uncle calum •cth•

dad ashton

Ashton stood in Paris staring at the Eiffel Tower. It wasn't the first time he had seen it, but he was on vacation and savoring every second of it. There was a big difference between tour and vacation. Tour was long hours of traveling and stress, but vacation was long hours of traveling and relaxation.
"It's spectacular isn't it?" A low voice asked from beside him. He turned to the direction the voice came from seeing an unfamiliar woman.
"Huh? I mean, yeah, it's beautiful." He agreed with the stranger.
"You'd never think a structure of twinkling lights could be so enchanting."
"I've been here many times, it never gets old."
"I've watched you stare at it for ten minutes. I never would've guessed you've seen it before."
"It's easier to appreciate when you've got a clear mind."
They stood beside each other taking in the sight for a few minutes longer. Ashton was getting ready to walk back to his hotel, but noticed his shoelace was untied. He bent down to tie it as the stranger turned towards him at his sudden movement. Sudden applause came from the tourists surrounding them. Ashton looked up as he heard the familiar voice next to him.
"Uh, this is awkward, but I'm pretty sure they all think you're proposing." Ashton glanced around at the crowd, and, sure enough, they were all staring.
"Oh, shit. Oh, my. Uhm, what should we do?" Ashton asked with urgency in his voice. She covered her hands over her mouth in fake surprise.
"Let's give them what they want." She said as she started rapidly nodding her head. The crowd roared in response. Ashton stood up to wrap her in a hug and spun her around. Soon enough, the crowd didn't care about the happy couple anymore, and the two stood laughing about the incident.
"So, weird question, but do you have a ring?" She looked at him confused, but opened her purse to pull out a small one with a pearl on top.
"Yeah, I actually do. Why do you ask?" He smirked at her response before speaking again.
"What do you say we go scam a restaurant out of free dessert, fiancée?"
She laughed but obliged, and they went on their way.
Two hours, a delicious dinner, and a free cheesecake later, the two were making their way back to their hotel. It was a strange coincidence that they were both staying in the same one, but it made Ashton's job of walking her home a lot easier. They parted ways on the third floor when she got to room 307 as he continued walking to 315. Ashton knew almost nothing about the girl who had made his evening quite interesting. He was looking forward to running into her again and sharing more laughs. His night had definitely not gone as he had planned.
The next morning after he had showered and gotten ready for his last day in Paris, he walked down the hall towards room 307. The door was wide open while a maid cleaned inside signalling that the girl who had occupied that room was gone. He was disappointed as he walked down the stairs. He kept his eyes peeled in the lobby in case she was still checking out, but she was nowhere in sight. He explored the city one last time, and slept in Paris once more before making his way to the airport. As he boarded the plane, he couldn't help but wonder if this was where his fake fiancée was twenty-four hours earlier.
Ashton was sucked back into the partying world almost immediately on his return home. His friends gave him about five hours to fix his jet lag before dragging him to their favorite club. Micheal had bailed on the group a few months earlier, but the other three were still going strong. Until it became two.
"Calum, I can't keep going out every night like this. I feel like I have a hangover 24/7."
"Ashton, you can't just leave us. We're having a good time."
"I'm leaving. I've got a headache. Actually, I've had one for the last three weeks."
"Mate! You're just walking away?" Calum yelled after his retreating figure.
"I'm too old for this shit!" Ashton called back as he exited the club.
Ashton walked down the sidewalk shaking his head at his friend's immature antics. Calum was a party guy, and he was drunk, so he wasn't one to care for other's feelings at the current time. He kept walking until he found a quaint bookstore that was still open. The back corner had a coffee shop, and the upstairs loft area had couches, chairs, and beanbags for people to lounge and read. Ashton grabbed a book and ordered a coffee before finding a comfy enough chair to sit on. He sat there reading and lost track of time until a voice broke him away from the words on the page.
"Sorry, sir. It's almost closing time." She watched as his face appeared from behind the book and seemed surprised. "Looky there! It's my fiancé! I didn't peg you as the reading type."
