AN: HEY GUYS! I am soooooo sorry it's been so long. I've actually had this sitting on my laptop for a good bit but I've wanted to add what will be chapter 4 to it but I just haven't had the time to write it so I'd figured I'd at least give you guys this to read for now! I got a job finally and school has me occupied my other days so I just haven't had the time to write or anything with my best friend. She makes it easier on writing this, cuz I could just do it myself but she does Lilly better then me lol. But with her having work and school as well, I might have to go to me just writing. With projects and such for school and then work, I don't have much down time, so I dunno when I'd be able to to actually write but I hope you guys will continue to stick with me. As I've said before, I have most of this written out, I just need to get the gaps written out first before I go into the other stuff. I'll find the time to tho, I promise! But anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this! I really do. I appreciate all the great feedback I've been getting for it. Hope you guys continue to like it. This chapter isn't so..angsty. Just a little but its more of a slightly light hearted chapter. Read and review please! And see chapter one for my disclaimers.
Ch. 3: An Interesting Morning
The night quickly turns into the morning. All is quiet throughout the barn when the alarm suddenly goes off. Lilly jerks awake at the sound, heart racing.
Miley startles awake from the sound and Lilly. Groggily, she reaches over Lilly before turning the alarm off. "Stupid thing. Meant to turn that off," she grumbles out.
Lilly lets out a breath as she sinks back into the bed, trying to calm her racing heart.
Miley slumps back against Lilly. "Sorry bout that," she mumbles softly, yawning.
Lilly shakes her head. "Its alright," she gets out, taking in one last deep breath and letting it out.
Miley hums a little. "I was thinking we could sleep in today. If I had remembered to turn it off, we probably would have," she says softly.
Lilly nods a little. "Its okay. You wanna try and get some more sleep?" she questions softly, voice a little rough from sleeping.
Miley shrugs a little. "We could, if you want. Unless you want some breakfast," she says softly.
Lilly shifts from behind Miley, moving to get off the bed. "You sleep some more. I'm gonna grab something to munch on and then I'll come back and join you okay?" she says softly.
Miley sits up. "Lilly, I can get it. Dad's probably making breakfast anyways. I was gonna talk to him about today. Kinda...lie to him I guess. It'd be easier if you stayed here," she explains softly. "And then you can have breakfast in bed if it works out," she says, smiling a little.
Lilly puts her hand up to stop Miley, shaking her head. "Its okay Miles. I've got it. You relax okay?" she says softly, looking at Miley intently.
Miley sighs. "Alright," she mumbles, lying back in bed.
Lilly leans down and kisses the top of Miley's head softly. "I'll be fast, I promise. Sleep. I know you're tired," she says softly.
Miley smiles a little, yawning again. "This is what I get for being in love with my best friend. You know me too well," she mumbles out a bit teasingly, eyes closing again.
A small grin crosses the blondes face. "What can I say? If I didn't know you too well, I'd be pretty bad don't ya think?" she teases back a little as she heads for the door.
Miley laughs softly. "I'm gonna take that as an 'I love you too,'" she mumbles, relaxed back in the bed.
Lilly heads out of the barn and into the house. She smiles a little when she hears movement in the kitchen. She makes her way into the kitchen to see Mr. Stewart starting breakfast. Lilly knocks on the wall to grab the man's attention.
Mr. Stewart looks up from putting his links of sausage into the frying pan, smiling when he see's Lilly. "Well, hey there Lilly. We missed you last night," he says as he turns on the stovetop.
Lilly waves weakly, a guilty smile crossing her face. "Yeah. Sorry about that. I came back late last night. I didn't mean to worry you guys," she says, the guilt just as evident in her voice as the smile on her face.
Mr. Stewart leans against the counter, looking at Lilly intently. "You know, if there's something going on at your mom's that you need to talk about, Lilly, you can always talk to me. I know Miley is just as worried as I am. I respect you going back to your mom's. I do. I just don't want to see you getting hurt. You're practically part of this family already, I hope you know that," he says.
