silver springs

helllllo everyone! i’m ashley and i’m bringing to you my favorite hometown boy, andrew, or andy, if you prefer. i’d love any and all connections. my IM’s are open as well as my discord (my knives? out#8241) if you want to chat. @madison-intros​

Lacie let Andy tuck her into his side as he climbed into her bed and she relaxed against him, even that little bit of comfort helping. He pressed his lips to her forehead and checked her for a fever and seemed to be giving her a little once over to try and figure out what was going on with her. "I’ll call her when I’m feelin’ better and schedule our lunch date.” She smiled softly, thankful for how easily his family seemed to accept her, no judgments or anything. She’d been worried that the reputation she and her mother had in this town would have made it hard for anyone to accept Lacie as one of their own, but Mama Harper seemed to have welcomed her with open arms. “I don’t know. I feel hot and tired and sick to my stomach. My head hurts and I just feel…off.” She shrugged, trying to think back on anything that might have upset her stomach over the last week. “The only other time I ever really feel like this is right before I get my period which…” Lacie paused and opened her eyes, trying to remember when her last period was. “Which was supposed to last week.” The panic that settled over her at the realization that she was over a week late was obvious on her face as she lifted her eyes to Andy’s. “I’m late.”

At Lacie's mention of scheduling a lunch date with his mama, Andy smiled. It was amazing how well the two got along and his mama didn't sing someone's praises easily but for Lacie it seemed that's all she wanted to do. "Good. I know she'd like that," he nodded, running his fingertips along her arm, bicep down to her forearm and back up again. While Lacie explained her ailments, Andy tried to come up with any reason as to why she could be feeling the way she was. He wasn't an expert on sickness but he'd seen enough with his siblings to place some of the signs. Freezing at the mention of Lacie's missed period, Andy glanced down to look her into the eye. He was searching for any hint of a joke and when he came up empty handed he let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "What uh- what does that mean exactly?" He asked, eyes wide. The mere thought scared him but under that was excitement. Andy didn’t want to get ahead of himself with thoughts that might not even ring true but he couldn’t help himself, heart racing.

She’d tried to fall back asleep after sending Andy a text to cancel their plans but her body was refusing to let her sleep, despite the exhaustion. Lacie heard the door open as Andy let himself in and she sat up a little bit, running a hand through her messy hair. “I’m in here!” She called out from the bedroom, waiting until he appeared in her doorway and she smiled softly. “Hey…what are you doin’ here? I told you I wasn’t feelin’ good.” She rested a hand on her stomach, rubbing softly at it as she leaned back against her pillows and patted the spot next to her.  Normally she’d never want a boyfriend to see her like this, messy hair and pajamas, sickly pale and looking like a disaster. “I think I might have a fever actually…I don’t know what’s wrong with me but I’ve been feelin’ like hell for days and I can’t figure out what’s goin’ on." 

Lacie pushed her hair out of her face and closed her eyes, the comfort of Andy being next to her enough to settle her at least a little. "You didn’t have to come all the way over here baby…I know you had errands to run today and lunch with your mama.” She reached out a hand to him and rested it on his chest, sighing softly at the horrible feeling in her stomach and the pounding in her head. “Honestly I never really even get sick so this is weird for me.” She mumbled, closing her eyes and trying to will the nausea away. She didn’t want him to see her like this but with Andy it felt like there didn’t need to be anything he couldn’t see. Lacie wasn’t embarrassed to be seen at her lowest with him.

