Sieze the Day

Brian began to introduce me to everyone in the group by couples. Jimmy and Leana, Johnny and Lacey, Zacky and Genna, and finally Matt and Val. If only he knew, I was related to one of them. Well, Ashlyn wasn't, but who I really am was. That was the main reason I'd followed the band so much. I mean they're good and all, but it's nice to be able to know if your favorite cousin is alright.

Brian had left the little boy for last.

"This is my son." When Brian said this I was shocked. The boy looked nothing like him. Blond hair, blue eyes, and a simple face. I figured that he must look like his mother.

"Hi! I'm Dylan!" the boy said happily.

"Well, hello Dylan. I'm Ashlyn and this is my daughter Elizabeth." Elizabeth stepped up to my side as if on cue.

"Hi, Dylan! Wanna build a sand castle with me?" Elizabeth asked excitedly.

"Sure Elizabeth!" The two of them ran off to build a castle.

"She's a really cute kid." Lacey commented.

"She looks a lot like you." Val added.

"Yeah, but she's a lot like her father too." I sighed.

"Well, he's one lucky guy." Brian said monotonously, as if he was sad about the mentioning of a father.

"Not really." They looked at me with questioning looks.

"Why's that?" Zacky asked.

"Well, I don't like telling the story, but I guess I can. I was seventeen when I had gotten pregnant with Elizabeth. I told her father and the day he had planed to propose to me. The two of us decided that on my eighteenth birthday, we'd tell my father. I never would have thought he'd react the way he did." I stopped to wipe a few tears and felt an arm go around my shoulders. It was Brian and his touch made me feel safe. I continued, "He shot Danny, Danny's her father, was my fiance', and he died in my arms. I ran. My father tried to stop me, but I was determined, for the sake of the child I was carrying."

"Have you seen your father since?" Gena questioned.

"Yeah, a couple times. He said he'd try to get me. He doesn't know my whereabouts now though."

"He didn't get charged with anything?" Johnny asked in shock.

"No. He made it look like Danny killed himself. I was too focused on hiding for my safety and the safety of my unborn child to go to court against him."

I began to sob. Thinking of the injustice and the terrible thing my father did. I heard someone get up and sit in front of me. I looked up to see Matt and wondered if he figured out who I was.

"Hayley Isabelle Sanders. Why didn't you come and find me?" he asked.

I looked him in the eye, "I was scared Matt. For me, you, and Elizabeth. I couldn't lose anymore people that I care about. I couldn't put you in danger."

Everyone was looking at us. I hugged Matt and turned to them.

"Let me explain," I began, "Matt is my cousin. I changed my name so my father couldn't find me, even though it didn't work so well. My father is not a Sanders, but my mother, who died giving birth to me, was. My father had given me her last name as a remembrance of her."

They all looked at me shocked. Brian made his way over to me and hugged me. "You've been through so much. And told us some painful memories. I want to tell you mine." When he said this everyone got up and made their way to the kids, Matt giving me a small hug before doing so.

"OK." I agreed, unsure of what he'd have to say.

"Well, you could probably tell Dylan looks nothing like me."

"Yeah, does he look like his mom?"

"A lot actually." he must have saw the look on my face, because he then said, "Dylan's not my biological son."

"Oh."

"You see, my best friend in high school was a girl. Our senior year in high school, Emma, that was her name, had gotten pregnant. She wasn't as lucky as you to have a boyfriend willing to except that he was, in fact, going to be a dad. He left, didn't tell her where he was going or anything."

"Most boys do. My Danny was special." I told him.

"Damn straight." I heard Danny whisper in my ear.

"I know," Brian continued, " When she told me, I told her that I'd do anything to help her during and after the pregnancy." He stopped to take a deep breath. "One day, she was driving home from work. She was hit by a drunk driver. I was the only one at the hospital, her family abandoned her when she told them. They were able to save the baby, she told them to save him before her. The doctor's agreed because the baby had a high survival rate and she was due in a week anyways. Because they got the baby first, she wasn't able to be saved. I was allowed in the operating room, since she was yelling at them to let me in. Before she died she asked me to take care of her baby. I agreed."

"Wow Brian." I looked at him and he was crying. I wiped some of the tears away.

"I adopted him the second I could. He's been m,y son ever since."

I began to cry with him. "That must have been hard."

"Yeah, probably the hardest part was being a father and a guitarist of a band. Luckily, my band mates have amazing girlfriends. I have to say though, your situation seems a lot worse than mine."

"Yeah, I guess, but I was ready for Elizabeth and my neighbor was a single mom and helped me get through it all."

"That may be true, but were you ready to lose your fiance'?

"No. Were you ready to lose your best friend?"

"NO, but I love that kid like he was my own."

"You wanna know something Brian?"

"Sure."

"You're a pretty amazing guy."

"I try." He shrugged and I laughed."

My daughter ran up to me and Dylan ran up to Brian.

"Mommy! Come build the sand castle with us!" Elizabeth yelled as she dragged me through the sand. I looked behind me to see Dylan doing the same to Brain. Laughing, we all race each other.

Before I reached the group, I heard Danny, "He really is an amazing guy Ashlyn. I just met his friend. She likes you. I think he'll be good for you and Elizabeth, and Emma thinks you'll be good form Brian and Dylan"

I mentally yelled at Danny, telling him I had just met the guy. I heard him laugh, "So?"

True, I now believe at love at first sight.