Fanfiction Take My Hand | 5SOS Ashton (1 Viewer)

[ChiaraStar169]

reserved for character profiles, see below for first chapter

 

[ChiaraStar169]

Chapter 1

POTENTIAL CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNING: mild violence

“Ah, entering California!” my boyfriend Nick announced as we crossed the Nevada-California state line. We were on the second and final leg of our return from a couple’s vacation in the Rocky Mountains. This served as a babymoon before our twins were due to arrive.

The twins aren’t our first pregnancy. We also have a three-year-old daughter named Abigail, and she can’t wait for their arrival.

“Great!” I said, feeling a hard kick in my belly. “I think I’m in labor.”

Nick went pale and swerved to avoid an oncoming car. “What?! You’re only 32 weeks pregnant!”

I laughed. “It was a joke, babe; I just felt one of the babies kicking, is all.”

Nick sighed. “Well, don’t scare me like that!”

“Sorry.”

Nick and I talked about our favorite parts of the vacation for the next hour, only stopping because the car suddenly stalled.

“Goddammit!” Nick sputtered, unsuccessfully trying to start the car again.

“What’s wrong, Trev?” I asked.

“Well, what does it look like, Katrina?! The fucking car died!”

“Babe, please – your temper!”

When he gets pissed or annoyed, Nick tends to bring out a very hot temper.

“Don’t fucking ‘babe’ me! Just shut up so I can call a tow truck.”

Nick fumbled with his phone for a bit, but instead of putting it to his ear to make the call, he let out an exasperated sigh. “Fucking phone died, too,” he mumbled.

“Here, let me try,” I said. I took my phone out of my purse, but after rapidly tapping on the screen about five or six times in a row, I realized that I, too, had a dead battery. I made a “tsk” sound with my lips to show my frustration as I put the phone back where it was.

“Not you, too!” Nick shouted.

“Yeah, I’m afraid so. I guess we’ll have to flag somebody down.”

Nick and I got out of the car and would frantically wave our arms at every car that came by. Nobody was biting for a while, and I was starting to lose hope when I saw a car slowing to a stop by the side of the road. It was an expensive looking one, probably a Lexus, and as soon as it parked, out popped a guy around my age. He was short and muscular with longish, wavy blond hair and a goatee.

“Need help, mates?” he asked in an Australian accent.

“Yeah, our car broke down, and both of our phones are dead,” Nick explained.

“Yeah, do you have a jump starter or something?” I added.

“I sure do,” the guy said. “I like your top, by the way – it’s cute.” The last part was said in a flirtatious tone, which made Nick hot under the collar again.

“You did NOT just flirt with my GIRLFRIEND!” Nick snapped.

“Well, she seems a respectable young woman who deserves a nice compliment,” the guy defended as he used the jump cord to get the car running again.

“Then what the fuck was with your tone?! You were totally trying to steal my girl!”

“Guys, please!” I begged. “You’re stressing me out.”

“Stay out of this, bitch; I’m in the middle of something!” Nick barked, punching me in the face.

“See what you just did, barmpot?!” the new guy retorted to Nick. Meanwhile, I put my hands on my face to inspect the damage. “That is NOT how a girl should be treated, especially the one you supposedly love!”

“She’s mine; I can do whatever the fuck I want!”

“Not anymore, she’s not! As far as I’m concerned, you might as well consider yourself dumped and single!”

“And you’ll never get to see our children again, either!” I added.

Nick would’ve pushed me to the ground if it hadn’t been for the other guy’s intervention. He kneed Nick in the gonads and asked me if I was alright.

“No,” I said, my face still buried in my hands. “I think my face is bleeding.”

“Your face?” he repeated. “Let me see.”

My rescuer told me to remove my hands and gasped at what he saw. “Holy fuck! Look at that bruise on your nose!”

“How big is it?”

“Big enough to send you to the hospital, that’s for sure.” He took a handkerchief out of his pocket and gave it to me. “Use this to stop the bleeding and get in the shotgun seat while I call a tow truck for you. In the meantime, there’s a charging port by the console box.”

“Thank you so much,” I said as I followed his instructions.

“Katrina, get out of that car!” I heard Nick order me as I watched Ashton get my suitcase out of my trunk. “I’m not done with you yet!”

“I told you to get out of my life!” I fired back. “I’d run before I make the other guy call the cops if I were you.”

