ASHLEY'S POV
Slipping off my high heels before even making it inside the house, I quietly opened the door just to see Chase sprawled on the couch, lights off while watching a movie and talking on the phone as he stuffed his face into some snacks.
"Yeah, sorry I roasted you dude. I was trying to flirt.", he mumbled into the phone before looking up to me and giving me a silent nod of the head followed by a cheeky grin.
"Dumbass.", I giggled, ruffling his hair as I passed behind the couch and headed upstairs.
Still shaking my head in amusement, I tiptoed my way to Shay's room, a frown appearing on my face as I took in Shay's empty bed. Glancing at my watch, I was more than ready to kick Alex's ass in the not so odd chance they were still up, watching movies and eating junk food as per usual.
But as I approached our room and poked my head inside the door, I had to refrain from doing so as my heart made multiple flips at the sight before me.
With Frozen no doubt playing in the background and unmistakable evidence of junk food wrappers scattered all around the floor, I stared at Alex's figure tightly wrapped around my daughter, the both of them sleeping peacefully.
As I leaned against the doorframe, I couldn't help the foolish smile creeping up on me nor the soft chuckle that escaped my lips as my eyes landed on Alex's feet, a yellow sock and a purple one that definitely didn't belong with on another.
Trust the girl to never bother.
But what never failed to surprise me was the fact that Shay would never, under no circumstance, feel comfortable enough to fall asleep around someone that wasn't me. That is, until Alex swooped her way back into my life and literally swept us both off our feet.
I was head over heels for this girl, but we already knew that.
What I didn't know was that both the loves of my life would end up doing the same for one another.
It was no secret that Alex was great with kids, but never in my wildest dreams had I thought she'd treat her as a kid of her own since day one. Cause she did just that, admonishing her when she had to just to shower her face with kisses a split second after that, making me fall in love with her all over again.
Really, the bond they had, the knowing looks they shared, everything about their relationship made my heart shift every single time, making me wonder how did I end up being so blessed in life.
I snapped out of my mental rambling as I saw Shay shift in her sleep ever so slightly, Alex's strong arms tightening their grip on her out of pure instinct, my heart threatening to explode in the process.
I wanted to come home to this for the rest of my life.
Silently tiptoeing towards the bed, I gently removed Alex's grip of steel from around Shay, careful not to wake neither of them up. Stilling my movements as Alex shifted and mumbled something in her sleep, I proceeded to scoot my daughter up in my arms and carry her to her room, successfully tucking her in without her even noticing.
Going back to our room, I nervously bit my lip as I found myself leaning against the doorframe once again, staring at her and wondering whether to wake her up or not.
But I didn't have to dwell on that any further since I saw her patting the empty spot near her, her upper body abruptly lifting itself and her eyes shooting wide open in fear.
"Shay?"
"I took her to bed, honey.", I reassured, causing her to snap her eyes in my direction before she sunk back into the pillows, releasing a sigh of relief.
"Way to give me a heart attack, Miss Stevens.", she groaned, closing her eyes and no doubt fully intending on going back to sleep.
"I didn't want to wake you."
She grumpily mumbled yet something else, my ears not catching it in the slightest.
I had to smile at that. Actually, I had to smile period when I was around her.
"Care to share why you're standing there like a creep instead of taking your ass to bed?", she questioned after a short silence, her sleepy eyes taking me in.
I harshly swallowed the lump in my throat, the fact that I didn't feel nervous or anxious hitting me like a freight train. As a matter of fact, I felt certain. Certain of the fact that I wanted her by my side for the rest of my life, and I wanted her to know that.
"Ash?"
"Marry me.", I found myself whispering, loud enough for her to hear.
I watched her as she stopped breathing for a split second, her arms wrapping around a pillow soon after as her eyes closed again.
"If this is my punishment for what happened today, could you at least think about something, I don't know, less permanent?"
God, I'm proposing to an idiot.
"Marry me.", I repeated, this time louder and causing her to snap her head in my direction.
"How much wine did you have?", she mumbled, causing me to roll my eyes in amusement.
I shook my head at her, slowly approaching the bed as I eventually crawled up on it and found myself hovering over her, two sparkly yet confused green eyes looking up to me.
