Finding Daddy [Book 1; Daddy Series]

23: Five More Minutes?

“What happened?” I ask running into the hospital room Rian told me to go to.

“She fell off her bike and broke her arm, I’m so sorry Aria, I was helping Bentley put his helmet on and Brynlee was going kind of fast and just fell off, I’m so sorry Aria,” Rian goes on and on

“It’s fine, Rian, accidents happen, I’m glad she just broke her arm,” I smiled at her, a genuine smile. The doctor finished wrapping the cotton around her arm and asked her what her favorite color was, the doctor wrapped pink around her cast and then turned to us.

“It’s nothing big, just a hairline fracture in her radius which is this bone,” he says gesturing to the inner part of his arm, “Just a few weeks with a splint and she’ll be fine,” he says smiling and walking past us out of the room. I pick up Brynlee off the table and put her on my hip.

“Hey, baby,” I smile at her giving her a hug, “how’s your arm? Does it hurt?” She nods and whimpers a little bit. I rub my hand up and down her back soothingly.

“Do you want to go get more pretty colors for your arm?” I ask her and she looks up at me with excited eyes.

“Can we get green, and blue, and red?” She asks and I laugh and nod, laying a kiss on her forehead before putting her down. She runs over to Ashton and hugs him, before walking over to Bentley and talking to him in some strange child language that I wish I could understand.

---

“When is Bryn and Bentley’s birthday?” Ashton asks out of nowhere, I pull out my phone looking at the date.

“Um, it’s actually in two weeks. September 14th,” my babies are going to be six in a couple of weeks. I sigh and look over at them; I don’t want them to get older, to experience this world. I don’t want them knowing the ugly truth, the truth that life isn’t always this easy, and I won’t always be there for them. I don’t want them knowing how bad life actually is. It’s not wonderland, it’s a dream at times, nightmare at others. It can be the best place and the worse place. Life can make you want to give up, just leave, but that isn’t an option. I don’t want them knowing the ugly truth.

“What are you thinking about, Ari?” Ashton asks scooting closer and slipping his arm around my shoulders pulling me closer. I lift my feet up and lay them across his legs and cuddle into him.

“I don’t want them to grow up,” I admit sighing. He rubs my back and rests his other hand on my knee.

“Why not?” He asks kissing my hair

“They’ll experience the terrible world, a place not full of rainbows and unicorns, it’s a terrible place.” I say nuzzling further into his chest

“Life can only be as terrible as you let it, if you let it be terrible then it will be. If you fight against life, showing that you won’t let it win, then it won’t be terrible and it will be that wonderland children dream of,”

“You’re so inspirational, so deep,” I say giggling

“I want a drink, this is getting to serious for me,” he laughs and I try laughing along, but fail. Memories of all the bad times drinking flash through my mind, a tornado of memories.

“What’s wrong?” he asks

“I don’t want you to drink,” I sigh looking up at him. I feel like a pathetic girlfriend who is too controlling, but the truth is, I don’t want to drink, and I don’t want him to drink.

“Why don’t you drink?” He ask dismissing my concern

“Remember that night?” I ask emphasis on ‘that’ hoping he’ll know what I’m talking about. He nods and I decide it’s now or never. He’s bound to figure it out anyway, why not just tell him. “Okay, well I was 15, as you know, and that wasn’t my first time clubbing, drinking, smoking whatever else I did. I was practically an alcoholic, and smoked weed whenever I could get it, I’m always scared that if I drink too much I’ll just fall back into the old days,” I admit he looks at me in shock, I wait as he contemplates what to say, and thankfully he doesn’t get angry or anything.

“You won’t slip back into it,” he says looking away from me, breaking the eye contact we had

“How do you know that?” I ask fiddling with my fingers, scared of his reply.

“Because, now you have Brynlee and Bentley, you have Ella and her baby, you have me, Aria, and you have us. You wouldn’t fall back into it because in your head if you start drinking you won’t be able to stop, but your subconscious will remind you of us, it won’t even have to. You’ll remember us and think about how you couldn’t risk losing all of us, I know you better than that, Ari,” I didn’t realize how he’s been calling me Ari lately, I only allowed my mother to call me that, and here I am letting Ashton call me it.

“Okay, Ashton,” I lean back into him when Ella comes running in the room

“WREN!” She yells at me, I lean up to see Ella in a frantic mode, her eyes wide.

“What is it, El?” I ask her groaning, knowing its nothing too important; otherwise her eyes would be watering.

“I need something to wear!” She says and I look at the clock 8:36PM

“What the hell could you possibly need to wear when it’s almost time for bed?” I ask her, she pops her hip out giving me a look as if I should know.

“I’m going out with Luke,” she says matter-of-factly, and I sit up, bringing my legs off of Ashton and sitting in an upright position

“You aren’t going out with Luke,” I say, dismissing the conversation and walking upstairs to the kid’s bedroom where they already are.

“Aria! I have to, it’s our week anniversary!” I laugh at her, grabbing some sweatpants out of the kids drawers and laying them on their beds.

“Bentley, Brynlee, you need to go brush your teeth, okay?” I say ignoring her plea

“Mooommmm!” Brynlee whines and I shake my head, knowing exactly what she wants, “But mom! Just 5 more minutes?” She begs. I sigh; sometimes you just have to pick your battles.

“Five more minutes,” I say nodding turning back around to face an angry Ella

“Aria, you have to let me go,” she says, I scoff at her and walk past her

“It’s a school night, El,” I say walking into the kitchen to get glasses of water.

“So? Please, just let me go, Aria!” I’m not in the mood to fight with her tonight. It’s amazing how much of a sister, annoying little sister, she’s become in the past few weeks.

“You aren’t going out, he can come over though, and you guys can hang out here.” I fill up the glasses of water and walk back into the kid’s room

“Alright, guys, it’s been five minutes, it’s time for bed. Here’s some water, now go brush your teeth,” they groan but agree and walk into their bathroom. I hear the water start and the scrubbing of teeth. I sit on Bentley’s bed and Ella sits across from me, on Brynlee’s

“So he can come over?” She asks smiling

“Yes, you guys can hang out either in the living room or downstairs in the basement. I have rules though,” I say and she nods

“No drugs, no parties, no boys except for Luke, no girls except for you and no sex,” I say in a serious tone

“I’m already pregnant,”

“Still no sex, he can stay and watch a movie or whatever you guys plan on doing and then he has to go home, or he can stay in the basement depending on how late it is. You are to be in bed by 10 though,”

"Okay!" Ella runs off into her room and I hear her talking to Luke, most likely. Tonight will be a long night.

(A/N)

Hey guys! I hope you liked this chapter!

I have a title for the sequel! It's called Princess Ella, it's set in Ella's POV, and it will take place either 3 or 6 months after she has the baby, which gender will be revealed in that book.

If you want it to be a girl or boy comment and add a name please! Thank you :)

Nothing on the side cause I'm to lazy to find a picture #oops

Please VOTE COMMENT AND FOLLOW!

I LOVE YOU ALL MY PRETZELS!!!!:) xx <3

xx _DatWriterChick xx