So, I just want to give you guys a heads up. There's only going to be about...3 or 4 more chapters after this. Just wanted to let everyone know.
So, Enjoy!
All my love, as always.

Spencer's POV

Sitting in a car with your family and significant other is always awkward. Sitting in a car with your girlfriend and your family is also awkward. But sitting in a car with your girlfriend that your mom used to hate and is now slightly accepting is the most awkward.

Just because she didn't immediately crucify Ashley the second she walked in the door doesn't mean that they're best friends now. My dad is doing most of the talking, trying to ease the people in the car. Me, as I am sitting in a puddle of nervousness next to Ashley and Glen. My mother, who is talking to my dad and keeps telling us what people to avoid and what people will be drunk. Glen, who is just staring out the window almost falling asleep. And Ashley, who is consistently wringing her hands together and tapping her leg up and down.

I bring my hand to her knee to try and calm her. She faces me and gives me a warm smile, her leg stopping its shaking.

The whole entire car ride to the place where we are going, I keep thinking about how weird this is. First, me and Ashley hiding our relationship from pretty much my whole family and everyone else. Actually, let's rewind. Ashley and I once not even being in a relationship other than a friendly one. And I italicize friendly because now that I look back, the cuddling, the cheek kisses, the hands touching each other, was way more than friendly. Second, me and Ashley almost breaking because of the very woman who is sitting in the passenger seat. Third, me and my mother not speaking to each other for what seemed like an eternity. Something that was totally breaking me inside in only the way a mother can do to a daughter. And now, this strange turn of events where my mother invited Ashley here. And so here we are and I am praying that it can only get better from here because I honestly don't think I could take another devastating blow. And although I am certain and confident that I would always choose Ashley over anything else, the pain of even having to choose would forever haunt me.

The second we park and start to walk into the building, I come to a dilemma. Should I hold Ashley's hand? Should I kiss her cheek sometime during the event? Who do I introduce her as? My girlfriend? My best friend? Just Ashley? I'm not sure, and I hate myself for thinking this, but my mother took a step and I in no way want to push her.

"Hold your girlfriend's hand." Glen whispers to me as we enter.

And so I do, feeling a surge of love for my brother.

Entering, I see a very large crowd of people sitting at tables, eating, drinking, and talking to each other. They all look like doctors. Young, old, middle-aged. And every single one of them seems to know my mother in some way. She talks cheerily to all of them, with a smile on her face and glass of wine in her hand. Glen has abandoned us and made his way to the buffet table, and I already see that he has two full plates of food and is carrying them back to a table.

"What are we supposed to do?" Ashley asks me nervously as we stand next to my dad.

I look at her gorgeous brown eyes, frantically looking around the room. They finally land on mine and seem to settle down a bit. I smile as I press my lips lightly to her cheek. "I have no idea."

"Arthur!" A voice comes through the crowd, yelling my dad's name. When the man comes into the picture, he looks to be about middle-aged. Very good-looking with wavy blonde hair and pearly white teeth. "How are you?"

My dad smiles at him and extends his hand. "Wonderful. How are you doing? How is everyone?" My dad asks cheerily.

"Great, great actually. This must be Spencer." He says with a smile, looking at me.

My dad nods. "Spence, this is Simon, he works with your mom in surgery. Simon, this is my daughter Spencer. My son Glen is around here somewhere, probably eating." My dad chuckles.

"Hi." I say as I shake Simon's hand. He's friendly and his smile and niceness are making me feel at ease.

I'm about to say something else when my dad interjects, sensing my obvious hesitancy. "Simon, this is Ashley, Spencer's girlfriend." He says with a smile on his face and my heart pounds hard in my chest. I'm not sure why.

Simon smiles wide at us and shakes Ashley's hand. "Nice to meet you. You both look lovely."

"Simon, I'm sorry, I couldn't find any more shrimp. I think that curly-blonde haired boy took the last of them." A man, taller than Simon with some showings of grey in his dark hair says as he comes over to us.

"Oh, that's alright. Mark this is Arthur Carlin, his daughter and her girlfriend." Simon says excitedly to this man, Mark.

Mark smiles wide. "Nice to meet you!" He says excitedly.

"This is Mark, my partner. He's had some wine." Simon smirks, looking at my dad and at me and Ashley. He obviously sees the surprise on my face and the shock in Ashley's because he winks at both of us.

"Great to meet you." My dad says to him. And then they're talking about random things as me and Ashley head over to the table where Glen was sitting.

"This is so…random." Ashley breathes out as she takes a seat next to me.

"I know." I say, taking a sip of water.

"Do you think your mom knows Simon is gay?" She asks me, her eyes meeting mine.

"Good question." I laugh.

Ashley grabs my hand and intertwines our fingers. Playing with each one of them. She's staring at our hands mended together intently. I smile at her soft touch on me. It's more comforting than anything I have ever experienced in my entire life. Also, the small contact makes me want to throw her on the table and kiss her passionately.

But I will restrain myself.

"Do you think they're married?" Ashley wonders out loud, her eyes still on our hands.

I shrug. "I don't know. Maybe. I mean he said partner, so wouldn't he have said husband if they were?"

Ashley copies my earlier shrug. Her eyes finally come up to meet mine and there is wide smile on her face. And I'm sure my own matches hers. I'm not sure why we're just sitting there and smiling at each other, but we are.

After a little while of talking to more people and being introduced to others, we find ourselves back at the table.