"Fucking marry me, García.", I whispered, brushing my lips against hers.
"S-shit, you're serious."
"As a matter of fact, I am.", I smirked, placing a soft tender kiss on her lips before moving to her neck. "My heart threatens to explode just at the thought of you.. everything about you never seizes to blow my mind on a daily basis, and I want you by my side for the rest of my life. I want to wake up to you every morning, just like I want to fall asleep in the safety of your arms every single night. I love you, Alex..", I whispered, her arms quickly finding their usual spot around my waist as she pulled me closer. "I love every single detail about you, and ever since you walked into my life, not once have I been able to picture it without you. You set me on fire, Alex.. and do you wanna know what else I love about you?"
"W-what?"
"I love how you make me laugh.", I husked, smiling against her neck. "I love how you make me feel wanted, and loved, and appreciated. I love how you never fail me, even for the smallest of things. And above it all, I love how you hold my daughter.. how you never fail to be there for her in every possible way, for us.. So yeah, I'm asking you: will you marry me?", I whispered, this time bringing my eyes up to hers, tears threatening to escape as we both looked at each other in awe.
She cupped my face, staring at me intently as I literally saw a thousand emotions cross her eyes, a goofy smile coming my way followed by utter silence. A silence that actually made me wonder if-
"Yes.", she whispered, causing my heart to stop and my smile to get even wider.
"Yes?"
"Actually, scratch that, Miss Stevens.", she trailed off, smirking like an idiot. "Fuck yes."
Shaking my head at her in amusement and completely overwhelmed by the happiness threatening to burst out my chest, I leaned down, capturing her lips into a passionate kiss.
"I'm sorry I don't have a ring to go with that.", I mumbled as I gently took her lower lip in between my teeth and sucked. "Things took quite an eventful turn, I-"
"Shush.", she cut me off, smiling warmly at me. "I don't need a-"
"Oh, I'm getting you a ring Alex.", I deadpanned, not wanting her to even finish that sentence. "And a big one at that.", I smirked, causing her to blush and roll her eyes in the process. "But for now..", I trailed off, my eyes wandering to her nightstand where I spotted a black sharpie.
Smiling at her puzzled look, I reached over and grabbed it, taking the cap off with my teeth as I took her left hand in mine and carefully drew a line around her finger, amused green eyes taking me in.
"I guess this will have to do.", I grinned, pretty pleased with myself as I studied my work.
"Well, look at you, Picasso.", she teased, smiling shyly at me nonetheless. "I love it."
Pulling me into a long, deep kiss, it didn't take her long to unzip and get rid of my dress, just as it didn't take me long to undress her either. One thing I was sure of: I would never get tired of the warmth of her skin against mine.
Flipping us over in one swift move, I released a loud moan as she sucked and dug her teeth into my weak spot, her heavy breathing husking in my ear as I felt her fingers wander in between my legs.
But just as she was about to tease my throbbing clit, she stopped, parting from me and staring at me with an unreadable look.
"Wh-"
"Should we use it?"
"Use what?", I frowned, not understating what she was implying in the slightest.
"The toy.", she whispered, causing my eyes to go wide.
Ever since she found the thing in my closet, she never brought that up again, resulting in me even forgetting about it in the first place, hence why my surprise.
I'm not gonna lie, the idea of her fucking me with a seven inch cock took my arousal to a whole new level, but I was also nervous, and by the look on her face, she was too.
"If you want, baby..", I trailed off, not wanting to pressure her into something she didn't wanna do. "We don't have to use it, Alex."
"No, I know.. it's just..", she hesitated, staring at me intently. "I've been thinking about it for a while, I just figured we could give it a try, you know? Only if you want as well, that is."
"Yeah, okay.", I found myself whispering as I pushed a strand of hair from out of her face, my thumb brushing against her cheekbone as she smiled at me. "Only if you promise me something first."
"Sure."
"If at any moment, and I mean it, you find yourself uncomfortable by it, we stop."
"I promise if you promise as well.", she replied with no hesitation, sticking her pinky out for me to wrap my own around it.
"I promise."
