Highly Inappropriate

68.

ASHLEY'S POV

Slipping off my high heels before even making it inside the house, I quietly opened the door just to see Chase sprawled on the couch, lights off while watching a movie and talking on the phone as he stuffed his face into some snacks.

"Yeah, sorry I roasted you dude. I was trying to flirt.", he mumbled into the phone before looking up to me and giving me a silent nod of the head followed by a cheeky grin.

"Dumbass.", I giggled, ruffling his hair as I passed behind the couch and headed upstairs.

Still shaking my head in amusement, I tiptoed my way to Shay's room, a frown appearing on my face as I took in Shay's empty bed. Glancing at my watch, I was more than ready to kick Alex's ass in the not so odd chance they were still up, watching movies and eating junk food as per usual.

But as I approached our room and poked my head inside the door, I had to refrain from doing so as my heart made multiple flips at the sight before me.

With Frozen no doubt playing in the background and unmistakable evidence of junk food wrappers scattered all around the floor, I stared at Alex's figure tightly wrapped around my daughter, the both of them sleeping peacefully.

As I leaned against the doorframe, I couldn't help the foolish smile creeping up on me nor the soft chuckle that escaped my lips as my eyes landed on Alex's feet, a yellow sock and a purple one that definitely didn't belong with on another.

Trust the girl to never bother.

But what never failed to surprise me was the fact that Shay would never, under no circumstance, feel comfortable enough to fall asleep around someone that wasn't me. That is, until Alex swooped her way back into my life and literally swept us both off our feet.

I was head over heels for this girl, but we already knew that.

What I didn't know was that both the loves of my life would end up doing the same for one another.

It was no secret that Alex was great with kids, but never in my wildest dreams had I thought she'd treat her as a kid of her own since day one. Cause she did just that, admonishing her when she had to just to shower her face with kisses a split second after that, making me fall in love with her all over again.

Really, the bond they had, the knowing looks they shared, everything about their relationship made my heart shift every single time, making me wonder how did I end up being so blessed in life.

I snapped out of my mental rambling as I saw Shay shift in her sleep ever so slightly, Alex's strong arms tightening their grip on her out of pure instinct, my heart threatening to explode in the process.

I wanted to come home to this for the rest of my life.

Silently tiptoeing towards the bed, I gently removed Alex's grip of steel from around Shay, careful not to wake neither of them up. Stilling my movements as Alex shifted and mumbled something in her sleep, I proceeded to scoot my daughter up in my arms and carry her to her room, successfully tucking her in without her even noticing.

Going back to our room, I nervously bit my lip as I found myself leaning against the doorframe once again, staring at her and wondering whether to wake her up or not.

But I didn't have to dwell on that any further since I saw her patting the empty spot near her, her upper body abruptly lifting itself and her eyes shooting wide open in fear.

"Shay?"

"I took her to bed, honey.", I reassured, causing her to snap her eyes in my direction before she sunk back into the pillows, releasing a sigh of relief.