( riley ) time for growing up

[ashlyn noelle walsh]

It had been just under a month since Ashlyn had given birth to her twin girls. Twins. She had only known of being pregnant with one baby and with how huge her belly had gotten in the last few months, she was certain she was just going to have a very big boy. Apparently there were two tiny girls inside of her but Ashlyn immediately fell in love with them the moment they were born even though she was in shock.

Riley was just as in shock as she was. She feared that the pressure of suddenly raising two children instead of just one. Ashlyn herself was wondering how they were going to raise the girls comfortably when Riley's job a the bar was barely putting food on the table for him and herself.

Fortunately for Ashlyn, an online new mothers group had offered her some coupon sites for baby products and some of the best stores in New York to get baby stuff cheap and in bulk. The idea to join that group online was something Ashlyn had randomly thought of when she was getting close to her due date and there was still a bit of tension between herself and Riley from stress.

Today was her first day venturing out with the girls alone. After awkwardly taking the subway into the city, Ashlyn pushed her double stroller down the sidewalk towards the first store. It was a small store on a fairly underpopulated street of the downtown center of New York City. Once in the store, little Ruby decided she was hungry. Ashlyn sighed quietly as she walked towards the back of the shop to the restrooms.

As soon as she was done feeding a very sleepy Ruby, she placed the tiny girl in the stroller only to see Amber start to fuss in her half asleep daze. The girls were not on the same eating schedule no matter how hard Ashlyn tried to get them to be. She cooed and hushed Amber, rolling the stroller until the small dark haired girl closed her eyes solidly and fell asleep.

Ashlyn left the restroom and took her phone of the pocket of the top half of the stroller where she kept all of her belongings. Mostly, her cell phone and keys and sometimes a drink. Flipping her cover open, Ashlyn checked her location into her social media outlets just in case anyone wanted to join her or help her. Not that she had many friends that would be interested. Placing her phone back into the pocket of the stroller, she began to shop around, mostly in the little dresses. She was semi excited to be able to play dress up with her daughters.

[riley andrew davenport]

Sitting at the bar, cleaning up from the night before, Riley heard his phone going off in his pocket. It was rare that someone called him during the day, unless is was his girlfriend or someone from the studio with something important to tell him or ask of him. Pulling the mobile device out of his pocket, the male read the screen and saw that it was the studio. Rolling his eyes slightly, Riley took a quick breath before answering it. After a twenty minute long conversation, the male was practically running out of the bar, saying that he was taking the night off and that he would be in the following evening instead.

Once outside, the male found his car and got into it. As soon as he had started the vehicle, the Riley put it into drive and made his way towards the studio. The news was huge and he was only half convinced that this was actually happening to him.

Parking his car in the lot, Riley nearly forgot to turn off the running vehicle and take his keys with him, but he did. Walking swiftly into the building, the male spent the next couple of hours negotiating terms and signing papers, but when it was all over, the male walked out of the record label and reached for his phone in his pocket. Seeing that his girlfriend had checked into a store not that far from the label building, Riley decided that he was going to surprise her. He had a few major things that he wanted to tell her, so he skipped the phone call and just drove to go see her instead.

Once the male found a spot in the parking lot of the store that Ashlyn had checked into and got out, making sure to lock the car doors behind him. Entering the store, the male searched around until he found the girl whom had stolen his heart so many years before. Walking up behind her, Riley grabbed at her hips and leaned his chin down on her shoulder and kissed Ashlyn's neck softly. "I have some good news for you," the male spoke softly in his girlfriend's ear.

[ashlyn noelle walsh]

Every few moments, Ashlyn would check her phone for responses or even texts from Riley. Nothing. Her phone was silent, her children were silent. It felt like for the first time in a month, Ashlyn actually had a few minutes to relax and just spend money. Well, it wasn't a lot of money since she had the coupons and the store was already fairly priced.

She had just put her phone down and peeked around to the front of the stroller to see if the girls were budging but they weren't. They were sleeping so peacefully that it reminded Ashlyn of paintings of sleeping angels in churches. She felt her tears well up with how happy she was that she had children who would love her unconditionally. Not that she was unhappy with Riley and the way he loved her. A child's love was just different and Ashlyn was excited to experience it.

Ashlyn felt her body jump slightly when Riley put his head on her shoulder and kissed her neck. His hands were on her hips. She heard what the male had to say and she turned so she was standing in front of him and could look at him up. She noticed the bright smile on his face and she couldn't help but reflect it back. She thought she had an idea of what the good news was but she wasn't going to ruin it for him by guessing. "Good news?" she asked instead and kissed her boyfriend's cheek lightly.

[riley andrew davenport]

As soon as his girlfriend has turned around to face him, Riley couldn't help but lean down and kiss her like he had when they were in high school and they hadn't had a worry in the world about anything. When their lips had parted, Riley looked down to his girlfriend and smiled. "Very good news," he spoke. Pausing for a moment, the male looked down at the stroller at his twin daughters, then back to Ashlyn. "The label signed me," he said, excitedly. "I just signed the deal to record my album with them," he said. "But the best news is that they gave me a thirty thousand dollar advance to record," the male spoke. He knew that he had spent about six thousand total trying to record on his own, so he knew that he would be able to spend a lot less than thirty to record the CD for a second time.

