Stolen Love (6 page)

“She and Cousin Dru took me and my other cousins to a rodeo. It was fun.”

Ashley said, “I know Tiffany, she was my best friend. I went to see her and your cousin Dru before I came here.”

Marley exclaimed, “You know Tiffany!”

Ashley said, “Let's go eat, I'll tell you the story about Tiffany and me and how we met your cousin Dru and your Daddy.”

After lunch, they went outside on the swings. She told her daughter how they all met that summer. About all the fun she and Tiffany had with Charles and Dru, and that when the summer was over she and Tiffany went back to school.

“It was our last year of high school and your cousin Dru and your daddy went off to college.”

“When I found out that I was pregnant with you, I stayed in school until you were born. Later I went back and finished.”

“I went to college. That's where I saw Tiffany again. My parents weren't able to keep you so Charles’ parents took you and he finished law school.”

“I finished the next year.” That's the story Charles told Ashley he told Marley.

She said to Marley, “I met someone else and I married him, but it didn't work out, so we got a divorce.”

Ashley continued, “I am so sorry it took me so long to come see you. I knew you were safe.”

Marley said, “’That was then.’ My grandma said to me , ‘When you do see your mother, no matter how long it takes, and what ever she tells you just remember that, that was then and this is now, and now is what matters.’”

Marley said to her mom “I'm glad you’re here.”

Ashley hugged her daughter and said, “I love you, and I wish I had had a chance to meet your grandparents. They sound amazing.”

They started swinging. Charles came out to join them, they swung for a while.

Marley said, “Let's walk around the ranch like me and grandpa used to do.”

“Daddy, when I get tired you got to carry me on your back like grandpa did.”

Dad agreed and said, “Let's go.”

They went for a long walk, came back, and watched television together.

That evening they went out for dinner. The next morning Marley went off to school.

Charles and Ashley went to work.

Ashley called Tiffany and Tiffany asked, “Where have you been, I've been calling you for months? Are you back in
Arizona
?”

She said, “No I'm in Promise,
Texas
, with Charles.”

“I had an accident, I was in the hospital for a while, but Charles is letting me stay in his guesthouse.”

Tiffany says, “Are you alright now?”

She replied, “Yes, but I need to talk to you about Marley.”

Tiffany said, “Yes you do, Charles told us a story about a girl from Promise, but I knew that wasn't true.”

“When I first saw Marley, she looked just like you, and the name Marley, I knew you were her mother.”

“I knew then that Charles was the one that attacked you that night. You told me that your baby died. Why did you say that?”

Ashley said, “I don't know, I thought she was gone and I would never see her again.”

“I'm sorry for lying to you,” Ashley said.

Tiffany asked, “When you came here, you knew Charles had her then, didn't you?”

She answered “Yes.”

Tiffany asked Ashley, “Why didn't you tell me then?”

“I didn't tell you, Ashley, because I wasn't sure if you knew already.”

Ashley answered, “I knew you wanted to tell me something.”

Tiffany said, “I wanted to call Charles and tell him you were headed there, but then I thought, ‘It has been nearly nine years ago and that's between you and Charles.’”

“So, what happens now?” she asked.

Ashley said, “I can't leave her.”

Tiffany asked, “What about Charles?”

Ashley replied, “I don't know. I came here so full of hate that I had an accident and ended up in the hospital.”

“They both stood by me and I didn't remember who they were. He took me in and cared for me for months.”

“When I remembered, at first Charles was shocked, and then he was glad I was there.”

“I thought Marley was going to hate me, but so much love poured out of her.”

“I wanted him to pay for what he did to me. But through the heart of that little girl he lifted me up so high.”

“Right now I don't know what to feel about him, or how to understand him.”

“All I know is I'm not leaving my daughter and she's not leaving her father.”

Tiffany said, “He loves you Ashley. When I was talking to him, I wanted him to pay, too. But, I think we both know he did.”

“I know you see it in Marley.” Tiffany continued, “She's beautiful because that's the way her daddy raised her.”

“He knew he was setting himself up for when he got custody. He still didn't care, he wanted her to be with family, and he wanted his daughter.”

“What if she was with strangers that didn't love her? So many children are abused by foster and adoptive families.”

“He wanted his daughter safe.” Tiffany added.

“So, Ashley, what ever you want to do, I'm with you, but I need you to promise me something now.”

