A/N: Okay, here's the 7th chapter. I hope you enjoy! Please read and review. Let me know what you think. I'm going out of town for a few days, so I won't be able to write for a while. I don't know when I will be able to post again, but I hope it will be at the beginning of next week.

Chapter 7

Ashley's POV

Today is Wednesday. As in I have to go to Spencer's family dinner tonight. I'm freaking out a little bit at the prospect of meeting her mother. I don't want to do or say something that will make it harder for Spencer to deal with her mom. I don't want her mom to find out I'm gay, because then she won't want Spencer to hang out with me and I really don't want to cause any more problems between the two of them. They have enough of their own.

"ASH!"

"Huh?" I can tell it's not the first time she's said my name. "Sorry, Spence. I was just caught up in my thoughts." I smile at her. I would kiss her, but we're at lunch at school.

"I noticed. Now that I have your attention. Remember, you have dinner at my house tonight." She gave me that patented Spencer Carlin smile. The one that makes me melt.

"I know. I couldn't forget if I wanted to." I mumble, and look down at my hands. She leans and and whispers in my ear.

"I know you're nervous, but don't be, baby. My dad and I have your back. Even if she does find out, she won't be able to do anything to you. I promise." She leans back and sends me a soft smile with a quick reassuring squeeze to my leg.

"Thanks, I feel a lot better now." I really do. She always makes me feel better. Now it's my turn to lean in and whisper, "I really wish I could kiss you right now. It kills me not to be able to hold your hand." She gets this mischievous grin on her face. I give her my best 'what are you up to' look.

"Meet me in the bathroom in 5 min." She whispers back and then disappears. I turn to face the rest of the group, they're all looking at me trying to figure out what's going on.

"What's going on with you two?" Kyla, of course. She's very subtle. I sigh and shake my head.

"What makes you think anything is going on?" I'm starting to get nervous because Clay is at the table. I can't let anything slip in front of him.

"Because you've been off in your own little world whispering and giving each other looks all lunch." Damn. She's good. How the fuck am I going to get out of this one. And Spencer is waiting for me in the bathroom. Fuck. Clay speaks before I can say anything.

"Ashley, it's okay. I know Spencer is gay." I stare dumbfounded. He just chuckles. "Calm down Ashley, I've known since we were still in Ohio. The whole family knows actually. Except Mom. We've all talked about how we can help Spencer be comfortable enough to talk to us about it." I'm at a total loss for word. What is happening? "Relax, I like you and I think you're good for her. But you better not hurt her or me and Glen will kick your ass." All of a sudden someone comes up behind me.

"Yeah, you better not hurt my baby sister." Holy shit. I'm getting the don't hurt my sister speech right now.

"Don't worry about that, I won't. But you do know you're the same age as her seeing as you're twins, right?" I think my brain is finally catching up and i'm coming out of my shock.

"I'm 4 minutes older. And I will always view her as my baby sister." They're such good brothers.

"I hate to break up this bonding time, but I have to go." I'm racing out of the quad before they can get another word in.

"Took you long enough." Spencer states and I walk into the bathroom. I check all the stall to make sure we're alone, then go back to the door and lock it. Then I turn to Spencer.

"I've got something to tell you and I'm not exactly sure how." I start off and I realize that may not have been the best opening line considering she looks like she's about to have a panic attack. "Baby, calm down. It's nothing bad, I promise." I say and I engulf her in a hug and help her calm down. Then she hits my arm.

"Shit, babe. I thought you were gonna tell me you cheated on me or something." Oh.

"God, no. I would never. You're the only one I want to be with." She smiles and kisses me hard. I can't help the moan that escapes me. She just pulls back with a smirk intact.

"So, what were you trying to tell me?" Oh, yeah. I have to tell her that her brothers know about us.

"Well, umm, after you left the table, both of your brothers came up to me and gave me the 'don't hurt my baby sister' speech. I was completely shocked. Clay then informed me that they've known that you're gay since before you left Ohio." Wow, that wasn't as hard as I thought. Wait. Is she breathing? "Spence? Are you okay?" I think it's finally starting to sink in...

