Pulling Me Through Part Three
As promised, this will be a Bailey and Ashley chapter which takes place the day after the last one. Three new characters will be in this chapter: Rikki, Maxxie Taylor and Alex.
Lyrics: You won't cry for my absence I know. You forgot me long ago.
Chapter Two
Bailey's POV
It was midday and Ashley and I were sitting in his car, too scared to go in. we had been there for about ten minutes and not one of us had a made a move to get out. What if she didn't want to see me? To hell with that. It had been ten months since I had promised Ashley that I would try and get him to see his nephew. It was about time that I actually put that plan into action.
"Come on, there's no point in just sitting here" I sighed as I opened the car door. "There's no way we'll be able to see Alex if we just sit here." Before I had a chance to actually get out of the car, Ashley pulled me towards him, planting his lips on mine for a brief two seconds before pulling away.
"Whatever happens, I'm here for you" He assured. Giving him a wide smile, I slipped out of the car and led him up the patio and up to the door. I knocked firmly, intertwining my hands with Ashley's.
Ashley's POV
When the door opened, I saw a woman who looked so much like Bailey it was uncanny. Her brown hair was swept into a tight ponytail, waving just to her shoulders. Her lips were set in a thin line as she looked at us, her brown eyes so deep, but not matching the sparkle of Bailey's. She had Spanish blood in her, I could tell.
"Bailey, what are you doing here?" She asked. "Goodness, you haven't changed a bit." Her hands rose to Bailey's face, almost as though she didn't believe that this was her little sister.
"Rikki, I've missed you" Bailey sighed, relaxing slightly and giving her a small hug. "Please tell me that you'll let me back into your life."
"Is this your boyfriend?" She asked as I nodded. "Hello, I'm Rikki Fuentes and you are?"
"Ashley Purdy, nice to meet you" I said, sticking my hand out as she shook it.
"Nice to meet you too" She replied. "Bailey, I don't even remember why you left. Of course you can be back in my life." She stepped aside to let me and Bailey in. Her house was like that of a typical twenty year old. A firm sofa sat in the living room next to a large television and the kitchen was littered with kitchen utensils that I couldn't even name. In the garden, there was a shed, trampoline and a slide that I knew belonged to Alex.
"Auntie Bailey" A small voice squeaked from behind me. I turned to see a young blonde boy running at Bailey, his arms open wide. She picked him up with grace and mumbled incoherent words. "I've missed you."
"I've missed you too" She laughed, setting him down on the kitchen counter. "Well, haven't you grown up so much since the last time I saw you."
"Jeez, I could say the same about you" A masculine voice said from behind me. "Since when did you start wearing makeup? And since when did you have a boyfriend?" I turned to see a man with dark hair smiling at Bailey.
"Hey, Maxxie" She greeted, not as much love there for him as her sister and nephew, but she still cared for him. "How have things been?" It seemed as though she was asking out of common courtesy rather than actually wanting to know how he had been.
"Things have been good" He replied, raising his eyebrows at her. "Care to tell me why my brilliant sister-in-law has returned?"
"Um, I just missed you guys" She sighed. "My friend was having her second baby when I brought you guys up and Ashley got all excited about having a nephew and he wanted to meet him and that was when I realised that I had really been missing having you in my life."
"Ah, so you're responsible for getting Bailey back to us?" Maxxie asked, a firm arm pulling me into a hug. "Thanks, kid. Without you, we might never have gotten to see Bailey again."
"No problem" I said awkwardly. "My name's Ashley, by the way." He gave another wide smile before going over to Alex.
"Hey, son" He said. "Why don't you go spend some time with Auntie Bailey and Uncle Ashley." He pulled Alex down from the kitchen counter, set him on the floor and then pointed at me.
"Um, hi, Alex" I greeted. Yeah, I wasn't the best at meeting new people even if they are only five years of age. "I'm your Uncle Ashley."
"You want to go play football?" He asked.
"Alex, it's December and there's snow all over the garden. Why not build a snowman instead?" Rikki laughed. Alex took my hand and led me into the garden before I even got a chance to reply. Well, I was never a fan of the snow, but I guess I could face it if Alex wanted me. Bailey gave me a reassuring smile as I left the house with Alex.
Bailey's POV
As soon as the back door was closed, Rikki and Maxxie turned to me with large smiles. They freaked me out sometimes, but I was just so glad to be talking to them again.
"It looks like you've found a keeper" Rikki finally said. "Seriously, he's good with Alex and he treats you right. There'll be wedding bells before you know it. So, who's your friend who just had a baby?"
"Well, she had the baby ten months ago. It's Riley" I explained. "Her boyfriend is the singer in the band that Ashley plays bass in. They're engaged now."
