This morning I woke up pressed so closely to Ashton that it was like I was a second skin to him.
He was still fast asleep, but it was before my alarm was supposed to go off and I was surprised I was even awake.
We had stayed up late last night with our talking and then make out session. But even in my dreams I couldn't stop thinking about the whole Ashton situation and it was my persisting thoughts that woke me up.
Out of boredom I began to trace little circles and patterns along his chest.
Yesterday had been the first decent day I had had since I'd found out about Ashton (sans Ender's little outburst).
Despite the situation we were in, I was adding this night to my favourites list.
I didn't expect him to give such a long monologue when I'd asked him to tell me what he loved about me, but I was so glad I had.
He had said so many wonderful things that had me smiling like an idiot inside, but I didn't care.
And after I had kissed him last night I knew I was on the path to forgiving him. I wasn't going to yet, first I wanted to go on the date with him so that I could learn more about who he was when he wasn't with me.
I wanted to also ask him the lingering questions I had about why he had lied to me in the first place. He said he was protecting me, but I couldn't see it.
Ashton shifted in his sleep and I stopped the movement of my hand.
"You don't have to stop." He whispered in his gruff morning voice and I smiled, continuing my finger drawing.
"Morning, baby." He said sleepily as he stretched his arms up and then dropped one back down around my back.
"Good morning." I said back looking up at his face.
"How do you feel?"
"Better than I have the past few days." I answered.
"Me too." He gave me a smile.
"I'll go start the coffee." I sighed and rubbed his chest before going to get out of bed. Closing my bedroom door behind me, I left Ashton in my room and padded down the steps. Not moments after I had started the machine, Gracie was up in my arms.
Ashton came down a few minutes later, rubbing at his eyes.
"Remember, they can't know you slept over." I reminded him and he nodded, fixing his hair in the microwave window.
I poured his coffee for him, and he pressed a kiss to my cheek as he took a seat at the bar.
In her sleep Gracie moved and accidentally pulled my ponytail.
"Ow, Gray." I whimpered and adjusted her in my arms and Ashton gave me a weird look.
"Gray?" He raised an eyebrow.
"I don't know, I thought it was a cute nickname." I shrugged.
"Isn't Gracie already her nickname?" He chuckled.
"Shut up, it's a double nickname." I stuck my tongue out at him.
"No I like it, it's cute." He smiled.
"Would you fix my ponytail for me?" I asked him and he stood up, taking ahold of my hair. I felt him lightly move it as he retied the hair and tightened the ponytail. When he was done he lifted the ponytail and started to press kisses on the back of my neck starting at the bottom and making his way to the top.
"Ashton." I pulled away and gasped with wide eyes because Gracie was still holding onto me.
He just smirked at me and took a seat back at the bar.
"Okay Gracie, it's time to go wake up Ender." I nudged her and she immediately awoke, already smiling.
"Daddy!" She beamed when she saw Ashton and he grinned at her.
"Morning, Gracie." He smiled and reached out to touch her cheek.
I set her down and she ran up the steps to get Ender, and Ashton and I glanced at each other when we heard her yell "Ender wake up, Daddy's here!"
Ender bounded down the stairs quickly with Gracie toddling behind.
"Ashton, you're here!" Ender grinned and ran up to hug him.
"I am." Ashton smiled at him, patting his back.
"Did you sleep over?"
"No, just here for breakfast." Ashton said.
"Then where are your shoes?" Ender asked and Ashton flashed wide eyes at me and I looked like a deer in the headlights.
"I took them off duh." Ashton laughed nonchalantly.
"Okay. Hey Car, what's for breakfast?" He asked and began to scope around the kitchen.
I let out a breath I had been holding and let my shoulders drop in utter relief.
I started getting things for cereal and toast out while Ender and Gracie sat at the bar chatting with Ashton.
"Gracie you've got a doctors appointment today." I said as I passed by the calendar.
"What time?" Ashton asked.
"Uh, 10."
"I'll take you. But do you mind if I find a shirt upstairs?"
"Go ahead."
He quickly headed to change while I cleaned up the dishes.
Ashton came down in black skinny jeans and a grey cotton shirt with a few buttons that were undone at the top.
I took Gracie upstairs to get her dressed and also got myself ready.
When we finally got to the living room everyone was ready to go so we took Bear on a quick walk and then drove Ender to the school.
Once he was dropped off I directed Ashton towards the doctors office that was located on the outskirts of the Main Street.
I held onto Gracie's hand as we walked inside, Ashton following behind us.
Signing her in, the lady behind the desk handed me a clipboard with a chart to fill out Gracie's information.
