Chapter Three-Hundred-Eighty-Five
“Well, the kids and I should get going,” AJ announced long after dinner as everybody was just sitting around the living room talking and enjoying each other’s company.
“Aw, do you have to?” Ashley pouted slightly as she was not quite ready for her brother to go.
“I’m afraid so sweetie,” AJ insisted gently. “Ryan and Laila have to get in bed very soon here, Laila especially and I need to do some packing if I’m going to be ready on time to go to Jersey with you first thing in the morning.”
“Aww okay,” Ashley sighed and AJ held his arms out to her sensing her separation anxiety that’s unspoken of, but has always been visibly there. Ashley who had been sitting across from him on the couch snuggling with Nick who had Bella lying in his lap crawled on over to him, allowing him to embrace her in a warm hug.
“I love you sis, I’ll be here first thing in the morning you can count on it.”
“Love you too,” Ashley replied as she hugged him back and he kissed her cheek softly. He sat there with her for a few short moments, and then gently pulled away from her and got to his feet.
“Ryan do you have your shoes on?” he questioned while going over to Laila who was lying on the floor with her blanket and teddy bear and she was watching cartoons with her thumb in her mouth and droopy eyes. He gathered her into his arms and she rested her head against his shoulder while looking as if she could crash right there – and will.
“Yes,” Ryan answered while getting to his feet also. He went on over and hugged Ashley too and told her bye and as soon as AJ had everything he led the nine-year-old out of the house with Marcus walking them out. Ashley stared after him while pouting for a few moments until Wiley spoke up.
“Kor we should probably get back to the Orphanage and finish packing too.”
“You are right and it’s about time for Spencer’s bedtime anyway,” Kori agreed.
“Aw, momma…”
“Don’t you aw momma me, you know better” Kori told him and she looked at her sister who still sat there staring after AJ. She got to her feet and went on over and kissed her cheek while Wiley got up and gathered their things.
“Bye sis.”
“Bye, love you” was all Ashley said.
“I’ll be here first thing in the morning too,” she pointed out.
“Kay.” Ashley gave her a brief hug and when Kori pulled away she went on over and grabbed a resisting Spencer’s hand.
“Come on Kiddo, your father is probably waiting to tuck you in,” She told him hoping that would help motivate him a little. No such luck.
“Okay,” was all he said before heaving an exaggerated sigh.
“I know its so tough having to go and sleep,” Kori told him sarcastically as she started for the door.
“Bye Nick, Bye Ashley thanks for dinner.” Wiley spoke up.
“Bye,” Nick and Ashley both replied in unison and he followed after his girlfriend with their stuff. Ashley scooted back over to Nick then, slid her arms around him and he wrapped an arm around her in return, pulled her close and kissed her forehead affectionately.
“You know baby, I know you love your brother a lot, but you could show a little more love toward your sister too sometimes,” he hinted gently.
“I did” Ashley insisted innocently.
“I think she was expecting you to put up as much of a fuss over her leaving as you did of AJ though.” Ashley shrugged her shoulders.
“I’m so used to her leaving by now, there’s really no point in me upsetting myself.”
“But you’ll upset yourself over AJ?”
“Alex is all I have left of my siblings, I need to treasure him so he’ll know I’ll always need him and he won’t someday leave me too.”
“Kori isn’t going anywhere either.”
“Yes she is. She is moving to Jersey and I need to accept that.”
“She’s moving to Jersey, she isn’t up and leaving you as a sister and she loves you and if you haven’t noticed she is highly jealous of AJ. Its why she is the way she is with him. She often feels like you are replacing her.”
“Well maybe a small part of me is,” Ashley admitted and she got up from the couch and walked into the kitchen. “Who knows? I mean I love my sister very much and nothing can change that. She is important to me but I just can’t keep hurting over the fact that she is going to live over a hundred miles away from me no matter how much I keep saying I need and want her here. Jersey is important to her, Wiley is important to her, and if she wants to live there with him so be it. But I need to learn how to let go and if clinging onto AJ is a method that’s helping me then who is anybody to stand in my way?”
