A couple of months later, Robert was working on a paper. He and Ashley had gotten into a fight. Ashley had gone home to stay with her parents for the weekend so that they could cool off. Robert heard the door to his apartment open. Ashley walked into the bedroom and leaned against the door frame. Robert looked up.
"I'm sorry" Ashley said.
Robert shook his head.
"I'm the one that should be apologizing" Robert said.
Ashley walked over to Robert and sat on his bed. They had gotten in a fight about their schedule. It was the beginning of the basketball season and Robert was gone a lot. He would spend a lot of time at his apartment and not with Ashley. Ashley had told Robert about how she felt left out, but he got defensive.
"I'm sorry for not paying more attention. I know that it has been crazy the last couple of weeks" Robert said.
"I'm sorry for yelling at you" Ashley said.
"I deserved it" Robert said.
Ashley shook her head.
"No you didn't" Ashley said.
Robert opened his arms and Ashley moved so that Robert's arm was wrapped around her. Robert kissed Ashley's head softly.
"You need to tell me if I'm not paying attention. I am kind of used to being in my own world" Robert said truthfully.
Ashley nodded.
"Why are you used to it?" Ashley asked.
"My family didn't use to be super close like we are now" Robert said.
"What do you mean?" Ashley asked
Robert sighed.
"Before my dad was in human resources, he was a business manager. He had multiple different locations of his business that he was in charge of and had to check up on. When my mom was pregnant with me and up until I was a teenager, he would be in and out" Robert explained.
Ashley's face softened.
"It wasn't until my mom finally said that enough was enough. She saw how it hurt me. He would miss a lot. Easton and Everly deserved to have dad there for big things. But, now that I am an adult and experienced all of that, I don't want that to happen with you" Robert said.
Ashley kissed Robert's lips softly.
"I'm sorry baby" Ashley said.
Robert smiled sympathetically.
"It's okay. But, that's why you need to tell me when you feel like I'm not paying attention" Robert said.
Ashley nodded.
"We will work on it, okay?" Ashley said.
Robert smiled.
"I love you" Robert said.
"I love you too" Ashley said.
The next day, Robert went to his parents' house.
"Hey bud" Troy said.
"Hey" Robert said.
"How's school?" Troy asked.
"School is fine. How did you fix everything with mom when I was little?" Robert asked randomly.
Troy looked at Robert.
"What's going on?" Troy asked.
"Ashley and I had gotten in a fight a couple of days ago. After we fought, she went over to her parents' house for the weekend. When she came back home to me, we talked about the fight and we both apologized. But, I realized that there are certain things that I don't pay attention to because there is so much going on" Robert confessed.
Troy sat down and looked at his eldest son.
"You guys are far enough in your relationship where you need to be honest about everything. Mom and I had to learn that when she was pregnant with you. I had to be more present and be there for mom when she needed me. I had to learn how to be there for you and understand how you needed me there even though you were an infant" Troy said.
Robert nodded.
"So, for the next time this happens, how should I go about it?" Robert asked.
"Be honest. Always make sure that she knows that you love her and that you are there when she needs you to be" Troy said.
Robert nodded.
"And I am sorry that happened" Troy said.
Robert smiled slightly.
"Thanks" Robert said.
That afternoon, Robert walked into the apartment. He smiled when he saw Ashley working on her laptop. Robert walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her.
"Hey" Robert said.
"Hey" Ashley said.
"What are you up to?" Robert asked.
"Working on a paper" Ashley said.
"When's it due?" Robert asked kissed Ashley's cheek.
"Next week" Ashley said.
"Good. Come here" Robert said taking Ashley's hand.
"Where are we going?" Ashley asked.
"Follow me" Robert said.
Ashley took Robert's hand and got up. She followed her boyfriend to the living room and sat down on the couch. Robert looked at Ashley.
"I love you" Robert said.
Ashley smiled.
"I love you too" Ashley said.
Robert looked down at his and Ashley's hands. Ashley snuggled into Robert's chest. Robert kissed Ashley's head softly. The couple laid in silence.
"Did you have practice?" Ashley asked.
Robert kissed Ashley's head again.
"No. I went to go talk to my dad" Robert said.