He chuckled after the shock went away. "Clubbing is too much for me these days. I quite like it here."
They exchanged smiles and words as they made their way to the front door. She locked the door behind him and sent a wave. She had a store to clean and he had a walk home. He reached his front door before he realized he didn't have a way to contact her. At least he knew she lived in town, and how wild it was that his fake fiancée from Paris would work only a few blocks away from his home.
He went back to the bookstore a few times but didn't see her, so he stopped. He spent his time with his friends, and his baby niece. He adored Michael's daughter, but Calum was obviously the favorite uncle. About a year after returning from France, he went to the bookstore one last time. He walked in and caught sight of the one he was looking for right away. He walked up to her in haste, almost as if she would disappear if he didn't move fast enough.
"Hello, fake fiancee. I don't mean to sound forward, but will you go on a date with me?" His words were rushed, and he felt crazy, but she laughed.
"I would love nothing more." A smile graced her lips. "Oh, and next time, let's not have a year in between meetings, okay?"
This time, he smiled. "I would love nothing more."
Now, he spent all his time with his new girlfriend. They had been together for two months, but everything felt like it was meant to be. Ashton was a little shocked to find out that things were cemented a little more than he thought. He answered one phone call and felt his life change.
"Hey, babe."
"Ash, we need to talk."
Worry crept in his mind because that was never a good thing to hear in the early months of a relationship.
"Okay. About what?"
"Remember about three weeks ago when we went out of town for the weekend?"
Ashton recalled that time. They drove out to Vegas to celebrate her birthday.
"Yeah. Of course. What about it?"
"I'm pregnant."
Ashton had to admit that that was the last thing on his mind, and he was shocked. "Ash, Ashton." He heard in his ear which reminded him he should probably say something to his girlfriend who sounded panicked.
"I'm gonna be a dad! This is amazing, sweetie."
Nine months later, Ashton was almost a dad.
"How you feeling, baby? We're about to have a baby."
"I think I'm the only one about to have a baby, Irwin."
"Okay. I love you, too, honey." Her glare showed the pain she was in. She wished she could wipe the small smirk off his face. If only she could give him a quarter of her current pain. She kept breathing through her contractions and squeezing his hand as hard as she could, although he didn't seen the least bit bothered, and that angered her a little. He placed a kiss on her forehead before he decided he should speak again.
"You're doing amazing, sweetie."
"Say some bullshit to me again, Irwin, and I will murder you." He wanted to laugh, but he didn't. He did make a mental note that pregnancy was not a good look on her attitude. He had never seen her so angry, but he had also never seen her about to give birth. She became a completely different person once their son had arrived, though Ashton was not going to mention that in case part of his angry pre-birth girlfriend was still inside.
He loved his little family, and loved watching his little man grow. Michael came over quite often once Baby Irwin was not such a baby anymore. Little Clifford enjoyed having a friend to play with despite the couple of year age difference. She played trucks with him while he, occasionally, had to play tea party with her.
A couple years later, Luke had a son which made Little Irwin very happy. He introduced him to his favorite toys and watched movies with him instead of princess ones with Little Clifford. Asthon dreaded his son's fourth birthday because it meant he would be starting preschool, but that day came and went. He had had about four years to forget how his girlfriend was during the birthing process, and, now, they were expecting another baby. The birth went smoother this time around, and Ashton believed it was because he kept his mouth shut. He now had a little girl, and his little boy was head over heels for his baby sister.
"Bud, who is this?" Ashton asked his son while introducing him to his baby sister.
"It's my baby!" His son answered matter-of-factly.
Anytime the small baby would cry, her brother would pipe up, "My baby is hurting. Help her." It was hard to explain to him that babies cried for more than just being hurt, but they loved that he cared. Ashton knew that he wouldn't have to ever worry about his baby girl as long as her big brother was by her side. His family was complete for the time being. He often thought about having another, but knew it was too soon. He thought about everything that had led up to this moment with his family. From getting fake engaged in Paris, meeting again, having a son, getting real engaged in Paris, getting married, and having his little girl. He would forever be grateful for his vacation in Paris all those years ago.