Nick put his hands up in surrender. “Fine! But this isn’t the last you’ll see of Nick Donnelly!”

*****

“I heard your ex-boyfriend address you as Katrina,” the guy asked when we got to our first red light.

“My full name is Katrina, but my friends call me Katie unless I’m in trouble,” I said. “What’s yours?”

“Ashton’s my name; don’t wear it out!” he quipped, making me laugh. “I think Katrina is a beautiful name for a beautiful girl like you. Where were you and the other bloke headed?”

“Home from vacation. We’d gone to the Rockies for a babymoon this week.”

“I did notice your baby bump. How far along are you?”

“Thirty-two weeks with twins.”

“Congratulations! Are they boys, girls, or both?”

“I don’t know yet; it’s a surprise.”

“Surprises are always fun, aren’t they?”

“Totally!”

The hospital was a short drive from where my car broke down, and when we got there, Ashton told me he couldn’t stay because he had to be in Chula Vista by four.

“Do you think you’ll be fine on your own?” he asked before he left.

“Yeah, I can manage,” I said. “Thanks for dumping Nick for me. I wouldn’t have had the guts to otherwise.”

Ashton gasped. “Rubbish! I heard your tone when you told him to get out of your life. That was very savage of you.”

I blushed with a mixture of shyness and embarrassment. “Yeah, well… you provoked me to, really. But thanks for saving me, too.”

“Not a problem at all! I have to run now, but it was nice talking with you, Katie.”

“You, too.”

 

[ChiaraStar169]

Chapter 2

As it turned out, my septum had been deviated from the blow to my face, so the hospital transferred me to the one I use so it could be fixed there. That way, I wouldn’t have such a long ride home afterwards.

I woke up from surgery just as a nurse was getting me set up in my hospital room. It was late evening now, and the sun was just starting to set.

“Pretty sunset,” I commented woozily. The anesthesia hadn’t completely worn off yet. “What time is it now?”

“Nine seventeen,” the nurse answered. “Your surgery went very well tonight, and we’re thinking you can go home in the morning.”

“That’s great. Am I still pregnant?”

“Yes, ma’am – your twins are still cooking in there. I’ll leave you alone now so you can get some sleep, alright?”

“Okay, thanks.”

My dad picked me up the next morning after breakfast, and when he led me to the car, the front passenger seat was all set up for me. It was lined with a blanket, and there was a pillow against the back of the seat.

“I still can’t believe that deadbeat boyfriend of yours had the audacity to hurt you like this,” he remarked as he drove out of the parling lot and towards the highway. “You should’ve let him go a long time ago.”

“Yeah, I know,” I said. “But we were in love a long time ago.”

“He was nothing short of rude, disrespectful, and may I remind you again his attitude towards our family? In fact, you dodged a major bullet by dumping him yesterday – the cops just arrested him for sexually assaulting a teenaged girl.”

“Really?” I asked, my eyes wide now.

“Yep! So, tell me about this new guy. Asher?”

“It’s Ashton, and we’re just acquaintances; no big deal. It’s not like I’ll ever see him again, anyway.”

Dad chuckled. “You never know, maybe you will. By the way, your friend Lauren called last night and wants to talk to you.”

“Oh, okay; thanks for letting me know.”

I took my phone and tapped on the notification for the missed call from Lauren, which prompted the phone to call her.

“Hey, you called last night?” I said after she answered.

“Yeah!” Lauren confirmed. “I heard about what happened yesterday. Are you and the baby alright?”

“Yeah, we’re all good. But guess what? I finally got rid of Nick!”

Lauren gave a smug laugh. “It’s about damn time, girl! What made you decide to do it?”

“Well, let me tell you all the details…”

I spilled all the tea on how I ended up in the hospital and why I dumped Nick, and when I was done, Lauren said:

“Oh, my God, that’s horrible! I’m glad you’re not with him anymore, though. So, listen. The friend I was going with to the 5 Seconds of Summer concert tomorrow, bailed out last minute, and I really don’t want to sell the tickets because they’re pit tickets. Can you go with me?”

“Lauren, you know I don’t listen to that kind of music. Can’t you find somebody else?”

“Aw, come on!” she protested. “My parents are out of town, and all of our other friends have prior commitments. Please, Katie?”

I sighed. “Okay, but only because we’re besties will I come. What time is the concert?”

“Awesome! It’s at eight; meet me at the venue at six so we can get good spots. Thank you so much!”