“There is a difference between letting go and depriving your sister of your love. Just because you need to let go it doesn’t mean you need to stop loving her also.”
“I haven’t stopped loving her and I never will. I gave her a hug and told her I love her just now didn’t I? We just obviously aren’t as close to each other anymore as we used to be, its time we faced that fact.”
“Maybe she doesn’t want to face that fact. Maybe she wants that relationship back as much as I know you do deep down inside. If not all of it, then at least part of it.”
“Well then, what is she doing moving away?”
“Ashley you’re being—“
“—Selfish?” Ashley finished his sentence and she turned to look at him. “I’ve lost my entire family Nick. Everybody that I loved and treasured is gone. My mom is dead, my dad is dead, and my sister is all that I have left. So if wanting and needing her here makes me selfish, then go ahead and call me selfish.” When Nick didn’t reply she went on. “I’m sorry she’s feeling jealous of Alex, but the fact is, I asked him to be here and he is.” Nick got up and gently lay Bella in her playpen and turned on her lullaby music before going over to Ashley and pulling her into his arms and kissing her forehead. “And like I said, I need to keep telling him how much I love him and need him because I’m afraid if I don’t he’s going to leave me too and that is more then I can take. I can’t lose anybody else Nick, It just can’t happen.”
“You are never going to lose AJ baby, I promise.”
“You are right I’m not. Not if I have anything to do with it.”
“He loves you so much. You becoming his sister was the best thing that’s ever happened to him and it brings him great joy to be apart of almost everything you do. He’s not going anywhere I promise. There’s no need to be afraid.” Ashley stood there hugging him close to her for a long time and then she pulled away and went to clear off the table.
“Baby don’t do that.”
“I want to, I want something to do.” Nick walked up behind her and gently pulled her away from the table.
“But it bothers me when you clean because you are stressed when you could be talking about it with me instead and letting me help.”
“Nicky you can’t keep me from doing things all night.” Nick turned his head toward the stairs then.
“KOTA, COME DOWN HERE PLEASE!” Ashley looked up at him curiously and a few moments later both girls came down.
“Whats up daddy?” Dakota asked curiously.
“I want you to clear off the dishes and put them by the sink for me. Right now please.” Dakota titled her head to the side and looked up at him curiously. He’s never asked her to help with dishes before.
“Buts daddy…”
“Right now. I’m making it part of your punishment. You’ll help clear the table every single night for three weeks and after you do the dishes tonight you’ll go upstairs and get yours and Sarah’s laundry baskets and bring them down so Ashley and I can do the laundry tonight. Hop to it.” Dakota scowled and then began to do as told and Sarah turned and headed upstairs before she was given something to do as well. Nick gently turned Ashley around to face him and he gently tilted her chin up with his forefinger and thumb.
“Let Kota clear the table and then if you feel compelled to do dishes and laundry tonight…well I wont stand in your way of that.”
“You are too good to me,” Ashley insisted as she gazed up at him. “I don’t deserve you.”
“That is where you are wrong,” Nick insisted as he lightly pressed her back up against the counter and rested his forehead against hers. He slid his hands around behind her and into her pockets where he rested them there comfortably. “That’s where you are wrong baby girl. You deserve all of me, and I tend to give it to you.” Ashley smirked slightly.
“Didn’t we already do that?” She gently cupped his cheek in her hands and caressed it with her thumb. “I believe that is why I mopped the kitchen floor earlier.”
“Oh I am just getting started.”
“Ooh…” Ashley replied and he leaned forward to brush his lips lightly over hers when suddenly Bella began to cry, causing him to remember the children and pull back slightly.
“Is it bed time yet?” he complained, and Ashley giggled softly, leaned up on her tiptoes and gave him a brief kiss, and then she looked at the clock that read 9:30.