Lilly manages to hide the shocked expression that wants to cross her face. She smiles coolly and nods a little. "I appreciate that Mr. Stewart. But everything's fine. Mom's just been needing my help more often it seems. I think its cuz she's lonely. She's in the house all by herself. Meanwhile I'm here living with you guys," she explains as she shrugs nonchalantly.
Mr. Stewart turns to his sausage, flipping it over in the pan. "I see. Do you regret moving in with us, Lilly? I know it meant the world to Miley when you did. You seem a lot happier when you're here," he says as he moves over to a batch of fresh waffle mix in a bowl, opening up the waffle cooker and starts dumping it carefully into the waffle maker.
Lilly holds her hands up quickly, shaking her head. "No, no. I don't regret it. I love that I'm closer to Miley. I didn't mean for it to sound like I was ungrateful or anything. Cuz I really am...I..." Lilly practically stutters the words, her eyes wide as she tries to explain.
Mr. Stewart raises an eyebrow at that as he sets the bowl down, closing the cooker. He chuckles a little, shaking his head. "I didn't think you were ungrateful, Lilly. I'm sorry. You always have a home here. And I'm glad you can still go back to your mom's. I just..." He sighs, rubbing at his neck. "I see how you look at her...you care. A lot. More then most best friends do. I just don't wanna see my little girl getting her heart broken. Not again. You are like a daughter to me...and that makes so much more sense now that I think about it. I just don't want you two hurting each other," he explains quietly as he flips the sausages again.
Lilly blushes at the second meaning of his words, panicking slightly. Oh no. Does he know? There's no way...Maybe Miley talked to him about us. Her brows furrow. Maybe he does. He doesn't seem upset by it so that's good. That might make this easier. After her mini panic attack in her mind, the tomboy takes in a deep breath and lets it out, rubbing at her cheeks to rid herself of the blush. "Um...speaking of. Do you think you could um…help me with something?" she questions nervously.
Mr. Stewart eyes Lilly curiously. "What is it, Lilly? You know you can ask me anything," he says.
Lilly can't help but blush again. "Um. Do you think you'd be able to whip up something you'd take on a picnic? I know Miles and I are supposed to be in school but we thought it'd be better to not go. She's been so exhausted with Hannah and stuff and we haven't gotten the chance to hang out recently. And we had a pretty late night last night. I really wanna do something special for her so I figured it wouldn't hurt if we just missed a day," she gets out practically all in one, nervous breath.
Mr. Stewart can't help but smile a little as he thinks. He takes a moment to really think about it. "Hm…" he trails off, looking at Lilly. "Well, you're just lucky that everything at the studio is under control," he says, giving Lilly a smile. "I should have plenty of time to cook something nice for you two before I have to go to my late afternoon meetings," he says, checking the waffles.
Lilly smiles brightly. "Really? You don't mind?" she questions, not able to hide the happiness she feels at the moment.
Mr. Stewart shakes his head. "You're right. She has been exhausted from Hannah. And I know she's been bummed lately about not being able to spend any time with you. I think you two can take your senior skip day early," he says, winking at Lilly as he sees the sausage is done and starts pilling it out on a paper towel covered plate.
Lilly slowly and subtly inches closer when she notices the sausage done. "That's what she told me. And I feel bad that we haven't been able to hang out much. And I know she was hurt that I hadn't officially asked her out last night but I plan on doing that today," she replays absently, not realizing what she said, her focus on the sausage.
Mr. Stewart chuckles, smiling. There's no doubt in my mind that she's perfect for my little girl. "Lilly's a romantic, huh?" he says teasingly as he gets a plate out and starts making Lilly a plate, putting a few links of sausage on it before moving over to check the waffles, seeing them done. He carefully takes them out, placing two on her plate before grabbing another plate he had set out to do the same.
Lilly chokes on the sausage she had managed to sneak at the words. "What?!" she squeaks out.
Mr. Stewart laughs. "You just didn't so subtly hint that you were gonna ask Miley out. And that apparently, you two had an interesting talk last night," he says. He gives her a soft smile. "I know my daughter, and as much as I'd love her to tell me on her own, I'm not dumb. I just want her happy, Lilly. If you can do that for her, you'll have no complaints from me."