“Hey, don’t mention it.”

 

[ChiaraStar169]

Chapter 3

“So, tell me about this band,” I prompted Lauren after the opening act finished their set at the concert. They were a female-fronted band called Hey Violet, and they were very good.

“Gladly!” Lauren chirped. “They’re a four-man band out of Australia, with Luke Hemmings on lead vocals, Michael Clifford on guitar, Calum Hood on bass, and Ashton Irwin on drums. They formed back in 2011—”

I cut her off. “Stop right there. Did you say one of the members’ names was Ashton? That was the name of the guy who rescued me the other day.”

Lauren froze. “Did he have an Australian accent?!”

“I don’t know, I couldn’t tell. He kind of sounded Australian, but he also sounded kind of British, so I can’t say.”

Just then, I saw a guy walk across the stage carrying a large drum. He looked like Ashton from the other day, but I couldn’t tell because all I could see was his backside.

“Is he in the band?” I asked Lauren, pointing towards the guy with the drum.

“That’s Ashton, the drummer,” she introduced. “Maybe if we scream, we can get his attention.”

I laughed and shook my head in spite of myself. “You’re such a fangirl.”

The guy placed the drum on top of the partially assembled drumkit in the back, and as he was coming back, I realized that this was, indeed, my rescuer from Saturday. Just as I opened my mouth, though, he disappeared backstage.

“So, anyway, they formed in 2011 because Michael wanted to make a garage band to cure his boredom,” Lauren said to me. “He, Luke, and Calum went to school together, and one day, Michael was like, ‘hey, Luke, let’s make a band.’ In April, the three of them started playing local bars and small venues, and then a few months later, they realized they needed a drummer.”

“Is that when Ashton came into play?”

“Yeah! Michael reached out to him on Facebook, and after a while of him tentatively being in the band, Calum made it official.”

“So, let’s see if I remember correctly. Michael is the lead singer, Luke is on guitar, and Calum on bass?”

Lauren giggled. “You confused Luke with Michael – Michael was the founding member, but Luke fronts the band. It’s kind of like how in the band Fall Out Boy, everybody thinks the bass player is the lead singer because he started it all, but in reality, the lead singer is a different member.”

I shook my head in confusion. Lauren always name-drops these bands I’ve never heard of without any context, which I find a little annoying. “Fall Out Boy?”

“Yeah, you’ve heard the song ‘Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down’ on the radio, haven’t you?”

This provoked a lightbulb moment in my brain, and I nodded in understanding. “Oh… right, right. Go ahead.”

“So yeah, it’s Luke who sings lead in 5SOS and Michael who plays guitar. You’ll get to know them after they come on.”

“That’s interesting!” I commented just as the lights went down in the stadium. Then, a smokescreen came into view onstage. When it cleared, I saw the four guys in the band playing something on their instruments. I liked the drum beat and the guitar riff and asked Lauren which song this was.

“It’s called ‘Try Hard’,” she explained. “Do you like it?”

“Oh, yeah!”

***

The concert was actually pretty good. I liked a lot of the songs they played, and after a song called “Heartbreak Girl”, Luke came up front to talk to us.

“Los Angeles! How are we feeling tonight?!” he shouted into the mic.

All the fans screamed to show their appreciation.

“How is it up there in the nosebleed sections?”

More screams.

“How about down here in the pit? How are you all?!”

Our section got so loud that I had to cover my ears for a second until the noise died down.

Luke looked around the stadium until his eyes averted back to the pit. Then, he announced, “Oh! We have a pregnant fan in the audience tonight!”

“Oh, my God, Katie!” Lauren squealed. “That’s you!”

“Aye, Ash, didn’t you say you met a pregnant girl just the other day?” Michael asked the drummer.

Ashton laughed. “Nah, that’s not her, mate. She didn’t know who I was before I introduced myself.”

Luke smirked and seemed to have an idea. “If your name is Katie and you’re pregnant—”

“No, Luke!” Ashton protested.

“—come on up here!” Luke finished, ignoring Ashton.

“Should I go up there?” I asked Lauren nervously.

“You should!” Lauren urged. “At least go say hi!”

I sighed but decided to go with it. By this time, Luke had his hand out, so I took it as he helped me up.