Hearing Lacie's call coming from her bedroom, Andy peeked his head inside and frowned. "No offense baby but you look like shit," he chuckled, kicking his shoes off to the side and dropping the backpack to the ground. Taking the seat she was offering him, Andy pulled Lacie into his side. At the mention of a fever, Andy pressed his lips to her forehead and shook his head when all he felt was a normal temperature. "Well I don't think you've got a fever," he concluded, maneuvering her until his arm was draped behind her shoulders and she was comfortable against the pillows beneath her but still tucked into his side. "S'alright sugar. I shot her a text before I left my place and she understood. Told me to tell ya to feel better and that she wants to see you next week for lunch and I'm not invited." Rolling his eyes playfully, Andy took the hand that Lacie had rested on his chest and brought the back of her palm to his lips to kiss softly. "Well it's not food poisoning, that only lasts a day. And you don't feel like you got have a fever so I doubt it's the flu or anything like that. Do you feel fine other than needin' to puke and bein' a little tired?" He wasn’t much of a doctor, unsure of what could be wrong with her and hating that there didn’t seem to be much he could do.

“If seein’ these two stinkers actin’ up makes you want kids then maybe you really are gonna be the perfect father,” she half-teased. But Briar really couldn’t wait to see the day some of her friends in town had children. Having kids was the best thing she’d ever done, and she wanted that joy and accomplishment to be shared with as many people as possible. “Four, two boys and two girls. All stinkers.” And the twins giggled, because they knew what they were and were proud. “It’s not so bad since the boys are older, I couldn’t imagine tryna do this if they were all close in age.” And taking care of babies at her age wasn’t an issue, she was hardly an old woman. “You really are one of the good ones, Andrew Harper.” Help wasn’t as easy for her to accept since the divorce, but she knew with Andy it really was coming from a good place.

Andy made a small noise of protest, shaking his head. “Eh, I’m not sure about that. I could honestly be a really terrible father but I’d like to think I won’t be. I’m sure that’s gotta count for something?” Being able to join the ranks of other parents around town was something Andy was looking forward to. Most of the people he graduated with that had stuck around town had big families with kids who were already starting school and it was crazy to him how much time how flown by. “All of ‘em? I find that hard to believe,” Andy chuckled, watching the girls giggle along with him. “Yeah, I really can’t imagine. Four is a good number when they’re not all the same age,” he agreed, heading down the isle and turning the corner. “I’m tryin’ to be. Thanks, Briar. Means a lot. Not a ton of people in town I mind talkin’ to and you’re always good for that.”

location; lacie’s house with; @andrewnharper​ - closed

The Belle Ball had been about a month ago and Lacie and Andy had spent as many of those days together as they could. His shifts at the firehouse made it so that she couldn’t spend all of her nights with him, but on the days that he was working she usually came by with food or coffee, any excuse to stop in and see him. The rest of his crew had been nothing but supportive, the constant cheering and wolf whistling whenever she’d stop by and try to discreetly give him kisses before she left. Things were going better than she’d expected and Lacie felt like she was living in a dream that she never wanted to wake up from. The last few days she’d been feeling off though. Constant headaches, exhaustion and nausea all day were making it hard for her to do anything other than lay in bed. But she’d braved the day the last two in a row, struggling to keep anything down at work but knowing she needed to be able to pay her rent. Today she’d woken up and immediately been sick, finally giving in and deciding to stay home. 

Knowing she was supposed to see Andy that night she emerged from the bathroom and laid down on her bed, pulling her phone out to send him a text. hey baby, i think i’m gonna have to cancel on tonight. i’ve been feeling sick for days but finally just threw up this morning, i’m so sorry i hate to cancel on you!! She laid her phone down next to her and closed her eyes a sigh falling from her lips. It wasn’t like Lacie to be sick for this many days in a row and she was starting to wonder if she had something more serious than the food poisoning she had originally thought might be the culprit.

Time seemed to fly by faster when Andy was with Lacie. Maybe it was because they both had such a good time when the two were together- their laughter and long discussions about anything and everything filling almost all of their time, the other part was spend in bed between the sheets. Finding time to fit each other into the other persons schedule was tough but the two made it work. Her visiting him at the station on his overnight shifts and Andy becoming a regular down at The Amber Pig on nights when Lacie had to close.

