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Chap 17 The past week has been a rocky one at the Ashton household. Ned and Alexis are walking on eggshells with each other. They are a constant hot topic in the gossip columns and it�s beginning to get to them. Brooke is beginning to pick up on the tenseness between Ned and Alexis and has begun to cling to Alexis more than usual. Not really wanting Ned to have much to do to her, even Kristen has started to become more of a mama�s girl also. She has also been sick and really only Alexis could calm her. Ned felt like he was kicked in the stomach, he couldn�t calm his little girl anymore. Their trip to New York is still as planned, but Ned isn�t to sure that he will be able to take them now with the new developments with his work. Julia still being in town isn�t helping the matter much either. Ned recently has begun to realize Alexis was right, he is hardly ever home and when he is Julia is calling or saying there is a problem. His girls hardly even know him anymore. He and Alexis haven�t had sex in a week. Ned walks in the house around 6:00 o�clock. It�s a first in a long time since he has been able to get home before dinner and before the girls go to bed. He walks in the front door, it�s quite, no little foots steps to run up to greet him, no laughter from his baby girl and no �hello� kiss from his wife. He wondered where they could be. He looked for a note or something to let him know where they had gone but he found nothing. He dialed Alexis� cell phone. �Alexis Ash..ton� Alexis answered the phone. �Hey, sweetheart where are you. I was hoping to have dinner with you and the girls, maybe order pizza or something.� Ned said as he sat down on the couch. �We are at the mall..I am picking up a few things for our trip to New York next week. I was just gonna drive through a drive threw or something to get Brooke something on the way home. Are you still at the office. Do you want me to bring you something up there to eat?� Alexis asked Ned �No actually I am at home. I brought some work home I wanted you to look over, legal stuff. But I�ll just go to the mansion, maybe cook might have something cooked. You guys have fun shopping. Try not to spend all my money.� Ned said and he leaned his head back onto the couch. �No you don�t have to go up to the mansion. We can come home and order pizza. I was just going to buy the girls some warmer clothes and some new dresses for our trip. I can do that anytime. So we will be home in a few minutes� Alexis said glancing at the girls in the back seat. �Honey, are you sure. I don�t want you to..� Alexis interrupted him �No it�s the first in days since you are home at a decent hour and we want to spend it with you. So order us that pizza!� Alexis told Ned �I love you. You�re to good to me� Ned said smiling �Yea, yea..I know. I love you too. Bye.� Alexis smiled and hung up. �Change in plans girls, we are going back home. Daddy�s home and he ordered us pizza� Alexis said more to Brooke then them both. �Really? Daddy�s home..and I am not asleep? Oh Goodie!!� Brooke smiled at Alexis. Ned ordered the pizza then hopped in the shower. He took a nice hot shower washing away the stress of the day. 20 minutes later he got out and put on pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Ned walked down stairs and got his guitar out of the hall closet. He hadn�t played it in ages. He sat on the couch and just strummed a few chords and hummed. Alexis and the girls pull into the driveway. Brooke bounds from the car as soon as Alexis puts it in park. Alexis laughs. Brooke knocks on the door. Alexis walk up behind her with a sleeping Kristen. �Are we just a little excited to be home?� Alexis laughed as she asked Brooke. Alexis went to put the key in the door. �Let me do it� Brooke said turning the key. She flung the door open and ran over to Ned �Daddy!� She said as she flung herself in his lap. Ned hugged her and kissed her cheek. He sat her back in his lap and put his guitar on the floor beside him. �Well hello to you to, princess.� Ned sat Brooke on the couch and walked over to Alexis and took the diaper bag from her and placed it on the stairs. He kissed Kristen�s head. �She feels cooler. I guess her fever as died down� Alexis looked down at Kristen �For now..at night it usually shoots back up. But she is getting better.� She looked at Ned and smiled �It�s great to have you home at a decent hour.� �It�s great to be home too.� Ned put his hands on Alexis waist pulling here as close as he could without squishing Kristen asleep in Alexis arms. Ned kisses Alexis softly on the lips. The kiss was about to become more when the door bell rang. Brooke hopped off the couch running to the door. �Pizza man!� Ned and Alexis stopped kissing and smiled leaning their foreheads on each others. �I had better get that before she wrestles the man for it.� Ned kissed her again and answered the door. They finish eating and Alexis took the girls up for their bath. Alexis is in the bathroom getting the water ready and the phone rings. She answers it �Hello?� �Alexis? Uh..Hello, is Ned there? I need to speak with him on a business matter.� �He is busy at the moment Julia, can I take amessage? He�ll have to call you back.� Alexis said as Ned walked in the room with both girls in his arms. �Well it�s really important and it will only take a minute� Julia said causing Alexis to roll her eyes. She looked at Ned getting the girls in the tub. He splashes Brooke in the face and she giggles. �Julia I�ll tell him you called and if he calls you back he calls you back, but don�t blame me if he doesn�t.� She said as she hung up the phone. She stood in the doorway watching Ned bathe the girls. It had been along time since he had the time to help Alexis get the girls ready for bed and Julia wasn�t about to spoil it. Alexis walked over and knelt down beside Ned. Brooke�s head was full of shampoo bubbles and sticking out in all directions. Kristen sat in her little bath seat chewing on her fists. She smiled up at Alexis when she noticed her sitting there. Alexis poured a cup of water over her head causing her to catch her breath and blink her eyes. They all laughed at her facial expression, Kristen went to cry, but laughed since everyone else was laughing. |
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