It was Wednesday and Ashley was getting ready to see Chris. She had flown from Boston to Georgia the day before and opted to stay at a hotel. She needed that time to figure out what she wanted to know. She grabbed her rental keys and made sure she had her key card before leaving the room. The drive wasn't too long but she had wished it was a little longer, maybe this was a mistake. Maybe she was asking too much of her father. Did she even really want to know? Of course she did this was her mother she had every right to know about her. She looked over at the album sitting on the passenger seat. This shouldn't be this hard Ashley and Chris were so close but Chris already stated that he didn't want to talk about Lily. Ashley pulled into her father's drive way. She grabbed the album and got out of the car. She knocked and waited for Chris to answer. He opened the door and Ashley gave him weak smile.
"Come in" he said.
She followed Chris into the family room and had a seat. She wasn't sure where to begin but she knew that Chris wasn't going to start this conversation so she had to.
"I know you don't like to talk about my mother but I need to know Chris" she said.
"I know you do" he said "we should have had this conversation years ago"
"Why didn't we?" Ashley asked.
"Loosing your mother wasn't an easy thing" he said.
"I wouldn't think it would be" Ashley said.
Chris ran a hand through his brown hair and took a deep breath before continuing. He looked at Ashley for a minute and he swore it was Lily looking back at him.
"Where's Lilian?" Ashley asked.
"She's shopping for your little brother" Chris said.
"I'm glad you are having a boy because that way I'm still your only girl" Ashley said.
"No matter how old you get you will always be my little girl Ashley you should know that" he replied.
"I do now" she said "now back to my mother"
"What do you want to know?" Chris asked.
"Everything like how you two met, all the good stuff" Ashley said.
"We met while I was training with Stu Hart" he said "she was in collage in Canada and working as a waitress to pay her student loans".
"Really what was she studying?" Ashley asked.
"Social work" Chris replied.
Chris could see the glint in his daughter's eyes much like the one she got when she was a little child and it was Christmas time.
"So how did you actually meet?" Ashley asked.
"She became friends with Owen and he told her that I wanted to go out on a date with her and she agreed" he said.
"So I'm guessing you had a good time because you guys got married" Ashley said,
"Not exactly Lily hated me" Chris said.
"Wow really didn't see that one coming" Ashley said.
"She said I was an egotistical jerk" Chris said with a smile.
"So what happened?" Ashley asked anxiously.
"Well your mother has a little brother Jay but I'm sure you know that" Chris said.
"Uncle Jay is the best but go ahead continue" Ashley said.
"Well some kids were picking on Jay and I got them to stop" Chris said.
"That is how you got her to fall for you?" Ashley asked.
"No and if you would shut up I could finish" he retorted.
"Anyways I got really sick with pneumonia and your mom took care of me and that is how we fell in love" Chris said.
"Wow yeah mom was well yeah" was all Ashley could say.
"What are you complaining about you wouldn't be here if she hadn't taken care of me and we both ended up falling in love" Chris retorted.
"And what would your life be like without me?" Ashley asked sarcastically.
"Quiet" Chris replied.
"Nice father you are" Ashley said.
"I was just kidding" he said.
"So what happened next?" Ashley asked.
"Well we got married and a month later your mother found out she was pregnant with you" Chris said.
"Ok" Ashley said.
"We argued for months over what to name you" he said. "I wanted to name you Riley"
"Riley is nice" Ashley said. "how did I get the name Ashley?"
"Ashley was her mother's name" he said. "and Michelle was my mother's name she died a few months before you were born"
"Wow and here I hate my name all those years" she said.
"Why?" Chris asked.
"Too many people are named Ashley" she said.
"So were you disappointed I wasn't a boy?" Ashley asked.
"No I wasn't I was more mad that your name wasn't Riley" he replied. "she kept telling me the next one"
Ashley really didn't know what to say the irony was just now kicking in he would never have the daughter named Riley that he had wanted.
"Where were you when she died?" Ashley asked.
"I was at home I had just had surgery on my knee and I couldn't move around much" he said. "I blame myself everyday for not being there"
"Please don't say that" Ashley said.
"But it's true" Chris replied.
Ashley could see the tears in his eyes. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.