“Thirty more minutes baby. You waited four months…30 minutes should be a piece of cake,” she teased and she gently pulled away and walked on over to Bella making sure to shake her hips seductively knowing perfectly well he is watching.
“Not when you do that,” Nick whined and Ashley giggled, leaned over to get Bella out of the playpen and Nick groaned and walked off to gather their dirty clothes.
“Ashee,” Dakota spoke up as she watched her place a pacifier in Bella’s mouth and gently rock her in her arms.
“Yeah sweetie?”
“What’s daddy talkin abouts?” she asked and they heard Nick burst into laughter in their bedroom.
“Nothing important honey, don’t worry about it.” When Nick came back out a few moments later he watched his daughter as she placed the last few dirty dishes by the sink and then he went on over and swept her up playfully into his arms making her squeal in delight.
“Come on big ears, let’s go upstairs. You have some laundry baskets to retrieve and bring down and then daddy is going to give you a bubble bath.”
“I don’ts have big ears,” Dakota scoffed. “You an’ Ashee forgets people are in the room withs you all the time. Brian says so an’ he’s right.” Ashley giggled amusedly.
“She’s right you know.”
“Yeah, yeah” Nick replied playfully and he leaned down and placed his lips to her cheek before blowing raspberries on them and Dakota giggled and squirmed about as he carried her out of the room. “But I still say a certain little one has big ears – elephant ears at that.”
“Uh-oh, you better hold onto her then baby. Make sure she doesn’t get away from you and fly” Ashley teased and she heard Dakota erupt into more giggles. Ashley shook her head amusedly and she leaned down and kissed Bella’s forehead softly.
“All right baby Bells, mommy has to put you down now so I can get the dishes done. If I don’t act now, Nick might come down here and pull me away from them.” She turned and leaned over the playpen before lying her down again and she grabbed onto the playpen before leaning down further and kissing each cheek.
“I love you, I love you, I love you” she told her playfully and Bella gurgled happily. “You are by far the most loved baby ever. Mommy loves you sooo much.” She hung there playing with Bella for a few short moments making sure she wasn’t going to throw a fit the moment she walked away and then she got to her feet again and went to the stereo. She hit play on her favorite CD, turned it up some – but not too loud for Bella, and then she rushed on over to the dishes and got started.
~*~*~*~*~
When Kori and Wiley arrived back at the Orphanage, Kori allowed Scott to go ahead and get Spencer ready for bed while she helped Wiley get stuff ready for tomorrow. When it reached his actual bedtime, she walked out of her room and stepped into the doorway to Scott’s where she found her son ready for bed and the two of them just standing there talking.
“Momma, I want to sleep in here tonight.”
“But baby we’re leaving first thing in the morning, I’ll have to come in here to get you and that will just wake your father up.”
“But I want to,” Spencer insisted. “I want daddy, I haven’t seen him all day.” Kori sighed and made eye contact with Scott then.
“Scott?”
“I don’t have a problem with it, but I want to talk to you before I put him to bed.”
“How about after?” Kori pleaded. “It’s getting late, I want him in bed.”
“Fine, I guess, as long as we talk” Scott shrugged before gathering Spencer into his arms and bringing him over to his bed and Kori followed. The two of them got him in bed together, said their goodnights and talked to him for a few moments, and then as Kori went to turn the light off Scott dimmed his lamp.
“I’ll be back buddy, promise” he told him and then followed Kori out into the hall and he shut the door behind him just a crack before heading down the hall until they were in Nick and Ashley’s unfinished apartment.
“What are we doing in here?”
“I wanted to be alone for a few moments.”
“You know perfectly well that I don’t want to be alone with you after what happened.”
“I’ll keep my distance,” Scott insisted softly and he turned his back on her and crossed his arms over his chest to prove it.
“You better. The moment you come near me I’ll scream for Wi.” Scott rolled his eyes.
