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Chapter 16

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(POV) Bree

Adam and Caitlyn headed up to Adam's room to finish up the movie they were watching. So now, I'm on Leo duty.

"Bree, can you get me my phone from my bedside table?" Leo asked as he looked away from the tv.

"Didn't you already tell everyone in your phone that you broke your leg?" I asked, knowing he had been watching tv and had been texting all day. Not that he was particularly popular, but still.

"Well yeah, but Jannel might have texted me back. You know, me and that little lady might be headed somewhere." Leo said with a sly smile as he looked over at me and winked. Now's my chance.

"Isn't Jannel taller than you?" I teased as i thought of how short my little brother was as of right now. His smile went flat as he looked back at me.

"Just get me my dang phone." Leo stated simply. I smirked and stood up, knowing my comment meant nothing compared to his power right now. Dang broken leg.

I went into his room then grabbed his phone. I looked over at a picture frames hanging on the wall. One was of the family right after Tasha adopted me. The other was of Adam, Chase, and Leo. I didn't know they hung out. Why hasn't Tasha gotten mad about it? She chewed me out for just texting the guy but she'll let Adam and Leo take pictures with him? That just doesn't seem right.

I walked back down the stairs to see Leo had fallen asleep and Tasha was making dinner in the kitchen. I set Leo's phone down on the table then walked over to Tasha. If Leo was asleep then she couldn't yell at me, right?

"Hey, Tasha." I said in a hushed tone as I made my way to the kitchen. I hopped up on the counter across from Tasha who was at the stove.

"Hey, Bree. How was the shop? Really busy?" Tasha asked, a hopefulness evident in her voice. She loved it when the shop was busy.

"Oh, you know. It's about the same everyday." I said, thinking back to my conversation with Danielle.

"Bree, is something on your mind? You can tell me, you know." Tasha said. I sighed, I wasn't sure if I would ever be able to tell her about things again.

"Well you know how you and Davenport kept your relationship a secret because the school would get thrown out of wack? Well, even with Chase and I only hanging out yesterday, things are happening." I left off, waiting for her reaction. She had stopped mixing the pasta about half way through my story. She turned to face me.

"Bree, please tell me you two didn't talk while you were at the mall." Tasha said calmly. I shook my head quickly, hoping she wouldn't catch onto my silent lie.

"No, we didn't talk. But... You and Davenport aren't the only ones who didn't want us together." I finished as Tasha started to get worried.

"Bree, who came to the shop?" Tasha questioned as she turned to face me. I sighed.

"This girl, Danielle, that dated Chase last year. She was mad that we were hanging out so her and her followers came in, bought cupcakes, and pretty much told me to back off." I mumbled reluctantly. I looked up from the floor to see Tasha watching me intently.

"What did you say?" Tasha asked worriedly.

"I said that we were only going to be friends, then we decided not to, and that Chase has the right to talk to whoever he wants." I explained simply, not going into grave details that could get me into trouble.

"Well, at least you had the confidence to tell them off. I never did." Tasha said, her voice trailing off as she did. I frowned as I looked to my adoptive mother. What was she talking about?

"What do you mean?" I asked, wondering just what had gone on.

"Well, I wasn't the most popular, as you know. Some of Donald's friends found out about us before we broke up and they accosted me, too. Let's just say I took it and said they were right. I'm proud of you, Bree. You did the one thing I never could. You stood up for yourself." Tasha said slowly. She looked hurt, and I hated that I was the one who brought it up. It was obvious that Tasha didn't have fun at school, and then she had to go right into the work force. At least I could stand up for myself and had a few friends.

"Look, Tasha. I'm sorry I brought it up. Ummm... What if we talk about your favorite things from back then... The good memories." I tried. She looked back up with a smile.

"Okay. What do you want to know?" Tasha asked happily.

"What was your favorite band?"

"I think it was Guns N' Roses." She said with a smile. "Actually for our six month anniversary, Donald took us to a concert. We were obsessed with that band. That was the best concert ever." She smiled at the memory. I personally can't see her and Davenport at a Guns N' Roses concert, but whatever.

"Did Douglas ever take you to a concert?" I asked. I couldn't remember them ever talking about a great time they had. Tasha ha been so wrapped up with the past, I think she had forgotten what was right in front of her. Not that I was blaming her. She was still in love with Davenport.

"No, we didn't have any band that we both liked. Come to think of it, we didn't have much in common anyway." She said, frowning at the thought.

"Hey, thanks for my phone, Bree." Leo said, stretching as he grabbed his phone.

"Oh, your welcome. I'm gonna head up to my room until dinner, Tasha. Thank you for talking with me." I said as I hopped of the counter to hug her. She hugged back.

"Your welcome sweetie. It will be ready in about twenty minutes." She called as I headed up the stairs.

I walked into my room and shut the door. I took out my phone so I could text Chase. I was beating him at our own game.

To Chase :P
Jackpot- Tasha and Davenport went to a Guns N' Roses concert for their 6 month anniversary... Hahaha I win!!!

From Chase :P
Wow, impressive. But... Have you gotten the pictures yet? They might be kind of important.

To Chase :P, From Bree
I'm working on it. Give me a break :P

From Chase :P
Well keep in mind tomorrow is Sunday and then the date is on Monday. We still have a lot to do.

To Chase :P
I'll go now, she's making dinner. ttyl love ya :)

I slipped my phone into my pocket. I snuck down the hall to Tasha's room. I knew her photo albums were in the bookcase on her left wall. All I have to do is find one with her and Davenport.

I looked at the sides. Some of them us kids had looked at thousands of times. For instance, their wedding album. I immediately took the blue, purple, and black scrapbooks out of the way. This left me with two I had never seen before. There was a white book, and a red one.

I took them both out and sat on the floor. I opened the white one first. Inside, contained Tasha and her friends from high school. I had seen a few of these before. As I kept looking, things changed. The book went from high school memories, to future husband. I sighed as I closed the book. I set it down. As I picked up the red book, I noticed there was a picture sticking out of the white one.

I slipped the picture out of the white book and took a closer look at it. It was Tasha and Davenport with Guns N' Roses t-shirts on, sitting in what I could only guess could be Tasha's room. I smiled as I put it aside.

I picked up the red book and looked inside. Everywhere there was hearts. On the inside of the cover it said-

Hey my love :) I just wanted to wish you a happy 1 year anniversary. I know that we have had our ups and downs but I am happy to call you mine. I will never let you go. I love you so much and I wish I could see you every minute of everyday.
Love,
Donald

Wow... And Chase thought I wouldn't find anything. Davenport made a scrapbook for Tasha? Wow. That's all I have to say... Wow.

I got bored about halfway through so I cleaned up the mess I made with the books and set them back the way they were. I held the red book and the picture I found and took them back to my room. I had to find something that looked like this scrapbook, otherwise, Tasha would know I took it. I looked down to see a maroon scrapbook down on my lowest shelf. The color was close enough to the red one that it would work. I took it out to get a closer look. It was a scrapbook of my family when I was younger. I didn't even want to look at it.

I picked up the red one and replaced it where the maroon book had been. I walked back to Tasha's and put the books back where they were. As I walked back to my room, Tasha was calling us for dinner.

"I'll be down in five, mom! I have to clean up my room real fast." I called back.

"Okay, but don't take too long." She called back. I walked back into my room and picked up the red book again. I turned it over and opened it from the back.

What I found inside almost broke my heart.

Tasha-

You are the love of my life, and I hope I am yours. I can't imagine my life without you.

Will you marry me?

And there, tapped to the bottom of the last page, was the biggest diamond ring I have ever seen.

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~Shay