Chapter One-Hundred-Thirty-Six
Meanwhile over at the Ramada, while Nick was talking to Aaron, Ashley remained with everybody else as she sat on the ground leaning her back up against the pole and she sat there petting Abbie and Lil' Rok. Chance and Lily are with Josh and Dakota, and Brian has Tyke with him. Brian sat there thinking for a few moments, and then he turned to Riley who was sitting there beside him talking with Kori and he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck softly. Riley smiled a little bit and looked up at him.
"Yes?"
"Let's go for a walk around the park baby," he whispered mysteriously in her ear.
"Can't you see that I am talking here?" She teased, and Brian stuck his lower lip out in a pout.
"Pleeeease?" Riley laughed and he moved his hands down to her sides. "I'll have you know I have ways of getting my way."
"Don't you even think about it," Riley replied, knowing exactly what he is about to do. She made to move away from him, but it was too late. Brian smirked and began tickling her. Riley shrieked with laughter as she attempted to pull away but he only held onto her tight so she couldn't.
"Okay, Okaaay, stop it! I'll walk with you I will!" she surrendered. Brian grinned in satisfaction and stopped what he is doing and he glanced at his father as Riley stood up.
"Will you keep an eye on Josh for me?"
"Of course," Harold smiled. "Go have your fun." Brian stood up then and he scooped Riley up over his shoulder and playfully took off running as Riley squealed and began laughing all over again. Howie shook his head smiling and he looked over at Brian's parents who were sitting there watching after Brian in amusement.
"I like her a lot…I wouldn't mind having her for a daughter in law," Jackie announced out of the blue.
"Well, you just might get that, at the rate they're going…they really love each other," Howie reassured, smiling some as he is proud of the younger man who is finally able to be happy now that Riley is all his. "She just needs to get that divorce first…"
"I think it's ridiculous that he is refusing to sign the papers. He didn't like being with her when they were married, so why not do himself a favor and sign the papers and let Brian have her?" Harold complained. "He's lucky I don't personally pay him a visit and give him a piece of my mind…"
"You don't have to do that," Howie replied amusedly. He would just love to see Brian's father tell Chase off. Harold Littrell the man who goes to church every Sunday and is kind to everybody. "Brian called Detective Stabler the other night. As soon as we go back to Florida Detective Stabler is going to go and pay Chase a little visit…we find that he can be very persuasive. Chase will find it very hard to give him any troubles."
"I can be very persuasive too when I want to be," Jackie smiled. "Brian will be asking her to marry him soon enough."
"Sweet! I better be picked as best man," Nick insisted, as he and Aaron suddenly rejoined the group and he had over heard what was last said. Howie rolled his eyes smiling.
"That's highly impossible Nicky, seeing as how I am already the best," He teased. Ashley giggled as Nick went over and sat next to her on the ground and he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. Nick rolled his eyes.
"Sound like AJ much, D?"
"Well somebody has to while he is gone."
"Awww…are you missing your lover?" Nick teased and Howie narrowed his eyes at him.
"You know, just because AJ isn't here it doesn't mean you won't get your ass kicked for making gay jokes about us." Nick shrugged and pulled Ashley into his lap so she is shielding him.
"You will have to get past my force field first. I know you won't hurt me with her right here." Howie rolled his eyes.
"You'll put her down sometime."
"Highly unlikely," Kori laughed. Nick smirked and slid his arms around Ashley's waist and he hugged her close to him as she leaned back against him comfortably and she rested the back of her head against his shoulder.
"Seriously though D, we need to find you a girlfriend," Ashley spoke up as Nick placed soft kisses on the side of her neck. "You are a great guy…I just can't see why you are still single."
"It's because he spends too much time with AJ," Nick laughed.
"Nicky stop…or I will move and let him hurt you."
"I am just stating the facts," Nick shrugged.
"Well what about you? You spend an awful lot of time with Brian," Ashley replied and she looked up at him.
"And we both have girlfriends too, don't we?" Ashley rolled her eyes and moved out of Nick's lap and she hugged her legs to her chest and looked over at Howie whom she can tell is restraining himself to that bench.
"Anyway…we are going to find D a girlfriend…it just became my mission."
"Don't even bother…all the girlfriends I seem to attract lately are fakes. I'm better off."
"Nonsense…" Ashley insisted, while shaking her head. "There is someone out there for everybody."
"All Nick ever used to attract were fakes…and now look at him and Ashley," Angel insisted. "She is the first girlfriend of Nick's that I like…I mean to be honest at first I was skeptic with the age difference, but she proved herself a good girlfriend."
"Yup," BJ agreed. "And it's hard to get past us and our strict expectations too."
"Yeah, that Stacy bitch over there is having a real hard time getting on my good side right now," Angel insisted, as she glared over at the girl who was laughing and having a good time. Her and her three friends are sitting on a bench watching a few boys play basketball. Aaron rolled his eyes and elbowed her in the side.
"OW!" She yelped, and she elbowed him back.
"You best stay out of this one," Aaron insisted firmly.
"I don't like her Aaron, I'm sorry."
"Yeah well, I don't care. There is just something about her…and I am going to figure it out."
"I agree…" BJ replied, and Aaron looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "You are right Air…she does look familiar."
"Do you know from where?" Aaron asked anxiously, suddenly excited that someone other then him thinks so.
"I'm not sure…all I know is that we've definitely seen her before…a long time ago."
"Could she possibly be someone you've met at a meet n' greet before?" Wiley suggested.
"No…I think it's a little further back…before Aaron started touring." Nick raised his eyebrow though he didn't say a word; he just sat there thinking about things. After a few moments he reached over and wrapped his arms around Ashley again. She attempted to move away from him but he held her tighter.
"Baby come here…please? I miss you." Ashley rolled her eyes.
