So, as a little celebration for hitting #4 (!!!!!!!!!!!!!) in teen fiction I'd upload today and tomorrow as a massive thank you to all of you! Without you, I wouldn't be here and I'm truly thankful! Love you guys so much I can't put it into words (ironic I know :) )
An update will be coming tomorrow as well xxxx
We walked hand in hand into the dining room to join everyone for breakfast - to which I didn't miss the warm smile that adorned grandma Trudy's face at the sight of our hands.
"Morning all," I said cheerily and was met with a similar response.
Mason took his seat next to Colin and I next to Michelle who was sitting uncomfortably with her chair pulled so far back to accommodate for her growing belly that she couldn't reach the table.
"How many more weeks is it?" I asked, grabbing some toast from the toast wrack on the table.
"3 tomorrow but I'm a little nervous." She replied in a hushed tone, looking around to make sure everyone was preoccupied with their own conversation.
Michelle and I had always been close, she was essentially my older sister. When we were kids we used to go to the duck ponds together to feed the birds and see if we could catch any tadpoles to which dad used to take back to the duck ponds when we brought them home. Spoilsport.
"How so? The baby's fine isn't it?" I looked over my shoulder to see Mason chatting with Colin, and for the first time in a while, he didn't have that edge of worry written on his face. He actually seemed to be enjoying himself. It made me smile.
"Yeah, of course. I'm just worried that since we're so far away from a hospital," She caressed her belly, looking at it like it could pop like a balloon if handled too roughly. "If my waters broke she won't hang on til we reach there - oh no!"
I grinned as she smacked her hand to her mouth. She was going to tell all of us the sex tonight, but she'd just let it slip. I was happy, her not so much.
"I wasn't meant to tell you! Oh, now I've ruined the surprise!" She frowned and I laughed.
"Your secret's safe with me. Congratulations!" I gripped her hand in mine and kissed her cheek. I began to ask her more questions about how she was feeling and if the baby was kicking often when Mason tapped my shoulder.
"Ash! Colin has a drone, how cool is that!" He beamed like a school child.
"Not that bloody drone again. Seriously I'm going to break it." Muttered Michelle as she sipped her tea.
"We'll take it for a spin after breakfast in the backyard." Said Colin, giving Mason a bro nod and I rolled my eyes.
"We're not getting a drone, Mason," I said defiantly, buttering my toast.
"I'm not asking for one." He stuck his nose in the air.
"But you will, that's the problem."
I stood by the high ceiling glass windows watching Mason attempt to fly Colin's drone with Michelle and Colin's son Malcolm in my arms.
Malcolm had just turned two and was a pretty intelligent kid. He could make two-word sentences by now and could problem solve his way out of anything. Yesterday, he figured out that if he piled three books from the bookshelf on the floor next to the couch he could climb up onto it. Talk about child logic, this kid's gonna grow up to be a surgeon!
"Look over there, what's daddy doing?" I pointed over to Colin but kept my attention on Malcolm who currently had his hands in his mouth.
"Assley!" He cried out and I snorted.
"Yeah, that's me! Ash-ley." He giggled at that and started clapping his hands chanting 'Assley, Assley, Assley!' Over and over.
"Here I'll take him from you if he's being annoying." Laughed Michelle making a move to take him but I simply shook my head and pulled him closer to me.
"Nah, it's fine. He's gorgeous." I smiled down at him before moving my eyes to Michelle who was beaming at me.
She stroked Malcolm's light chocolate hair with her motherly touch.
"You're good with kids." She stayed and I replied with a smile. "Mason would be too I reckon."
I felt a slight heat rise into my cheeks as we stared out at our men.
"You think so?"
"Yeah, when you were chatting with Kate earlier he was playing with Malcolm on the floor."
That brought a grin to my face and made my heart throb.
"I guess you're right, he basically took care of his sister her whole life so I suppose he has a knack for it."
Colin handed the remote to the drone over to Mason like he was handing over the most delicate flower in the world. Mason beamed like a child and looked up to me as if to say 'this is the best thing I've ever done, can we buy a drone?' And I laughed at him, shaking my head.
Michelle and I watched them play with their big boy toy for a little longer before dad came over to join us.
Michelle took Malcolm from my arms who had begun to yawn quite frequently to put him down for a nap.
"Hey, Ashley-bear."
"Hey, dad."
We stood in silence before he sighed deeply.
"I'm happy for you, dad. I'm glad you've moved on and are ready to make the commitment to Pamela." He stared at me in bewilderment before pulling me into a tight hug. "But I refuse to call her Mum." I squeezed out breathlessly and he chortled.
Lunch rolled around, Mason and Colin spent the entire time discussing drones, cars and bikes while Kate, grandma Trudy and I chatted about books.
I noticed Aunty Carol sitting in the corner of the dining room cross-legged and eating a tomato like an apple. After lunch she dragged me away to take me up to her room to read my palms and give me a tarot reading, claiming 'I needed to have my aura cleansed'.
She pondered over the upturned cards on the coffee table in her room with a deep set frown.
"What's wrong?" I asked, gradually growing concerned over her expression. Normally I didn't believe in this stuff, however, she did predict my last boyfriend cheating on me so there must be some merit behind it... right?
"It seems that your future is very indecisive ." She spoke in her breathy tone.
"Indecisive?"
"Yes, everything contrasts itself. You'll make a terrible decision and it will have good and bad consequences - permanent or not I do not know. You'll lose a life but you'll also save a life." She had her eyes closed now as he held my hand in a vice-like grip as if pulling my future from it.
"What? Can you tell me more?" Anxiety had filled my stomach and I could feel a headache coming on.
"No. Wait, there's a name... Richard... Russell..." she swayed from side to side gently and I felt the colour drain from my face.
"Ross?" I whispered, afraid to know the answer.
"Yes! Ross. Watch out for this person; he brings and leaves trouble in his wake." Her eyes snapped open as though broken from her trance-like state.
"Well, I think it's time we should rejoin the party, don't you?" She smiled at me and I winced back.
Thoughts ran through my head like trains as I made my way one step at a time down the stairs.
I was going to lose a life? Was I going to lose a life? A terrible decision just sounds like my everyday life. How the hell did she know about Ross? This shit is creepy but for some reason, I had this nagging feeling that I should follow what she says rather than ignore it.
"You okay, sweetheart?" Mason came up beside me as I reached the bottom, concern covering his beautiful face. He placed his hand on the small of my back as though I would fall over and kissed my temple gently.
"Yeah, of course, why wouldn't I be?" I laughed forcefully.