Gah! This site is making me mad, it wasn't being cooperative when I posted my last chapter, and when I was finally able to post it, the login screwed up again so none of you could tell me what you thought. :( And then I couldn't post any more of my stories either... So I'm hoping they finally got it working and we won't have a problem this time around... because I love hearing all your thoughts on my stories. It keeps me inspired to keep writing them!

Anyways, new chapter. Paula gives Ashley the last task and her final decision. Confrontation with Aiden. And of course, Spashley-ness. Oh yes... this is quite a major chapter. (: Hopefully I do it justice, as I'm writing this at four in the morning... *fingers crossed*

Enjoy.

R & R.

Chapter 35 – Warming a Parent's Heart

Ashley's POV

"Hey Ash." Aiden greeted me as he walked in the door of the diner. I had called him the day before asking to get together at the diner again, to clear up some very needed questions I had recently discovered. We met before I had to pick Spencer up and head over to her parent's house for Sunday dinner. To say I was looking forward to this conversation would be an overstatement. I was rather dreading it actually, expecting the worst, but hoping for the best. I'm just glad I had an escape route if I needed it.

I forced out a small smile. "Hi." I softly waved and gestured him to take a seat across from me in the booth.

He chuckled at my distant greeting as he plopped down on the seat across from me. "I kind of expected you to call me after I heard about the little run in you had with Nicole earlier this week. She couldn't stop talking about how she met thee Ashley Davies and just how normal she was. It was sort of surreal having my wife tell me how amazing my old best friend is."

"Yeah, I kind of wanted to talk to you about that... so, do you want me to ask you the obvious question here... or do you just want to start explaining yourself?"

"Ashley, it's not like that--"

"Don't Aiden. No excuses, just tell me why, tell me why you told Nicole about Madison and my sister, but you didn't tell her about me." I raised my voice more than I wanted to. This wasn't exactly a conversation I wanted the whole diner to hear, but I couldn't help it. "I think we went through a hell a lot more than you did with them. So just clear that up for me because I can't possibly see any reason why you would lie to her about me... Besides the obvious reason, which I really hope isn't the case because I am so not in the mood to replay high school love triangles and squares all over again." I leaned back in the booth as I crossed my arms and started tapping my fingers on my arm, looking at Aiden expectantly.

He was silent for a while, looking down at the table. "Do you know how heartbreaking it was to see you just walk away after prom? I declared my love for you, and you just upped and left, without saying a word to me...like I didn't even matter to you." He brought his head up and stared me, his eyes not faltering as they stared straight into mine. "Nothing ever hurt me as much as your reaction that night."

"You're talking like you still have feelings for me or something." I softly laughed, trying to cover up the giant knot that just formed in my stomach as his eyes kept portraying nothing but pure suffering and pain. This was exactly what I didn't want to happen.

He smiled wide at me, although hesitating at first. "Well first loves are never really over..." His eyes stayed on mine as he reached across the table and grabbed my hand gently.

I threw him an uncomfortable look as I pulled my hand back as politely as I could. "I actually think that's actually true love, Aiden. You never forget your first love, but true love never ends." I corrected him as shifted in my seat awkwardly, glancing down for a second and taking in a deep breath before looking back up at him. I couldn't not look at him when I said it, he had to expect it coming... "Look, I'm sorry how things played out in high school, but falling in love with Spencer... that was beyond my control. You can blame it on fate or luck, but I'm not going to regret that. I still do love you Aiden, but what we had was over twelve years ago, and Spencer is my true love and I'm going to marry her. What I felt for her in high school doesn't even compare to how I feel about her now."

"And I told you, I'm happy for you and Spencer, but sometimes don't you just wish--"

"Aiden." I cut him off, slamming my hands down on his and grabbing them aggressively, lifting them up and softly tapping them against the table. "Sometimes... love is just supposed to be what it is, you learn from it and then you... move on. I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, but it's what it is. You have Nicole now and I have Spencer, and I'm really happy with her, I hope you are too. It's not going to be anything more than this between us so if you can't deal with that, I'd rather part now on good terms than deal with that drama later on. I want you in my life Aiden, but I owe it to Spencer to be better than before, and I'm not going to put her in a position where she doubts me again. Listen, I need to go, I have to pick up Spencer so you think about what I said, and get back to me, alright?" I got up and patted him on the shoulder as I began walking past him. "I'll see you later."

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When I reached my car, I drove straight to my house, but just sat in it for a while. I had a bit of time before I needed to grab Spencer, and I definitely needed it to reflect on what just happened in the diner and what had been said. I realized even more why Paula was hesitant over this wedding, or more importantly, over me. I had a lot of baggage. Baggage that I didn't want to believe I had, but I still did.

I was brought of out of my daze with a light tap on my window. I rolled it down and was taken off guard by Spencer bending down and greeting me with a worried look on her face.

"Hey, are you okay? You've been sitting out here for awhile, I was getting worried that something might be wrong." Her smile was small, but still so warm and comforting as she laid her arms flat on my car and rested her head on them.

