Love Is Hard

A few weeks later I had finally begun to paint a room I had ask Justin about for Aliah. He said one of the guest rooms was fine and since her old room was tiny I wanted to make sure she would love this room, at least for a while. We had moved in less than a week after I had gotten back.

"Mom, Justin invited Ali and I to live with him, do you think it would be ok?" I asked her, we were better now. I felt kind of bad for her that they broke up. "You do what you think is right for you both. I don't care."

I didn't like that answer at all. "Ava, I'm serious, do what you think is best. If you think living with Justin is something you want to do, then do it. I'm not telling you can't." I nodded. I understood why my mom was doing this too. So we wouldn't fight again. I had really missed my mom.

I opened up the paint bucket and saw the purple. It was so pretty and I was really happy with the choice Ali had made, Justin did too.

He called me, all the time. He called me after he went to my house in Michigan though. After seeing my dad and Dylan. Well he called me. He really appreciated that from me.

"Hello?" I answered my phone, it was while I was making mac and cheese after moving in. "Ava!" I heard Justin practically yell from the other line. We hadn't talked in two days, it was just so nice to hear his voice. "Justin!" I screamed back. "Hey, I am in your house, its beautiful. I think I found your old room, there are a lot of pictures still here. Why didn't you take them with you?" He asked.

"I really don't know, I brought a lot here with me, but I figured I need to leave memories in my other house too. I don't need them all here in California." I explained. "I love you Ava, I miss you so much." I had only been crying for the past week, I couldn't anymore.

"I miss you and love you too. Oh hey guess what?" I asked trying to lighten the mood, "What?" He asked, he sounded happy. "I get my cast off in 2 weeks!" He just laughed and I did too.

I looked at my untan right wrist. It was still sore but it didn't need a cast anymore. I took the brush out and put it into the paint bucket, starting to paint.

After getting one line painted my phone rang. I answered it, it was Bailey.

"I'm going home for a while. I have to go pack up my things and explain everything to my parents. If it works out, I may just stay right through until after the baby is born." I looked at her like she had lost her mind.

It's August, I couldn't wait until January to see her, if that. It might even be February or March. "Bailey, I'm going to miss you so much." I suddenly felt like the time when she was leaving for college was coming back. She hugged me, "I love you, best friend."

"I love you too." I tried to hold back my tears as I realized everyone was leaving around me. Like always right?

"What did you parents say?" I asked Bailey as we began to talk. She had been there for a week and she finally was going to tell them about her plan to come live here. They were totally accepting of the pregnancy, just like any parent should, that is their grandchild.

"They don't care what I do, but if I move out here, they want to come too." I smiled. "So whats your choice?" I asked. She had an older brother who lived in Northern California already so it wouldn't be a bad thing if they moved out here and he's married and has a kid already, I don't understand how they don't.

"I don't want them to leave, have to pick up and leave because of me, they've spent their entire life in this town. I don't want them to leave everything for me." I heard her explain from the other end of the line.

"It's your choice Bails," I said.

I opened up the front door and there was a man standing there with a package. He was from UPS.

"Package for Ava," He said. I nodded my head, "That's me." He handed it to me and I saw my name on the box. It was my first piece of mail at Justin's house.

I opened it up and there in front of me was a letter,

Ava, I hope you realize why I sent these to you. They deserve to be in our house, not in Michigan. I hope there are a lot of stories that go along with the pictures. I want to hear all about them, in 2 weeks. I will be in LA for 2 days, I have a concert! I love you. I will call you soon.
Love, Justin

There in the box was all the pictures that were in my room. I picked up a few, there were some from the one day senior year a few of us skipped and we went up to the lake and just hung out. There were some from parties and it just brought me back a lot of really good memories.

After painting Ali's room I decided I would go visit Jess. She had to be lonely, considering the doctor put her on bed rest.

"Ava, I am being put on bed rest." Jess told me over the phone. She was only 3 months away from delivery. "Why?" I asked. "Told me, I was too stressed out. Which I was. So now I have to sit at home all day, what am I supposed to do?" She asked. "I will visit you don't worry. I mean you still have to take care of Dani, so you won't be alone." I said.

I would have to go pick up Ali and Jackson from school in a little while so I guess I could go keep my sister company, at least for a little while.

As I arrived at her house I walked in and she was sitting on the couch and I heard her talking. "Dani no, stop." She kept yelling.

"Ava, can you come get her please?" I heard her ask as I walked into the living room. I picked her up, she was just playing on the floor, "Why couldn't she do that?" I asked her. "Because it was on the wood, she has to play on the carpet."

I shook my head, Dani started to cry. I started to rock her and she was getting fussy, "Want me to put her down for a nap?" I asked Jess. She nodded as she just changed the channel.

I brought Dani in her room and put her down in her crib. She grabbed her teddy and I wrapped the blanket around her.

I shut the blinds and turned the baby monitor on before shutting the door and walking back downstairs to my sister. She was laying on the couch and she just looked mad. One week and she was already getting annoyed, she was putting herself into too much stress, which is why the doctor made her go on bed rest.

"I have to go get the kids, I will be back with Jackson, like always." I said smiling, she nodded and I just walked out of the house.

I checked my phone before starting to drive.

See you in 2 days. :)

It was from Justin. He was coming to LA and I couldn't be more excited.

"I just want to see you again." He said, I smiled, "We are video chatting, you can see me right now." He was in North Carolina, it was already 1 there and he was still awake. "Justin you need to get some rest, your concert is tomorrow," I said, "I know, I know, just 5 more minutes. I just miss you so much."

We chatted about everything, we couldn't believe how everything had changed. I showed him what I had changed in his house. He couldn't believe it. "It's so weird, like I didn't ever think I would have to share that place with anyone let alone, my girlfriend and her daughter." He said smiling.

"Ali really likes it here," Justin smiled, "Can I tell you something?" I nodded, he continued, "The other night, when you let her talk to me she called me dad. I didn't say anything because I had to let it sink in. It's ok that she calls me that, I just didn't know how you would take it."

Ali called him dad. I guess Justin was her dad. He was more of a dad than anyone had ever been in her life. "It's ok Justin, if you are alright with that its fine." I smiled. Everything was going to be ok. Starting over was going to be alright.

Love was something I needed to learn and needed to accept would happen and would eventually effect my daughter in some way. He was the reason I began to love again. It was Justin.