"Parker Chase?" A nurse walked out from a hallway and I stood up, pulling Gracie along.
"Come with us." I motioned for Ashton to follow.
The nurse took us into the hallway where she took Gracie's height and weight before taking us into a room.
I placed Gracie on the table while the nurse looked over Gracie's charts and then said the doctor would be in soon.
We had made sure to bring a stuffed animal for Gracie to hold so she wouldn't get bored and Ashton played with her and Ellie the elephant while we waited for Dr. Carson.
The room was freezing and I pushed myself up against the fabric of the chair to get warm but instead I was huddled there shivering until Dr. Carson came in.
"So I hear there's a new member of the Chase family." He beamed at Gracie when he walked through the door.
A scared Gracie tried to get Ashton to hold her but he kept trying to put her back down.
"Gracie it's just a checkup, you're okay." He said trying to convince her it was alright to sit down. "Here I'll hold your hand the whole time, alright?"
She nodded at this and finally sat back down, Ashton keeping his promise and holding her tiny little hand in his.
Dr. Carson introduced himself to Gracie and then began the check up; taking her temperature, blood pressure, listening to her lungs and heart, checking her ears, nose, and throat, and then feeling around her stomach and back.
"Alright Gracie, you are one healthy little girl." Dr. Carson smiled at her and she beamed up at him, swinging her little legs. "But on your chart, it shows that you need a booster shot for measles so you can start kindergarten next year."
Her eyes immediately went wide and she looked at me and Ashton, panicking.
"You're gonna be fine." I jumped up and began to immediately console the almost crying little girl.
"I'll be right back." Dr. Carson said and left the consultation room.
"I don't want a shot." Gracie cried and I hugged her.
"You'll be okay." Ashton put his arms around her as well and kissed her cheek. "It'll be over in a second."
She nodded sombrely and Ashton wiped away a few of her tears.
When Dr. Carson came back in and Gracie saw the needle she began to get even more antsy.
"Hey, look at me Gracie." Ashton said and turned her head away from the arm that she was going to get the shot in. "Wanna sing a song with me? What do you wanna sing?"
He talked to her, trying to occupy her mind with anything else other than the shot.
"Come on let's sing frozen. You have to help me remember the words though. You ready?"
Dr. Carson nodded at Ashton and he began to sing Do You Want To Build A Snowman. Gracie stared to sing with him, but when she felt the needle pierce her skin her eyes went wide and she turned to look but Ashton placed his fingers under her chin and turned her face back around, quickly regaining her attention.
By the time they had finished the first verse the shot was done.
"Look Gracie, it's all done!" I smiled and she went to look at her arm that Dr. Carson was putting a band aid on.
She looked back at me with a gasp of surprise and a bright smile.
"Good job baby girl." Ashton hugged her and gave her a proud grin.
"Are you the father?" Dr. Carson asked Ashton.
"Not biologically." Ashton replied while lifting Gracie into his arms.
I gave him a flitting smile and then thanked Dr. Carson.
As we left the doctors office the lady at the front desk gave Gracie a lollipop and she was so happy that it made me ecstatic as well.
Gracie chatted on and on the entire drive to The Grill in town where we were going to get lunch about how surprised she was that the shot didn't hurt as bad as she thought, but the real surprise was waiting for us at the restaurant.
When we walked inside and took a table, a booth of girls behind us immediately began staring at us.
I sat on the side of the booth that could see them and Ashton had his back to them, oblivious to their bugged out eyes. Gracie sat next to Ashton, setting her stuffed animal on the table.
I decided to ignore them and concentrated on helping Gracie pick out something to eat.
"Okay so chicken bites and chips, do you want anything else?" I asked her with a silly voice.
"Milkshake." She smiled.
"A milkshake?" Ashton gasped playfully. "What flavour?"
"Strawberry." She beamed like a little angel.
"Strawberry?! I would've never guessed." He teased her and booped her nose, a giggle coming from Gracie.
We ordered our food, Ashton getting a milkshake as well, and then waited for our meal to come.
"So what's the plan for the rest of the day?" Ashton asked.
"Well I have some work to do back at the house, and Trey's mom is bringing Ender home so we don't need to pick him up."
"Alright," He glanced at Gracie before looking back at me, "but I have a request."
"Okay, what is it?"
"Let me cook dinner tonight, for you and the kids. We can watch a movie, have a family night?" He shrugged.
I had been extremely adamant about him not spending too much time with the kids because I didn't want to confuse them, but after watching him handle Gracie in the doctors office, I changed my mind.
The kids needed him like I needed him, and keeping him away from them would only hurt them.