"Wait. You're telling me that my whole family knows about us except for my mom?" I slowly nod.

"Yeah, baby. That's what I'm telling you. I was just as shocked as you are. I think Kyla might have actually taken a picture of my face..." I wait a few minutes, just giving her time to process everything.

"Ash?"

"Yeah, Spence?"

"After I talk to my brother, I want to come out at school." What?

"Spence, are you sure? That's a really big step." I want her to be 100% sure this is what she wants. Kids can be cruel.

"Yes. I'm sure. I came to terms with my sexuality a few years ago, and now that my dad and brothers know, I have a really great support system. You being the biggest part of it. I don't have to worry about word getting around to my brothers anymore. And after things settle down after we come out, then I will assemble the troops and tell my mother." Wow, I'm just so proud of her. She's not even scared about coming out to the school.

"Wow, baby. I'm so proud of you." I say as I embrace her again. We stand there for a few minutes. Then she's kissing me so passionately, I lose all coherent thought. Next thing I know my back is being pressed up against the door.

"Mmm" I moan. " Spence, if you don't stop I'm going to lose all self control and I won't be able to stop at all."

"Who says I want you to?" I groan and push her back.

"Spencer, I don't want our first time to be in the school bathroom." She nuzzles her face into my neck.

"Yeah, you're right. It's just so hard not to lose control around you, because I want you so bad." I just grin.

"I want you too, baby. But I want to do this right. This is my first real relationship and I don't dirty bathroom sex for our first time. I care too much about you to treat you like that. You deserve to have your first time in a real bed with someone you love and who loves you. I don't want to take that away from you." She smiles tenderly at me and kisses me lovingly. I smile back at her. I think I'm falling for this girl. I never thought I would say those words to someone. Much less actually mean them.

"Okay, let's get out of here and head to class. The bell rang like 5 minutes ago." She kisses me one last time and then pulls me out of the bathroom.

I'm waiting for Spencer out by my car after school, so we can go to her house for dinner. Once she came out of the building we hopped in my car and headed toward her parents house. I swear the closer we got the worse my nerves got. I couldn't believe I was going to her family dinner where we had to act like just friends but everyone there knew we were more than friends, except for her mom. This is gonna be so awkward.

"Will you stop freaking out?" Spencer asked from the passenger seat. Damn. I thought I was doing a good job of hiding it for her.

"Is it that obvious?" I asked already knowing the answer.

"Yes, dear. I think you might actually be starting to sweat." We both start laughing because it's completely true. I pull over on the side of the road around the corner from her house so no one can see us.

"Babe, I need you to calm me down before we go in there. I've never met a girl's parents before. Plus I've never had to hide the fact that I'm in a relationship with their daughter before. I don't want to screw this up and make things worse between you and your mom." I rambled out. She reaches over and grabs my hand and forces me to look in her eyes.

"Baby, relax. You can't really make things worse between us. We're already as bad as it gets, and that's no ones fault but hers. It's her fault for not being able to accept me like everyone else in my life has." She leans in kisses me, "You can do this. Just be yourself, they will love you. Including my mother. Maybe that will make it easier for her to come to terms with my sexuality later." Then she decides to go for a full blown make out session just to make sure my nerves are calmed. Not that you'll ever hear me complain!

"Okay, let's go. Thank you. You always know what to say." I giver her my nose crinkle. She beams back at me and holds my hand till we park in the drive way. Next thing I know we're walking through the front door, and I'm being led into the kitchen. Her dad has his back to us while he's doing something with the stove.

"Hey, Dad! Mom still at work?" God, I hope so since we came right after school we still have a few hours till dinner.

"Yeah, she is Sweetie. Hey, Ashley! How are you?" He turns his kind eyes on me.

"I'm doing great, Mr. C! How's it going?" I officially love Spencer's dad!

"I'm doing great. I assume you're treating my daughter well?" I gives me that look that only a father can get when discussing his daughter's dating life.

"Of course, Mr. C. She means the world to me." I say truthfully while giving my beautiful girlfriend an adoring look, trying to convey exactly how much I mean that.