"I was just thinking, and you know how I like being in my car so much. The two just kind of go together."

Spencer narrowed her eyes at me playfully and pouted. I chuckled and brought her face to mine, giving her a soft kiss. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you worry. Are you ready to head to your parents for dinner?"

"You're positive that you're alright?"

"Positive, now get your cute butt in the passenger seat Blondie." I ordered nice, narrowing my eyes at her this time and smirking as she ran around the car and got in. "That's much better." I smiled as Spencer leaned in for a longer kiss. "My car is now complete with a hot blonde sitting beside me."

"Oh yeah, is that right?"

"Yup." I smiled gleefully as I put the car into gear, Spencer placing her hand over mind on the gearshift for the whole drive to her parents.

We got to her parent's house rather quickly, mostly due to my fast driving. I knew Spencer hated how I drove, but she never said anything out of politeness. I would normally slow down for her, just a smidge from what I would normally drive when I was by myself, but it is a Porsche and what's the point of driving slow with a car like that? Exactly.

"So how are things with the record label, Ashley?" Arthur. asked as he served everyone's plate with his famous spaghetti. "Starting up a new location here must be a handful."

"Actually Mr. C., my best friend and assistant, Becks, won't let me near the label. She thinks that I'm going to overwork myself too soon after my surgery, so she's banned me from anything to do with the label for another month. And even before I go back to work, I have to get cleared by the doctor..."

"She's right, you don't want to exert yourself too soon after such an extensive surgery." Paula nodded as she politely took a bit of her pasta and smiled at me.

"Sounds like she's a good friend, Ashley." Arthur added, "You don't find too many of those these days."

"Well she's been with me through this whole ordeal so she's just watching out for my best interest, that and she loves to see me squirm when I'm bored stiff. But I've been writing a lot more now since I have all this free time."

"You have?" Spencer looked at me shocked, reaching out and placing her hand on mine. "Why didn't you tell me that you were writing again?"

"Because I mostly do it when you're sleeping and I thought it might be creepy to tell you I write while watching you sleep." I nervously laughed as I squeezed her hand, hoping she wouldn't be too crept out by my confession. "Even if find it creepy, but I find more comes out when I do. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry, I love your songs. I guess that explains why you sleep in so much longer than I do."

"Na, I just like my sleep." I shrugged and stuffed another mouthful of pasta in, smiling at Spencer between bites. "Anyways, how about you Mr. C., how's the centre treating you?"

"Very well, there's always some hard days, but it's the good ones that make it worth it. Plus, it gives me lots of time to spend with my family so there's nothing more to be grateful than that." He gleamed, glancing at both Paula and Spencer, who both smiled happily back at him. "That's one of the most important things in life, Ashley, being around to see your children grow up to be happy, young adults. Nothing warms a parents' heart more than seeing their child happy."

"Thanks dad." Spencer smiled at the older man, as she glanced back to me and I could tell she was imagining our children growing up, just like I was in that moment.

"Ashley, can I talk to you for a second in the other room?" Paula asked, grabbing my attention as I politely nodded and put my utensils neatly down on my plate. "You two stay here and chat, we'll be right back." Paula smiled at Arthur and Spencer as she put her hand on my shoulder and lead me out of the room.

Paula brought us into the living room, walking over to the side table, opening it up and bringing out an envelope. She held the last envelope up in the air, but pulled it back when I reached for it, holding her finger up in the air and shaking her head. "Before you open this, I want to tell you something. There actually was, is another test involved in this whole final judgement."

"A-Another test?"

She patted me on the shoulder and forced me down gently to sit. She sat down beside with me and opened the envelope herself, reaching in and bringing out a tiny gold diamond ring. "One that will be ongoing throughout your whole life with Spencer. This was my great, great grandmother's ring, passed down generation to generation, it holds a certain importance to this family. Spencer does know of this ring, but she doesn't know I'm giving it to you." I sat there shocked, mouth completely open as Paula lifted my hand and placed the small ring into my hand, and closing my fingers around it. "So, here's the deal." She reached for the envelope and pulled out the piece of paper. "I meant what I said about having you and Spencer here every Sunday for dinner. So if you can hold up your end of the bargain, I will have no problem granting you my blessing come your wedding day."

She handed me the piece of paper, and smiled at me, truly smiled at me for the first time ever. "June 7th?" I quirked my eyebrow at the older woman as I read the task card out loud.

"You have some planning to do, Ashley. I expect only the best for my daughter's dream wedding, come that day. I already booked this tiny private beach for the ceremony, just north of here."

"Seriously?" If my jaw had not already hit the floor, you would be hearing it drop again.... and again.

"Spencer has mentioned a few couple times the significance of the beach for you two, and although I would've loved to do it underneath the pier, I think a private beach would be more appropriate for your wedding, don't you think?"

"S-So you're really giving me your blessing to marry your daughter?"