Happy about our little agreement, she placed a kiss to the back of my hand before crawling out of bed, my eyes tracing every inch of her slim, inked, naked figure as I absentmindedly bit my lower lip. As she took the box out of our closet, I watched her as she disappeared into the bathroom, leaving me alone with my dirty thoughts.
As I said, I was nervous but also insanely turned on. I had no idea what to expect from what was about to happen, and the fact that Alex has never done it before either.. I guess kind of helped a little to ease my nerves. There was no doubt in my mind that I would've never even considered doing this with another living soul that wasn't her.
Hearing multiple muffled curses coming from the bathroom, I snapped out of my thoughts as I realized she's been in there for a while.
"Honey, you okay in there?"
"Uh, yeah- what the actual fuck-", I heard her hiss, causing me to stifle a laugh. "These harnesses are confusing as hell but I think I figured it out."
Shaking my head in amusement as I pictured her face, I sunk my head further into the pillow, deciding to give her all the time she needed.
"Ash?", she called out after a few more minutes.
"Yes baby?"
"I uh.. Jesus, I look ridiculous.", she mumbled before raising her voice a little more. "Uh, would you mind turning off the lights? At least the m-main one, the one on the nightstand can stay on."
"Of course.", I replied, doing just that. "Do you want me to position myself in a particular way as well?"
Oddly enough, I did wanna see her while wearing it, but I also understood the fact that she didn't want me to, not yet at least.
"Just.. lay on your stomach, I think that'll do."
Humming in reply, I did as she asked, a small smile creeping up on me as I heard her sneak out of the bathroom and crawl on the bed. Hovering above me, goosebumps rose all over me as I felt her hair brush against my skin, gentle lips kissing every inch of my bare back before husking in my ear.
"Get on your hands and knees, Miss Stevens."
With a shiver running down my spine and a sudden rush of warmth in between my legs, I nervously got on my elbows and knees, my ass sticking out as I found myself waiting in anticipation.
But instead of feeling the toy, I felt two hands grabbing my ass and a hot tongue run along my slit before flicking over my clit.
"Oh, f-fuck baby.", I moaned in surprise as I grabbed a handful of sheets.
Alternating her tongue and fingers inside me, I could feel the ridiculous amount of wetness in between my legs reaching my thighs, hence why I knew Alex was ready to put the toy inside me when I felt her adjust herself on her knees behind me.
With both hands on my hips, I bit my lower lip as I felt the tip of the toy against my entrance.
"Shit.", Alex mumbled multiple times as she was having trouble alining it, the toy slipping right, left and above several times.
"Guide it with your hand sweetie.", I suggested, reaching for her left hand on my hip as I brushed my thumb against her knuckles in the attempt to ease her evident nervousness.
With her right hand disappearing from my hip, I felt the tip of the toy gently and slowly entering me, my grip on Alex's hand tightening as a result.
"Fuck, that's big.", I groaned as I attempted to get used to the new feeling.
"Shit, am I hurting you?", Alex gasped, tensing up all of a sudden.
"No, honey, you're-"
"Are you sure?! You'd tell me if I was, right?", she cut me off, panic seeping from her voice.
"I'm okay, baby.", I reassured, gently squeezing her hand in the process. "I promise."
Seemingly convincing her, she slowly pushed it further inside me, a low moan escaping my lips as I felt her filling every inch of my body, Alex still very cautious about her movements as she eventually brought her hips to mine.
"How do you want it?"
"Long and gentle strokes at first, Alex. Pull out and push back in, slowly.", I instructed, needing a few more strokes to allow my body to get used to the toy and actually enjoy it.
"Like this?", she questioned as she did just that, a smile creeping up on me as she used all the delicacy she could muster.
"Just like that, baby. You're doing great."
It took me a couple more minutes to get used to it. It was awkward at first, but the more she thrusted in and out of me, the more I was starting to like it. And judging by the low moans escaping my lips, Alex took notice by starting to fuck me a little faster and a little harder than she was before, never failing once to make sure I was okay.
With my hips pushing against her on their own accord, we slowly found a rhythm, Alex gradually fastening her pace as she pushed harder into me, my hand never leaving hers.