"They said that I get to keep whatever is left over after we're done recording," he said. "Plus, I'm getting a second advance to pay for all living expenses for you, me, and the girls, while I'm in the studio," he spoke. And as if he couldn't have been any more excited, Riley just looked down at his girlfriend and kissed her forehead softly. "Which means we can get out of our shitty apartment," he said. "I can finally give you what you want," he spoke. "And what you need," the male spoke. Riley knew that he was going to go buy a ring for his girlfriend; one that she deserved, especially after dealing with all of his recording sessions and his shitty attitude about being a dad without wanting to be one to early on. Ashlyn only deserved the very best of everything and that was what he was planning on giving her.

[ashlyn noelle walsh]

After saying it was very good news, The next three words out of Riley's mouth made Ashlyn light up like a Christmas tree. She made a fairly loud squeal noise as she jumped up onto her toes to wrap her arms around Riley's neck. After hugging him for a few moments, she stood back down at her normal height but moved her arms to wrap lightly around Riley's waist.

Hearing his explanation of how he had gotten signed, the female just continued to smile. When Riley talked about the money, Ashlyn's eyes grew large. "Wh-what? That's so much money!" she exclaimed as the male continued to talk about being able to move out of their apartment and giving Ashlyn what she deserved.

The female simply shook her head in response to Riley's last statement. "I have so much more than I deserve Riley. I have you and the girls. I have my own family," she spoke but before continuing her thought, Amber started her soft waking up crying. Ashlyn made a half frown at Riley as she let her boyfriend go and went over to attend to her tiny daughter. Ashlyn picked Amber up and held her in her arms, rocking her, hoping that the little strawberry blond would not wake up fully and start screaming in the middle of the store.

Ashlyn looked over at Riley before walking over to him. Amber had been falling asleep more easily on Riley lately. It seemed she was going to be the daddy's girl. Ashlyn handed Amber over and looked up to her boyfriend. "Could you try to get her to hush so I can finish shopping for them? These coupons expire at the end of the month," she told him as she kissed his cheek lightly and continued her shopping. The store was small enough that she could leave the stroller where it was with the sleeping Ruby.

The dark haired mother finished buying a few outfits for each other girls and even managed to pick up a cute piece of lingerie for herself. Apparently this store was focused on making mother's feel better post birth of their children. Ashlyn was careful to not let Riley see the lingerie as she walked over to the counter and cashed out. When she finished, everything was put into a dark colored shopping bag. Ashlyn turned and walked over to her family. She smiled as she saw Amber sleeping peacefully in Riley's arms. "We should celebrate," the female spoke.

[riley andrew davenport]

Feeling his girlfriend's arms wrap around his neck as she squealed and practically jumped into his arms, Riley just grinned. He knew that she had been waiting for this type of good news almost just as long as he had been. If anything, she was probably praying for this sort of good news for a lot longer than he had been; she had probably been wanting this news for so long so that she wouldn't have to live in a shit hole of an apartment with barely enough food for them to survive, let alone their twin girls.

After he had been able to mention just how much money they were looking at, Riley just smiled at Ashlyn's reaction. "If you think about how much studio time is, it's really not all that much. Some of these big bands spend close to a hundred thousand to get their albums recorded and distributed. But, I don't plan on fooling around in the studio. I just want to get in there and do what I need to do and do it right so that I'll have a little pocket change so we can find a nicer apartment in a better neighborhood. I don't like leaving you at home with the girls in our neighborhood. It's just not safe and I hated leaving just you behind before. Now, any time that I have to go out, I'm counting down the time until I get to see you and the girls again and know that you're safe," the male explained.

When Ashlyn tried to explain that she had already had more than she deserved, Riley just shook his head. "No, you don't. You just think you do. We've been living like this for far too long and you deserve a lot better. And whether you think it or not, deep down, you know you deserve a lot better than what I can give you right now. You and the girls deserve a lot better than what I can provide now. I promise that as soon as I get the money from the studio for living expenses, I'll find us a new apartment," the male spoke.

When one of the twins, Amber to be more specific, began to fuss, Ashlyn asked Riley if he would be able to calm her down so that she didn't start screaming in the middle of the store. Taking the tiny baby in her arms, Riley just looked at her and smiled. He had helped create the tiny human that he now held in his arms and he still couldn't get over how beautiful and perfect she and Ruby were. "Shh, baby girl," he spoke to the tiny infant. Rocking the baby in his arms, she started to calm her cries until she was quiet and just looking up at him. "I love you, angel," he spoke as the little girl just moved her arms and legs slightly.