Lilly's eyebrow shoot up. "I did?" Voice still an octave higher than normal, her brain trying to remember what she had said.
Mr. Stewart nods, placing a comforting hand on Lilly's shoulder. "She hasn't told me anything yet, but I see how she looks at you too. I knew it wouldn't be long before one of you confessed," he says softly, smiling warmly at her.
Lilly blushes again, moving to rub the back of her neck nervously with her bad hand before remembering its wrapped and drops it back down. "How long have you've... you know figured it out?" she gets out quietly.
Mr. Stewart thinks. "Well...with you, I think its always been there, but it hadn't really connected with me till after what that bastard did to my daughter," he says, anger slightly crossing his features. "The way you cared for her, the way you were there for her, I could see it clearly on both of your faces," he explains softly.
Lilly nods softly in understanding, remembering when all that happened. "You're right," she says after a moment of silence, looking at him. "I've always loved her. Ever since I met her, I've loved her. And I promise to do my best to make her happy and keep her safe and protected," she says softly. Even if its from myself, she adds in her head.
Mr. Stewart pats Lilly's shoulder softly. "That's all I ask, Lils. I know she's in good hands," he says, turning back to the plate and putting the rest of the sausage on it. "Now..." he moves over, grabbing the tray that was sitting on the counter, putting the two plates on it, along with forks and napkins. "Why don't ya make these how you and her like it, and take it to her," he says, smiling.
Lilly smiles gratefully and takes the tray carefully with her good hand. "Thanks Mr. Stewart. I really appreciate it." Lilly sets the tray down to grab some juice for her and Miley. Once she gets it and everything set up nicely on the tray, she starts to head out. "Oh. Do you think you could let me know when you have the food ready? I wanna try and surprise her," The blonde girl explains.
Mr. Stewart nods, already moving to clean up. "Of course, Lilly," he says, smiling at her.
Lilly smiles. "Thanks Mr. Stewart." She starts to make her way out of the kitchen before a thought occurs to her. She turns back and smiles sheepishly. "Could you do me one more favor and put ice in a ziploc for me?" she asks sheepishly.
Mr. Stewart chuckles a little, nodding. "Of course," he says, moving away from his task of cleaning before grabbing up a ziploc bag from a drawer. He moves over to the fridge and quickly fills the bag with ice before placing it on the tray in an open spot. "There ya go."
Lilly places her wrapped hand on it for a moment and sighs. "Thanks a whole lot Mr. S," she says, giving him a thankful smile.
Mr. Stewart nods, smiling. "Not a problem," he says. "Now go. I know you gotta be hungry," he says, giving Lilly a knowing look.
Lilly grins at the mention of food. "Starving. I'll see you in a little while Mr. S," she says as she carefully makes her way out of the kitchen, and back outside, somehow managing to balance the try with her one hand.
"See you, Lils," Mr. Stewart calls back, closing the door for her before he goes back to cleaning.
Lilly slowly and carefully makes her way back to the barn, not exactly knowing how much time has passed. She awkwardly balances the tray with her body and gets the door open, grabbing the tray back up and walking into the room.
Miley is sound asleep on the bed, buried under the covers.
A soft smile crosses the tomboys face as she sees Miley still sleeping. She makes her way over to the small table in the room and sets the tray down. Walking over to the bed, Lilly sits on the edge and just watches the sleeping beauty for a moment. I hate to have to wake her up but the food is gonna get cold. Then she'd kill me for not waking her up and I like living, she muses in her head before carefully reaching out and touching Miley's shoulder gently. "Miley. Hey Miles. Wake up," she says softly.
Miley stirs quietly, eyes cracking open slightly. "Huh?" she mumbles sleepily, rubbing at her eyes, blinking.
Lilly smiles softly. "Breakfast is here," she says softly.
Miley sits up slowly, eyes heavy with sleep. "How long have I been asleep?" she mumbles out, voice husky from sleep, accent thicker then usual.
Lilly glances over at the clock a moment before turning back to the sleepy girl. "Bout an hour. A little less," she answers softly.
