Never Let Go

Chapter 10- Cryin'

~*Ashley's Point Of View*~

"My what?" I asked in complete shock.

"Your son."

"No. NO. This is some sort of cruel joke. I don't have a son. I can't have a son. No, not when things with Amanda are finally working out. No."

"Yes Ashley. This is your son. Justin."

"Oh my god. I have to... I have to go or something." I said before I turned and ran up the stairs.

~*Erik's Point Of View*~

"Well, that went well." I said sarcastically.

"Oh yeah. He took it real well. Why'd you do that? It's going to royally screw things up between him and Amanda." Jake said turning to talk to Shelli.

"He has a son. He needs to stand up, be a man, and take care of it."

"He already is a man. He's already taking care of his daughter."

"Are you suggesting that his daughter is more important than his son? Because if you are then you are sadly mistaken. That skanky whore of his probably just got pregnant by some loser and then tried to pass her off as his. Poor little blonde Ashley is probably just too dense to see that it isn't his and she's using him for his money."

"For your information Aurora is his. Aurora looks exactly like Ashley. Justin doesn't look anything like Ashley. Hell, that baby doesn't even look like you. Don't talk about Amanda like that either. She isn't a whore and she wouldn't do that. She isn't using Ashley for his money. Amanda has paid for everything so far where the baby is concerned." Jacob growled.

"Is he mine?" Ashley asked coming from the end of the stairs.

"Ashley I..." Shelli started.

"I asked you a question. Is...he...mine?" Ashley asked, separating his words and making them very clear.

"Of course he is Ashy, why would I lie about something like that?"

"I don't know, you called Amanda a whore didn't you?"

"Well, yeah. But that's not a lie. She really is a whore."

"No she's not. Quit saying that. How old is he anyways?"

"Two months."

"Aurora is three months. So he really is my son then?"

"Yes." Shelli said, sounding exasperated.

"I need to go talk to Amanda. I'll be back later."

I got in my car and sped off towards Amanda's apartment complex. Ten minutes later I pulled into a parking space in front of her building. I got out of the car and went inside, then I took the elevator up to her floor. After I got off the elevator I went over to her door and knocked.

"Ashley? I wasn't expecting you to be home until later. Who was at the house?" She asked moving aside to let me in.

"Uh, that's actually what I came to talk to you about."

"I should sit down shouldn't I?" She asked as she walked over and sat down on her couch.

I sat down next to her and took her hand in mine.

"I'm sorry."

"Ashley, please. Just tell me what it is."

"Before I do, I want you to know that I love you more than anything. You mean the world to me and I'll do anything to keep us together."

"Ashley! Just tell me already!"

"I uh...Shelli was there."

"And?"

"I uh..... apparently I have a son."

"What?"

"I have a son." She turned away from me and then abruptly got up.

"Get out." She growled.

"What?"

"GET OUT! Go! Get out! Just leave! I can't take this anymore Ashley. This relationship is too hard. You've broken my hart for the last time. It's over between us. I give up. Its over."

"No. NO! You can't mean that. You can't do this Amanda. I love you too much just to give up on our relationship."

"Then maybe I don't love you enough, because I can't keep having my heart broken like this. I can't do this anymore Ashley. Just give up. It's not worth fighting anymore."

"Yes it is."

"No, it's not. I'm sorry, but its not. Please go, just leave and forget about us ok? It'll be better for both of us this way."

"No it won't Amanda. I know that you need me just as much as I need you. Please."

"No, Ashley. I can't. Please, just leave. Go away and don't come back. Walk out of my life. Our lives." She said, beginning to cry.

"I'll leave tonight, but I'm not giving up on you, on us. I love you. I have always loved you and I will always love you. I can't just forget about you and Aurora and I won't. We're not over yet Amanda." At this point I was in tears too.

With one last brokenhearted glance I turned and walked out the door.

I got back to the house about ten minutes later. I slammed the car door and continued the pattern by slamming the front door as I walked in the house.

"Why are you still here?" I asked coldly when I saw Shelli still sitting in our living room.

"Because, we still need to talk about the baby."

"Not tonight. Do you realize how much this just screwed everything up? Amanda wants nothing to do with me now. You ruined a 21 year friendship. How does that make you feel huh? I mean, you were pregnant for nine months couldn't you have told me about him earlier? Why did you wait all the way until now to tell me about him, huh?"

"Ashy, I couldn't tell you before now."

"Why the fuck not? What the hell was keeping you from telling me?"

"I wasn't sure that you were the father." She said barely above a whisper.

"Christ. Shelli! If you weren't sure then who the father was then how the hell are you so sure that I'm the father now?"

"I just am ok?"

"ARGH!! Just go away for right now. I don't want to talk about it right now. We can talk about it tomorrow." She nodded and got up. She quietly turned in left; Justin balanced on her hip.

"So Amanda didn't take it well?" Jake asked once Shelli left.

"She wants nothing to do with me. She wants me to completely stay out of her and Aurora's lives. I can't do that. I love her and Aurora way too much to do that."

"Well, what are you going to do?" Dan inquired.

"I don't know. God, I just wish that none of this had ever happened. If I hadn't slept with Shelli in the first place then Amanda and I would still be together and I wouldn't have a son. He doesn't even look like me. Hell he doesn't even look like her."

"What are you saying?" Trevor asked.

"I'm saying that now I'm having second thoughts about Justin being mine and I think I’m going to have a paternity test done. Shelli has never liked Amanda. She hated it even more when the two of us were a couple and I wouldn't put it past her to do something like this."

~*Amanda's Point Of View*~

.::The Next Day::.

After Ashley had left the night before I cried myself to sleep. I felt so helpless in all of this. I just didn't see any way for us to have a relationship anymore. I heard the phone ringing in the kitchen so I went to pick it up.

"Hello?" I asked into the receiver; half hoping it was Ashley half not.

"Amanda? Hey, its Stephanie."

"Oh hey. How was your honeymoon?" I asked. Steph and Andy had gotten back just a few days ago.

"It was great. We had a really good time. How are things between Ashley and you?"

"Ugh, horrible." I said on the verge of tears.

"What happened? When we left it looked like you two were going to get back together."

"We did, and we were together up until last night when Shelli showed up and announced that she had a son."

"Oh boy."

"Yeah, no kidding. Ashley left because he had a "visitor". Then he came back and told me that he had a son. I ended it last night. I can't be with him anymore. I'm tired of having my heartbroken by him."

"That's understandable. Is he even sure that he's the father? I mean, I wouldn't exactly put it past Shelli to do something like that."

"I know, but ugh. I just can't do this anymore. As much as I love him, I can't. Its over between the to of us for good. We aren't even friends anymore."

"If he wasn't the father, would you get back together with him?"

"Yes, no. I don't know. I don't know what I would do."

"Maybe you should be thinking about it. You know, just incase he isn't the father."

"Mmmhmm...listen Steph, I'm gonna go. I'll talk to you later ok?"

"Ok, talk to you later Manda, bye."

After she hung up the phone I went up to Aurora's room. I sat in the rocking chair near her bed and thought long and hard about not having Ashley in my life anymore.

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Chapter 11- Anything For You