"Oh, about what?" Ashley asked.
"About me and our family" Robert said.
Ashley looked at Robert.
"Are you still upset about our fight?" Ashley asked.
"I'm not upset. I'm just trying to fix things so that they don't happen again" Robert said.
Ashley took Robert's hand and kissed it.
"We are going to fight babe. This was just one that hit a little differently for both of us" Ashley said.
"I just don't want a repeat, you know. I wanted to talk to my dad about it because he went through it with my mom and me" Robert said.
Ashley nodded.
"I appreciate you trying to figure everything out. But, don't let one fight determine how everything will end up" Ashley said.
Robert nodded.
"Yeah" Robert said.
Ashley kissed Robert's cheek. A couple of months later, Robert came home and smiled when he saw Ashley sitting in the kitchen working on her laptop. Robert and Ashley had been dating for almost two years. Robert knew that she was the one. He had gotten her a ring. But, not an engagement ring. It was a promise ring. Robert didn't know how to give it to Ashley so he was just going to play it by ear.
"Hey, baby" Robert said wrapping his arms around her from behind.
"Hey" Ashley said placing her hand on top of Robert's.
"What are we doing?" Robert asked kissing Ashley's shoulder.
"Studying for business math test" Ashley said.
"Oh" Robert said.
"How was school?" Ashley asked.
"It was fine. Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?" Robert asked.
"Yeah" Ashley said closing her laptop.
Robert sat down next to his girlfriend.
"So, you know how we have been going out for a while" Robert started.
Ashley smiled.
"Yes" Ashley said.
Robert took one of Ashley's hands in his own.
"We've been there for each other through a lot" Robert said.
Ashley nodded.
"Yeah" Ashley said trying to figure out what Robert was trying to say.
"I am really nervous, so this may not come out right" Robert said.
Ashley smiled.
"Are you breaking up with me?" Ashley asked.
Robert's eyes flew wide open.
"God no. No, no, no. I wanted to give you something to show you how much I love you" Robert said.
Ashley's filled with tears. Robert took the ring box out of his pocket and set it on the table.
"One day I want to marry you. It won't be soon because we are still in school, but that's my goal" Robert said.
Robert opened the ring box, which had the promise ring inside. Ashley leaned in and kissed Robert's lips.
"I love you" Ashley said.
Robert smiled.
"I love you too" Robert said.
"Can you put it on me?" Ashley asked.
Robert nodded. He took the ring and slid it onto her right ring finger. Ashley looked at the ring on her finger.
"It's beautiful, Rob" Ashley said.
"I thought so too. I promise to always be here for you. You mean the world to me and I hope you know that" Robert said.
Ashley nodded. She moved so that she was sitting on Robert's lap. Ashley wrapped her arms around Robert.
"Did you tell anyone about this?" Ashley asked.
Robert shook his head.
"No. It's not an engagement ring. I didn't tell anyone. It's just us that know right now" Robert said.
Ashley smiled.
"If anyone asks, we would have to tell them" Ashley said.
Robert nodded. That night, Ashley and Robert made love in celebration of the growth of their relationship. A couple of days later, Everly had a dance show. Robert and Ashley were going to meet the Bolton family at the house. Once Robert and Ashley got to the Bolton home, Everly smiled when she saw her older brother.
"Thank you for coming" Everly said.
"We wouldn't have missed it" Robert said hugging his sister.
Ashley hugged Everly. The couple and Everly walked into the living room.
"Hi, guys" Gabriella said.
"Hi mom" Robert said.
Gabriella hugged Robert and Ashley.
"How are you guys?" Gabriella asked.
Robert and Ashley looked at each other and then looked at Gabriella.
"Good. School is okay" Robert said.
"What about you, Ashley?" Gabriella asked.
"School is kind of getting a little intense. There are a lot of business fairs and firms that are looking to hire after we graduate so I've been trying to work hard to keep my grades up" Ashley said.
Robert nodded.
"But once the spring semester is over, everything will be back to normal" Robert said running his hands through Ashley's hair.
Ashley nodded. Gabriella saw in the corner of her eye a ring on Ashley's finger. She smiled. Gabriella wanted to be respectful and not pry into her son's relationship.