“Like you need a man to protect yourself.”
“Obviously I need something to protect me from you don’t I?”
“How many times do you want me to apologize for what happened Kor?”
“You can apologize all you want but it still won’t cut it.”
“It’s not exactly fair the way you are acting Kor you—“
“It’s not fair?” Kori asked incredulously. “Scott you had me pinned to the grass in the park the other night and you came onto me, did you not? When you know perfectly well of my commitment to Wiley, you still took advantage of the perfectly good time we were having together – even after you used our son to trick me into going out with just you and him. I was just starting to warm up to you and forgive you for that and thought we were having a really perfect night as old friends and you had to go and ruin it! So yeah I think I have a right to be pissed off.”
“Oh for Christ’s sake Kori, exaggerate anymore and you will start sounding as if I raped you!” Kori narrowed her eyes at him and crossed her arms over her chest. “When the fact is, that is not what happened because you were perfectly in control of the situation whether you want to admit it or not!”
“I was not!”
“You were so! For someone who is committed to Wiley you didn’t exactly shove me away did you?”
“I did shove you away!” Kori insisted as tears sprang to her eyes. “I love Wiley very much, I wouldn’t hurt him. I shoved you away.”
“Yeah, five minutes later. Do you know how much we could’ve done in five minutes if Spencer wasn’t there and we weren’t in public Kori?”
“And being the asshole that you are with absolutely no conscious at all, you would have let us go all the way wouldn’t you? I shouldn’t have had to pull away Scott, you should’ve respected the fact that I am with Wiley and I love him! Not taking advantage of my vulnerability to you.”
“You may love him Kori Mortenson but the fact still remains, you will always love me so much more and until you realize that I am not giving up on us. There is a reason you are still vulnerable to me so why don’t you just face the fact and give in already and spare him as much heartbreak as possible?”
“Like you would care if he got his heartbroken or not,” Kori snapped tearfully.
“I would be happy that you finally come back to me but that doesn’t mean I won’t feel sorry for him. Because I know and understand exactly what its like to love you and have your heart stepped on by you every single day.”
“I bet its nothing compared to the pain you put me through is it?”
“Kori I was just kid,” Scott insisted, the tears coming to his eyes suddenly and taking Kori by surprise. She’s never seen him cry for her before. “A stupid kid just like you who was afraid and made a very big mistake and I have to live with it every single day of my life.” When she didn’t reply, he stepped just an inch closer to her resisting the urge with great difficulty to reach out and touch her face. “I have to live with it everytime I see that man in there love you in every single way that I can’t,” he added while pointing toward the bedroom down the hall that she shares with Wiley. “I have to live with it when I see how much my son has grown and how much I’ve missed out on in his life and how much I still have yet to catch up on. I have to live with it every single time you so kindly remind me that you aren’t mine anymore. My heart breaks everytime I see you. I was a kid who was stupid to throw that away in the past but I’ve grown up a lot and if I could just have the chance to prove it to you I swear to you I would never let you go again.”
“It’s too late Scott…” Kori whispered while crossing her arms over her chest and looking away tearfully.
“No its not too late and I know it. I know it in my heart that it’s not over between us.”
“I’m with Wiley and I love him. He’s really great to me…”
“He’s a great man…no matter how much I despise him I can’t deny that, but the truth is he is only an obstacle standing in my way.” Kori shook her head tearfully. “I could be great to you too you know…no matter how much I’ve hurt you I know you haven’t forgotten how great we were together.” Kori continued to shake her head and Scott went on persistently. “Remember that day when we were a couple of teenagers in the park? When we spent the whole day playing like a couple of little kids and then all of the sudden it started pouring down rain?” he asked gently. “And you grabbed hold of my hand and we ran all the way to your house through the rain and when we reached your front yard I pulled you into the most passionate kiss we’ve ever shared? We were sopping wet and neither of us cared because it was just you and me in the world and nothing or no one else mattered. That’s my favorite memory of us…”
“Scott…”
“…And remember, remember that Tree House I built us when we were younger in the woods? We experienced everything together in that Tree House Kori…remember? Everything from playing house together, pirates, your prince charming rescuing his princess from the evil that was keeping her locked up? Every childhood game you could imagine we played together, remember? Then as we got older we discovered that we were more then just friends and we experienced our first kiss in there…”
“…And we experienced sex for the first time in there,” Kori added softly and she rubbed at her eyes.