"No it isn't because if you were in that car I would have lost both parents, you were meant to stay here because I needed you" she said.
"Do you really believe that?" he asked.
"Yes I do I needed you here and that is why you are because I still need you" she said. "what happened to my mother was an accident".
"I wish I could believe you" he said.
"I don't blame you and I don't blame her, hell I don't blame the other driver because it was her time to go and now she is in heaven with Uncle Owen and both of them would want us to be happy" she said.
"How can you not blame me?" Chris asked.
"You are a good man and you did nothing wrong why can't you see that?" Ashley asked by now she was in tears too.
"If I am such a good man why is she gone?" Chris asked.
"I don't know but Chris I'm still here" she said. "you didn't loose her completely because as long as I'm alive a piece of her is too"
"And I thank God everyday for that" he said.
Ashley hugged her father tightly she needed him to know that she was still there for him.
"I know I don't tell you this enough but I love you" she said.
"I love you too baby girl" he said.
Ashley pulled away from him and grabbed the album she had brought with her. She handed it to Chris.
"Brett gave you this?" he asked.
"Yeah he said he saved it just incase you ever wanted to remember" she replied.
Chris opened the album and began looking at the pictures.
"I remember this moment" he said "that was our first outing after you were born we went on a picnic"
"Aww really that is so cute" Ashley said.
"And this is at our wedding" he said.
"And this is right after I changed your diaper for the first time and I went to pick you up and the diaper fell of and you peed on me"
Ashley burst into laughter. She wished she could have been there to see his face.
"This one is my favorite" he said pointing to a picture of all three of them. "it was taken a week before she died"
"She was so beautiful" Ashley said.
"Just like you" Chris said.
"Thanks pops" she replied.
"Call me pops again and you will regret it" he said.
They both laughed and then Lilian entered the room.
"Hey you two what are you doing?" she asked.
"Lookin at pictures" Ashley said.
Lilian sat down next to Chris and looked at the album also.
"Is that Lily?" she asked.
"Yep" Ashley replied.
"Now how many siblings did she have?" Lilian asked.
"3, it went Uncle Gil, then Deanna, mom and Uncle Jay" Ashley replied.
"Now do all southern families have tons of kids?" she asked.
"No" Ashley said "most do because well it's the south" (A/N: I meant no offense to people from the south)
"Ok so did your dad tell you the news?" she asked.
"About my little brother yes" she said.
"We still need to pick out a name" Lilian said.
"But we can't agree on one remember" Chris said.
"I have an idea" Ashley said.
"What?" They both said.
"How about you let me name him because I have the prefect name" Ashley said.
"Are we going to approve of this name?" Chris asked.
"Yep but you aren't going to know what it is till I say so" she said "Lil if you want to go nursery shopping tomorrow I don't leave till Friday"
"Yeah sure you'd know more about nurseries than I would" she said.
"Yeah that is kinda creepy" Chris said.
"Well nobody said our family was perfect" Ashley said.
"No they didn't" Lilian agreed.
The Next Day
"So are you going to tell me the name or what?" Lilian asked. She had been trying for a half hour to get Ashley to spill.
"No I told you not until after the nursery is painted and don't try it because Matt and Jeff are sworn to secrecy" she said.
"But they know right?" Lilian asked.
"Yes they do and they think it is a great name" she said.
"It isn't anything like Apple is it?" Lilian asked.
"Lil what are my children's names" Ashley retorted "would I name my own child Apple"
"No"
"Then don't worry your son will have a normal and a meaningful name" she said.
A Week Later
"Ok you two are you ready to find out what name I chose" Ashley asked.
"Yes it's been driving us crazy" Chris replied.
Both Chris and Lilian were blindfolded and being led into the nursery by Matt and Jeff. Once they were in the room Ashley gave the signal and the blindfolds were removed.
Both Chris and Lilian wanted to cry when they saw the name Owen Michael painted on the wall.
"Ash you picked the perfect name" Lilian said.
"Owen would be proud" Chris said.
"Yeah I bet he would" Ashley said.
And so with that taken care of Ashley had finally come to terms with the fact that she was going to have a little brother. She knew now that she would never loose her dad she would just have to share him.
A/N: I know John was not in this chapter but there was really no need to have him be in it don't worry he'll be in the next chapter.