Chapter One-Hundred-Eighty-Seven
As everybody was sitting around in the living room visiting with Ann, Josh came walking downstairs and he went on over to Brian who looked at him curiously. Josh walked into his open arms and returned the hug that he received.
“Hey Kiddo, what are you and the gang doing up in the attic? Everybody is behaving themselves right? Ellie?”
“Q has had to ask her to settle down a couple of times because she’s kind of hyper but other then that she is doing okay.” Kevin groaned and shook his head.
“If I find out anyone gave her candy you’re in for it…”
“And what are you going to do about it once you find out?” Ann suddenly asked while looking over at her son with narrowed eyes.
“Mom?”
“I gave her a lollipop earlier,” Ann admitted. “And I’m practically her grandmother so let me be.” Kevin scowled and Brian chuckled and pat his cousin on the back.
“Don’t worry cuz, I feel ya…I really do.” Kevin shook his head and looked back at Josh, as did Brian.
“So what’s up Joshua, I’m sure you came down here for a reason,” Brian questioned.
“Can I do the surprise now?”
“What are the girls up to? Are they going to come down here anytime soon while we’re setting it up?”
“No, they’ve talked Q into reading to them. They’re sitting in Kevin, Jerald, and Tim’s old tent cuddling with him and he’s gathered up a pile of kids books and is reading to them.”
“Ah…the memories in that tent…” Jerald spoke up and he forced his eyes not to water as he looked at his brothers and shared a look.
“We should take the kids camping,” Kevin spoke up softly. “Like dad took us.”
“I’m not sure how safe that would be with Sean running around and doing as he pleases,” Howie replied.
“What if we waited until after Thanksgiving break? Tim and Jerry could come back to Florida with us. We would have all of our security team with us.”
“We might even be able to invite Detective Stabler to ensure that Ashley is safe too,” Brian added.
“It sounds like a good idea Kev, and I can tell that this idea is really important to you but how about we talk about it when we get back to Florida with all of our security team? Some real security measures will have to be made to make sure we aren’t making it very easy for them to get Ashley.”
“Or Ellie,” Jerald added.
“Yeah, that’s true. The last thing we want is another incident like we had at Disney World. I will never forgive myself if I lose her twice.”
“I don’t think you’ve forgiven yourself yet for the first incident…” Riley spoke up.
“I don’t blame him,” Brian replied as he hugged Josh close to him again. “I still haven’t fully forgiven myself either…the guilt will always be there.”
“Yeah well, I’m afraid if we go camping and don’t handle it correctly Ashley just might be next. And we can’t have that.”
“No we cannot,” AJ added firmly. “We were lucky to get Ellie and Josh back but if he got Ashley I don’t think we ever would and then I would be in jail for murder I’m not even kidding.”
“You and Nick both J,” Howie replied while wrapping his arm around AJ’s shoulders. “But I assure you nothing is going to happen to your new little sister.”
“You can’t make that promise.”
“Now who is being negative?” Kori spoke up.
“Always quick to point out my mistakes aren’t you?” AJ asked, turning and looking over at Kori annoyed.
“Stop it,” Denise replied firmly.
“All I’m saying is that you called me negative for worrying about Ashley earlier, and now you’re doing the same thing.”
“You were being negative for a stupid reason. Can you honestly tell me that you still have doubts about Nick after what he is doing for her tonight?”
“No, you were right,” Kori told him in an icy tone.
“Good I am glad you can admit that.”
“But at least now you’re starting to see what it’s like to worry about your sister. Those brotherly instincts are kicking in and you don’t even know it.” AJ scowled and stuck his tongue out at her and she rolled her eyes and stuck hers out at him right back. Denise shook her head and looked over at Kevin.
“Do you all still have those handcuffs?” Kevin chuckled.
“Yeah I believe we do, but they’re back at the orphanage.”
“Good…cause we have some siblings who need to take a walk in each others shoes.” Kori and AJ turned and looked at Denise with horrified expressions on their faces.
“That won’t work because we are old enough to figure out that you’ve hidden the key.”
“Yeah, but you wouldn’t know where,” Howie challenged. AJ glared at his best friend and Howie just smirked as Brian got up and took Josh’s hand before leading him over to his bag. He got out the diamond necklaces and handed the boxes to him and he pulled out his video camera.
“Do you know what you’re going to say?” Brian asked as he knelt down to Josh’s level to talk to him.
“No…not yet…”
“Just say what’s in your heart kid,” AJ encouraged with a small grin.
“Are you really going to be video taping me?” Josh asked while nervously eyeing the camera.
