M E A N D P E T E

W E D D I N G

I woke up in a cold bed with the lights shining through the curtains. "Pete?!" I yelled out. No response. I tumbled out of bed and stumbled around the house. "Babe?" I called out again I guess he left this morning to talk to Patrick. The thought of that made me anxious. Hopefully Pete will be civil about everything.

I made French toast for myself and watch Netflix. Pete and I have a good relationship where we don't need to know where each other is every second. So I don't really feel as if I need to bother him now. We've only been back together for about a month though. Maybe we should be closer together?

I shot Pete a text around 12 just to make sure he's alive. Yes. That's actually a reason to check on him.

a: hey babe. where've you been?

No response. He isn't particularly known for his quick text backs. I waited 20 minutes. Still no response. I didn't want to text Patrick or even think about him, but he probably knew what Pete was up to. I decided to start looking up baby stuff on the computer. But before I could search anything, I felt the instant feeling of nausea. I ran up to the bathroom and threw up all of my breakfast.

I tried to stand up after, but felt super dizzy. I crawled my way back to my bedroom and laid in bed. I felt my eyes start to close and soon I was out...

I awoke from a sound of footsteps. I rolled over and looked to see who it was. A man with short bleached hair in all black staring at me. "Hi babe. You okay? It's not like you to be asleep during the day." Pete said while feeling my forehead. I let out a soft laugh. "I'm fine. Just got really nauseous and dizzy. Thought I should lie down. Where'd you go?" I asked, trying not to come off overly attached.

"Well I went to talk to Patrick. He feels really bad about everything. And now I think him and Kae are separating", my face fell. It's because of me, "hey. It's not your fault. They were always fighting too." Pete reassuringly said. "I know but- I mean... I don't know. I should get my mind off of that before I get too mad at myself. I see you dyed your roots." I laughed and ran my fingers through his freshly bleached hair.

"Yep. Got that done after Patricks.." Pete said. I could tell that that wasn't the only thing he did after going to see Patrick. He was hiding something. I let it slide, though, because I didn't need to know everything he did. I just smiled and talked about what I had to do later in the week.

~~~

T I M E: 2 months later (march)

Pete was out again today. This was the last straw. I waited for him to come home. 5 o'clock rolled around and Pete finally got back. I stood up and moved towards him as he entered. "What the hell have you been doing Pete?! You're out all the time. You're fucking cheating on me!" I screamed at him and felt tears burn my eyes. He stared at me speechless. "No-it's..I" He mumbled.

"Cut the shit Pete. Why? God. You decide to cheat on me after getting me pregnant! Do you just like going girl to girl, fucking them, and leaving them?" I yelled at him and started sobbing. He rushed over to me. "GO AWAY!" I screamed again with my voice cracking. I didn't want to look at him. Or be near him.

"Ashlyn. No. I wasn't cheating on you. Why the fuck would I do that? I love you and the baby way too much. I've just been... planning stuff for you and the wedding. I wanted to surprise you. Take the pressure off of planning so you could take care of the baby. I didn't want you to worry about anything. I'm sorry, baby." Pete whispered, still distant from me but close enough to hear.

Instant guilt filled me. I was such an idiot. Why would I just assume that the guy who loves me would cheat on me? I stayed quite for a while until clinging to him. I cried into his chest. "I'm so sorry, P. I really am. I'm so dumb." I mumbled. He rubbed my back. "If I were in your place, I would've thought that too. I'm sorry. But I need to show you everything I've been working on."

I shakily smiled. "I need to pick out a dress. Have you picked out a date? Woah. I never thought I'd be asking me that." I said and cry-laughed. "I talked to Sydney and Kae. They said they'd take you out to look for dresses. They weren't sure when, though, since the baby will be growing. And I haven't picked a date. I wanted you to pick it." Pete rubbed my back again.

I was really surprised at him. He had really cared about me. "So where is the ceremony happening, Mr. Wedding planner?" I asked. "It's beautiful. You'll love it. I probably should've asked you how you wanted your wedding but I know you. Okay so it's like part indoors and out. So like- I'll just show you." Pete rambled on and on.

