we'll get along great. And hopefully, by the end of the week you can get a good sense of who I am and feel comfortable enough to trust me with little miss Ellie," she said, tickling Ellie who couldn't stop laughing. I giggled at the scene.
"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes," I heard a voice say behind me. I couldn't help but to smile. I turned around to face him and he immediately placed a gentle peck on my lips. I breathed in his fresh shower smell while his wet hair dripped all over the floor.
"You smell good," I said softly. He leaned in for another kiss, but our lips didn't get to touch before Lesli interrupted him.
"Boy, you're dripping all over my floor. Go dry that hair before I have to mop the entire house," she scolded him.
"Sorry, mama," he chuckled, squeezing my butt slightly and winking at me before making his way back into the bathroom.
"I swear, that kid will be the death of me," she laughed.
"That bad, huh?" I asked.
"One day it'll be your house that he messes up. You tell me then," she laughed. I smiled at the thought. The idea of having a house with him, a house that would have no history but the one we made together, was giving me butterflies. I had no idea what he had been telling his mom about me, but the way she was treating me was leading me to believe that he must have had genuine feelings for me. She seemed confident that we would be a part of each other's life for a good amount of time and had gone out of her way to make Ellie and I feel at home. I could already tell how kind that woman was and it really helped put my mind at ease. Seeing where Morgan came from was actually helping me overcome some of the fears I had been having. Getting to talk to his mom and seeing how authentic she was gave me a good idea of the way she must've raised her son.
"I was thinking of taking Ellie to get some new toys for her room this afternoon. I doubt Morgan will want to come, he tends to avoid public appearances when he can, but maybe we could make this a girls trip?" she said invitingly.
"Sure," I smiled. "I know Ellie would love that."
"And so would I, Aubrey."
***
We got to the store and walked through the aisles with Ellie in tow, touching every toy within her reach.
"So, Morgan tells me you're from Vermont? How do you like it there?" Lesli asked, making casual conversation.
"I like Vermont, I'm originally from Portland, Maine though. I moved to Vermont to be with my dad when he got sick," I confessed.
"Aren't you a doll? Hopefully, he's all better now."
"He passed away before Ellie was born, actually. Liver cancer."
"Oh, I'm sorry, honey. I didn't mean to... God rest his soul," she said empathetically.
"Thank you," I smiled faintly.
"How about your mom? Does she still live in Maine?"
"I'm not sure actually. She calls once in a blue moon, asking for money, but that's about it. I was 18 the last time I saw her, she's never even seen Ellie. Nor has she expressed any interest to," I admitted. "Ellie's the only family I have, really."
"Well, not anymore, darling. You have us now," she said, wrapping her right arm around my shoulders and squeezing them gently. "It was about time I saw my son with a nice girl by his side. I've had a hard time accepting some of his past... choices. You always want what's best for your kids and you have no idea how many nights I prayed that someone like you would come into his life. A good woman with a good heart who would encourage him to make the right choices," she said. "I'm really glad you decided to give him a chance after all. He would kill me if he knew I told you this but you have no idea how disappointed he was when you decided not to come. He had called me on the phone the night before telling me how he was bringing home the girl of his dreams and how I would be so happy to get a bonus grandchild, he was so excited. When I saw him getting out of that truck by himself, all disappointed, my heart broke," she said. From mom to mom, I knew what she meant. Seeing your kids hurting is worse than being hurt yourself.
"I didn't mean to hurt him, I just had to be sure, you know," I explained. "Jared had said some things and I needed to make sure he was serious before dragging Ellie into this."
"Oh, honey. You do not have to justify a single thing to me. I know my son, I know he's not perfect and he comes with his set of challenges. And I know Jared, he's a fine young man and I'm sure he had his reasons to tell you what he told you, but Aubrey, as God is my witness, if my son doesn't treat you right, you come to me, honey. I'll give him a piece of my mind. You sweet, sweet girl," she said, gently squeezing my arm. The more time I spent with this woman, the more she felt like the mom I had always wished to have. Morgan didn't know how lucky he was to come home to a woman like this everyday growing up. Someone so kind and supportive.
"Thank you Mrs. Wallen," I said.
"Oh please, if you don't want to call me mom, at the very least call me Lesli."
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So, I know these last few chapters have not been the most exciting but I have things coming up to make up for it! I know this hasn't been getting as many votes in the last couple of days so I hope you guys are still engaging with my content! If there are things you don't like/want less of or things you absolutely love/want more of, please let me know!! I absolutely love getting your feedback!
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