Ashley securely fastened Asher to the baby chair in the back seat of the car. It was his one-year birthday in a few days and she had offered to be in charge of planning, definitely not one of the wisest decisions she had made in a long while but it was worth it. Henry had looked utterly confused about the whole thing and where to start, he had even considered not having a party but Ashley was not having it at all. It was a good thing they had paid for an event planner to handle it, it was still hard to make all the decisions but she wouldn’t deprive Asher of this very important moment in his life, the few months with him, she knew she loved him so much just like he was her own. She hopped into the car. “Good morning Barry” “Good morning Ashley" “Where are we going today?” She showed him the address on her phone. Not quite long after they were on their way, the drive was relaxing, she and Barry chatted away with Asher making input now and then. They got to the mall, she was pushi
“Adrian" “Hop in my man!” Henry did, he looked behind him, rolled his eyes and let out a huge sigh. “Adrian, what did I say about just wanting to talk?” He shrugged. “You didn’t say don’t bring the company” They drove out of the compound. “I assumed when I said I want to simply talk I thought you understand that I meant no violence...” Adrian scoffed. “Who said anything about violence?” “I don’t know...” Henry turned around and stared at the large men, with scary tattoos covering their whole arms, one of them was pumping his chest, another had a scarf tied around his bald head, and he faced forward. “I think it is pretty clear these men are violent, no offence boys...” They merely shrugged. “None taken” one of them mumbled. Adrian groaned and hit the steering wheel dramatically. “Okay fine, fine, fine...dad!” “You need to behave son” Henry replied. Adrian gave him the stink eye. “Slow down...” Adrian looked at him quizzically. “What?” “Just slow down”. Henry said aloud. “
They drove into a gas station. Henry pumped the gas whilst Adrian walked into the shop to get something. Henry finished and had to wait for Adrian outside, the minutes stretched out. If Adrian wasn’t Adrian, Henry would have been genuinely worried. He securely locked the car and walked into the shop. He spotted Adrian, hitting it off with the shop attendant. “Adrian!” He spun around like he had been caught. “Dad...” he spat in annoyance. “You mind?” “Well I walked in and I met this really pretty girl...” Henry walked up to him. “Not now mister...” Adrian shook his head and stormed off. “Your number miss...” he flashed her a smile. “Stephanie" she answered with a smile and scribbled down on a piece of paper and handed it to him. He smiled at her. “I will make sure he gets it" When Henry got back to the car Adrian was sulking. He turned on the car and drove off. “As much as I like the solitude, I am also very concerned about my life and the way you’re toying with it driving lik
The birthday celebration was already underway, Henry’s residence was the venue, and the poolside had been reconstructed into a water-themed park suited for kids. There were a lot of guests. Ashley tied her hair in a high-up ponytail and had on a simple black dress with a thin strap, stopping just below her knees, it clung somewhat loosely to her body. Not undersized nor oversize, just perfect. She carried Asher on one hip as she hurriedly descended the stairs. He had on a beautiful blue bathing suit. Henry stared in admiration as she approached them, he was always awed by her beauty anytime he laid eyes on her. He feared she would fall even though she had on low-heeled sandals. Adrian whispered in his ears. “You won man" Henry was beaming with smiles. Adrian walked up to them. “How is my favourite God son in the whole world doing?” he took Asher from her. “Hello beautiful" he kissed her cheeks. “Hello, Adrian. It is nice to see you” “Hey I wouldn’t miss this for the world" he re
Ashley was beaming with smiles as she laid out the last of the cookies she had made on a tray. Asher was playing beside her. This had been her mood since Asher’s birthday party. The aura in the house had changed drastically, it was uplifting. She hadn’t felt this much happiness in a long while. She turned around when she heard the front door open, her smile widened because she knew who it was. She heard his footsteps approaching, and not long after she saw him. “Good evening" His smile was instant when he saw her. “Ashley, Asher" Asher giggled excitedly and raised his hands to be lifted by him. He picked him up immediately and planted a kiss on his cheeks, he turned to Ashley. “Someone’s been busy" he put Asher down and turned to her. She smiled. “Yea, I just thought about this lovely cookie recipe from my childhood. I remember my father and I used to make it all the time...” she smiled at the memory. “Sometimes my mother wouldn’t allow us to make it and we will wake up at night an
Ashley took one last long look at herself in the full-length mirror before coming down the staircase, she held a silver clutch in her hands. Not too long before Adrian had not too subtly stopped by to gift them dresses which they were to put on later, in his words, “...to attend a party he was planning” It was hard for Henry and her to keep a straight face. Henry knew it was important to Adrian to think he had handled everything perfectly. This was how she ended up with a beautiful velvet dress for the party tonight. She had help with fixing her hair and make-up too. Adorned with the diamond earrings Henry had given her on their trip to the Bahamas, it felt like so long ago but it was very important for their relationship. It was the time she got to truly know who Henry Allen was. It was also a time when their relationship had moved a step forward, regardless of what happened afterwards she would not change a thing. Henry spun around the moment he saw her descending the stairs, dress
Henry was already having a hard time listening to what anyone was saying around him. The reason was simple, he was tired and he was aching to go to Ashley. He kept on stealing glances at her, hoping his companions would excuse themselves so he could go to her, so he wouldn’t have to be the rude one. It looked like each group was trying hard to beat the other on the amount of time they spent with him. Henry realised some of the guests he didn’t recognize. Most likely Adrian’s friends. He shook his head when he noticed, it was almost like the party was for Adrian... He saw Adrian approach Ashley, which unsettled him. Adrian was a ticking time bomb and it was obvious. He didn’t trust him not to say something wrong to Ashley. He had somehow managed to get rid of him and now there was another man by her side, who he didn’t recognize, most likely one of Adrian’s numerous guests. He sighed inwardly. He knew she was a stunner tonight, when they walked in everyone had eyes on her. She was eas
Ashley managed to find the bathroom, she had momentarily forgotten about her long dress until she arrived at the doorway, she lifted the dress high, above her knees. She tied the lengthy part of the dress around her. She opened the bathroom door and almost sighed in relief when she found nobody inside. She walked up to the mirror and stared at her reflection, her facial expression was a sharp contrast to how she was feeling on the inside, she tucked her hair behind her ear. She sighed deeply. It was hard not to worry. It was clear she loved Henry. There were many times she thought he felt the same too but he had given her reasons to doubt. She didn’t want to relive the time after the Bahamas trip all over again. It was a hard time for her. She turned on the tap and washed her hands, it was hard to tell whether Henry was being serious or not. She peered at her reflection in the mirror, she told herself to calm down, she would never be able to achieve anything by constantly worrying, t