Since the two were together so often, it was easy for Andy to notice something was off with Lacie. Something wasn’t quite right with her for a couple days but he wrote it off to being her time of the month, since by now he knew when it happened and also knew when to take extra special care of his girl. Figuring it had gotten the worse of her when he got a text that she was cancelling their date night, Andy threw together a few things he had around his house into a bakpack: a heating pad, some spare candy bars thrown into his snack drawer and his favorite flannel along with some cozy, fuzzy socks.

Feeding Copper then heading out to his truck, the drive to Lacie’s was short. He’d found a shortcut only a few weeks ago that cut his drive time in half and he was pulling up to her place in only a few minutes. Slamming his truck door closed, Andy jogged up the sidewalk and let himself into Lacie’s place. “Sugar, where are you?” He called, glancing around when no sign of his girlfriend was clearly present.

LOCATION: Ethel Lee Park FOR: Open // @madison-starters​

Pale green eyes scanned the playground, paying close attention to the lively six year old running from one playset to the other, ears filling with the sound of high-pitched yelps and childish laughter. Had he not been looking, the wallet that fell to the ground just a couple of feet from him would not have called his attention at all, but it did and its owner didn’t seem to notice. With a quick glance back to his daughter, Chris swiftly got on his feet, picked up the wallet and called for the other person, “Excuse me, you just dropped this on the ground. Doesn’t seem like somethin’ you’d want to lose,”

Andy felt guilty for how much he’d been neglecting Copper lately with work and things with Lacie taking over most of his free time. Usually he was taking the pup on 2 to 3 walks a day when he was off work but they’d gone down to one short one when he had time. But with Lacie busy and having the day off, Andy had promised his pup a nice long walk to make up for it. The walk through the neighborhoods was nice, waving to people and stopping to catch up with a few friendly faces Andy had grown up around. As they came up upon the park, Andy unleashed Copper and let him run while he strolled in, passing by the merry-go round to find a bench to sit on. Turning to see Chris calling his name and holding his wallet, Andy patted his back pocket and shot him a thankful look. “Jesus, thanks man. Didn’t even feel it slip out I was so preoccupied tryin’ to make sure Copper doesn’t runin’ into the street.” Slipping the wallet into his hopefully more secure front pocket, Andy glanced out to the playground and spotted Chris’ little one playing. “Man kids grow up fast,” Andy commented, shooting Chris a smile.

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“You know he’d make sure I never lived that down,” but he was laughing, because Luke did get along well enough with the man — and most people in town for that matter — that he really didn’t expect anything to come towards him out of ill will. “Nah, not a bit, kid’s already gone and the toy is for the fish now.” But the effort had been made, it was just how he was raised. Luke always went out of his way to be kind to anyone he met. “Oh I’m fine, thanks, best part of basketball shorts is they cool real quick, and this shirt’ll last me until I get home at the very least.” 

Andy snorted with a nod, “You’re definitely right there. Can’t say I blame him though. It’s too funny to pass up.” Andy was sure Nicholas had heard his fair share of crazy stories but this one would be there at the top, for sure. He couldn’t imagine anything funnier, making a note to ask Nicholas about anything else completely crazy that happened around town. “Well, I’m sure it’s the thought that counts, you know?” Andy offered as they headed out of the park. “Well, if you’re sure. You walkin’ home or need a ride anywhere?”

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Sierra nodded, “Oh I know, it’s always very difficult to think of what tattoo should be the one I get. Also the worry that it is going to be on me for the rest of my life.” Sierra liked the idea of tattoos, she always had done but she always had the be thorough with her choice. She nodded, “Well since I have been dancing since I was a little girl I just wanted something to represent that. Well all kinds, I am very good at Tap and Ballet but also hip hop and like street dance that they do in Step Up.” She laughed a little.