"Great! Then we won't have any problems!" Mr. C says while turning his attention back to the stove. Spencer grabs my hand and starts pulling me back towards the living room.

"We'll be upstairs, Dad. Call us when dinner's ready?" Spencer doesn't even wait for a response as she drags me up the stairs and into her room. All of a sudden she shuts the door and pushes me up against and her lips are on mine. The things this girl does to me.

"What was that for?" I ask after we part.

"You mean the world to me too, Ash." She starts kissing me again. I could definitely get used to this.

"Spencer, we need to stop. There's a bed right there and my self control is diminishing by the second." I say while barely managing to catch my breath. She takes a few steps back to get some much needed space between us.

"You're right. I'm sorry." Why is she apologizing?

"Spence, you have nothing to apologize for. Never apologize for kissing me like that. I will never complain about being kissed like that." She looks at me with a shy smile. I just grab her hand and move us to sit on the edge of her bed. I take this opportunity to look around her room. It really suits her. The walls are an ocean blue, just like her eyes. She's got a desk with all kinds of books and a laptop. She even has a bathroom attached to her room. Then I start to get nervous. "Is your mom gonna kill us for being up here with the door closed?" She bursts out laughing. Why is she laughing? I thought it was a legit question. She pushes me onto my back and crawls on top of me while she gets her laughter under control.

"Baby, relax. She won't be home for at least half an hour, and I'm sure that by then my brothers will have barged in to make sure you're keeping your hands to yourself." As if on cue, Glen barges into the room. She quickly gets off of me.

"Hey, ladies! I hope you're keeping your hands to yourself, Ashley." Wow, maybe it's a twin thing?

"It's not me you have to worry about in that department." I quip. Then Spencer hits me.

"Ash!"

"What? It's the truth. I haven't made a move on you since our first kiss." She just gives me a death glare.

"Okay, did not need to know that about my baby sister. We'll just leave the door open, because Mom will flip if she comes home to" he gestures to us "that." Then he's gone.

"Did you really have to say that?" Spencer asks me.

"I figured it would make him leave sooner. Plus I'm worried enough about what your family thinks about me. There was no way I was going down for what you started." She shrugs her shoulders and gives me a quick kiss.

"You have a good point, but my family will love you for you. I promise. I can already tell Clay likes you a lot." Then Clay walks in with Chelsea. What is it with this family? It's like they're telepathic. At least I won't be the only guest here for dinner tonight. Maybe it will take the pressure off.

"Hey, Chels. Didn't know you were going to be here tonight." I give her a quick hug. I haven't spent much time with her since I met Spencer.

"Yeah, Clay invited me." I glance over at Spencer and I know she wants to talk to Clay. She's wanted to since I told her that he knew in the bathroom this afternoon.

"Chelsea, can I talk to you for a minute? In the hall." Everyone gives me a strange look. I lean over and whisper to Spencer, "Talk to him, we'll be in the hall till you're done. I can even send Glen in if you want?" She nods and I grab Chelsea and head into the hall and over to Glen's room. "Hey, Glen. Spencer wants to talk to you in her room. Shut her door behind you." He looks a little confused but heads across the hall anyway.

"What's going on?" Chelsea asks while we're still standing in Glen's room.

"Spencer just wants to talk to her brothers since she found out that they know she's gay." I shrug it off like it's no big deal.

"You really like her don't you?" She gives me her 'don't bullshit me I know when you're lying' look. I knew this was gonna happen sometime, might as well spill.

"I do, Chels. I really do. She makes me feel like I'm gonna be okay. Like there was a piece missing and I didn't even know it till she filled the void." I probably have that goofy look I get when I'm thinking about Spencer.

"Wow. I never thought I would see the day that Ashley Davies had a steady girlfriend." Then she pauses and looks me directly in the eye. "You love her." It wasn't a question.

"I think so, but I've only just met her and it scares the shit out of me." She just hugs me and then tells me,

"Honey, it's okay to love her. To let her in. I know this is all new to you, but you're doing great. Honestly, I think she's perfect for you. I hope things work out for you. I can see that she makes you happier than I've ever seen you and you need to hold on to that. You may never find it again."

"When the hell did you get so wise?" We both just laugh.