Ashley asked, “What?”

Tiffany said, “When you left here to go see Charles, I told Dru you were Marley's mom and you got pregnant by Charles, but you didn't put your baby up for adoption your parents did because of your age.”

“Dru doesn't know about the attack, so whatever you and Charles decide. Promise me that you will never tell my husband the truth.”

Ashley replied, “I think that's best for the whole family. This family is very close and now I'm a part of it.”

“But I will stand by you anytime.” Tiff vowed.

Ashley said, “I won’t hurt Marley. I love her so much and Charles never talked bad about me to her.”

“She always believed him and even his parents talked to her positively about me and they didn't even know me.”

Tiffany said to her, “They knew you through Charles. They were beautiful people and Marley was their life.”

“They were so proud to be her grandparents. It was so hard for her when they died.”

Tiffany told Ashley that she had to go because she was due in court and to call her later. They both hung up their phones.

Charles walked into the area where Ashley was working and said, “Hey, you are on the payroll now.”

“These are your first two cases, let me know if you need help.”

She looked at Charles and he said, “Get your paper work done.”

He winked at her, she watched him walk away. All she saw was a strong man that was loving and caring.

She got her two cases set and ready for court. Two weeks later Ashley won both cases.

That evening Charles went into Ashley's office and told her he would be home later because he had a meeting to attend.

Ashley went home to Marley. They had supper together and talked about Marley's day at school.

Marley asked her mom, “Do you want to see some home videos of me that grandpa recorded when I was younger?”

Her mom answered, “I would love to see them!”

They went upstairs to Marley's room and watched the videos together. Ashley started to cry while watching the videos.

Marley asked her mom, “Do you want me to turn it off because I didn't mean to upset you.”

Ashley replied, “No, I'm just glad to have the opportunity to see you when you were younger.”

Ashley hugged her baby girl and they continued watching the videos.

After an hour, Marley fell asleep and Ashley finished watching the videos that Marley had sitting on the desk in her room.

After she watched them she began putting them back where they belonged and went downstairs to wait for Charles.

Charles came home from his meeting. Ashley told him that she watched the videos of Marley growing up.

Ashley said to Charles, “I'm glad I had the chance to see her grow up on the videos, because I thought I had missed that time in her life.” Ashley told Charles, “I’m staying in Marley’s room with her tonight.”

They said goodnight to each other. Ashley went into Marley's room, kissed her on the forehead, and went to sleep.

Her feelings for Charles strengthened, but she could not tell him, yet she needed to tell someone.

The next morning she told Charles she was driving her car to work because there was something she wanted to do that evening.

That evening Ashley went to Charles parents’ grave.

She sat on the ground by the graves. She started talking to his mother, telling her that she was so confused about Charles.

She said that she loved him for the way he raised Marley. But, she hated him for what he did to her.

“I will try to get past that; being around him feels do good. Seeing him with my baby is so beautiful.”

“They love each other and they both love me. I love my little girl, it's like you can't love her without loving him because all he ever taught her was love.”

“I'll tell you this, I can never tell my mother that I'm with my daughter and her father. She will never understand this.”

“You took my child and raised her to be a sweet and beautiful child.”

“My mother could have taken her, too.” Ashley started to cry. “She didn't even let me see her!”

“She just took her away. That's not what I wanted.” She moaned, “She was my baby, I wanted to keep her.”

“She didn't stand by me like you did for Charles. When Charles and I were younger, he told me he loved me.”

“I'm staying here because of Marley.”

“I want to know him. I see now the kind of man he is, loving and kind, but he hurt me.”

“When I found out he had my baby, I was so full of hate. When I came to Promise, I saw Charles and Marley at the feed store. I ran out in front of a car. Because I hated him, I wasn't looking!”

“I wanted to take my daughter and let the law handle him. When I was hit, it was like something telling me, ‘that’s not the right way.’”

“He took me home with him, not knowing who I was. He could have walked away, but he didn't.”

“It was as if I needed to know him. If I approached him that day I would have torn down all the love he taught her.”

“I didn't think about what I was going to do to her. I just wanted to hurt him.”

“Now I'm having all these feelings for him. It feels good being with him and Marley every evening. But going to bed alone . . . I think about how he hurt me—but—how much he loves me.”

“I can't seem to get past the hur,. but I want to. I need something to help me. I'm so lost please help me tell me what to do.”