"Fuck. H-harder baby.", I cried out, feeling the ridged tip of the toy brushing against my soft spot and sending me into a frenzy.
As Alex tightened her grip on my hips, she started pumping harder and faster, her strokes becoming shorter and shorter.
"Holy s-shit.", I heard her moan, the toy no doubt causing a wonderful friction on her clit as well.
"Oh God- Alex, fuck. Shit, shit, shit.", I cussed, unable to even formulate a proper sentence as I felt myself getting closer and closer to the edge.
"Come here."
Never pulling out of me, she wrapped an arm around my torso and pulled me up, my back pressed up against her front as she held me tight, her hips still pounding into me nevertheless.
With my hand entangling in her hair and her lips finding my neck, I found myself loving this position as she started fucking me harder than ever before. As my breathing became erratic and the pleasure was too much to handle, my grip on her hair tightened as I pulled it back ever so slightly for her to move her lips to mine. With our bodies moving like one and our tongues engaging into a desperate battle for dominance, Alex's right hand slipped down in between my legs, and the second she pushed hard on my clit, I was overcome with the most powerful orgasm ever.
"Holy motherfucker!", I half-shouted, panting like no tomorrow as she kept fucking me even faster, both our bodies starting to shake as we were now a moaning, sweaty, wonderful mess.
Slowly steading her pace and pounding into me in longer and slower strokes, I found myself out of breath and completely exhausted, my body no doubt collapsing on the bed if it wasn't for Alex's strong grip on me.
"Holy fucking shit.", I panted, still shaking as I slowly came down my high.
"Are you okay baby?", Alex whispered in my ear as she gave me one last thrust, her arms pulling me impossibly closer against her.
"Yeah.. yeah, I'm okay baby.", I reassured, planting a kiss to her forehead. "Just.. don't pull out yet. I'm still far too sensitive."
She nodded silently, the only sound audible in the room was our heavy breathing as she started trailing my right shoulder with feather kisses. Once I was sure I was ready, I gave her the go ahead, Alex pulling out ever so gently before collapsing on the bed, me along with her as she was quick to cover her lower body before I could even fathom the idea of taking a look.
"That was.."
"Amazing.", I concluded, earning a shy smile in return as I rolled on my side and cupped her cheek. "You're amazing."
"Did I hurt you?", she questioned, taking my hand and intertwining our fingers.
"Not at all.", I reassured, flashing her a small smile. "You couldn't have been gentler even if you wanted to, baby. And I would've never trusted anyone but you in doing what we just did. You were amazing in every possible way, Alex."
Happy with my answer, she pulled me closer to her, her free arm wrapping around my waist as I nuzzled my face in the crook of her neck.
A sneeze echoing in the room soon after as Alex didn't even bother to laugh her ass off as she usually did, an amused laugh coming my way nevertheless.
"Fuck, I can't believe we're engaged.", I heard her mumble after a short comfortable silence.
"Yeah, about that..", I trailed off as I drew gentle and soothing circles on her toned stomach. "I thought you were scared of commitment?", I subtly teased.
"What scares me is to picture a life that you and Shay aren't a part of."
I had to drop the playful act at the seriousness in her voice, a foolish smile plastering itself on my lips as I looked up to meet loving green eyes, my heart doing multiple flips.
"How many times will I have to fall in love with you all over again, García?"
"I hope a lot, Miss Stevens.", she smirked, blushing like a moron as she leaned forward and kissed me softly.
Pulling her closer as we lost ourselves in our kiss, I absentmindedly bent my leg and brought it higher in between hers, my knee making contact with the toy she was still wearing. Parting from her, I seductively bit my lower lip as I stared at her.
"What?"
"Can I see it?", I frowned, carefully studying her reaction as she realized what I was talking about.
Smiling as I was met by a slow nod of the head, I gently brushed my fingers along her stomach, my eyes searching for further permission as I played with the hem of the sheets covering her waist. Making sure she was actually comfortable with it, I pushed the covers off of her and took it in, the wetness of my juices still visible.
I had no idea what possessed me in doing what I did next, but I found myself oddly wanting to taste myself. Hence why I lowered my body further down the bed, Alex's puzzled eyes never leaving me before going wide in surprise as I took the dildo in my hand and ran my tongue all the way up to the tip.
