**Thanks to Catalina DaVinci and Kanes Mistress for the reviews! Glad
you're enjoying the story. Please everyone, read and review!! They mean a
lot to me and they help me to find inspiration. Thank You!!**
Trish had decided to take a week off to be with Dave while he seen Dr. Andrews and got settled in and used to being at home. At times, she seen bits and pieces of his temper, and possibly a little bit of the mysterious "dark side" that Angie had made reference to, but Trish didn't let that get to her. She knew how she was when she broke her ankle, and she wrote it off as that.
The one that thing that she had noticed is that Dave was very close to his sister Ashley. He and his brother Robert were very much alike, but they didn't talk near as often as Dave and Ashley. They talked every day, and he was always asking about his niece Natalie. He had a big picture of Natalie on the wall with his girls, along with his two nephews. Trish would often walk by the pictures and think to herself about how nice it is to find someone who valued his family as much as she did. She stopped and looked at the picture of Natalie, she looked so much like Dave and his girls, it was neat to see the family resemblance.
Trish was getting ready for dinner. They were going over to Ashley's house for dinner. It was Trish's last night off. They had to leave for her flight at 8:30 p.m. and Ashley insisted on making dinner. Dave had a doctor's appointment and then he would meet up with her at Ashley's house.
Trish arrived at Ashley's house at 5:15 p.m. Ashley answered the door with a big smile, "Hi! I'm so glad you guys could make it. C'mon in."
Trish smiled, "Me too. You're house is so nice."
"Thanks. It's nothing spectacular yet, but it's getting there. By the time I'm done with it, I'll be able to call it mine. It's nice because I have a project for each vacation." Ashley replied with a smile.
"Really? What all do you have in mind?" Trish inquired.
"Well during the summer vacation, I like to do stuff outdoors, so this year I'm going to start a flower garden and do some other landscaping stuff. During the winter and spring vacations, I like to do indoor projects. So, I'm not quite sure what I'll do yet."
"I forgot, you work for the school don't you?" Trish asked.
Ashley smiled and nodded, "Yeah, when I found out that I was adopting Natalie, I knew that working as an administrative assistant for an ad executive just wasn't going to cut it because I worked anywhere between 40- 60 hours a week. So I quit and started at the school."
"That's so neat how you changed everything in your life for her." Trish said, "I didn't know that she was adopted, I thought that she was yours biologically. How long did it take for you to adopt?"
Ashley had a confused look on her face, "Dave didn't tell you? I don't mind talking about it at all. I'm not infertile, at least not that I know of. See, about 5 months ago, Dave came to me."
Ashley was interrupted by the sounds of Natalie crying came drifting over the monitor. "Oh, excuse me, I'll be right back."
Dave walked in the house just as Ashley headed upstairs, "Hi honey."
Trish got up and gave him a kiss, "How did your appointment go?"
"Pretty good. They're thinking 3-5 months instead of 6-8 months." Dave replied with a smile.
"That's great!" Trish exclaimed.
"Yeah, I'm going to work my ass off so I can be back and better than ever." Dave replied.
"You never told me that Natalie was adopted, I thought that your sister had her biologically. I mean, she looks so much like you guys." Trish said to Dave.
Just then Ashley walked in with a Natalie all snuggled into her arms, "Dave, how's that arm doing?"
"Good, it'll be 3-5 months if everything goes right. But this lame ol' arm won't stop me from seeing my Nattie." Dave said reaching out to tickle Natalie's toes.
Ashley carefully placed Natalie in Dave's good arms. "Trish and I were just talking about Nattie's adoption and how it all came about." She explained while she headed into the kitchen to check on dinner.
"Oh, that's good. Why don't you tell her about the day that you brought her home, and the dog was all crazy." Dave said with a laugh. "She loves animals, she'll get a kick out of that one."
"Ok?" Ashley said in a slightly confused tone. She motioned for Trish to join her in the kitchen.
Trish walked by Dave and Natalie on her way to the kitchen and kissed them both on the head. Again she noticed the similarities between Natalie and Dave and Ashley. "Wow, it's neat that she found a child that blends in." Trish thought to herself.
Dave leaned in close to Natalie and nuzzled her. "I know what you're thinking, but you don't understand. Trust me on this one, ok?"
Natalie snorted a little and started playing with his fingers.
They ate dinner together and told stories and Trish played with the baby some. Trish glanced down at her watch, "Oh, I'm so sorry, but I have to get going if I'm going to make my flight. Thank you so much, I've had a lovely time."
Ashley smiled and gave her a hug, "Thanks for coming. You guys are welcome anytime."
Dave started to walk up the stairs, "I'm going to go and tell Nattie goodnight."
"If you wake her up, she's going home with you." Ashley said with a laugh.
"He sure has a strong bond with her doesn't he? It's great that you guys get along so well and live so close." Trish remarked.