“That too,” Scott added and he couldn’t help but smirk sheepishly.
“Spencer was conceived in there,” Kori replied softly. Scott nodded encouragingly, feeling happy that she was joining in on his remembering.
“And you found out in there and I asked you to run away with me to hide from Sean and you said no.”
“Yes…that’s true but…”
“I got my heart torn out of my chest and stomped on into a thousand little pieces in that tree house, Scott.”
“But there are still so many good memories to overpower that one mistake Kori…please think about all of the good that happened in there.” Kori shook her head.
“The sad thing is Scott…” she began softly. “That one bad memory has weighed so heavily on my heart for five years that everytime I look at you I have such a hard time letting it go."
“Kori I…”
“…You don’t understand how much you hurt me that day Scott,” Kori insisted. “You can’t even begin to understand. I loved you, you were my whole world, and I wanted to be with you forever and you just threw it all out the window. I wanted to be your everything and when I finally was it was five years too late. And you just expect me to drop everything and take you back?”
“I’ve said it many times before, and I will say it again. I was a young stupid teenage boy who was scared and still trying to figure what I wanted in this crazy world. You can’t hold me against that forever.”
“I was a young and stupid teenager too Scott and I didn’t know much of what I wanted either, but there was one thing I was downright sure of,” Kori insisted and she felt her voice crack as she tried desperately not to cry. “And that was you. I wanted you and I was willing to ride off into the sunset with you.”
“I’m sorry…” Scott sobbed. “Goddamnit Kori you have to realize how sorry I am and how much I wish I could take it back.”
“You can’t take it back. Its already been done. You’ve already hurt me and I’m with Wiley now.”
“Just give me a chance to prove I’ve grownup, please…”
“I can’t Scott, I can’t go down that road again…”
“Yes you can,” Scott insisted while gently taking her hands into his and dropping to his knees and he looked up at her with eyes full of tears. “Please…”
“Please don’t do this...why do you have to make this so hard for me?”
“If it were really over it wouldn’t be so hard. You still love me and you still want to be with me I know it.”
“I can’t do this…”
“Yes you can you just have to open your heart to me and give me one more chance,” Scott pleaded while resting his head against her stomach as he remained on his knees in front of her. “One more chance that is all I’m asking for.” Kori gazed down at him tearfully for a few moments and then shook her head.
“I’m going to Jersey tomorrow Scott…” she whispered softly. “With Wiley, the man I love. The man who would ride off into the sunset with me in a heartbeat if I asked him to…and if you love me as much as you say you do, you’ll let me go.”
“That is not fair…you can’t ask me to do that.”
“I can, and I am.”
“I let you go to Jersey once before without me Kori Mortenson and I am not letting you do it again.”
“You aren’t welcome to come with us. There is no room in our car for you.”
“Then I’ll find my own way there.”
“Spencer is riding with me and Wiley.”
“Fine,” was all Scott said and he got to his feet and he gently brushed away her tears with his finger and he leaned down and kissed her cheek softly. “But that’s not going to stop me from following you. You have no right to ask me to let you go…cause all I can say is I’ve been there and I’ve done that and it has done nothing but bring me regret and pain. I’m not doing it again.”
“Scott…”
“…I’m serious Kori. Everytime you turn around I’m going to be right there whether you like it or not,” Scott insisted and with that he gently pushed past her, walked out of the unfinished apartment, and he headed back to his room so he can get right to packing.
Author's Chapter Notes:
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