~~~

"NOOO!!" Pete yelled at the television screen. "This isn't fair. No! NO!" I added. "They can't kill him off. The writer of Game of Thrones is so dumb." Pete whined. "I think it's time for bed, Peter." I said while stared down at him. His head was in my lap. "Okay. But I need to tweet about this." He said and grabbed his phone. I laughed at him.

He set down his phone and looked at me. Then smiled. "What?" I asked. "You look adorable right now. I just can't believe I'm getting married to you." Pete said and pecked my cheeks. "I can't believe it-AHH" I moaned as he started kissing my neck. Things started getting more heated as felt under my shirt.

Soon, my shirt and bra was off and Pete was leaving hickeys all over. "You like this?" Pete growled into my ear. I bit my lip and nodded. "I said, do you like this?!" He repeated louder. "Yes! I love it." I answered back. "Good." Pete said and gripped my hips, pushing them against his. I heard him moan, feeling even more turned on.

Just as I grabbed his belt to unbuckle it, his phone started ringing. I let out a sigh. He picked up his phone and answered it. "Yeah? Oh great. Alright. I'll be there." He said to one of his exes. "What happened?" I asked while grabbing my shirt. "Bronx broke his arm when he was with Ashlee. She wants me to take them to the hospital." He said with a sigh.

I nodded. "Well, goodbye babe. Tell Bronxy I said I hope he feels better." I grumpily said. "Sorry, moon. I'll finish this later." He gave me a quick kiss on the forehead. Soon he was out the door and on his way to Ashlee's. I made my way upstairs jumped into bed. I decided to text Sydney.

a: p told me! I NEED TO GET A DRESS!!
s: what?? why?!
a: I may or may not have went crazy and assumed that he was cheating on me while he was actually planning my dream wedding so I wouldn't be stressed
s: well that makes sense. you need to pick out a date! then we can go shopping
a: I'm thinking about sometime in june. have to talk to pete. he's currently taking Bronx and Ashlee to the hospital right now
s: WHAT HAPPENED TO MY BABY?!
a: broken arm. great parenting
s: right? gtg Evan wants to make a friend for Ashlyn jr.
a: oh my gooodness. good luck!? love ya
s: ❤️

I set down my phone and rolled over. What to do now? I got up and headed to the living room. Maybe I could play something for the baby? I grabbed my guitar and started strumming and singing. I guess I got a little carried away because I didn't realize Pete and Bronx came home. They were standing in the door way of the living rooms, staring at me.

I quickly put down the guitar and stood up. "Hey Ashlyn! I didn't know you played guitar like daddy." Bronx said. "Hia B. I do! How's your arm?" I asked and walked over towards him. "It hurts a little. But my cast is green! Its so cool." He said and slightly lifted his arm. "Could I sign it?!" I asked. "Yeah!" He shouted and tugged on Petes arm. "Get a marker for Ashlyn!"

Pete laughed and did as he said. "Ashlee got a little drunk and wasn't watching him. She still was when I got there so I'm keeping him here tonight." He said from the kitchen and brought back a sharpie. "She needs to grow up. But I love spending time with the kids." I took the marker and uncapped it. I signed my name with a heart. "Thanks Ashlyn", Bronx beamed, "I'm tired. Could you take me to bed?"

"Of course buddy." I ruffled his curly hair and started up the stairs. He changed into pajamas and climbed into the guest room set for him. "Goodnight Bronx. Sweet dreams, honey. If you need anything or your arm starts hurting, just yell for me or your dad. Okay?" He nodded at me. "Goodnight Ashlyn. I love you." Bronx said, surprising me. "I love you too, B."

I headed back downstairs to where Pete was. He was laying on the couch with his eyes closed. I cuddled beside him. "You've had a long day, huh?" I whispered in to his ear. "Yeah. Sleep sounds good." He whispered back. "Okay. Goodnight babe." I pulled a blanket up over us. He rubbed my side and took a deep breath. "I love you." Was the last thing he said before slipping into a deep sleep.