Minutes later, my mother comes ambling over and takes a seat next to me. There is a wine glass in her hand. My mother is kind of light-weight and I wonder how many she has had.

"You're pretty popular here." I tell her, a small smile on her face.

Me, Ashley, and my mother, all sitting at this small table, is such a surreal situation. I cannot wrap my mind around it.

"Oh, I guess." My mom says. Her modestly is betrayed by the wide smile on her face.

"You're like the Prom Queen." Ashley says.

My mother laughs very lightly. "Oh, I don't know about that. But I was in high school."

"No way." Ashley says, a sly smile on her face.

"No, it's true." I tell her with a laugh. "Sometimes she puts her crown back on and wears it around the house." I say with a giggle.

"Spencer." My mother says sternly, giving me a look. "Don't embarrass me in front of your girlfriend, please." She says in the same tone, but there is a kind of twinkle in her eyes.

And all of a sudden I want nothing more than to hug my mother. And I even feel my eyes go prickly. Because my mother, the one who once said horrible things to Ashley and to me, acknowledged Ashley as my girlfriend. And that makes my heart feel lighter with every beat. I have no words, just a smile for her. And my mother excuses herself when a woman comes to speak to her.

I stare disbelieving as she walks away.

"Uh, Spence." Ashley snaps me out of my daze, and I turn back to her. "Did your mom just, did she call me your girlfriend?" She says, confused.

I smile at Ashley's twinkling eyes, seeing that she is affected as much by this as I am.

"Well, you are that, aren't you?" I say slyly.

Ashley grins. "Apparently."

I slap her arm playfully, and Ashley catches it just as I'm pulling it back. She presses a soft kiss to the back of my hand and smiles at me.

"I just got hit on by an old lady." Glen says dejectedly as he sits down with us. "She called me sweet thing and I'm pretty sure she touched my ass."

Ashley and I burst out in laughter as Glen sits there, scowling at us.

"It's not funny." He says, trying to kill our giggling.

"No, Glen." Ashley says once she's calmed down. "It so is."

"You guys suck. The only good thing about this is the food." Glen says slowly, picking at a roll left on his plate.

"It's not that bad." Ashley admits.

Glen scoffs. "You're only saying that because you and Spencer are the golden couple now or something."

"I wouldn't go that far." I tell him seriously.

"True. How do you guys take all this shit? Seriously, I would never be able to handle that." Glen says, directing his comment towards both me and Ashley.

Ashley looks at me before saying anything. "Well, it's way better when you have someone with you."

I smile at her and I want to kiss her.

Glen nods. "I admire you guys for that."

"Thanks Glen." I say to my big brother, just now realizing how amazing he has always been.

Glen shrugs. "I'm gunna go get some dessert." He says as he gets up to leave.

"See ya, sweet thing." Ashley tells him with a smirk on her face as he's leaving. Glen just shoots her a look and makes a bee-line for the cookies.

I rest my eyes on Ashley's face and then they travel down her vest, over her loose tie, and to her pants. Her tight pants. And I remember how sexy she looks.

"What?" Ashley says, redirecting my eyes to hers.

I sigh. "You look so hot." I murmur out. A tiny strangled moan makes its way through my throat and out of my mouth. "God, you look so hot."

Ashley raises her eyebrows to me and her eyes go to my skirt. She touches the end of it lightly. "You know how I feel about you and skirts, Spencer." She says seductively.

"And how do you feel about me not in skirts?" I say as her hand brushes my exposed leg.

I'm pretty sure I hear a growl come out of her mouth. "Don't tempt me." She says huskily.

"You girls ready to go?" My dad's voice tears us from our heavy moment.

"Yes." Ashley and I say at the exact same time.

"Alright, let's go." My dad smiles at us as we get our stuff together and head for the door.

When we get in the car, it takes all of my strength to not pounce on Ashley. Because she keeps looking at me hard, her eyes dark, her hands lightly skimming my arms and hands. My mother is talking excitedly about the night and my dad is listening. Glen is falling asleep and I'm focusing on Ashley. I know she wants to kiss me, any part of me, my neck, my cheek, my lips. But he doesn't push it in front of my mom.

I was never happier to get back to my house than I am at this moment.

"Uh. I'm gunna go over to Ashley's." I alert my parents. Ashley's hand is tugging on mine and her eyes are burning into me. In a good way.

"Okay." My dad says.

"Thank you for coming. Both of you." My mom says to us quietly.

I smile at her.

"Thank you for inviting me, Mrs. Carlin. It was um, really nice of you." Ashley says nervously.

My mother nods and I take that gesture as meaning we're free to go.

The second that Ashley and I get to her car parked down the street, she pushes me up against the passenger door hard and kisses me. I gasp at the surprise and her tongue rubs across my lower lip before redirecting into my mouth. Her moan goes right through me, sending tingles everywhere. My hands find their place in her hair, pulling her close as I kiss her back.

"Ash." I breathe out, trying to get her to go in the car.

"Mmmm." She mumbles against my neck, taking the skin in her mouth, between her teeth. Her hands are dangerously high up on my thighs and if we were not right out in the open there is no doubt I would just let her have me there.

"We should go." I manage to say between soft moans.

Ashley reluctantly lets go of me and nods. She opens the door for me to get in and literally jogs around to the other side.

She smirks before speaking, throwing me a sideways glance. "Let's go, sweet thing."