Chapter 14-

Terrell's POV-

Any moment now my daughter would walk through that door from her trip and I couldn't be more happy about it. I had become so used to seeing her almost everyday now that she lived so close that I had been missing her like crazy while she was gone. My home and her mothers home didn't hold the same presence it did when she was here. E had stopped cooking all together and Bry was more agitated and strict than usual. I on the other hand was just a sappy mess without my daughter to dote on.

"If you don't stop pacing I'm going to break your knee caps." Bry growled out. She was so much more aggressive with Naia gone. Quickly she realized how harsh her words were and took a deep breath. "Instead can you help me set the table?"

"Sure." It was probably a better way to burn all this excess energy. E had a better handle on her nervous energy than either of us it seemed. She had been cooking Naia's favorites all day. Barbecue chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, crab cakes, collard greens and pound cake. I can personally say I was excited for those crab cakes. E had got the recipe from her neighbor back in Baltimore, an old woman who sold frozen cups, and has always made them like the woman taught her.

After some time the table was set and everything was plated, still hot cause E was like that, we heard a jingle of keys at the door. I could have just let her open the door herself but I was too excited and was out of my seat and opening the door before Naia could get the keys in.

"Naia!" I enveloped my daughter in what she would call a bear hug.

"Dad, can we please get in the house first?" I heard her perfectly even if her voice was muffled by me. I ushered in the house while getting her bags out the taxi she took here. She had already paid him so as soon as I had all her luggage, he was off. When I made it back in the house she was already being hugged by her mothers.

"Oh I missed you munchkin." E squeezed Naia even tighter.

"Me too. It gets lonely around here when there's no moody teenager dragging about." Bry quipped.

"I am not moody, I am hormonal." Naia shot back.

"Sure." Bry said back with a smirk, the same one Naia would wear.

"Alright you two. Backup so we can finally eat. Those crab cakes have been calling to me all day." I said looking pointedly at them.

"Anything edible calls out to you." Bry teased me.

I could do nothing but suck on my teeth. I was a major foody and rarely disliked anything. I just took loss gracefully and sat down at the table between E and Naia. We all started passing food around, filling our plates up with me and Naia having the most. She had started having bigger plates when she was younger and I came to visit and she saw how my plates looked. Now it was because she really was hungry and could handle the large amount of food in front of her.

Dinner was a happy affair. Naia seemed to glow as she recounted her time away and it wasn't just a metaphorical glow. Time away where the sun shined more than it did here brightened up her skin which was beginning to finally dull thanks to Forks. Her hair was out in a puff instead of the braids she left in and she seemed to smile easier. There was a relaxed atmosphere around ehr that I had never seen.

"And then for our last song we did Yeah! Which was by far the easiest dance of the whole performance except we were so tired that by time it was done and we had done all the tricks, not including the flares and windmills, our bodies were aching."

I let out a whoosh of breath, impressed with her control over her od to be able to pull stuff like that off. "Please tell me there's a video."

"It should be up on their website in a few days."

"Good. Now I have something to brag about when I go to work." Bry laughed evilly.

E just shook her head. "Please don't."

I couldn't help but laugh at my friend's antics. Married for so many years and still acting like when I first knew them. We finished dinner with more light conversation and Naia helped clear up before grabbing her coat and keys.

"Where could you possibly be going?" E asked her.

"Tylers. He said he had a surprise for me when I got back and I told him when I got off the plane that I'd be right over after coming here." She came over and gave us all a quick peck on the cheek. "See you in a few." And she was out the door like a swift wind.

Her mothers were smiling in the direction she left looking content. "What?" I asked them.

E smiled secretly. "Our daughter, our very special daughter, just left home to go see her boyfriend."

"You know, a thing that wouldn't have even been a possibility a year ago considering that ever since she was twelve and everybody else was starting to date all she could list off was all the bad ways kissing could affect you." Bry said in an obvious tone.

"Thank you for that memory. Just having to listen to how you can get a cavity or a cold or mono from locking lips was the longest rant I've ever had to listen to." Naia very rarely ranted but she was younger and so dispassionate about dating or even being interested in someone that she had to make it known to us.

"Our baby girl is pulling away." E smiled sadly. "I don't know whether to be proud it's finally happening or sad that I know she won't lean on us as much anymore."

I came over and pulled her into a hug along with Bry. "Be proud. We did our job and now our little girl is an independent young woman."

"Technically she been was independent. She made more money at six than I made at twenty." Bry pouted.