"Wow" Rikki sighed. "It sounds like you really built a life for yourself when you left. You still painting?"
"Yeah, I'm finally making money from it" I said. "I paint pictures of the band and sell them on the official website. The money's pretty good and it helps making Black Veil Brides bigger."
"My little sister is so grown up" She cried, pulling me into her arms. "Okay, I want to meet these friends of yours. Tell me all about them."
"Aha, this could take a while" I started. "Well, there's Andy who is Riley's boyfriend. They have two children. A daughter called Savannah and a son called Zane. I'm Zane's godmother. Andy's the vocalist of the band, Ashley's bass, CC's the drummer, Jake's the guitarist and Jinxx is the other guitarist. Jinxx is dating Sammi. Sammi is my best friend along with Sandra and Scout. That's pretty much it for the little group."
"Jesus Christ, that is a lot of people" Maxxie asked, staring out of the window at Ashley and Alex. "That boyfriend of yours is really good with children." I stood next to him and watched as Ashley helped Alex roll the snow into a ball. I had never seen him look so happy.
"Yeah, he's had experience with Savannah" I sighed. "She's two now. She's getting to the age where she's playing out and everything. She'd probably love to meet Alex."
"He really does sound like such a nice man" Rikki mused. "You've got a good one right there. We'll have to set up a day where we can all meet."
"Rikki, you've changed so much" I laughed. She shot me a confused look as she poured herself a drink. "You used to be so careless and really outspoken and now you want to meet other mom's? I quite like this change, though"
"Yeah, you were always the mature daughter and I was the one who was a complete brat" She agreed. "I guess watching Alex grow up and being put in the situation where I have to look after someone else has really changed me. You've changed too. You used to be so shy and quiet. You were the artsy girl who never spoke. Meeting Ashley has brought you out of your shell."
"Yeah, I suppose it has" I sighed. "Whenever he's around, I can do whatever I want. I'm on top of the world when he's here. Ah, I can't explain it."
"Don't worry, I understand it" Rikki assured.
"Okay, I can't hear about all of these feelings" Maxxie exclaimed. "I'm happy for you, Bailey, but you're still like a sister to me."
Wow, it felt weird to be part of my real family again. Oh, I really had missed this.
Ashley's POV
Alex was absolutely amazing. He was amusing and interesting to listen to even though he was only five. He had the most brilliant eyes and he was pretty creative with his snowman. When he started stabbing holes in the face and I asked what he was doing he said he was giving the snowman freckles.
"So, you excited to see your Auntie Bailey again?" I asked once he started looking around the garden for some rocks to use as eyes. "She's really happy to see you again and your parents seem like they are too."
"Yes, I'm excited" Alex replied, barely paying attention because his focus had been stolen by something else. "Mommy wasn't happy when Bailey left. She's happy now."
"What do you mean by unhappy?" I asked, picking him up, so he could reach the top of the snowman to put the eyes in. "How do you know that?"
"She used to cry a lot" He answered simply as though it was no big deal. If I saw my Mom crying now, I would be pretty freaked for her. "Daddy tried to cheer her up, but she wasn't the same. She stopped smiling at me on a morning. She's happy now."
"How were you when Bailey left?" I asked. Everything about this kid intrigued me. I probably sounded like I was interrogating him, but his answers were interesting. He gave me a true insight to the Fuentes family.
"I missed her" He said. "She was like my second mommy. I don't know why she just stopped coming over. Did I do something wrong? Did she stop loving me?" This wasn't the kind of answer I had been hoping for.
"Oh, no" I whispered, pulling him into a quick hug. "Alex, you didn't do anything. Bailey just had to leave for a little bit, so she could get her head straight. She was so excited to come back and see you again. Do you understand that, Alex?"
"Yeah, Uncle Ashley" He replied. I felt a stab of love when he called me Uncle. It really looked like I was finding my family. "Can we get Mommy, so she can see it?"
"Sure, Alex" I answered. "Come on, let's go" He took my hand and led me back into the kitchen. "The snowman's done and Alex wants you guys to see it." The trio followed us back out and took a look at our creation.
"Wow, Alex" Bailey cheered. "That's brilliant." She wrapped her arm around me, laying one gentle kiss on my cheek. "It seems like you've really bonded with him" She whispered. I watched as Alex, Rikki and Maxxie went off into a little conversation of their own before answering Bailey. My hands went to her waist as I replied to her statement.
"I've just realised that I want to spend the rest of my life with you" I replied. "I love you and I feel like I've just found my family."
"Thanks, Ashley" She sighed. "I feel the same way. I love you, Ash."
So, we finally meet the Fuentes' at last. Hope everyone enjoys and please leave some feedback, favourite and out this on alert. Thank you for the reviews on the first chapter too. They were brilliant!