"I'd like that." I smiled.
He took my hand from across the table while we waited for our food to arrive.
Once it did, I cut up Gracie's food then we all began to eat. I let go of Ashton's hand but with my foot began sliding it up and down his leg.
"Having fun there?" He asked me, sending me a smirk.
I shrugged and then reached across the table, taking his milkshake.
"What are you doing?" He laughed.
"I wanna try." I pouted. "Just one sip."
"You know, you better be glad I love you." He gave me a simper and I took a sip sending him a wink.
"So what are you going to make for dinner?" I slid the milkshake back to him.
"Can't a guy surprise his girlfriend and his kids with dinner?" He laughed.
"I guess, I guess." I sighed happily.
Ashton was pulling out his wallet to pay when the group of girls I had forgotten about got out of their booth and walked towards us, stopping in front of our table.
"Sorry to interrupt you guys, but we were wondering if we could get a picture?" A brunette with a pretty face asked us. There were three other girls including her.
I looked to Ashton who looked conflicted.
"Uh, I'm with my family right now, sorry, not today." He gave them an apologetic smile.
"That's okay! We understand!" She beamed and they hurried off, waving as they left the restaurant.
The tension at our table became extremely awkward.
"You okay?" Ashton asked me.
"Uh, yeah. I'm fine."
"I didn't know they would come up to me I'm sorry."
"I said it's okay, Ash, really." I smiled at the end for extra measure.
The whole fans asking for photos had really thrown me off my game. I had been doing so well not thinking about it, if I just pretended like it wasn't going on then hopefully I would forget, but they had cut through my distraction plan like a knife.
"Babe." He took my hand to pull my attention back to him. "You're not fine."
"I said-"
"Just because you say you are, doesn't mean you are. Come on, let's go home." He took my hand and dragged me out of the booth, throwing a twenty on the table.
He took us back to the house and Gracie ran upstairs while Ashton sat me on the couch, putting his arm around my shoulders.
"Talk to me." He pressed and I sighed.
"It's just weird for me to have people coming up and asking for photos. I thought you were this normal guy, but your a freaking celebrity and that's a weird adjustment."
"I am just a normal guy."
"Normal people don't have people asking for their photo and creating fan accounts for them." I sighed, leaning my head against him.
"Car, I'm still the Ashton you've known for six months, now you just know the part that plays the drums and loves making music."
"Yeah." I breathed.
"So you mentioned yesterday that you don't think my fans seem to like you, well those girls today seemed to like you." He nudged my head with his nose.
"I don't think so."
"Well I like you." He hinted.
"Wow I had no idea." I laughed.
We stayed like that for a little longer before I went upstairs to change clothes.
"Hey Car, come look!" Ashton called for me and I jogged down the steps to see him sitting at the bar on his phone.
"Check this out." He passed me his phone.
It was photos of us from an hour before when we were at the restaurant having lunch.
"Oh my God, there's even videos." I kept looking and played one.
You could hear Ashton talking with Gracie about the milkshake in the first video with a bunch of "aw's" in the background from the girls. In the next video I didn't know what was really being said until you can Ashton clearly say "You better be glad I love you.", and all of the girls started to gasp and talk excitedly amongst themselves.
"Ashton you said you loved me in this video." I turned to him with a nervous look, but he was just smiling.
"Isn't this serious?" I hit his arm lightly but he just shook his head.
"I'm glad they know. I want them to know." He kept his boasting expression.
"Are you sure?" I asked him.
"I'm really sure. Hey, I have an idea."
"What?"
"What if we became official?"
"Official? You mean we're not official?" I asked, a bit taken aback.
"No I mean we're official to us and our friends and family, but to my fans you're the girl I've been seen with lately that's most likely my girlfriend, but I haven't given any official statement that you are."
"And you want to give an official statement...right now...while we are still in this mess?"
"I think this might help us. Celebrities who date girls just for publicity don't go public because then if they ever broke up it would be messy and just ends up bad for everyone. But I'm not dating you for publicity because one- that's wrong in so many ways, and two- because I respect you enough to never do that to you, or any girl in fact. This might help you gain a little more trust in me."
I sat there processing this.
"I feel like if we do this then what's the point of me even trying to forgive you for lying to me?"
"You don't have to forgive me yet, I just want you to trust me. Do you trust me?"
I took a deep breath. "I trust you. I'm still pissed at you for what you did. But I trust you."
"What made you trust me again?" He asked, leaning into the countertop.
"Because if I didn't trust you then I wouldn't be in love with you. And even though what you did hurt me, I have no other reason than to believe you did it out of love. And I don't understand what you mean by saying you did it to protect me, but that's a conversation for us to have on a later date." I said.
