ASHLEY'S POV :

       "Okay , babe , have I forgotten anything ?" , I inquire , as we look around the living room . "Do we have everything where it should be ?"

       "Geez , babe , chill out !" , Tiana laughs . "They're staying with Rick and Shan , remember ? Not with us ."

       "Yeah , I know , but I don't wanna fuck this up ! What if they hate me ?"

        I'm wound up so tight right now I feel like I'm gonna snap , because T's mom and stepdad are coming out for the week for Thanksgiving ,  to check in on Shannon , and for helping Tiana look at wedding dresses . This will be the first time I've ever met her mother , even though we dated in school . And even though they don't know all of the details , I'm scared shitless that they're not going to like me .

       Tiana comes over and slides her arms around my neck , and mine automatically go around her waist . She kisses me , then looks me directly in the eye and says , "I don't see how that would even be possible . But in the unlikely event that it happens , then we'll just have to agree to disagree . I'm not giving you up again , for anybody , not even my mom ."

       She lays her head on my shoulder , and I wrap my arms more tightly around her . We just stand here like this for a few minutes , then she looks up at me again , and says , "Ash , you do know I love you , don't you ?"

       "Of course I do , darlin' . And I hope you know that I love you more than anything on this earth ." , I answer , brushing her hair out of her eyes .

       "Then please stop worrying , because that's all that really matters ."

        As she says this , her phone rings , and I let go so she can answer it . She hits the speaker button , and says , "Hey , Shan , what's up ?"

         "We just got back from the airport , you guys can come over any time you want to ." , Shan informs us .

        "Okay , we'll be there in a few ." , she answers , then ends the call .

        I grab our jackets out of the closet , and hand T's to her , then notice that she looks a little stressed . "Hey , babe , I thought you weren't worried about seeing your folks ." , I say , but I don't get an immediate response .

       Finally she sighs , and says , "I'm not worried about that , Ash , I'm actually looking forward to showing you off . It's just ..."

       She trails off , and I know exactly what's bothering her . As far as I know , this will be the first time she's gone over there since Shan and Rick made their big announcement . I take her jacket , and hold it for her to put on , then I ask , "Are you sure you're gonna be okay with this ?"

       "I kinda have to be , don't I ?" , she replies . "I really am happy for them , just like I was for Kelli , it's just kinda weird , I guess . Don't worry , I'm good ."

        We get in the car and drive over to Rick and Shan's place , and Scotts truck is already in the driveway , so I assume that Brian is here with him . 

       We walk into the house , and Tiana is instantly latched onto by an older , slightly shorter version of herself , with most of the red hair replaced with gray . She hugs her mom , then the tall , balding man , who is obviously Scott and Shannon's dad .

       Then , finally , she puts her arm around my waist , and says , "Mom , Gav , this is my fiancee , Ashley ."

       Her stepdad puts out his hand , and I shake it , saying , "It's nice to finally meet you , Mr . and Mrs . Wainwright ."

       "You don't need to be so formal , Ashley ." , Tiana's mom tells me . "My name is Bonnie , and this is Gavin ." Then she looks at Tiana , and says , "I remember Mary telling me that you were spending time with a boy named Ashley when you were staying with her . Is this the same one , or just the same name ?"

       "Yes , Mom , this is him ." , she says . "He's Rick and Brian's cousin , that's how I met him before , and then when I moved out here , I found out he was here , too ." 

       "And we figured out that we still had feelings for each other , so here we are ." , I chime in .

        She shows them her ring , and we all go sit down in the living room , where they ask if anyone has set a wedding date yet .

        "I know everybody is gonna say this is backward , but Rick and I have decided to wait until after the baby is born . That way , I won't look like the Stay - Puft Marshmallow Man going down the aisle ." , Shannon informs us .

        "Then you can't get one of those dresses that look like you're wearing the cake !" , Tiana says , giggling . "If you do , you'll look like that anyway ."

         "Maybe I can get some ideas when we go look for yours this weekend ."

        "What about you two ? Have you decided on a date yet ?" , Gavin inquires .

         "We want to have it before the band starts touring the next album , so we've been thinking about the end of June ." , I say .

         "That's only seven months , are you sure you can get everything arranged by then ?" , Shan asks . 

         "We're not worried about having a big production , so it shouldn't be that hard ." , Tiana responds . "We aren't planning on fireworks , of flocks of pink doves , or any of that crap . Just a run - of - the - mill , standard wedding , with our family and friends there , so I don't see why it would be that complicated . And I'm warning everybody right now , if anybody starts trying to get us to change our minds , or tries to change things on us , we're just gonna go downtown and get married by Elvis !"

        "You'd do it , too , wouldn't you ?" , Bonnie chuckles .

         "Have we met ?" , Tiana shoots back .

         After talking a bit more , we finally pin down June 25th as our wedding date , and then the conversation starts turning toward Rick and Shannon's baby . She apparently had an appointment yesterday , and the doctor told them that she's due around the middle of May . They can't find out for awhile what they're having , but she informs us that they've already decided on names .

       "So what are we gonna be calling him ?" , Scott inquires .

       "Or her ." , Brian adds 

       "If it's a boy , his name is Tanner Cole ..." , Rick announces .

       "And a girl will be Vanessa Danielle ." , Shan finishes .

        Everyone starts making guesses on what she's having , and Tiana manages to go along with it , but I can see that she's not totally comfortable , and when I glance over at Brian , I know he's aware of it , too .

       But it's interesting , seeing how excited Rick is about this . Up until he met Shannon , he played the field almost as much as I did , so he's not really the one I expected to get into the whole "dad" thing . Brian , maybe , but not Rick . 

       And to be honest , listening to all of this , I have to admit that it doesn't sound all that terrible to me , either . Tiana and I are both over thirty , so I have to wonder how she feels about the idea now , after what happened before .

       We hang out for a little while longer , then we all go out for dinner , and take the folks to the Criss Angel show at the Luxor , then the ladies play some slots for a bit , while us guys go hit up the roulette table . Bonnie wins a little over two hundred dollars , but nobody else has any real luck .

       After that , we all decide to head home , after the ladies settle on their time to go look at dresses in the morning . I notice Tiana glancing at me as I'm driving , but she doesn't say anything until we're getting ready for bed .

       "Okay , babe , what's bugging you ?" , she asks . "You're not still freaking about them not liking you , are you ? If you are , stop it ! Mom told me at dinner that she thinks that you're going to be good for me ."

       "Well , I'm glad to hear that , but that's not what I was thinking about ." , I tell her , as I get into bed . "I was actually thinking about something else , but I'm not sure what you'd think ."

        "And you won't know until you tell me what it is ." , she says , as she lightly runs her nails up the inside of my thigh , which sort of throws off my train of thought .

        I take hold of her hand , to stop her for just a minute , take a deep breath , and say , "I was listening to Rick tonight , hearing how excited he is , and it actually sorta made me a little jealous ." 

       She looks a bit startled , and I continue , saying , "I just wondered if , maybe sometime , you might like to ... try again . If you don't , I understand completely , but maybe , think about it for a little while ?"

        She nods , not saying anything , and after a minute or so , she returns her attention to making sure that I'm not going to sleep anytime soon . When we're both ready to go , I reach for the nightstand to grab a condom , and she grabs my hand .

       "Ash ..." 

       "What is it , babe ?" 

        She looks me in the eye and says , "Don't worry about it . Whatever happens , happens ."