"What's so funny?" Spencer asks from the doorway. I walk up to her and kiss her.

"Just Oh Wise One over here." I say with amusement in my voice. Even though she looks a little confused she just shrugs and pulls me towards the stairs.

"Dinner is almost ready, let's go set the table." I just no while grinning at her. "Wow, I've never seen anyone so excited about setting the table." She jokes.

"It's not about setting the table. It's about being with you." I think I made her melt.

"Well, aren't we quite the smooth talker today." She smirks at me.

"I'm only speaking the truth." I smirk back. Just then her mom walks through the door.

"Sorry, I'm late! There was a freeway accident and it not only held me up at the hospital, but also in traffic on the way home." She announces. Spencer's mom is an emergency surgeon.

"That's okay. Mom, this is my friend Ashley. Ashley, my mom." I smile and stick my hand out.

"It's nice to meet you Mrs. Carlin." She takes my hand and gives me the once over.

"Nice to meet you too, Ashley." She says kind of stiffly. I don't think she likes me. Glen comes down the stairs and throws his arm around me.

"Hey, Mom! I see you've met Ashley." I throw Spencer a quick look asking what he's doing. She just shrugs and gives me a look that tells me to go with it. So I do, and wrap my arm around his waist in a side hug. He then releases me and heads into the kitchen.

"Oh. You know Glen?" She raises a brow. I'm not really sure what to say.

"Yeah, he's a good friend." I say, not really sure what she's looking for.

"Oh good. I think you two make a great couple." She says then quickly walks out of the room. It takes me a second to realize what she just said, then I turn to Spencer.

"What the hell just happened?" I ask quietly.

"I think my mom is assuming that you and Glen are a couple so that she can have peace of mind that we're not together." I got that much, but how do I tell her that we're not together without her jumping to the conclusion that I want Spencer.

"Right, how do we set her straight without getting her suspicious?" I question, hoping she has an idea.

"Um, not particularly. Maybe say you're not really interested in dating at the moment? You just recently went through a tough break up?" That's actually a pretty good idea.

"Okay. That can work. Good idea. Let's go set the table." After we set the table everyone takes a seat and then Paula says a prayer. Then everyone digs in. Then Paula speaks up.

"So, Ashley. How long have you and Glen been together." We both practically choke on our food.

"We're not, Mom." Glen says obviously surprised that his mother went straight to that conclusion.

"Oh. Well, why not? You looked pretty cozy while ago." This is where I decide to speak up.

"We're just good friends, Mrs. Carlin. I'm not really looking for a boyfriend right now." I say pretty casually. But everyone else at the table looks like they want to make a smart ass comment about my lesbian ways.

"Well, why not, Ashley? You seem like a very nice girl, and you're good looking. There's no reason why a girl like you shouldn't have a boyfriend." Oh man. She just doesn't give up, does she?

"Actually, I'm just going through a pretty rough time right now. With my dad dying a few years ago and finding out I have a sister that I didn't know about for the first 14 years of her life." That ought to do it.

"I'm sorry about your dad, Ashley. What happened with your sister?" God, I really don't want to talk about this. I think it shows too because Chelsea is giving me a sympathetic look and Mr. C comes to my rescue.

"Honey, I'm sure she doesn't want to talk about all this right now." I send him a grateful look. Spencer squeezes my leg under the table.

"You're right. I'm sorry, Ashley. I didn't mean to pry." Yes you did.

"It's okay." I didn't know what else to say, so Spencer jumps in.

"So, Mom. How was work?" Nice subject change.

The rest of dinner went buy rather smoothly. Then Chelsea and I made our way out the door after we said our goodbyes.

"Wow, that was rough there for a bit at the beginning. Are you okay?" She really is a great friend.

"Yeah, I just hate lying. And is it just me or did it feel like I was being interrogated?" She just chuckles a little bit.

"It definitely did. I'm glad I didn't have to undergo the inquisition." I laugh as we approach our cars. Then I turn to hug her.

"Thanks for the talk earlier. Goodnight, Chels."

"Goodnight, Ash. See you at school tomorrow." And with that we head our separate ways.