"Are you- oh.", was all I heard her say as I locked my eyes with hers and took it in my mouth, pushing it as deep as I could down my throat. "Fuck."
"Mmm, I taste good.", I husked, taking Alex's hand in my hair as a silent invitation to do it again.
And I did just that, over and over again and enjoying Alex's muffled moans as the toy kept moving against her clit, her grip on me tightening and pushing my head further down as I picked up my pace.
"Come here.", she abruptly demanded, her hand releasing my hair as she scooted higher up the bed, her back leaning against the headboard.
Smirking, I joined her and straddled her as her hands found my ass and encouraged me to lower myself on the toy. Bringing a hand in between my legs, I grabbed it and brought its tip to my entrance, stilling my movements and lifting her chin for her to look at me.
"I want you to look at me when I put it in."
And let's just say, that was just the beginning of a long, passionate and overwhelmingly special night.
———
ALEX'S POV
"You used it, didn't you?"
"Come on, is that even a question? She can barely walk, don't get me started on how weird she looks while going up the stairs."
"Are you two done?", I laughed out loud, not finding it in me to even deny their accusations cause they were true.
Hence why I was blushing like a freak as vivid images from last night replayed in my head.
"How hard did you fuck my sister for her to have trouble walking?", Sky scoffed, earning a laugh from my best friend.
Hard.
"Look at that! She can't even bend forward for fuck's sake.", Jess added as the three of us studied Ashley from afar, an amused roll of the eyes coming their way.
"Thank God you soundproofed your room or else I'm pretty sure we would've heard about it.", Sky teased.
"Shut it, the both of you.", I gritted, playfully shoving them. "Don't you have something better to do instead of sticking your nose into our sex life?"
"Talking about sticking- ouch!", Jess chuckled as she rubbed the spot on her arm that I harshly punched. "Fine, whatever."
I shook my head at them as I placed my beer on the counter and made my way to the living room where Ashley was carefully setting food and beverages on a small table. Snaking an arm around her waist and startling her, I pulled her closer to plant a kiss to her temple.
Ever since we woke up, I couldn't help but notice she was acting weird. Not towards me, but overall weird. Her head was all over the place, she was oddly distracted, and I was pretty confident that whatever it was had nothing to do with the night we had and the consequent lack of sleep.
"Hey baby, you okay?", I mumbled against her head as she relaxed in my embrace.
"Every inch of my body is screaming in pain.", she whispered, flashing me a shy grin as her cheeks flushed.
"Maybe we went a little overboard.", I smirked, causing her to chuckle. "No but, really.. are you okay, body parts aside? Your head seems distant."
"Huh?", she frowned before brushing me off. "Oh, it's nothing Alex.. I'm just nervous, I want this party to go well."
I studied her as her eyes frantically scanned the place, party banners and purple balloons scattered all around. Her attitude had nothing to do with the party, and I knew it.
My heart tightened in my chest as I saw sadness seeping from her grey orbs, my mind finally putting the pieces together and making me want to punch myself in the face.
God, I'm an idiot.
"You know you can talk to me, right?", I whispered, cupping her face and forcing her to look at me.
"I know baby.", was all she said, a weak smile coming my way as she gently pecked my lips, me not missing in the slightest how her eyes got watery.
I was about to speak when two loud voices coming from the door caught both our attention, Ashley's hand quickly wiping away a silent tear before turning around and flashing the widest smile she could muster. With Chase barging into the living room and Matt appearing soon after with a squirmy Shay in his arms, I myself had to force a smile on my face.
"Hey sweetie, happy birthday.", I grinned as Ashley took her in her arms and I started tickling her in the sides.
"Stop, Alex!", she giggled as she tried hiding her face in her mother's neck."Thank you."
"Happy birthday honey.", Ashley whispered, placing a gentle kiss to the back of her little head. "Are you ready to see all your friends and open a bunch of presents?"
"Yes!", she perked right up, goofily clapping her hands together.
As the first guests arrived, Ashley carefully crouched to place Shay down and allow her to run off to her friends. Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, I never left her side as we both greeted every single person that eventually crossed our door, my brothers quick to put some music on as I saw from the corner of my eye Jess and Sky full on making out in the kitchen.