Miley nods a little. "Guess its a good thing, huh? Tho...gotta admit. Last night, sleeping in your arms, its the best sleep I've gotten in a long time," she says softly, giving Lilly a sleepy smile.
Lilly blushes once again and immediately starts rubbing at her burning cheeks. "That's...um…I'm glad. I slept really good too," she mumbles out shyly.
Miley giggles softly. "If I'd have known that you being in love with me and me saying such things to you made you blush and look so adorable, I'd have told you a long time ago," she says a little teasingly. "But...I'm serious..." she picks at the blanket. "It was like I was meant to be like that with you. It just...it felt right," she mumbles, her own blush crossing her face.
Lilly pouts at the teasing but smiles when she sees the blush cross her loves face. She reaches out with her good hand a cups Miley's cheek softly. "It felt right to me too Miles. It was amazing to be able to hold you and feel you close like that," she says softly.
Miley smiles, still blushing a little as she leans into the touch. "It really was," she says softly.
Lilly nods a little, smile still on her face. "Well, we have many days to come to enjoy it yeah?"
Miley yawns a little, still not quiet woken up. "I sure hope so," she says softly.
Lilly pulls away and stands up from the bed. "There will be. So you ready to eat now?" the girl asks, a little impatiently as she stares longingly at the food.
Miley laughs softly. "Eat angel. I gotta wake up a little more before I do," she says softly.
Lilly grins happily as she makes a mad dash to the table. "Thanks babe," she calls out, immediately digging into her plate of food.
Miley giggles softly, blushing a little at the name as she slowly stands up. Releasing how badly she had to pee, she makes her way to the bathroom a little sluggishly, rubbing at her eyes again.
Lilly doesn't notice the blush or Miley getting up for that matter, the food in front of her having her whole attention.
Miley quietly goes inside, closing the door behind her. She goes to the bathroom quickly before washing her hands. After finishing, she makes her way back out and over to Lilly, carefully sitting next to her.
Lilly startles a little at Miley suddenly sitting next to her. "You got up?" she questions dumbly, a surprised look on her face.
Miley nods. "Yea, had to pee," she says, chuckling at the look on Lilly's face. "And that woke me up a bit. You're not the only one who has to eat," she says teasingly.
Lilly nods a little, cheeks pink in embarrassment. "Sorry. I was so into my food, I didn't realize you had gotten up," she says softly.
Miley giggles softly, pecking Lilly's cheek. "I could tell," she says as she grabs up her own plate and drink, setting it in front of her.
Lilly scratches the back of her head. "Yeah. I'm sorry. I guess its cuz I haven't eaten in a while," she says absently as she tries to think back to when she last ate.
Miley hums a little. "Its ok, Lils. Really. You're eating now. And I know how much you love my dad's cooking," she says as she starts to cut up her waffles.
The tomboy nods softly. "Yeah, I do. Its been a while since I've had it," she answers back before mentally kicking herself for her answer.
Miley just nods a little, not saying anything as she absently continues to cut her waffles till she satisfied before quietly starting to eat.
Saying a mental thank you that Miley didn't say anything, Lilly goes back to eating her food, plate 3 fourths of the way gone.
Miley stays quiet as she eats, eating a few mouthfuls of waffle before taking a healthy sip of juice.
Lilly pushes the plate away once she's down and sips a few mouthfuls of juice down. She leans back in her chair a moment before reaching for the makeshift ice pack. "I'll be right back," she says softly as she gets up from her chair to head to the bathroom.
Miley just nods as she continues to eat quietly, not looking up.
Lilly winces as she makes her way to the bathroom. Dammit Lilly. You up and upset her. Not even your word is good if you're already upsetting her she berates herself as she looks for a small towel. She finds one and starts to unwrap her hand. Once done, she looks at it closely. Nothing seems broken. Just bruised she thinks to herself as she wraps the ice pack in the towel and places it on her injured hand. She pulls a face of pain but nothing else before making her way back out of the bathroom.
Miley finishes off her waffles before moving to her sausage. Once eating all she can, she pushes the plate away and takes a few sips of her juice, looking up when Lilly walks back in. "It any better?" she asks quietly, can't help feeling concerned even after being a little upset.