“Katie?!” Ashton exclaimed in shock. He stepped down from the drumkit and approached me with a brisk gait. He then made a hand gesture for Luke to continue with his speech. “Katie, I didn’t know you were a fan!”

I blushed the deepest pink in existence. “A-Ashton?” I stuttered. “Ashton, the guy who dumped my ex, Ashton?”

“Yes, how did you know?” Ashton asked with a sly smile. “I didn’t think I’d see you here tonight, because you barely knew me before I introduced myself.”

“Well, to be honest, I was actually dragged here by my best friend. I wouldn’t have come, but she begged me after another friend backed out.”

“Do you like us now, though?”

“Yeah, you’re pretty cool.”

Calum tapped Ashton on the shoulder and stage whispered, “Ashton, we’re about to play ‘American Idiot’. Go back to your drums!”

“We’ll chat later. Meet us at the Holiday Inn after the show.”

I smiled, nodded, and went back to my spot.

 

[ChiaraStar169]

Chapter 4

POTENTIAL CONTENT WARNING: mention of nudity

After the concert, Lauren joined me as I met up with the guys at their hotel. We were told to wait a moment so the receptionist could page their room, so we sat down in the little waiting area in the lobby.

A couple of minutes later, Ashton came into view from the elevator wearing a more comfortable outfit than what he had on during the show.

“Hey, Katie,” he greeted. “Who’s your friend?”

“Lauren Hayes,” Lauren introduced herself. “My son and I are obsessed with you guys.”

“How long have you known each other?”

“We met in fifth grade when Katie was the new kid in my class. We clicked right away, and now we live next door to each other!”

“Yeah, I’d just moved in from Hazel Green, Alabama,” I added. “Seeing all the palm trees and the continuously hot temperatures was a huge culture shock for me, and during class, I’d sit in the back because I didn’t know anybody.”

“Yeah, and then our seat assignments got switched and you ended up next to me,” Lauren said. “Remember?”

I laughed. “Vividly. Ashton, our first interaction was actually me nervously asking Lauren for a pencil because, in my state of anxiety, I’d managed to chew mine in half.”

“And I gave her one she could keep,” Lauren said.

“That’s cool!” Ashton said. “I was the new kid at one point as well. It was a smaller, intercity move, but I remember being just as nervous as you were.”

“What grade were you in?” I asked him.

“I was in Year 9, so a freshman in an American high school. Michael was my first interaction, and we quickly became friends, in real life and on Facebook.”

“And that’s how Michael knew to reach out to you for your drumming gig,” I finished.

“Exactly! Well, we’re all done with our showers, so why don’t you girls follow me?”

“Absolutely!” Lauren and I chorused. We followed Ashton upstairs to the guys’ hotel room, where Luke, Michael, and Calum were chilling on the large white couch in the den and chowing down on some pizza.

“Well, hello there,” Michael greeted us, making more eye contact with Lauren than with me. “I’m Michael.”

Lauren giggled. “I know; you’re my favorite member. I’m Lauren, and this is my friend Katie.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. Would you girls like some pizza? It’s got the works.”

“Sure! That’s my favorite kind.”

“What about you, Katie? Would you fancy any?” Luke offered.

“You know it!” I affirmed.

“Well, why don’t you have a seat, stay awhile?” Michael suggested, scooting over to make room for me and Lauren. As soon as we sat down, I grabbed a slice of pizza and took a bite.

“Oh, this is delicious! Where did you get it from?”

“The San Marino Pizzeria. Their stuff is the best, isn’t it?”

“It sure is!” I agreed as I swallowed and went in for another bite.

“What was your favorite part of the show, girls?” Luke wanted to know.

“Probably when you called me up onstage,” I admitted. “As embarrassed as that made me feel, I actually kind of enjoyed your attention.”

“That was mine, too,” Lauren added.

After we finished our pizza, Michael asked us if we wanted to stay the night, since it was getting late.

“Sorry, can’t,” I said. “I told my daughter’s sitter I’d be back by midnight.”

“Oh, this isn’t your first pregnancy, then?” Ashton asked.

“No, it’s my second. My daughter is two, and her name is Abigail.”

“Ah, I see. Well, I hope you have a good night’s sleep. But before you go, I was thinking about us meeting at Starbucks in the morning for coffee.” Ashton winked after he said this, sending goosebumps up my spine.

“I love that idea! There’s one by my house in Lake Forest; let me give you, the address.”

After I did that, I noticed Lauren and Michael weren’t in the room anymore.