“Mhm. Just because Nick isn’t here to see this…and it’s not every day that his daughter gets a diamond necklace so he wants to be able to see it. Just forget I’m there okay?” Josh nodded nervously.
“It’s going to be okay, I promise.” Brian reassured and he pulled out a teddy bear that he had bought at the toy store for Josh to give to Sarah so she wont feel left out. He then handed that to him also and he began to go over what he was going to do, to help him feel more prepared and less nervous.
~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile, at Olive Garden, Ashley and Nick had long finished their dinner and had been sitting at the table watching the sun go down and having small talk about anything and everything and just enjoying each other’s company. It was really nice to be out of the house and not have everybody’s watchful eyes on them. Both of them are pretty sure that Laney and Marcus are sitting outside of the restaurant but at least they’re not IN the restaurant hovering over them. After spending sometime alone together in the restaurant, and quite awhile after the sun had gone down Nick decided to take Ashley back to the Littrell House and get the next part of his surprise going. He waited for the waiter to come back.
“Is everything okay out here? Can I get you two anything?”
“Yeah, everything is great. May we get the check now though, please?”
“Nope. You may not. The two guys who came here earlier told me to refuse to give it to you. They’ve already taken care of it.” Nick raised his eyebrow.
“Is there anything they haven’t taken care of tonight?” The waiter chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. Nick pulled his wallet out of his pocket.
“The tip. They didn’t take care of your tip did they?”
“No, that they didn’t take care of,” The waiter replied amusedly. Nick nodded and he pulled out a reasonable amount of money to give to their waiter that did such a good job at serving them and he handed it out to him and beamed, glad that he got to help out in this evening a little bit. He is going to owe AJ and Brian big time now. He is glad he bought the promise ring at least or he would owe Brian a fortune.
“Thank-you, I hope you enjoyed your meal,” The waiter grinned.
“Definitely. It was wonderful,” Ashley insisted, and Nick agreed as he stood up and she allowed him to take her hand and help her up to. The waiter turned and disappeared in his kitchen again and Nick looked at Ashley, sliding his arms around her waist and leaning down and kissing her nose and she smiled up at him.
“And thank you for this amazing evening…” She told him while gazing into his eyes and still sensing he is up to something.
“Well you’re welcome baby, but I’m not through with you yet,” he insisted while rubbing his nose over hers affectionately.
“Is that so?”
“Mhm, very so.” He replied, while wrapping both of his arms around her waist and lifting her up so her feet no longer touched the ground and he carried her out of the restaurant as she squealed in surprise. He took her to the limo and the driver who had been standing outside his limo talking with Laney and Marcus opened the door for them allowing them to get in. When they were in the driver said his good-byes to Laney and Marcus and got into the driver’s seat before shutting the door.
“Where to now?” He asked grinning.
“Back home,” Nick answered as he still has his arms wrapped around Ashley’s waist and is planting kisses wherever he could think of. The driver chuckled and put the window cover up so that he could give them a little bit of privacy. He was thoroughly warned by both Marcus and Laney about how in love they’re and quite frankly he didn’t need any warning because he could see it in their eyes as they look at each other. When they got back to the Littrell House Marcus let them in from behind them with his remote control and the limo driver drove into the yard and Marcus and Laney drove in behind them, Marcus scanning the bushes watchfully as they drove by. When the driver parked the limo he got out and opened the door for them to get out again.
“Did AJ already pay you, or do I get to do it?” Nick questioned as he slid his arm around Ashley.
“I told him I would do this for free if he agreed for you all to meet my daughter tomorrow,” the limo driver answered with a grin.
“Oh no you don’t,” Nick replied firmly. “I will pay you and we will meet your daughter.”
“No, no, I don’t want your money. You meeting my daughter will be payment enough.” Nick shook his head and pulled out his wallet and he pulled out the reasonable amount of money that one would pay a limo driver and he held it out to him. The limo driver sighed and then took it from him though both Nick and Ashley could see that it was against his better judgement.
“Thanks for everything tonight,” Nick told him with a grin.
“It was my pleasure,” The limo driver replied, and he got back in his limo and started it up and he began to drive out. Nick looked down at Ashley then and slid his arm around her waist before leading her into the Littrell House. When they got in there he shut the door behind him and he brought her into the kitchen where they found that Jackie wasn’t in there – or possibly she could be hiding.
“Where is everybody?” Ashley asked curiously and she looked up at Nick confused. Nick smiled at her and shrugged.