While Ashlyn finished shopping, Riley stayed with the stroller. He wasn't upset that Ashlyn strayed a little from it, because she was close enough to keep a close eye on it from where she looked around. Besides, it wasn't very busy in the store and they had been the only ones in that particular section of the store. Riley wouldn't rush Ashlyn while she shopped, because he not only knew better, but he wanted her to get what she wanted, not what she would simply settle for.

When his girlfriend seemed to be finished shopping, Riley still holding Amber in his left arm, pushed the stroller with a sleeping Ruby in it. As the couple walked to the counter together, Riley let go of the stroller and reached around to his back right pocket and pulled his wallet out and handed it to his girlfriend. "I'm going to go put the girls in the car," he spoke. "I just cashed my paycheck, so it'll cover everything," Riley stated. "I love you," he muttered sweetly, kissing his girlfriend's lips softly before putting his hand back on the stroller and pushing it out of the store and through the parking lot until he reached his car.

[ashlyn noelle walsh]

Ashlyn heard Riley's speech about how she only had what she thought she deserved, not more. What Riley didn't know was that Ashlyn had been saving little by little of any money she would have that was extra. That money is what kept her safe. It was only a few hundred dollars, definitely not enough for a new apartment but enough for doctor's visits or what have you.

Ashlyn couldn't help but look to Riley with admiration. Even with all the fighting and stress, their relationship was worth it to her. They now had a family, two beautiful baby daughters. Riley was the man Ashlyn was going to spend the rest of her life with. She knew that years ago but even without a ring, Ashlyn was going to be with Riley forever. She knew that.

Hearing Amber's cries quiet down as soon as Riley started bouncing her softly in his arms, Ashlyn grinned. Amber was definitely a daddy's girl. Ashlyn then turned her attention, only half of it, to continue shopping. She still was already keeping an ear and eye out for her children. If Ruby were to awake, Ashlyn would be right on top of things and coming over to the stroller to soothe her.

When Ashlyn re-joined Riley, he was holding Amber in one arm and willing to push the stroller with the other. He was more of a natural at being a dad than he had thought he would be. When they reached the counter, the cashier commented on how cute the girls were. Ashlyn said a polite thank you as Riley took his wallet out of his pocket and handed it to Ashlyn. She looked to him. "Are you sure?" But his next string of words about just cashing his paycheck answered her question.

She kissed him back lightly as he took the girls to the car. Ashlyn smiled as she turned around. "Some men don't do that you know. Take care of the kids," the cashier commented. Ashlyn nodded "I know. I plan on keeping him," the female said with an air of true love in her voice.

For the next few minutes, Ashlyn put the coupons she had found on the counter with the items they went with. She and the cashier continued to talk about family and boyfriends and babies like most females do. There were a few spurts of laughter before the transaction was finished. "Can I give you my number?" the cashier, who's name was Stephanie, asked. "You seem like such a natural for having such young babies and well," she said as she stepped out from behind the counter to reveal a baby bump. "I'd love to have your advice and just someone to talk to," Stephanie added with a bit of shyness.

Ashlyn warmly smiled and nodded and said "Sure" as Stephanie took a scrap piece of receipt paper and scribbled her phone number down with her name written under it. Ashlyn gave her a sweet smile as she grabbed her bags and left the store. On her way to the car, she got more and more excited that she had made a friend. Ashlyn wasn't shy per say but she was not any good at making friends and felt that she'd be worse now that she had kids. Apparently, it was making her better at it.

Once she reached the car, she noticed that the girls were already in the car and Riley was putting the now folded stroller in the back. She walked up to him, kissed his cheek quickly as he was standing up then let him move out of the way so that she could put the bags in the trunk as well. "So guess what?" Ashlyn asked Riley as she finished putting the bags away and closed the trunk of the car. "I made a new friend," she said and looked to him with a beaming smile as she walked over to the passenger's side and got into the car.

[riley andrew davenport]

As soon as Riley had made it out of the store and to the car, he began putting the twins and their belongings into the vehicle. It wasn't long before the girls were settled in their car seats and Riley was folding up the stroller to stow away in the trunk. Looking up for a brief moment, Riley noticed Ashlyn walking over to the car. When she began putting her purchases into the trunk next to the stroller, she spoke about a new friend. The new parents put every bag into the trunk, closed it, then got into the car, Riley in the driver's seat. "Did you really?" the male questioned, starting the vehicle and putting it into drive.

Pulling out of the parking lot, Riley listened to his girlfriend talk about said new friend. Instead of heading home, Riley drove off to the studio he was always recording at. Knowing that Ashlen would question him about where he was taking them, Riley looked over at her for a moment, "The studio called while you were still in the store. I have to sign a few papers before we can head home. What do you want to do for dinner?" he questioned. "We can do anywhere you want to, no limits," Riley said for the first time in a very long time.

When the male made it to the studio, he parked the car, kissed Ashlyn softly, and told her that he'd only be a few minutes. It really did just take a few minutes for the dirty blond haired male to run into the studio, sign a few papers, and get something from his manager. When all was said, signed, and done, Riley went back out to the car. When he got in again, he looked to his girlfriend, "Did you figure out where you want to go for dinner yet?" he asked.