“Where’d Lauren and Michael go?” I asked.

“Oh, they went into the bedroom over there,” Luke said, ponting to his right.

I walked out of the den and into the bedroom on the right, only to see Lauren and Michael having sex under the sheets.

“Oh, my God, where’s the eye bleach?!” I exclaimed. “Lauren, get your clothes on and let’s go.”

“Uh…” Michael said hesitantly. “We’re in the middle of something right now. I’m kind of… inside of her.”

I slapped my hand to my forehead. “Good Lord! You’ve penetrated her already?! I hope you put a condom on.”

“He did, but I didn’t,” Lauren said.

I sighed with frustration. “I guess you can stay for the night, but I’m going home.”

“Okay, have a good night,” Michael said to me.

“I’ll call you in the morning and tell you how it went,” Lauren added.

Without another word, I dashed out of the room and the hotel as fast as I could and drove home.

 

[ChiaraStar169]

Chapter 5

The next morning after I dropped Abigail off with my parents, I met up with Ashton at Starbucks for our date. I saw him standing by the door as I pulled into the parking lot, and he waved when I got out.

“Good morning, sunshine,” he greeted with a smile. “How did you sleep?”

“I slept pretty well,” I said, taking Ashton’s hand as he led me inside. “What about you?”

“I slept like a rockstar – pun intended. So, what’s your fancy?”

I laughed. “Pun taken. I usually get the white chocolate mocha frappe. You?”

Ashton laughed. “That’s what I get, too! What a coincidence!”

After he placed our orders, Ashton asked me about Abigail.

“She’s a really sweet little girl with loads of energy,” I said. “She has quite the imagination, too, and is very smart for her age.”

“Oh, really?” Ashton asked.

I nodded. “She can already count to 20 and knows her alphabet by heart. She’s also great with shapes and colors.”

“Splendid! And what about the twins? When are they coming?”

“My due date is September 14th.”

“Do you have names for them yet?”

“Not at the moment. Well, Nick and I had names picked out, but now that he’s out of the picture, I don’t think I can give my babies names that we’d both agreed on.”

“That makes sense. So, what do you do for a living?”

“I’m a dog walker. I just love dogs so much, I decided to make it my career.”

“I’m a dog person, myself. I’m actually allergic to cats, so it’s just by default that I prefer dogs.”

I laughed just as the barista called out, “Order for Fletcher?”

“Ah, that’s us!” Ashton said, getting up from his seat to retrieve our drinks. When he came back, I asked who Fletcher was.

“It was my mum’s maiden name, and then she passed it on to my as my middle name.”

“That’s cool; I like the name Fletcher. It was one of the names Nick and I had agreed on, though, so I can’t use it.”

“What other names do you like?”

I paused first to take a sip. Then, I listed off all the names I was considering for the twins, finishing with, “Which names do you think would go the best together?”

“I would think Harper and Skylar would work together. They’re both five letters long and they have the same initial vowel.”

“Oh, yeah – I never thought about that before! Those are definitely going on my short list for boy/girl twins.” I changed the subject. “So, back to dogs – do you have any?”

“Yes, a Jack Russell called Indie. Do you want to see a picture?”

I accepted his offer, and he showed me a picture on his phone of himself holding a gorgeous Jack Russell puppy in his arms. “Aw, she’s a puppy!” I gushed. “How did you adopt her?”

“She was rescued from a puppy mill. She was extremely skittish when I first brought her home, but now she’s the sweetest girl you’d ever meet. Do you have pets?”

“My Luna was rescued from a dog hoarder and was also skittish at first. She’s a yellow Lab.”

“How does Abigail like her?”

“She adores her. I’m thinking of getting her a puppy of her own; that way, she’d start learning responsibility early on.”

“That’s a good idea! How long have you been walking dogs?”

“Since I graduated high school. I started out walking the neighbors’ dogs, and then I started looking into joining a dog walking agency.”

Ashton leaned in closer. “Who do you work for now?”

“I’m actually still independent. I did look into agencies, like I just said, but none of them have worked out for me, so I made my own!”

“That’s cool. I love a woman with a good head on her shoulders.”

Ashton and I continued the conversation, and in the meantime, we discovered that we had a lot in common, like our favorite foods and our tastes in TV shows and movies.

“Thanks for the date,” I said before we parted ways. “I enjoyed your company.”