Lilly shrugs a little as she takes a seat on the edge of her bed. "Nothing's broken. Just badly bruised," she explains quietly, wincing a little as she tries to move her fingers around.
Miley stands up, nodding a little. "That's good," she mumbles softly. She sighs, looking at Lilly, walking over to her. "Lilly, I love you, and I don't blame you going over there so much to your mom's. I get it. I just...after this new form of relationship between us, I'd like it if you'd try harder to stay here...with me. I need you here at night...it...it makes me feel safe. I want a real relationship with you. I meant that," she says softly, sitting next to Lilly on her bed.
A troubled look crosses Lilly's face as she glances up at Miley. "Miles…I...You know that I love you. I do. And I'll try my best. But...I don't think…" she clears her throat uncomfortably. "I don't know if I can promise you outright. I mean…she's my mom. I'm all she has. I can't tell her no if she needs me," she finishes quietly, swallowing the bitter taste in her mouth at her words. But she knew deep down, there was that small hope that her mom really did need her and that this was her way to call for help. And so, no matter how much she would have to endure she would go and pray that she was right about her small hope.
Miley sighs, nodding. "I get that, Lilly. And I respect that. I just...ask that if you can try better is all," she says softly, biting her lip a little.
Lilly nods softly. "How about this? If I do have to go back to my mom's. I won't stay. I'll come back after whatever it is she needed help with. Does that help at all?" Lilly knew that what she was saying could blow up in her face but she could stand that fact that she was already hurting Miley so much with this. Its my only way to protect her from it. Its better this way she reminds herself.
Miley thinks a moment, before nodding. "I...can take that. As long as you really come back," she says softly.
Lilly smiles a little, not able to do anything else. "Of course I will," she says softly.
Miley nods. "Mkay," she says softly, smiling back. "But that's what today is for, yea? A day just for us. No outside worries. Cuz, I just really need it, Lilly Bear," she adds softly.
Lilly nods, happy to move on from the subject. "Yup. That's what today is for," A thought comes to mind and she blushes a little. "Oh. Um...I kinda, sorta, accidently outted us to your dad," she says in a rush.
Miley's eyes widen. "I...you what?" she asks, shocked, a sinking feeling in her stomach.
Lilly holds up her one hand, shaking her head. "I didn't mean to. I was so focused on trying to snag a sausage cuz I was so hungry that it kinda just came out. It's not as bad as it sounds. He already knew before I told him. He teased me and everything. I'm pretty sure I haven't blushed this much in my entire life. I practically died on a sausage when he was teasing me. I promise. He's not weirded out or upset about it. But I guess it would be nice to really talk to him. But trust me. He was just happy we finally told each other," she explains, seeing the shock cross her loves face.
Miley lets out a breath she didn't realize she was holding once Lilly finishes talking before nodding slowly. "So...he's ok with it?" she asks softly.
Lilly nods slowly. "Yeah. He seemed pretty alright to me. Especially if he was teasing me about it. I mean…I don't think I'd still be here if he wasn't," she says softly.
Miley chuckles a little at that. "No, I guess you're right," she says softly. A bright smile crossed her face. "You know, its not the way I would have wanted to tell him but all I wanted if this ever did happen between us was for him to still love me and accept me. My biggest fear was that he'd reject us both," she explains softly, a look of relief crossing her face when she realizes that won't happen.
Lilly smiles sheepishly. "That's my fault. If I wasn't so focused on food I probably wouldn't of said it like that. But I'm happy that he was okay with it too," she says, remembering the conversation the two had not too long ago.
Miley nods. "Well its done. And there seems to be no harm in it, so no worries. I guess now he'll want to set bedroom rules," she says a bit teasingly. "I do wanna really talk to him tho," she adds softly, moving to stand up.
Lilly starts to say something before a gentle knock sounds at the door.
Miley raises an eyebrow before walking over to the door and opening it.
Lilly lets out a soft sigh of relief when she sees its Miley's dad. "Hey Mr. S," she calls out, waving from her spot on the bed.
Mr. Stewart smiles at Lilly. "Hey, Lils," he says before turning his attention to his daughter. "Morning, bud," he says, smiling.