Jesus, get a room already.
Oh, right. I guess I forgot to mention that Jess chose herself in the end, breaking off their engagement. She took some alone quality time, not wanting to rush things and not wanting to end a relationship just to dive deep into another one. Sky understood and respected her choice, not once failing to show her she was willing to wait for her.
Which she did, and after Jess asked her out a couple of weeks ago, those two have been attached by the hip ever since.
Tyler on the other hand was left completely devastated by Jess' decision, resulting in him ghosting me for months despite we had to work together. It broke my heart, honestly.. but if pretending I didn't even exist was helping him cope with it, then by all means, I allowed him to. He slowly came around though, talking to me and throwing some jokes my way every now and then.
I wouldn't say our relationship was back to how it used to be, but he was trying, and I was grateful for that.
"Jesus, you two bicker like a married couple.", I heard Jess tease as we approached Matt and Chase full on arguing on which song they should play next.
I smiled at that, my best friend's odd choice of words not going unnoticed to either me or Ashley, causing us to share a subtle knowing look.
We honestly couldn't wait to break the news, but it was Shay's birthday and it was all about her today.
Then again, Jess can smell a fart in New Hampshire so it's pointless to say that she didn't miss our clearly not so subtle look.
"What was that?"
"What was what?"
"That.", she inquired, pointing a finger at my face as her eyes flickered between me and Ashley.
We were so busted.
"I don't know what you're talk-"
"Keep lying to my face babe and I swear to God Imma shove my fist down your throat.", she hissed under her breath, causing me to stifle a laugh.
Realizing that playing coy was pointless, I stared at Ashley, silently asking if I should break the news and earning a sheepish nod of the head.
"Very well.", I sighed, raising my left hand and showing my black sharpie ring to them as I watched four pair of eyes go wide. "Ashley and I got engaged last night."
"YOU WHAT?!", Jess shouted at the top of her lungs, terrifying all the guests in the process. "She put a ring on y- well, sort of.. You're not fudging messing with my motherfluffin heart right now, are you?!"
"I'm not.", I replied, Ashley's hand slipping into mine as we both stood there smiling at each other like idiots.
"AAAAAAAAHHHH!", was all I heard before going momentarily deaf, my moron best friend screaming her head off as she disappeared out of our sight and out of our house, running around like a maniac.
"I told you she was going to freak out.", I chuckled, causing her to shake her head in amusement.
"Congrats you guys, I'm so happy for you!", Sky cooed, pulling us both into a tight hug.
"AAAAAAAAHHHH!", Jess' voice echoed in the distance as she was now literally running laps around my house.
"We second that thought.", my brothers smirked, mirroring Sky's actions.
"Thank you- woah!", I laughed out loud as a still screaming Jess squeezed the living shit out of me. "I was wondering how many laps you had left."
"Oh my God, I'm so happy for you babe!", she squealed as she awkwardly started bouncing up and down, very much to my amusement.
"I would've never guessed."
And just like that, the news was out, the six of us treating ourselves to a bottle of champagne to properly celebrate.
———
After the general excitement of the party died down, I proceeded to carry an exhausted seven year old to bed as Jess and Sky started tidying my living room, my sneaky brothers disappearing in their rooms as soon as they heard the word 'cleaning'.
Bouncing down the stairs, I absentmindedly glanced towards the kitchen just to see Ashley was no longer there.
"She's sitting outside Alex.", Sky whispered as my confused eyes took her in, a crooked smile coming my way.
Sharing a knowing look, I sighed, grabbing the nearest blanket from the couch and quietly making my way out.
Holding a smoking hot cup of tea in her hands, she flashed me a weak smile as I sat next to her and gently wrapped the blanket around the both of us. I didn't know whether she wanted me to give her some time to herself, to her thoughts, but I wanted to be there for her even if that meant staying absolutely silent.
I had no idea what losing your best friend felt like, and I was so not eager to find that out.
She scooted closer to me, linking her arm with mine as she pulled me impossibly closer, her head resting on my shoulder as a silent tear fell on my sweater.
