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She pursed her lips together, closed her eyes for a brief moment, and took a deep breath, putting a hand on my knee. "I know you don't think anything will happen for us right now, but can you at least think about it? We at least need to be able to be civil if co-parenting is the route we'll need to take."
Ha. Co-parenting. Unless she was pregnant with Casper the Friendly Ghost, there was no baby to co-parent with her. “Whatever," I mumbled and stood.
We went back to the living room with everyone else. My sisters got up to hug me, both of them whispering apologies in my ear as they did so. My mother finally hugged me as well and rubbed my back, giving me a small smile. Ashton kept her eyes on the pillow on her lap, nibbling on her bottom lip.
"I'm not sure if everyone has introduced themselves, but everyone, this is my roommate, Ashton. Ashton, that's my mother Michelle," I pointed to my mother, "my sisters Paris and Olivia," I pointed to the women from left to right, "and you've unfortunately met Kayla, my ex-girlfriend, not my fiancée. You rejected that title, remember, Kayla?" She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, refusing to make eye contact with anyone.
"Yeah, we introduced ourselves to each other before you got here," Ashton murmured as she stood to her feet. "Would you all like anything to drink?"
"What do you have?" my mom asked.
"Sweet tea, Dr. Pepper, bottled water, and fruit juice," Ashton replied. Paris and Olivia opted for bottled water while my mom asked for tea. "Anything for you, Kayla?"
"Nope," she replied, refusing to make eye contact with her. Ashton's eyes dropped to the floor as she disappeared toward the kitchen. Paris cleared her throat.
"Well, let me be the first to say that I wasn't aware that you didn't know Kayla was coming. Both Olivia and I asked Mama if it was a good idea and she said it would be fine. I didn't come here for things to be hella awkward the whole time," she said with the shake of her head.
"Yeah, okay. I'll be back," I muttered and walked into the kitchen. Ashton was tossing ice cubes into a glass when I'd entered. I moved to stand behind her, placing my hands on the counter on both sides of her.
"You okay?" I murmured. She nodded without a word. "Nothing is going on with Kayla and me. We're done and her being here—"
"You don't owe me an explanation, O'Shea," she interrupted. "It's not like we're together. You don't owe me anything."
Her words were a slight slap to the face. Even though we weren't together, I'd assumed that we were at least loyal to each other until we were ready to admit our feelings and take things further. She pushed away from me to get the drinks, but I caught her by the elbow and pulled her close to me.
"I respect you enough to give you an explanation, Ashton," I murmured. "Because I care about you. I even—"
"Actually, Ashley, I'll take a Dr. Pepper," Kayla said, standing in the kitchen. Her gaze darkened into something dangerous as she witnessed me holding Ashton, a sinister sneer appearing on her face. "On second thought, make that a bottled water. I don't think caffeine is good for our baby at this stage of my pregnancy."
I clenched my teeth as Ashton looked up at me, finally pulling away to gather the rest of the drinks. Kayla smirked at me before she walked away, leaving Ashton and me alone again.
“Ashton—”
She walked out of the kitchen with my family’s drinks. I released a frustrated breath. I had no idea how long this woman was going to be here, but I was already counting down the hours until she left.
∞∞∞
"I'm getting hungry and want some carbs. Is there an Olive Garden or something around here?" my mom finally asked. I didn’t blame her for wanting to leave the apartment. No one said much, just opting to stare at the movie on television but not really watching it. I glanced over at Ashton, noticing her beautiful features tight with annoyance. Kayla rested her head on my shoulder.
“Yeah, I’m hungry, baby,” she slightly whined.
I slid away a little. “Kayla, let’s make something clear. Whatever it is you’re doing, I’m not here for it. We’ve been done for months now and nothing is going to change that,” I stated firmly. Kayla’s eyes darkened into something malicious, but she instead forced a smile and patted my knee.
“Don’t be silly, honey. Things can always change.” She looked at Ashton. “Ashley, where’s an Olive Garden?”
The muscle in Ashton’s jaw ticked as her eyes narrowed on Kayla. “It’s Ashton, not Ashley. And there isn’t one here in town, but there's one in the city next to us," she answered, her voice flat.
"Sounds good. Maybe we need to go out and get some food to lighten the mood around here," my mom said and stood.
"Pasta sounds good. I've been having the weirdest cravings now that I'm eating for two," Kayla added.
"Kayla, please. You don't have to mention you're pregnant every time you say something," Olivia mentioned with a roll of her eyes. “If you’re even pregnant at all.”
“Of course I’m pregnant,” she snapped. “Besides, I’m excited to have a baby with the love of my life.” Her voice was proud as she looked at me.
I looked to Ashton, completely ignoring Kayla and her antics. "Do you want to take my car or yours?" I asked.
"I'll take my own car," she muttered. I sighed inwardly as she left the living room, leaving me alone with my family and Kayla. "How long are y'all going to be here?"