“And I, yours,” Ashton reciprocated. “Perhaps we shall meet again someday?”

“That sounds good. Do you have my number?”

“I don’t believe I do. What is it?”

I gave Ashton my number, and then we said goodbye and went our separate ways.

 

[ChiaraStar169]

Chapter 6

Ashton and I went back and forth for the next two months through calls, texts, and the frequent FaceTime call. During that time, I started to really feel a connection to Ashton, and it seemed like the feeling was mutual, because he always got excited whenever I was the one to initiate the call or text.

I was helping Abigail get ready for bed on the night of September 13th when my phone rang with a call from Lauren.

“Hey, what’s up?” I asked her.

“Katie, guess what – I’m pregnant!” she cried.

“Oh, I didn’t know you were seeing somebody. Whose baby is it?”

Lauren laughed. “No, not a boyfriend – Michael! Remember that night when you caught us having sex?”

“Oh, my goodness gracious…” I mumbled.

“What was that?” Lauren asked.

“I said, ‘Oh, congratulations!’” I lied. “I’m so happy for you. Did you tell Michael yet?”

“He can’t believe it, either. But I am worried about what his parents will think.”

“Don’t sweat it, Lauren! It’ll be fine; just keep your fingers crossed that it goes over well with them. What about your parents?”

Just then, I felt a strong contraction, as I have been off and on all night. “Ooh…” I moaned as I tried to ease the pain.

“What’s wrong?” Lauren asked.

“I think your pregnancy news must’ve triggered something; I just had a painful contraction.”

Lauren gasped. “I’ll be right over to take you to the hospital. Just hang in there, alright?”

***

“So, it looks like you’re at a five,” the nurse concluded after she checked my cervix. Lauren and I had arrived at the labor and delivery ward just ten minutes prior to this. “We definitely need to keep you here; I’m thinking your babies will be here by morning.”

“Can I still get that epidural?” I asked.

“You sure can! I’ll call the anesthesiologist, and he’ll be right with you.”

“Thank you.”

The epidural immediately reduced the amount of pain I was in, and I was actually able to get over four hours of sleep. I was abruptly awakened at 3:30 the next morning, though, by a shriek from Lauren.

“Good Lord, Katie!” Lauren shouted. “I think your water just broke; you’re leaking fluid!”

“Wha…?” I asked groggily. “What’s going on?”

Lauren handed me the pager. “Here, page the nurse. It looks like the babies are finally coming!”

A sudden rush of adrenaline flowed through every inch of my body, and just like that, I was fully awake. I pressed the pager button and told the nurse that my water broke. When she got there, she asked me to spread my legs so she could check my cervix.

“I dare say it’s time,” she said. “You’re at a ten and fully effaced.”

“Can I start pushing now?” I asked the nurse. “I feel like I need to push.”

“You can do some practice pushes, sure. But you need to wait until the doctor gets here to push for real.”

Luckily, Dr. Evans entered the room within minutes. I spent the next three minutes pushing the first baby out, and when I succeeded, Dr. Evans announced that it was a girl.

I let out a moan as I continued to push. “Please let Baby B be a boy, please be a boy, please be a boy!”

“It’s actually another girl!” Dr. Evans said as he caught the baby in his arms. “You have a pair of identical twin girls; congratulations!”

“Would you look at that!” Lauren remarked. “I guess Nick just couldn’t make boys, could he?”

“I guess not,” I said with a smile, anticipating seeing the babies for the first time.

“What do you want to name them?” Dr. Evans asked, placing each newborn on my chest.

“I’m definitely naming Baby A, Harper, as suggested by my date from last night. Baby B would’ve been Parker if she were a boy, but she’s not.”

“Well, Parker can also be a girl name,” Dr. Evans pointed out. “In fact, I delivered a baby girl named Parker just last week.”

“Yeah, but I don’t really like it for a girl. What other names would go well with Harper?”

“How about Skylar?” the nurse suggested. “Was that on your list?”

I smiled. “It was, actually! Harper and Skylar, it is.”

“Those are cute names,” Lauren agreed. She ran her finger down Harper’s back and added, “Hey, girls! I’m your Aunt Lauren!”

Harper started to whimper, followed by full-on crying, so I patted her back to calm her while Lauren held Skylar.

“Harper kind of looks like you, Katie,” Lauren commented. “They both do.”

I giggled. “They do, don’t they?”