"How can you miss me when I'm just right here?"
"I miss holding you," he insisted. Ashley looked back at him and she saw the famous pout that Dakota got from him and she scowled.
"I hate you," she pouted and he smirked and pulled her into his lap feeling satisfied when she let him do it. He smiled down at her and she narrowed her eyes at him, before placing her hand to his cheek as she rested the back of her head against his shoulder.
"Jerk," she continued to pout and she pulled his lips down onto hers and she kissed him. He chuckled a little and tightened his arms around her waist and he hugged her closer.
"I love it when you try to be mad at me," he informed her.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile in New York, it is long after dinner and Brooke, AJ, Jaime, and Peyton all just got back from having ice cream. It is late at night and Brooke's parents had already gone to bed. Laila is asleep in the stroller so AJ bent down, unbuckled her and carefully took her out of it and he took her upstairs to put her in bed. Brooke went over to Jaime and Peyton and she hugged them both and kissed Jaime on the cheek.
"Night guys…I'm going to head to bed," she told them.
"Night," Jaime and Peyton replied in unison and Brooke headed up the stairs. When she got upstairs to her room she went inside and shut the door and she changed into a white tanktop and some of her brother's boxers that she stole from him and she grabbed her cell phone and crawled into her bed and she dialed Riley's phone number. The phone rang a couple of times, and then she finally answered.
"Hello?" Riley asked into the phone, and Brooke can't help but notice she sounds like she is out of breath.
"Am I interrupting something?" She questioned, as a sly grin formed on her face.
"Do you honestly think I would answer the phone if I were getting any?" Riley asked while laughing a little. Brooke can hear Brian laughing in the background too. Brooke rolled her eyes.
"Well then why are you so out of breath, hmm?"
"I was running from Brian. He seems to have a habit of tickling me tonight…my stomach hurts from laughing so damn hard…"
"Ah, I see," Brooke replied amused.
"Anyway…to what do I owe the pleasure of this phone call?"
"Just calling to see how you are…I sort of miss my best friend, you know?"
"What, is AJ not good enough for you?" Riley teased.
"He's amazing…and I am really glad he is here, but he is no Riley I have to admit that."
"Awww that makes me feel really good honey," Riley blushed. "So what's up?" she asked, and she and Brooke spent a half n hour on the phone. When the two of them hung up Brooke placed her phone on the nightstand and she went and quietly opened up her door. When she did she peeked down the hall at Jaime's room and was happy to see that his light was off and his door was shut. She quietly padded her way down the hall to the guest room where AJ is staying in and she peeked her head inside the already open door and when she did she saw him lying on the bed beside Laila. He is just twirling a strand of the little girl's curls as she slept. AJ saw her in the corner of his eye and turned his head to look at her and he grinned at the sight of her.
"May I come in?" she asked quietly and AJ patted the empty space next to him after rolling over so that Laila lay behind him. She hit the light switch so that the lamp was the only source of light and AJ reached over and dimmed it a little bit. She shut the door and went into the room and she went over and crawled into the bed next to him so her head was rested on his arm for a pillow. He wrapped his other arm around her waist and rested his forehead against hers as he stared into her eyes.
"Your brother is going to kill me," he informed her.
"What Jaime doesn't know can't hurt him…he's asleep. I won't tell if you don't…" Brooke replied, feeling quite rebellious. AJ chuckled a little and then kissed her forehead softly.
"Just hours ago you were demanding me to leave…and now here you are crawling into bed with me. You have a lot of mood swings honey."
"Yeah well…that's what you signed up for when you fell in love with me," Brooke informed, as she took his hand into hers and laced their fingers together.
"Is that so?"
"Mhm…think you can handle that?"
"I can handle anything you throw at me baby."
"Even when I act like a bitch and smack you?" she asked softly, as she placed her one free hand to his cheek where she hit him earlier that day and she gently caressed it.
"Well I'm still here aren't I?"
"Yeah…but you shouldn't be."
"It's going to take a lot more then a smack in the face to get rid of me Brookie…" Brooke smiled at his words as that is exactly what she wanted to hear and she snuggled close to him and placed soft kisses on each of his knuckles.
"You never did tell me what caused your sudden mood change earlier though…I've been waiting until we were alone, so that I could ask you."
"I felt like I was becoming vulnerable and weak," Brooke admitted softly, and she looked up at him causing her eyes to meet with his. "It hit me earlier today that I can't live without you and it scared me…the last time I felt vulnerable and weak it was right when Thadius was hurting me. I told myself I would never let myself feel that way ever again…that I would become independent and take care of myself. That was working fine…real fine, until you came into my life…and the more I spend time with you the more I realize I can't live without you…and so I tried to push you away…"
"It's okay to need somebody sometimes Brookie…I can understand you want to be independent and take care of yourself, but sometimes all you need is a good friend to lean on and I want you to know that I will always be that for you."
"Well what if I don't want you to be my friend?" Brooke asked suddenly, and AJ raised his eyebrow. He was about to reply when she suddenly cut him off before he could. "What if I want you to be more than that?" AJ looked at Brooke clearly shocked at what she had just said — did he hear her right?
"But I want to take things slow…" she added quickly as she recognized the shock on his face. "Can you do that for me? Like…really slow."
"I'll do anything as long as I can officially call you mine…" AJ answered, and she can hear the excitement in his voice. He looked her in the eyes silently asking her for permission and she snuggled close to him and rested her head against his chest. He smiled happily as a single tear rolled down his cheek and he kissed her forehead softly. "God I love you…thank you, thank you so much…" he told her as he hugged her tight.
"Just prove to me that I am making the right choice, Alex…this is the second, and the last time that I ever try to trust anybody…"
Author's Chapter Notes:
Here's the next chapter.
Enjoy =)
Enjoy =)