“Well, so long as you don’t get one while you’re drunk or on a dare, you’ll be miles ahead of me,” Andy joked, turning to grab a few more peaches and finally filling his basket to the top. “I don’t hate my tattoo but it makes me cringe every now and again.” The tiny peach on the inside of his bicep reminded him of being young and reckless but also looked silly and childish. “Ah, freestyle dance? I did ballet which was pretty cool, though I’m sure I can’t remember much. You could always get some slippers or something tattooed,” Andy suggested, heading down the path towards the main entrance to pay for his basket.

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Thud. Thud.  Thud.

The thunderous sound of her heart had been drowned out by the sad pitter patter of her trainers against the gravel road. “Jesus Crisp and his twelve sailor scouts..” her voice carried down the lonely, lovely residential street. “Andy, as much as I love the view of your perky ass god bless Lacie, I feel like I am going to vomit.” The fluttering fabric of her shirt billowing behind her and slumping off her shoulder. 

“We have been running forever! What’s it been? A mile? Two? Fifty Five?” 

@andrewnharper​ 

True to his word, Andy had shown up at Kennedy’s front door to pull her out for a run. The morning was crisp, a slight chill indicating that fall was approaching and it was the perfect weather for a run. They’d started out pretty well until Andy realized Kennedy was trailing behind him, bemoaning their activity. Chuckling at her complaint, Andy turned around and lightly jogged backwards as he took in her disheveled appearance. “Compliments aren’t gonna get you out of this,” he taunted with a grin. He did want to give credit where it was due though, slowing down and turning back around to stand next to her. “You’ve lasted longer than I thought you would. And you kept up pretty well until now so good job. How about I treat you to a coffee once we get to Tatiana’s?”

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“My luck and I’d probably get Nick the one day he’s stuck on call.” Luke joked, though he’d probably prefer Nick to Arlow. Even if it meant he’d be dealing with tons of jokes for the next few months to come, and more than half the town finding out a goose got him. Luke chuckled, the image forming in his head enough to make his chest rumble a good few times. “I’m not sure, or it’ll live with the fish now.”

“Oh I bet he’d love getting that call. It would probably make his day and being on call worth it,” Andy teased with a bark of laughter. He could only imagine the kinds of rumours that would be spread around town now with everything that happened with the goose, knowing how much the town loved to gossip. “Well I hope the toy was worth it to them at the very least,” he shook his head, still in disbelief. “You alright now though? I might have a dry shirt in my truck if you need one.”

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He sighed softly, running his palm over his tired features as he tried to figure the best way to exactly explain what had happened. “She’s….” he watched Jessie who had already charmed the Cheesy waitresses as she got her dessert, ordering more toppings than he probably should allow but he didn’t care in that moment. It kept her from coming back before he had explained the situation. “I slept with her mom a few months after Lyla died, she was knocked up and well the result of that is over there.” he replied simply. “Her mom dropped her off a few days before the ball, I didn’t even know about her until then.” he admitted, eyes still locked on the little girl as she walked over, face the picture of pure concentration down to the tongue sticking out from the side of her mouth as she focused on not dropping her dessert. She placed it on the table before climbing onto her chair, wriggling her little frame around until she sat down. “So now she stays for a while, whilst we figure what to do…. she had nothing on her. Just her clothes, and a bear that was it.” he knew Andy would understand, despite Levi’s many faults there was still a good man buried under the grieving shell constructed around him. One that wouldn’t shirk from his responsibilities. 

Andy was sure shock was painted across his face as Levi explained the situation. He got it, of course he did, and Andy was never one to judge anyone- ever. “Fuck Levi,” Andy breathed, a low whistle slipping past his lips. “She was just dropped off at your place? That’s insane.” Andy couldn’t imagine what must be going through Levi’s mind, what he must be dealing with. A child born from grief and she looked just like her dad. As Jessie sat back down at the table with her ice cream and started to eat, focused on the treat, Andy looked back at Levi. “Well, if you ever need any help you know I’ve got your back. Really. Anything you need I’m here man.”

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