Seems Like A Lifetime

Always Known

I awoke with her still in my arms, her head still buried in my neck.

I looked up to see Aiden sitting in a chair across from us holding a tray of food.

"Sorry, I didn't want to wake you guys, I just wanted to bring up some food." he said in a low voice so not to wake Ashley.

"She's pretty out, but thanks." I whispered back.

"Okay, I'll just leave it here, for if she wakes up." he said putting the tray on the chair.

"Okay, thanks."

"You know, I always knew that you two would end up together. Since we were eleven I knew." he said walking towards the door.

"I'm glad it worked out. I know that you've been in love with her since we were eleven, I'm just glad you finally got her." he smiled and closed the door behind him.

I never knew that he was aware of my love for her. I guess it was more obvious than I thought.

"I think everyone knew but us." she said looking up at me.

"Have you been awake all this time?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said smiling a little.

"You pretended to be asleep."

"No, I just pretended to not wake up."

"That doesn't even make sense." I joked.

"Yeah it does." she said laying her head down on my chest.

"Wow, I can't believe we slept so long." I said realizing that it was Friday morning.

"Yeah, I must have been tired from all that crying I've been doing." she said with a sadness in her voice.

"Yeah, crying can make you tired, I should know I cried my entire freshman year of college." I said trying to lighten the mood a little.

"I guess I should be getting up." she said sitting up on the bed.

"Why?"

"Because we have to go talk to your mother today right?" she said smiling at me.

"You're going with me?" I asked.

"Of course."

"Ash, you don't have to I mean you know I can totally do this by myself..." I started.

"Yeah because that went oh so well the first time." she said in a joking manner.

"Ha, funny. Well I'm glad you're coming with me. It's nice not having to do things alone." I said.

"Tell me about it."

"Okay so, I'm going to go and get my things from the car and get cleaned up, give me about a half hour and I'll be ready."

"Okay, take your time, there's a lot of food on this tray and I'm going to eat it all.

I haven't eaten in two days." she said grabbing the tray off the chair.

"Oh and while you're downstairs could you tell Aiden that he knows I like my eggs scrambled, and also to bring me up some OJ, the juice not the murderer." We both laughed.

"I'll be sure and do that." I told her.

I gave Aiden Ashley's orders then got my things to get cleaned up.

A half hour later we were in the car on the way to my moms house.

I was so nervous.

As I approached the door I couldn't think of one thing that I was going to say to her, I mean she made it very clear about how she felt about Ashley and I's relationship, but I'm hoping that once she sees how much we love each other and how good we are for each other she could learn to accept it.

I knocked on the door. Luis opened it.

"Hey Spencer, what are you doing here. I thought you went back Ohio." he said moving aside to let us in.

"Yeah I did, I just got back yesterday for Ashley's dad's funeral." I said looking around for my mother.

"Oh. And I'm really sorry to hear about your dad." he said genuinely.

"Thanks." She said looking down.

I guess he could sense why I was there.

"She's upstairs in the bedroom Spence, she's been crying a lot ever since you left." he told me.

"Can I go up?" I asked. Wow I was asking could I go see my own mother.

"Yeah, I think she would like that." he assured me.

I grabbed Ashley's hand and led her up the stairs to my moms room.

I opened the door to find her laying on the bed with her back to the door.

"Mom," I said as I entered the room. I walked over to her.

She wasn't asleep but she didn't even acknowledge that I was in the room.

"Mom," I said kneeling

down in front of her. She was looking right at me, well right pass me.

"Mom, I came to talk to you about Ashley. Mom, we're together now I left Troy, we're getting a divorce." She didn't even look at me. "Mom... Mom, please." I begged. She focused her eyes on me."Mom, look I'm sorry that you're having a hard time with this, but I'm still your daughter and I'm not going to let you treat melike this." I said angrily. Ashley looked at me from the doorway in disbelief that I was standing up to my mother. "I love Ashley and I"m going to be with her whether you like it or not, but if you can't accept Ashley then we can't be apart of your life and by we I mean TJ and Megan too, because we're gonna be a family and if you can't accept one then you won't have any." I said sort of raising my voice.

I couldn't believe after all these years I was finally standing up to her.

She still didn't say anything she just looked.

"Fine, this will be the last time you'll see me." I said getting up to leave but she pulled me back.

"I'm sorry I was such a jerk about this," she said starting to cry. "I just didn't know what to do, I mean my only daughter telling me that she was gay, do you know how heartbreaking that is for a mother. I was thinking about all the things I would never get to do for you and then I realized that I've already done them. I got to see my daughter get married and birth two beautiful children, you tried to make things work with Troy, I'm sure you did but everyone knows that you and Ashley have loved each other since you were eleven. I guess sometimes it just happens that way."

"Okay, really did everyone know before us." Ashley said from the doorway. My mom laughed at her.

"But whomever you choose to spend the rest of your life with sweetie, I want you to know that I'll always be here for you, I want to see my grand children grow up and most of all I want to see you truly happy." she said hugging me. "And I know that Ashley makes you happy."

"Thanks Mrs. C," Ashley said walking over to us.

"I really love your daughter and I promise I will always take care of her, and your grand children." she swore to my mom.

"Thank you Ashley. And I'm so sorry to hear about your father." she said sympathetically.

"Thank you. I would really love it if you could come to the funeral on Sunday. It would really mean a lot to me."

"Of course sweetie."

I was so ecstatic that my mom was at least trying to be okay with this.

"Why don't you two stay for dinner," my mom suggested.

"We're having lamb," she said like she was trying to sell a product or something.

"We would love to mom but we can't, we have a lot of stuff to do before the funeral." I told her.

"Oh, I understand. Well I'll see you two on Sunday then."

"Okay, later mom."

"Bye."

We headed out, back to the house to finish up some things for the funeral and I decided that this was a good day, I mean besides the whole burial of Ashley's dad in a couple day's this was a good day.

A good day in deed.