"Ash-"
"I'm fine, I swear.", she croaked out, a muffled sob coming my way as her grip on my arm tightened.
As much as I wanted her to be, all I saw was struggle in her eyes, and it fucking killed me.
"I'm sorry..", she spoke softly, sniffling her nose. "I-.. I'll get through this, it's just taking me a while.."
For obvious reasons, Judy's death was not something either one of us usually brought up. It's not like we never talked about her, but I personally refrained from approaching the subject for the simple reason that I knew how hard it was for her to even hear her name. So I never did unless she wanted to.
But now, searching those grey orbs that quickly looked away from me followed by the weakest attempt to a smile I've ever seen, my heart broke.
"Never, never apologize to me ever again, baby.", I whispered, cupping her cheek and forcing her to look at me. "Never apologize for feeling whatever it is you're feeling, never apologize for taking all the time you need, never apologize for missing your best friend and feeling sad, okay?"
I knew she was hurting, and I knew the pain was deep and excruciating, but what really broke my heart was the fact that she felt like the burden weighing over her shoulders was hers and hers alone to keep.
"I know I can't take the pain away baby, but I'm here for you, okay?", I croaked out, tears stinging my eyes as she stared at me. "I love you.. and you don't have to go through this alone. I'll be by your side every step of the way, you know that, right?"
"I do..", she nodded, a small smile coming my way as she leaned into my touch. "I.. I just miss her like crazy, Alex."
"I know you do baby."
Cuddling back against me, I wrapped my arm around her and held her tightly, allowing a comfortable silence to surround us as we both looked up to the sky, a ridiculous amount of stars shining before us.
"Do you remember when you basically forced me to go out with her? You know, before..", she trailed off, neither one of us willing to finish that sentence as I nodded my head. "Well, little did I know that that would've been the last night out with her before she found out she was pregnant.. I wouldn't have gone if it wasn't for you, and I would've regretted it for the rest of my life."
I smiled at that, reaching for her hand and giving it a tight squeeze. For once in my life, I was glad my stubborn ass made something good for a change.
"What's so funny?", I questioned as Ashley started laughing out of the blue.
"I was just trying to picture Judy's reaction to our engagement and all I can see is her and Jess running laps around our house, screaming their heads off.", she giggled, causing me to mentally replay said moment in my head. "She would've freaked the hell out, you have no idea how much I would've loved to have her here today.."
"Wanna know what my Grandma told me when my Grandpa died?", I found myself mumble, earning a weak nod. "She said that nothing's really lost to us as long as we remember it.. Judy's still here baby, in your heart, in your thoughts and in that little tornado we have sleeping upstairs. And no-one can ever change that."
"'The memories of you, of us.. those are mine to keep.'", I barely heard her whisper, causing me to quirk an eyebrow at the fact that those words sounded oddly familiar.
"You read my e-mail.."
"I did..", she nodded, smirking shyly at me. "It was beautiful and I cried my eyes out, García. So thank you for that."
"You kind of had it coming, Miss Stevens.", I chuckled at the face she pulled, relief flooding my body as I saw a genuine smile creep up on her lips. "Why didn't you tell me you read it?"
"You know, I don't have to tell you everything, Alex.", she replied, playfully poking me in the ribs and causing me to roll my eyes in amusement.
"Feeling a little better, I see."
"A little passive aggressive, but yes.", she flashed me a cheeky grin before leaning forward to peck my lips. "I have a question though."
"Ask away."
"Does your Grandma hate me?", she frowned, tilting her head as I stifled a laugh. "Is that why she didn't come for Christmas?"
She was, in fact, the reason.
Truth to be told, my Grandma was royally pissed at her. And at me for letting her back into my life after what she did to me. Telling her the entire story turned out to be pretty much useless, which didn't come to me as a shock since she was just that stubborn. But now that Ashley and I were getting married, she'll literally have to suck it up and come see for herself how impossibly in love with this woman I was.
And maybe, just maybe, she'll hopefully manage to forgive both my soon-to-be wife and Donna.
God, that was weird to say.
"Oh my, Miss Stevens..", I trailed off with a devious smile, her eyes going wide in fear. "You have no idea what's coming for you."
"Stab me, now."