“ Hey.” She said nudging me smiling. “ Wanna go in the loft and watch the rest of the sun set?”

“ Sure….. whats the loft?” I said not having any idea what that meant.

“ It’s in the barn silly. In the top part.” She said laughing. “ Come on” she said getting up and offering me her hand. “ Caleb can come too.. I know you don’t want to leave him.”

“ Thanks.” I said taking her hand. “ Come on bud.” I said taking his hand.

Once we got to the barn Spencer climbed up a ladder that led to the “ loft” then Caleb then me. Up there she walked over to what I thought was a wall and unlatched it and swung the doors open.

“ Woah.” I said. The doors opened up so you could see the entire sky line where the sun was setting. It was amazing.

“ It’s it pretty cool.” She said looking out. “ I always come up here when I need to think.”

“ Thats what I used to do up on that hill… where you guys chased me off of.” I added with a chuckle.

She sat near the edge and patted the spot next to her signaling me to sit next to her. Me and Caleb walked over and sat down, with him in my lap. He was getting tired, I could tell I bet he will fall asleep up here I thought.

“ So… Ash…. you going to tell me somethings about yourself… or keep avoiding it.” She said looking at me. “ You can trust me… im not going to judge you.” She said looking me in the eyes. I knew I could and I knew she wouldn’t.

I sighed. “ What do you want to know?”

“ Why are you so protective over him?” She said nodding her head at Caleb. “ What do you mean you are all he has?”

I just looked at the young boy sitting in my lap with my arms wrapped around him. “ Before Caleb was born, me, my mom, and dad were really close… we did a lot of things together, they came to all of my games, we did a lot of family stuff, we would go on four wheeler rides, go down to the beach… things like that… well my mom got pregnant with him and she got really sick. The dr said that her body just couldn’t support having a baby. She said that she was going to have him no matter what it didn’t matter…. I really looked up to her for that…. putting her life in danger for someone who she had never met before… well after she had him she was doing pretty well for a couple of weeks.. the she got really weak.” I could feel the tears coming on. “ As the weeks went on she just got worst and worst… she never even left the hospital… she just got progressively worst till about three months later when she died. My dad took it really hard… my mom was the love of his life.. and when she died he couldn’t take it. He started blaming Caleb for it and started drinking a lot. I was 14 and trying to take care of a 3 month old baby. I had no idea what I was doing.” I could feel the tears streaming down my face now, and I could feel Caleb’s breathing shallow. He was sleeping now.

“ Me and him went and lived with my grandma. She did the best she could trying to take care of me and give Caleb the things he needed. But after a year of being with her… she got really sick as well. She was 80 when we moved in… she had lived a long hard life… I could t take seeing her go like my mom had and by that time I was able to take care of Caleb on my own…. so I moved back home. By then all my dad did was drink. I wouldn’t even let him around Caleb… I was scared he would hurt him.”

I could feel the tears just streaming down my face unable to control them as I poured my heart out to Spencer. She now had me crattled in her chest murmuring words of comfort.

“ And for the past two years I have taken care of him all by my self. Just me and him.” I said not being able to talk anymore. Just letting all the tears and anger come out. Spencer just held me till I was done.

“ Ash… I had no idea babe…. I had no idea you went threw all of that… I’m so sorry.” She said rocking me into her.

“ Thank you for being her for me.” I said wiping away my tears. “ Thanks for listening. I haven’t really unloaded like that in years.” I said looking up at her.

“ Well.. I’m glad you felt comfortable enough to do that.” She said cupping my face. I couldn’t help but lean forward and pull her into a soft kiss.

“ Wanna go back to the house.. it’s getting late.” She said as I looked around noticing that it was almost dark.

“ Yeah.” I said getting up and crattling Caleb in my arms as me and Spence walked back to the house hand in hand.