“Out I guess,” he replied and he led her out into the backyard and he cupped her cheek in his hand before leaning down and brushing his lips lightly over hers. Just as soon as she started to kiss him back bright colored Christmas lights of red, blue, green, and silver lit up the trees in the backyard. She pulled back and took it all in curiously as she suddenly felt butterflies in her stomach and her heart doing somersaults in her chest. She looked up at him with eyes full of questions and he smiled at her as he bushed a strand of her hair back behind her ear. One look into his eyes and she suddenly didn’t care how those lights turned on. They could have turned on all by themselves for all she cared because the only thing that mattered was that she was there with Nick. She slid her arms around his waist and leaned into him as she rested her head against his shoulder and he could feel her shivering. He brought her over to the bench then and helped her sit down before sitting next to her. He grabbed up the blanket that is kept out there and he wrapped it around her before turning to face her and allowing her to lean into him so her head was rested against his chest. She looked up at the sky and even with the Christmas lights shining brightly in all of the trees, the stars were still clearly visible in the sky.
“It’s so beautiful…” she announced softly.
“Yeah…it is,” Nick agreed, and Ashley looked up at him to see that he was looking down at her and not up at the sky or at the Christmas lights and she blushed a little.
“You’re not even looking at it.”
“Sure I am,” Nick insisted and he gently tilted her chin back so she is looking up at him and he bent down and brushed his lips lightly over hers once again. “All I can see is you,” he added when he pulled away and he caressed her cheek with his finger. Ashley gazed up at him as she tried her very hardest not to cry as her emotions are currently going up very high. They’re sitting in a little car on a roller coaster and are going up hill.
“I don’t deserve you,” she insisted softly.
“I thought we’ve already gone through this. You deserve to have anything you want.”
“No I don’t…” Ashley insisted while shaking her head. “You’re too good to me.”
“Well it’s about time someone is good to you, isn’t it?” Ashley shrugged self-consciously. She has never had anything good in her life until she met Nick and it is still a little too good to be true. Half the time she feels like she is sleeping and she is going to wake up any moment and realize she had been dreaming all a long. Nick wiped away her tear and he pulled her closer to him by the waist and rested his forehead against hers as he gazed into her eyes.
“It is completely one-hundred-percent real. You’re not dreaming. I love you with all of my heart and I am not going anywhere.” He reassured her, as if he had read her mind.
“You promise?” Ashley asked softly. Nick who had miraculously pulled the ring out of his pocket without Ashley knowing about it took her hand and placed the tiny velvet box inside her hand causing her to look down at it with a mixture of confusion and shock.
“I promise.”
“Nicky…is this…”
“Open it up baby,” Nick replied gently, yet she could hear the eagerness in his voice. Ashley opened up the box and inside she found the gorgeous diamond ring with the two upside down hearts touching each other with the three exquisite diamonds centered through them. She gasped in surprise and all of the tears she had been working so hard to hold back flooded her eyes. “It is a promise ring,” he explained as he placed his finger to her chin and tilted it back so he could look her in the eyes. “Sometimes I catch you looking at me when you think I’m not paying attention with eyes full of questions. You’re wondering how long I am yours, how long am I going to stick around and just how deep my feelings are. Well the answer to your question is forever baby.” He told her and a tear streak rolled down her cheek. “I am going to be yours forever. I plan on living the rest of my life with you and I plan on marrying you some day in the future. I am completely one-hundred-percent committed to you.”
“Nicky-“
“-Shh…I’m not finished,” He insisted gently. “You’re my first true love. You make me so happy and you make me feel complete. You’re my best friend in the entire world and I feel that I can tell you anything and you will never judge me. You are always there to give me advice and I love you for that. I watch you with my daughter, and with Sarah, I see how good you’re with them, and how much you love them and I think…that’s who I want to be their mommy some day. You baby…because nobody else would be right for the job. I want you to be able to look down at this ring when you’re having your doubts and be reassured again that I love you. I want you to be able to look down at this ring on your finger when I can’t be with you and feel like part of me is here with you. I want this ring to symbolize my love for you. Will you wear it baby?” He questioned and she could see the hope with a mixture of worry in his eyes. Ashley nodded as that was all she could do to keep herself from crying and he took the ring from it’s box and took her hand into his before sliding the beautiful ring onto the appropriate finger. She looked down at it and as soon as she did, she could not take it anymore. Her emotions getting too strong for her to control, she threw her arms about him, buried her face in his shoulder and she broke down into sobs, the little emotional roller coaster going down the hill at last, as it was just barely hanging on. Nick slid his arms around her in return and hugged her tightly as he pulled her into his lap with the blanket still wrapped around her.
“I love you so much…” he whispered softly in her ear. He held her for a long time and when she had finally managed to calm down she placed her hand to his cheek and pulled his lips down onto hers for a very powerful kiss.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Here's the next chapter.
Enjoy =)
Enjoy =)