The bonding statement caught Ashley off guard, "Yeah, he was there when she was born." Ashley started to tell Trish.
Dave heard Ashley start talking about him being there when she was born and came back down a little faster.
"Really? That's so neat. What an opportunity." Trish replied.
"Well, I'm all set. Let's head out. Ash, thanks for dinner, it was great as always." Dave said hugging his sister.
"Anytime, see you guys later!" Ashley said to them as they headed to the car.
Trish and Dave left and started to head towards the airport. "Trish, I want to thank you. I know that I have been a bear to be around lately, but I want you to know that I really do appreciate everything that you have done for me. I mean, you even took a week off just to stay by my side. That means a lot to me, thank you." Dave said kissing her hand.
Trish leaned over and kissed him on the cheek and squeezed his hand. "It was my pleasure. You haven't been that bad. I know what it's like to be injured completely out of the blue with no warning. It was really hard on me to accept and it was hard on my pride. I love being with you and helping you out with the girls and with everything. Thank you for allowing me to be there."
They arrived at the airport and Dave walked her as far as they would let him. He pulled her to him and held her close. "I'm going to miss you. Have fun this week."
Trish smiled and hugged him back, "I'm going to miss you too. And I'll come out whenever you want me to."
"You're welcome anytime. And I promise to be in better spirits next time." Dave said to her.
"How about I fly home to pack new clothes, and I'll come out this weekend?" Trish offered.
"Sounds great. But I want you to have something." Dave said handing Trish an envelope.
Trish opened it and found a copy of his house key. Trish teared up and held Dave, "Oh honey."
"That way, it'll make it easier for you when you come out." Dave followed up.
They heard the final boarding call overhead. He pulled her close and they kissed passionately. "I'll miss you." Trish said breathlessly.
"Me too." Dave responded.
He watched her get on the plane and then he started to head towards his car. He pulled out his cell phone and called Ashley.
"Hello?"
"Hey, it's me are you still up?"
Ashley laughed, "Yeah, why?"
"Because I'm coming over, I need to talk to you."
"Alright, you know where I am." Ashley said.
Dave hung up and sped over to her house. He walked in with a serious look on his face. "I need you to play counselor." He said while sitting down on the couch.
"Talk to me oh troubled one." Ashley said handing him a mixed drink.
He took a long drink, "Trish doesn't know that Natalie is mine."
Ashley practically spit out her drink, "WHAT?!? You know I thought something was fishy. Why the hell haven't you told her? Are you mental?"
Dave got up and started pacing, "Ash, she doesn't know any of the dark secrets that I have tucked away. I'm afraid that if I tell her, she'll get scared off. She's so different then anyone I've ever dated, and I feel so complete when I'm with her, she's great with the girls, but I've never been completely honest with her."
"Oh my god Dave. I can't believe this. What happens when Robert and his boys come over and he mentions something about how's your little girl? What about mom and dad when they get back? You can't hide this forever. And the other stuff, would it really be so bad to come clean with her? For once have a relationship that starts off on an honest foot. Remember how Angie found out accidentally and she didn't talk to you for a week because of it? I mean, then she told you about her secrets and all was good, but wouldn't you rather just tell her? I mean, honestly, who has never done drugs? Who has never done stupid things? And in Nattie's case, it was the night your divorce was final, you were depressed, you went out drinking, wound up going home with a woman and there she was. I'm sure that if you're just honest, she'll understand."
"Hmm..let's see, Trish, I used to do drugs, then one day I got really high, went out, started drinking, got into a fight, beat up someone so bad that they almost died, went to jail for 2 years, got out, started working out and met Angie and my life goes on from there. That works.not. Ash, she's too good to be with a guy like me."
"Dave, you have more in your past than just that, don't just tell her half, tell her the truth. Tell her everything. Hell, you haven't even told Brock everything and he is your best friend now. I think that you need to stop living a lie and just come clean. If she leaves you, then it wasn't meant to be. Look at it that way." Ashley tried to reason with him.
"God, I just don't know. I'm worried, I don't want to lose her Ash." Dave confessed.
"Well, do what you feel you need to do, but if I was in her shoes, I would want to hear it from you, and not by stumbling across something." Ash reasoned with him.
"Yeah I know." Dave grumbled. "I'm going to head home, I've got to do some thinking." He went up to Natalie's bedroom. A few minutes later he was back down and on his way out the door. "I'll be picking her up tomorrow after my therapy."
Ashley nodded, "Sounds good. I'll have her ready by 3:00 p.m."
Dave headed out. He got home and walked in and slammed the door. He was so frustrated, he didn't know what to do. He grabbed out the bottle of Jack Daniels and started drinking it straight. He normally didn't drink Jack Daniels unless he was in a fighting mood. Finally he got up and put the bottle back. He knew what he was going to have to do, he just had no idea how he was going to do it.