He doesn't seem angry… "Hey, daddy," she says, smiling back. "Can, um, can we talk?" she asks nervously.
He raises an eyebrow, throwing a glance at Lilly. "Sure, Miles. Why don't we sit on the patio," he says softly.
Miley nods as she quietly steps out, heading over to the patio's couch.
"One second," he tells his daughter, poking his head back in. "It's all ready and sitting on the counter," he says with a wink so only Lilly can hear before moving back out onto the patio, closing the door behind him.
Miley looks up as he makes his way over and sits down, a nervous look on her face.
"What is it, darlin? You know you can talk to me about anything," Mr. Stewart tells his daughter, looking at her curiously, thinking he might already know what this is about.
Miley lets out a breath, biting her lip a little. "Lilly….Lilly told me about what you two talked about this morning…" she mumbles, looking at him nervously.
Mr. Stewart smiles a little. "Ah, I see. Well, I want to hear this from you, Miles," he says softly, taking his daughter's hand in his own. "Are you in love with her? Does she make you happy?" he asks, looking at his daughter intently.
Miley can't help but blush a little at her dad's words. She nods slowly. "I…am, daddy. I love her more then anything. And…I confessed to her last night. When she told me she loved me back, it made me the happiest I've ever been," she explains, blush deepening a little.
Mr. Stewart chuckles softly, nodding. "It seems she feel's the same way, bud," he replies.
Miley swallows. "So…you're really not upset or mad with this? I mean…you'd be ok with us being together?" she asks softly, looking at her dad with hopeful eyes.
Mr. Stewart gives his daughter a heartfelt smile. "Of course I'm ok with it, Miles. All your mom and I wanted for Jackson and you was for you to grown up and just be happy. Happy and open with who you are. We raised you two to be yourselves, and love the way that your heart desires. I know she'd agree with me on this, and if I hadn't, slap me silly till I agreed," he says, chuckling, smiling at the memory of his wife. "She'd be so proud of you, Miles. Finding someone like Lilly. I've watched you two for a long time and saw how you two cared about each other. More then most friends do. And I couldn't be happier with the young women you've grown into. Especially with her by your side. You have a good head on your shoulders, Miley. And found someone that makes you happy. That's all any father could ever ask for," he says, the smile never leaving his face.
Tears form in Miley's eyes as she listens and when he's done, she wraps her arms around her daddy, hugging him. "Thank you. For being sucha wonderful dad. And reminding me that momma would be just as supportive. As much as I wish she was here and could see Lilly and I happy together, just knowing and hoping she's watching over us will be enough," she whispers.
Mr. Stewart smiles, hugging his daughter back. "Of course, bud. Just always remember what I told you. I love you," he says, kissing the side of his daughter's head.
Miley nods against her daddy's shoulder. "I promise I will, daddy. I love you too," she mumbles out.
Mr. Stewart smiles as they pull away from each other. "Good. Now, I gotta get going. I was called in earlier then expected. You two have fun on you're day off, alright? You both deserve it," he says as he stands up.
Miley stands as well, smiling back. "Mkay, daddy. And thanks for letting us take the day off," she says.
Mr. Stewart waves it off. "You two deserve it. I'll see you for dinner," he says, making his way to the back door.
"See you, daddy," Miley calls out as she makes her way back to the barn.
Meanwhile…
As soon as Lilly is sure Miley and her dad are out of sight, she quickly looks around for paper and something to write with. Struggling to write a somewhat legible note to Miley, Lilly places the note on the girl's bed before quietly making her way out of the barn and into the house. Spotting the food packed and ready on the counter, the blonde smiles. I definitely own him one.
She grabs the food, checking to make sure she had everything she needed. Nodding to herself, she quickly and quietly heads to the small closet by the door and grabs a blanket from inside. Her eyes water, having no choice but to use her injured hand to get it. Taking in a deep breath, she pushes through the pain and leaves through the back of the house, hoping that Miley would like the little bit she has planned.
AN: Here you guys go! Whatcha think Lils has planned huh? xD. I shall get it up as soon as I can guys! Review for now and I'll try and keep you guys more updated!