It ends with us | (Slow updates)

08. Rings

Baylor pov.

"I seen him today."

"You what?!"
Leah shouts and looks over at me but I continue to fold the laundry not daring meet her eyes.

"I just needed to see him Leah."

"Bay you're in witness protection to stay away from him and his dad. Your risking everything you've built just to see him one more time. Why? What about Drew. More importantly what about Mia. You can't do that to them. Mia looks at Drew like a father."

"But he's not her father!"
I snap and she instantly flinches back. I can't help it. I throw the shirt back into the pile of laundry and give Leah one last apologetic look before walking away and heading outside to get some air.

"I know you want Mia to know Asher is her father. But Asher isn't here and for awhile now I thought it was because he walked out on you. But imagine the shock I seen on his face when I told him that story. Either Asher needs to get a job in acting or you have something that you have kept a secret for a very long time bay."
My heart clenches in my chest and a stray tear streams down my cheek.

"He left. You know that."

"Bay, Asher may be a lot of things. But he's not a liar."
She says before walking away and leaving me alone with just my thoughts spiraling through my head. I let myself collapse onto the cold concrete steps and let my hands cup my tear stricken face. What the hell have I done.

"Mommy what's wrong?"
Mia asks as she timidly sits down beside me and my heart breaks even more.

"Nothing baby."
I wrap her up in my arms and hold her tightly as I kiss the top of her head.

"Well. I want to see Asher again! I watched him on TV all da time! And he even said he's buy me tickets to his fights!"
My heart breaks again.

"No Mia I told you you're not allowed to see him."
I start sobbing as I tell her and she looks up at me with her clear ocean blue eyes of her dads and she cups both my cheeks in her tiny hands.

"But mommy he isn't mean or nuthin. Pleassseee."
I start sobbing even harder as my little girl wraps me up in her arms, the little girl whom I have deprived of her father, the little girl whom I have lied to, the little girl whose life could have been so much better if I didn't run away. The little girl whose lost five precious years with her father because I was too scared to let either one of us get hurt.

-

"Hello?"
Asher's rough voice says from the other line.

"Who is this?"
He asks again and a quiet whimper escapes my mouth.

"Bay.. bay is that you? Bay please tal-"
I hang up the phone and let my back scrape against the wall behind me.

"Hey babe you okay?"
Drew asks as he walks in the door from work. I hurriedly wipe away my tears and put on a smile for him.

"Yea. Yea I'm good what do you want for dinner?"

"Bay aren't you suppose to be at your art show in New York?"

"Yea. Yea Mia called and she wanted me to come home. It's okay I can miss one showing."

"Alright. Well where is Mia?"
He asks in a husky voice as he walks up behind me and wraps one arm around my stomach and kisses the side of my head.

"She's at the park with Leah and Cam."

"What Cam is home? When!"

"Just now Leah and Mia don't know yet."

"That's awesome for how long?"

"Two weeks. Then he's getting deployed back to Iraq for a year."
A tear slips down my face again when I think of my brother leaving again.

"I'm sorry Bay."

"It's not your fault he wanted to pick the most life threatening fucking job there is."
Anger starts building over me and I grab a dirty dish from the table and throw it into the sink. There's too much going on.

"Bay calm down."
Drew walks toward me slowly but it just pisses me off. Calm down? Calm down!

"Calm down Drew? Really? calm down? My brother just got back from the fucking war that's going on and there sending him right back! Mia just met her fucking dad. Oh and Asher just found out he has a kid! Asher wants me to get back with him! Oh and in case you were wondering Asher didn't leave me I left him. Also Leah is pregnant and her child isn't gonna have a dad that can be there all the time either. Another thing I don't know if anyone followed Asher and someone could very much be here in Ohio. Oh and in case you didn't know today is the anniversary of my sisters death, So no I don't think I can calm down okay!"
I yell and he walks towards me and wraps me up in his arms and I just hold him and cry.

"I'm sorry Bay. What can I do?"

"Nothing. You can't do anything. I'm sorry. I just need some air."
I say and grab my keys and leave. I pull out and drive. I'm not even paying attention to where I'm going subconscious I park my car and I look around to see that I'm in front of Asher's hotel.

Automatically I'm getting out and grabbing the small gift bag and heading inside. I get to his room and raise my hand to knock but I can't. I take a shaky breath and sit the gift bag down and start walking back toward the elevator.

"Bay?"
I freeze in my tracks and slowly turn back around towards him.

"Hey ash."
I notice his breathing flinch at the nickname and for some reason it warms my heart that I'm still allowed to call him that.

"What's this?"
He asks as he reaches down towards the black gift bag with blue tissue paper.

"I know today is hard for both of us. I just wanted to give you that."
He lets off a small laugh and I look at him confused.

"It's funny the only reason I walked out here was because I was heading to you. I just really need to talk to you Bay. You're the only person I'd want to even be in the same room with today. So I don't know if you can imagine how much it hurts that I can't even talk to you."

"Oh I can imagine."
I tell him as a stray tear streams down my face and he steps towards me but I take a step away.

"I hope you like your gift Asher."
I tell him and nod one last time before walking away.

-

Asher pov.

"I hope you like your gift Asher."
Her voice is shaky as she gives me a nod goodbye and a tight lipped smile as she walks away.

My heart sinks to my stomach and I stumble back a bit before turning around and drawing my fist back at the wall but instead I stop and clutch on to the door restraining myself.

I grab the gift bag and slam the door and lay on my bed.

The bag stares at me from the bedside table and I finally sit up to look in it.

When I pull out the tissue paper I pick up a small chain with my moms ring on it and my heart crushes. But with the wedding ring there is also two other things. A smaller ring with the name luke engraved on it and a circle pendent with an engraving that says 'we're always with you.' I feel the tears building up and I try my hardest to push them away. I haven't seen my moms wedding ring for five years. Now I know where it's been.

-

A/N; guys I am so sorry I have been swamped in school work and just got time to write hope you guys are still reading! My apologies! Also this chapter is unedited so sorry for any errors!