**Well, I hope that everyone has a great weekend!! Please read and review!!!**
Trish had decided to take a week off to be with Dave while he seen Dr. Andrews and got settled in and used to being at home. At times, she seen bits and pieces of his temper, and possibly a little bit of the mysterious "dark side" that Angie had made reference to, but Trish didn't let that get to her. She knew how she was when she broke her ankle, and she wrote it off as that.
The one that thing that she had noticed is that Dave was very close to his sister Ashley. He and his brother Robert were very much alike, but they didn't talk near as often as Dave and Ashley. They talked every day, and he was always asking about his niece Natalie. He had a big picture of Natalie on the wall with his girls, along with his two nephews. Trish would often walk by the pictures and think to herself about how nice it is to find someone who valued his family as much as she did. She stopped and looked at the picture of Natalie, she looked so much like Dave and his girls, it was neat to see the family resemblance.
Trish was getting ready for dinner. They were going over to Ashley's house for dinner. It was Trish's last night off. They had to leave for her flight at 8:30 p.m. and Ashley insisted on making dinner. Dave had a doctor's appointment and then he would meet up with her at Ashley's house.
Trish arrived at Ashley's house at 5:15 p.m. Ashley answered the door with a big smile, "Hi! I'm so glad you guys could make it. C'mon in."
Trish smiled, "Me too. You're house is so nice."
"Thanks. It's nothing spectacular yet, but it's getting there. By the time I'm done with it, I'll be able to call it mine. It's nice because I have a project for each vacation." Ashley replied with a smile.
"Really? What all do you have in mind?" Trish inquired.
"Well during the summer vacation, I like to do stuff outdoors, so this year I'm going to start a flower garden and do some other landscaping stuff. During the winter and spring vacations, I like to do indoor projects. So, I'm not quite sure what I'll do yet."
"I forgot, you work for the school don't you?" Trish asked.
Ashley smiled and nodded, "Yeah, when I found out that I was adopting Natalie, I knew that working as an administrative assistant for an ad executive just wasn't going to cut it because I worked anywhere between 40- 60 hours a week. So I quit and started at the school."
"That's so neat how you changed everything in your life for her." Trish said, "I didn't know that she was adopted, I thought that she was yours biologically. How long did it take for you to adopt?"
Ashley had a confused look on her face, "Dave didn't tell you? I don't mind talking about it at all. I'm not infertile, at least not that I know of. See, about 5 months ago, Dave came to me."
Ashley was interrupted by the sounds of Natalie crying came drifting over the monitor. "Oh, excuse me, I'll be right back."
Dave walked in the house just as Ashley headed upstairs, "Hi honey."
Trish got up and gave him a kiss, "How did your appointment go?"
"Pretty good. They're thinking 3-5 months instead of 6-8 months." Dave replied with a smile.
"That's great!" Trish exclaimed.
"Yeah, I'm going to work my ass off so I can be back and better than ever." Dave replied.
"You never told me that Natalie was adopted, I thought that your sister had her biologically. I mean, she looks so much like you guys." Trish said to Dave.
Just then Ashley walked in with a Natalie all snuggled into her arms, "Dave, how's that arm doing?"
"Good, it'll be 3-5 months if everything goes right. But this lame ol' arm won't stop me from seeing my Nattie." Dave said reaching out to tickle Natalie's toes.
Ashley carefully placed Natalie in Dave's good arms. "Trish and I were just talking about Nattie's adoption and how it all came about." She explained while she headed into the kitchen to check on dinner.
"Oh, that's good. Why don't you tell her about the day that you brought her home, and the dog was all crazy." Dave said with a laugh. "She loves animals, she'll get a kick out of that one."
"Ok?" Ashley said in a slightly confused tone. She motioned for Trish to join her in the kitchen.
Trish walked by Dave and Natalie on her way to the kitchen and kissed them both on the head. Again she noticed the similarities between Natalie and Dave and Ashley. "Wow, it's neat that she found a child that blends in." Trish thought to herself.
Dave leaned in close to Natalie and nuzzled her. "I know what you're thinking, but you don't understand. Trust me on this one, ok?"
Natalie snorted a little and started playing with his fingers.
They ate dinner together and told stories and Trish played with the baby some. Trish glanced down at her watch, "Oh, I'm so sorry, but I have to get going if I'm going to make my flight. Thank you so much, I've had a lovely time."
Ashley smiled and gave her a hug, "Thanks for coming. You guys are welcome anytime."
Dave started to walk up the stairs, "I'm going to go and tell Nattie goodnight."
"If you wake her up, she's going home with you." Ashley said with a laugh.
"He sure has a strong bond with her doesn't he? It's great that you guys get along so well and live so close." Trish remarked.
The bonding statement caught Ashley off guard, "Yeah, he was there when she was born." Ashley started to tell Trish.
