PROJECT ANDERSON

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: ANDIE

I frose as I stared at the little girl in the door way, I didn't know what to say.

Why did she have to show up now?

"Ashley...honey why don't you come in and we'll explain." Jesse said sweetly.

I wanted to slap him for doing that, because I still didn't know how to do that.

To my disappointment Ashley came into the room amd made her way over to the bed.

Jesse moved over so she could sit in between us and helped her up because it was a little too tall for her.

"There, are we all comfortable now?" Jesse asked with a smirk.

"No, but I guess its time." I answered with a sigh and then looked over to my daughter. "Ashley are you sure you are ready to hear this?"

Ashley looked between Jesse and I before she gave a small nod.

"Alright...um...we were sixteen and Jesse had just broken up with me...when I found out I was pregnant I was terrified and didn't kniw what I was going to do...so I did the only thing I thought was right...I allowed my brother amd his wife to adopt my baby...you, but I regretted it after I was told that I couldn't see or hold you." I explained as briefly as I could. "If it wasn't for Olivia being gone I never would have seen you at all."

"Do you understand Ash." Jesse asked weakly.

Ashley looked over to him and nodded, but I knew she was lying.

"Ashichu you don't have to act like you understand." I said with a small smile. "This is a lot for anyone especially a little girl like you."

"I already had a hunch that something was wrong." Ashley said with a shrug. "They fought a lot while 'mommy' was away."

"I know...she hated how close we were getting." I said with a small smile.

"She didn't seem to like you very much." Ashley said before hugging me.

"She like me fine, until I started hanging around you so much." I said as I stroked her long black hair.

"In my defense I didn't know about you, so I didn't have a say." Jesse said with a smile. "I probably would have helped if you would've told me."

"At sixteen you would have helped me by doing what exactly?" I asked a little annoyed that he was guilt tripping me. "Your mother wouldn't have accepted us and you know that."

Jesse didn't respond, he just got up and walked out of the room.

"I think you hurt his feelings." Ashley said looking up at me.

"You're probably right, but I'll worry about that later." I said with a sweet smile.

"You better fix it soon, because I don't like being an only child." Ashley said before offering me a small smile of her own.

"Ashley there's..." I started, but I stopped myself...I couldn't tell her. "I'll go talk to him."

"Yay!" Ashley said as she clapped her hands.

I just smirk amd shook my head before I got up and headed to the door.

Outside I saw Jesse sitting on the stairs with James' revolver in his hands.

"Jesse, I'm sorry about what I said...I was just annoyed and reacted poorly." I said as I walked over to him and sat down beside him.

"Its okay Andie, you were probably right anyway." Jesse said softly.

"Still I shouldn't have said anything about your mother, that was low of me and I'm sorry."

"She was a hard ass who didn't want me to be happy, because she couldn't." Jesse said, which suprised me because he would normally defend his mother. "She said that the day my dad died was the worst day of her life, that was her excuse to ruin my life...like when she met you; she gave me two options-break up with her or I will find a way to do it myself...but when I did she gave me this sob story about my dad breaking her heart in high school and how they finally made their way back together...she got pregnant with my sister Amber."