He nodded. "Okay then. So you're okay with us going public?"
"I am." I said surely.
"Alright. I'm going to make a phone call with my manager." He said, a stupidly happy grin on his face.
I guess this meant we weren't breaking up.
Ash pulled his phone from his pocket and pressed a few things, putting the call on speaker phone. It rang a few times before someone answered.
"Hey Ashton, how can I help you?" A mans voice asked.
"I'm good Adam. I'm here with Carter right now and I wanted to discuss with you the idea of she and I going public." Ashton said, squeezing my hand.
"Going public, huh?"
"Yeah. I mean there's really no point for us not to, but I have conditions before you answer."
"Okay go."
"In no way will Carter or the kids be used to promote the band in any way, shape, or form. If she chooses to have social media then you will have no control over it. And our relationship is not going to be managed by anyone but us." He said and I looked at him surprised at how serious he was about this.
"Is that all?"
"Yes."
"Okay then. Go ahead, but Ashton and Carter, I'm warning you, we can't control what the media and fans do in reaction to this. The whole reason you didn't tell her about the band in the first place was to protect her from those people, so if you think you both can handle it, then be my guests."
"I think we can handle it." Ashton looked at me and I nodded.
"Alright, then I'll talk to you later."
"Okay, thanks Adam." Ashton said and then hung up.
Ashton set his phone down and then pulled my head to him so he could kiss my cheek.
"So how do you want to do this?" I asked him.
"Hmm...Oh I have an idea, come here."
I followed him to the sofa in the living room where he pulled me down next to him. He put an arm around my shoulder and moved in close to me.
"Okay, now just get comfortable." He said so I did, resting my head on his chest and pulling myself practically into his lap.
He positioned his phone in front of us and then touched my forehead with his nose. "Look up at me."
I did just that and he smiled down at me, a soft one of my own coming to my lips and then he snapped the picture.
"What do you think?" He asked as he showed it to me.
"It's cute." I answered.
"Let's try one more." He said and I looked up to ask why but was met with his lips meeting my own in a sweet kiss. One of his hands went to my cheek and then I heard the little click.
Blushing at this, I ducked my head down to his neck and he laughed snapping even more pictures of this.
"Stop it." I giggled and he kissed me once more before setting me free from his arms.
I sat next to him as he pulled up an app called Instagram and began to put different filters on the first photo he took of us until he settled on a black and white one.
"That's pretty." I smiled.
"Why don't you caption it." He passed me his phone and I thought for a moment before typing something in.
"C & A." He smiled. "Just like your ring. I like it."
He hit something that said share and then locked his phone, dropping it onto the sofa cushion.
"It's done. The whole world knows you're mine." He smiled and I brought both of my hands up to his face, craning my neck up to kiss him.
"I love you." I said against his lips.
"I love you too, more than you know." He kissed me back.
"Okay, so I need to go to the grocery store so I can make you dinner tonight." He said and then stood up.
"Alright." I reached up to hold his hand. "Hurry back."
"Of course." He bent down to kiss my forehead then took his phone and wallet from the sofa.
"Be right back." He called as he left through the front door, a stupid little smile on my face.
About five minutes after Ashton had left my phone began to ring. It was Ari.
"Hello?" I answered.
"Would you like to explain to me why Ashton just posted a photo of the two of you on his Instagram?" She said, annoyance thick in her tone.
"We decided to make it official." I commented slowly.
"Carter?! How stupid are you?! After everything he did to you, lying about who he was, you let him post a picture of you on his Instagram for the world to see?! He lied to you Carter, how can you forgive him?!" She practically shouted.
"I didn't forgive him. I'm still mad that he lied to me, but he loves me and I love him and I'm not going to let one bad decision on his part be our undoing." I retaliated.
"Car, I'm just looking out for you. Yes some of his fans are going to be supportive, but some are mean. And those are the ones that send hate and say rude things and I don't want you to get hurt."
"I'm not going to get hurt, I have Ashton on my side."
"That didn't stop him from hurting you before." She said and I bit my lip. She wasn't wrong. But she wasn't right either.
"Look I'm not going to talk about this with you over the phone. I'll come by tomorrow and we can talk about it."
"Fine." She sighed. "Love you, Car."
"Love you too."
I tossed my phone on the sofa, letting out a frustrated groan.
When was this going to be over?
--
Carter just can't catch a break :/
so I have a MAJOR surprise next chapter that you are either going to love me or hate for, so we'll see how that goes lol
as always, vote and comment if you'd like and I'll have the next part up soon!
much love xx -M