Dave heard Ashley start talking about him being there when she was born and came back down a little faster.
"Really? That's so neat. What an opportunity." Trish replied.
"Well, I'm all set. Let's head out. Ash, thanks for dinner, it was great as always." Dave said hugging his sister.
"Anytime, see you guys later!" Ashley said to them as they headed to the car.
Trish and Dave left and started to head towards the airport. "Trish, I want to thank you. I know that I have been a bear to be around lately, but I want you to know that I really do appreciate everything that you have done for me. I mean, you even took a week off just to stay by my side. That means a lot to me, thank you." Dave said kissing her hand.
Trish leaned over and kissed him on the cheek and squeezed his hand. "It was my pleasure. You haven't been that bad. I know what it's like to be injured completely out of the blue with no warning. It was really hard on me to accept and it was hard on my pride. I love being with you and helping you out with the girls and with everything. Thank you for allowing me to be there."
They arrived at the airport and Dave walked her as far as they would let him. He pulled her to him and held her close. "I'm going to miss you. Have fun this week."
Trish smiled and hugged him back, "I'm going to miss you too. And I'll come out whenever you want me to."
"You're welcome anytime. And I promise to be in better spirits next time." Dave said to her.
"How about I fly home to pack new clothes, and I'll come out this weekend?" Trish offered.
"Sounds great. But I want you to have something." Dave said handing Trish an envelope.
Trish opened it and found a copy of his house key. Trish teared up and held Dave, "Oh honey."
"That way, it'll make it easier for you when you come out." Dave followed up.
They heard the final boarding call overhead. He pulled her close and they kissed passionately. "I'll miss you." Trish said breathlessly.
"Me too." Dave responded.
He watched her get on the plane and then he started to head towards his car. He pulled out his cell phone and called Ashley.
"Hello?"
"Hey, it's me are you still up?"
Ashley laughed, "Yeah, why?"
"Because I'm coming over, I need to talk to you."
"Alright, you know where I am." Ashley said.
Dave hung up and sped over to her house. He walked in with a serious look on his face. "I need you to play counselor." He said while sitting down on the couch.
"Talk to me oh troubled one." Ashley said handing him a mixed drink.
He took a long drink, "Trish doesn't know that Natalie is mine."
Ashley practically spit out her drink, "WHAT?!? You know I thought something was fishy. Why the hell haven't you told her? Are you mental?"
Dave got up and started pacing, "Ash, she doesn't know any of the dark secrets that I have tucked away. I'm afraid that if I tell her, she'll get scared off. She's so different then anyone I've ever dated, and I feel so complete when I'm with her, she's great with the girls, but I've never been completely honest with her."
"Oh my god Dave. I can't believe this. What happens when Robert and his boys come over and he mentions something about how's your little girl? What about mom and dad when they get back? You can't hide this forever. And the other stuff, would it really be so bad to come clean with her? For once have a relationship that starts off on an honest foot. Remember how Angie found out accidentally and she didn't talk to you for a week because of it? I mean, then she told you about her secrets and all was good, but wouldn't you rather just tell her? I mean, honestly, who has never done drugs? Who has never done stupid things? And in Nattie's case, it was the night your divorce was final, you were depressed, you went out drinking, wound up going home with a woman and there she was. I'm sure that if you're just honest, she'll understand."
"Hmm..let's see, Trish, I used to do drugs, then one day I got really high, went out, started drinking, got into a fight, beat up someone so bad that they almost died, went to jail for 2 years, got out, started working out and met Angie and my life goes on from there. That works.not. Ash, she's too good to be with a guy like me."
"Dave, you have more in your past than just that, don't just tell her half, tell her the truth. Tell her everything. Hell, you haven't even told Brock everything and he is your best friend now. I think that you need to stop living a lie and just come clean. If she leaves you, then it wasn't meant to be. Look at it that way." Ashley tried to reason with him.
"God, I just don't know. I'm worried, I don't want to lose her Ash." Dave confessed.
"Well, do what you feel you need to do, but if I was in her shoes, I would want to hear it from you, and not by stumbling across something." Ash reasoned with him.
"Yeah I know." Dave grumbled. "I'm going to head home, I've got to do some thinking." He went up to Natalie's bedroom. A few minutes later he was back down and on his way out the door. "I'll be picking her up tomorrow after my therapy."
Ashley nodded, "Sounds good. I'll have her ready by 3:00 p.m."
Dave headed out. He got home and walked in and slammed the door. He was so frustrated, he didn't know what to do. He grabbed out the bottle of Jack Daniels and started drinking it straight. He normally didn't drink Jack Daniels unless he was in a fighting mood. Finally he got up and put the bottle back. He knew what he was going to have to do, he just had no idea how he was going to do it.
**Well, I hope that everyone has a great weekend!! Please read and review!!!**