"Yeah but this is different."

"Then let it be different." E shot Bry a look. "Don't give me those eyes. Ash is grown up now, that doesn't mean she won't always need us but just that she will need us a little less. Which means that we can start taking those vacations we've always wanted but had to stop because we were always so worried about her."

"You know, that actually does help. I do really want to go to Rome and it was next on our vacation list." Her face started looking hopeful at a future without hovering around Naia.

"Rome it is then!" I cheered. They both started looking at me before breaking down into laughter. "What? I would like to be a professional third wheel for once."

"Fine." Bry groaned. "I can't even have my wife to myself anymore."

"Nope!"

Tyler's POV-

I feel like an idiot. A nervous, anxious idiot who is also a dog waiting by the door for their owner. That basically summed up how much I missed Ash. Actually, scratch that, it summed up about a fraction of my longing for my girlfriend. God, two weeks without had been torture. Physically painful in some way, like my heart knew its other half was across the sea and just wanted to be united. Ew, that sounded so . . . geeky. Let me stop before I start sounding like a romance novel.

I kept looking out the window, hoping something would change and after the third time of checking (eighth actually) I saw her familiar truck pulling up. I was out before she even had time to park and had her in my arms as soon as she was out of the truck.

It was so familiar and comforting having her in my arms again. The way she felt, her smoky vanilla scent I could only smell because i was this close and her fluffy hair-

"When did you take your hair out?" I asked, speaking right into the massive puff.

"While I was in Volterra. They were making me hot and needed to come out anyway." She shrugged. She lifted her head from my chest and I got a good look at her beautiful, no, stunning face. I don't know how it's possible that she got even more good looking and it's only been a short amount of time.

"You are glowing. And seem so relaxed." I put my hands on her face and started twisting it every which way in a mock examination. "Are you sure you're my girlfriend? Silent, pretty, a bit uptight depending on who she's around."

She tried and failed to suppress an amused smile. "Get off me and give me my surprise."

"Hmm. I tapped my chin while looking at her skeptically. "Imma need some more incentive if you want your surprise."

"Or you can give it to me now and get a great gift in return."

"Tempting." I stared at her for a few more moments before relenting. "Fine. You can have the surprise now. But close your eyes." She rolled them at me before closing them.

Carefully I led her into my house and sat her on the couch. I quickly ran up the stairs to my room and came back down with her gift in hand. "Put your palms down flatly." I instructed her. When she did so I carefully laid the thin square on top of her hands. "Open."

When she opened her eyes and saw what was in her hands I thought she would start crying. I knew she wouldn't, she hated crying over things so easily, but this was as close to tears as she would get. She stroked the vinyl cover preciously like she was afraid to break it.

"Where in the world did you find Aretha Franklin Sparkle?" She asked with a slight quiver to her voice.

"Well I started looking a while ago, before your birthday. I mean I wasn't looking for Aretha but when I saw it posted on ebay and for so cheap since people see no value in vinyl anymore, I knew it was perfect. And the fact that it's your favorite album by her just made it all the more better."

It was the perfect gift to get Ash because she loved to dance and that meant she loved all music but her favorite music came from the seventies. And of course the artists who made music in that decade had a special place in her heart, above all Aretha Franklin.

Carefully she set the album on the coffee table before launching herself at me and pulling me into the most affectionate hug I've ever gotten from her. I held her just as tightly, so afraid that if i didnt the intimacy of the moment would be gone.

"I love you." I said without thinking. What the hell Tyler? ReAlLy! NoW!?

I wanted to take it back. I was scared that she wouldn't feel the same, that my word vomit which was more of a free flying truth would be stomped on. But my worries were unfounded.

Ash pulled back, looked me dead in my eyes and said "I love you too." Then kissed me like we had just saved the world and deserved it. This kiss was like no other. Maybe it's because we had said I love you, or maybe it was all the days away from each other. All I knew was that it was as if we were trying to devour each other, I hunger for her, the sweet taste of her lips and the warmth that came with her being next to me. I took the passion she gave and returned it tenfold.

My heart felt like it was about to burst out of my chest. . . among other things and that's when I knew that it was time to pull back.

"Well," I cleared my throat "T-that was something."

I was so lost in my own feelings that I almost missed Ash's heavy breathing. "Yeah. Best kiss so far."

And I couldn't help but agree.

Alright, so it was fluff, screw me or sue me. But that gift though. I wish somebody would gift me some vinyl Michael Jackson records.

Until Next Time - BigSmallWonder