"Every Sunday, Ashley." Paula nodded confidently at me, chuckling softly as she squeezed my hand. My face was still shocked more than ever, but I weakly smiled back at the woman. "I hope my tasks gave you some insight. I was never testing you on whether you loved my daughter, I just wanted to show you that it's not going to be easy. Marriage isn't all butterflies and rainbows. Yes, it can be beautiful sometimes, but it's also a challenge. You just have to remember why you're with the one you love, and no matter how much you fight, it's the bad moments that lead to the amazing ones. Like Arthur said, nothing warms a parents' heart more than seeing their child happy, and we both know you make Spencer happy. So, go out there and get my daughter."

We re-entered the dining room, Spencer and Arthur chatting amongst themselves and continuing to eat. Paula took her seat again, but I remained standing, walking over to Spencer and brushing her hair to grab her attention. "Would you all excuse me, I think I'm going to go and get some fresh air, maybe go for a quick drive. Everything's alright, but I'll be back shortly, okay Spence?" I kissed Spencer on the forehead softly before I grabbed my purse and headed for the front door. I needed to clear my head, and I wouldn't be able to do it here.

"Hey." I felt a warm hand grab mind, stopping me before I grabbed the doorknob. I turned around to see Spencer standing there with a sad face, one I knew I wouldn't be able to resist. "You want some company?"

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Spencer and I decided just to walk instead of take my car. Well, Spencer decided and I agreed. It normally ended up that way. She thought it would be better to get fresh air if we weren't polluting it at the same time, so we left my car at her parent's house and started walking aimlessly around.

"You were a bit quiet after dinner, are you sure you're alright, Ash?" Her voice was soft and quiet, although I could still sense the worrisome in it. Spencer grabbed my hand and intertwined it as we continued to walk, although it wasn't aimlessly anymore, I knew where I was walking to now. "My mom didn't say anything to upset you, did she?"

"No Spence, Paula didn't say anything to upset me." I knew my tone sounded a little ticked off, but that's how I meant it to come out. By all means, not directed at Spencer, but I wanted her to hear it in my voice because I didn't want to sweep this under the rug again. I had done enough of that in my past, I didn't need to continue it.

"Is this about before? What you were thinking about in the car?"

"I went to go see Aiden again..."

"Uh, okay?" Spencer looked at me confused. "Ashley, you are allowed to see your friend, I don't expect you to shut him out of your life now that you're back. Aiden was important to you, I understand that you miss you best friend."

"He was my best friend... but I don't know if he is now. He just seems to be stuck back in high school, and I'm not that same person anymore."

Spencer abruptly stopped, throwing my momentum back with her. "You're being very vague, Ash." She looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to start filling her in.

"I think he still has feelings for me." I grimaced, hoping Spencer wouldn't react to it like last time. "He didn't say he did, but it was implied that he did."

"How so?" Her voice was soft, but concerned as she continued to walk again. That was a very good sign.

"He talked about how he wished things were different back and how first loves are never really over, stuff like that."

Spencer quirked her eyebrow at me out of confusion. "First love? Isn't it true love that doesn't end?" I nodded in agreement, just like I told Aiden and laughed softly. "Well, unless your true love is your first love."

"I wish you could've been my first love too, Spence." I brought our hands to my face and kissed the back of Spencer's tenderly. "It would've made this whole thing a lot easier."

"What is it Ashley?" Spencer asked, as she squeezed my hand gently, knowing it would comfort me. "Something else is bothering you, it's not just this Aiden thing, is it?"

I turned to her and sighed loudly and took in a deep breath so Spencer could hear. "Your mom gave me my last task tonight." I slowly handed her the envelope and she took it carefully, seeing the worried look in my eyes.

Her eyes shot open as she slowly pulled out the gold diamond ring along with the piece of paper from the envelope. "Ashley?"

"I thought it'd be fitting... doing this here." I grinned as I stopped walking and glanced around at our surroundings. It was then Spencer realized that I had stopped us by the pier on the beach, our special spot. I grabbed her hand and led her underneath, stopping when we were at the spot where I first took her. "There's only one way I complete this task, Spence, and that's if you say 'yes'." I delicately took the ring from her, holding it up as my grin turned into a full out smile. Without another second passing, I felt the blonde's arms embraced around me as she jumped into my arms, dropping the task card at our feet on the cool sand and assaulting my lips with hers.

We fell back on the sand, lips never leaving each other as the moon reflected off of the water and illuminated our silhouettes and the task card lying face up beside us.

"June 7th." Two months until I'm the happiest person on the planet.

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A/N: I want to give you guys a heads up on the progress of this story. I do know how I'm going to end it, I just don't know how many chapter-wise... it should be relatively soon though. I'm aiming for maybe five more chapters? But don't hold me to that... because really I have no idea. I would like it to finish this story before I start my fall semester (in like a month) just so you guys don't have to wait around for me to update it as I won't have much time on my hands when school starts up, but we will see.

Anyways, hope the site is working for you guys so you can drop me a lovely review... because you are going to right? (:

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