"How are the two of you doing?" Gabriella asked.
"We're fine. Everything is good" Robert said.
Gabriella looked at Robert. As soon as Robert looked at his mother, he knew that she knew about the promise ring.
"Are you guys talking about next year?" Gabriella asked.
Robert blushed. Ashley smiled. Busted.
"I gave Ashley a promise ring a couple of days ago" Robert said.
Troy came into the room.
"I want to marry her one day. Not now. But, in the future. I felt like this was a good time to give it to her because we were fighting about spending time and I was getting worried. I wanted her to know that I would always love her and be there for her" Robert confessed.
Troy smiled.
"Rob-" Troy started.
"No, no one can disagree with it" Robert said.
"Rob" Troy said again.
Ashley looked at Robert.
"Baby" Ashley said softly.
Robert took a deep breath and released it. He turned dark red.
"I need some air" Robert said.
"Do you want me to go with you?" Ashley asked.
Robert shook his head. He kissed Ashley's forehead.
"I'll go with you" Troy said.
Gabriella looked at Troy, who looked at Gabriella.
"We'll be back" Troy said.
Gabriella and Ashley nodded. Troy and Robert walked outside.
"Rob, you know that you can talk to me about this stuff right?" Troy said.
Robert swallowed hard.
"I know that the past affects you. I'm sorry about that. I take full responsibility" Troy said.
Robert took a deep breath and released it.
"I wanted to make sure that she knew that I would always be there for her" Robert said.
Troy nodded.
"I know. We aren't mad or upset, Rob. We just didn't know that you felt this way" Troy said.
"I didn't think it needed to be a topic of discussion. This wasn't a proposal" Robert said.
"I know it wasn't. But, don't you think we should talk about this?" Troy asked.
Robert sighed.
"I just want to do this right" Robert said.
Troy nodded.
"I know. But, sometimes things just need to happen. You can't push something serious like this just because of an argument" Troy said.
"So then what do I do?" Robert asked.
"Well, you already gave her a ring. She already knows how you feel. I just wouldn't push anything" Troy said.
Robert nodded. Troy placed his hand on Robert's shoulder.
"It's going to be okay, Rob" Troy said.
Robert nodded. The two men walked into the house. The Bolton family left the house and went to Everly's dance show. Once they found their seats, Ashley looked at Robert.
"You okay?" Ashley asked.
Robert nodded.
Ashley entwined her fingers with Robert's. She leaned over and kissed Robert's cheek.
"I love you, baby. You and I can deal with your past together. I'm sorry that this got blown up the way it did" Ashley whispered into his ear.
Robert shook his head.
"It's my fault. I was insecure" Robert whispered.
"Let's talk about it tonight when we get home" Ashley whispered.
Robert nodded.
"But, I want you to know that I do still want to marry you one day" Ashley whispered.
Robert smiled. He kissed Ashley's lips.
"Good. Because I still want to marry you one day too" Robert whispered.
Ashley smiled. The couple and the Bolton family watched Everly's dance show. After the show, Robert hugged his little sister.
"Great job, Ev" Robert said.
"Thanks" Everly said.
Ashley hugged Everly. The couple then looked at Troy and Gabriella.
"We are going to head out" Robert said.
"Okay" Troy said.
Robert hugged his parents. The couple then left. Once they got to their apartment, Ashley looked at Robert.
"You okay?" Ashley asked.
"I just feel weird. We should be happy. But, I'm not" Robert said.
"Your parents just don't want you to give me a ring for the wrong reasons that's all, babe. They want you to be happy. They don't want you to have to think about the past" Ashley said.
"I just thought that we were at a place in our relationship where giving you a ring like that was a good thing" Robert said.
Ashley put both her hands on each side of Robert's face.
"It is a good thing, Rob" Ashley said.
Robert took a deep breath and released it.
An hour later, Rob had relaxed and was finally a little calmer. Ashley kissed Robert's head softly.
"Feeling a little better?" Ashley asked.
Robert nodded. He kissed Ashley's lips.
"Thank you" Robert said softly.
Ashley smiled.
"I love you" Ashley said.
Robert smiled and kissed Ashley's cheek.
"I love you too" Robert said.