297 The Grant Farm 2

Of course, she is not aware that until a few seconds ago Mrs. Grant was pulling Ashton's ear while scolding him for being a scoundrel who takes advantage of innocent girls.

"Sit and lift your legs…" Holly said to Sabrina while gesturing to the chair with a stool next to it.

"Here is lemon water, it will help with nausea…" Angela pushed a glass of water in Sabrina's hand.

From these gestures, Sabrina understood that the secret is out. She turned to Ashton. "You told them?"

Ashton was troubled. They agreed to share the news together, but it turned out like this. Was he supposed to lie? And on top of all that, his mom is angry. He hopes that Sabrina does not get angry as well, and that she will not recognize Mrs. Grant's smile as fake.

Ashton walked to Sabrina and looked at her apologetically. "They asked me if you are sick, and I said that you are not, so… they figured it out."

"Figure out what?" Cynthia asked. She was with Sabrina, so she didn't hear.

"I'm pregnant. If all goes well, we will have a baby in April." Sabrina responded.

It was noisy in the kitchen again but thanks to Sabrina's presence, Ashton didn't get scolded again.

They all moved to the dining room with a massive table that can easily accommodate twenty people.

The Grant family wanted to know more about Sabrina and how she and Ashton met and ended up together. Ashton said how Sabrina is Hunter's sister and for years he is stealing glances at Sabrina, but only recently she acknowledged his presence. Adam and Doug met Hunter once when they visited Ashton in Seattle, and the others know about Hunter only from the stories.

Ashton's siblings took over the conversation with anecdotes about their childhood which involved Ashton. Sabrina laughed and enjoyed the lively atmosphere very much. Probably because Ashton was holding her hand under the table and gently caressing the back of her palm, silently telling her that he is there for her.

…

After lunch, they moved to the living room.

Ashton gave presents to his family members and explained that he and Sabrina picked them together.

"You really shouldn't have…" Ashton's mom said.

"Rina didn't want to come emptyhanded." Ashton responded.

"When is the wedding?" Ashton's dad asked. When everyone looked his way, he explained: "So that we know how much time we have to prepare."

"What if they don't want to get married?" Angela asked her father. "They can still be a family without that."

A heavy silence blanketed the room.

Sabrina was uncomfortable. She understood that Mr. and Mrs. Grant are not approving the idea of a family without marriage.

"Your family does not know yet?" Ashton's mom asked with a smile. She likes that they got to find out first.

"My brother Max does, but Hunter and my parent's don't." Sabrina responded.

"You should get married before your stomach shows. The dress will fit you better." Angela advised.

"Can I be the bridesmaid?" Holly asked.

Cynthia had her own question: "Do you know where you want to get married?"

"Our first neighbor has the best flower garden and we should place our orders in advance." Mrs. Grant said excitedly.

Sabrina smiled and shrugged and looked at Ashton.

"We will talk about this first." Ashton responded to all questions and suggestions in one go and then looked at Sabrina. "If you have preferences let me know and I will do my best to help. The beach, the garden, or the city hall... whatever you want, it's fine with me."

"Whatever? What's wrong with having a wedding here?" Ashton's father grumbled. "We have great space that can accommodate hundreds of people if needed…"

Ashton's mother nodded in agreement. Adam and Doug had their weddings on this property, so they assumed that all their kids will do the same. The idea that Ashton will have a wedding somewhere else is new and... unsettling.

"We didn't talk about it." Ashton repeated, reminding his parents to drop the topic. "Thank you for the offer to have our wedding here. We will keep that in mind when we discuss it."

"Don't raise your voice at your parents." Ashton's mom reminded Ashton. 

"Yes, ma'am." Ashton responded reflexively even though he didn't raise his voice. He knows that his mom said that only because they didn't embrace the idea of having their wedding at the Grant Farm. "Rina is tired. We are going to rest…"

Sabrina understood that this is a sign for them to make their exit and she followed Ashton out of the living room.

…

In Ashton's room…

Sabrina laid on the bed and observed Ashton's room for some time. Books, books, several photos of Ashton and his siblings, awards from science competitions, and more books. 

"Is your family upset?" Sabrina asked after some time.

Ashton exhaled and smiled. "My mom does not approve of pregnancy before marriage."

"What about your dad?"

"I don't think he knows you are pregnant. He will find out by dinner."

"And they want us to get married here?" Sabrina knew that the answer was 'yes', but she was more trying to gauge how much will Ashton's parents push for this.

"Adam and Doug had their weddings here."

Sabrina took that as a 'they will insist on it'.

Ashton sat on the edge of the bed and lowered his head. "I'm sorry Rina. I was excited about introducing you, and I forgot that my parents are old-fashioned. If they are making you uncomfortable in any way, let me know. We will leave."

Sabrina laughed weakly. "Can this be worse than the time when you came to my house and I told my family that we are dating shortly after the bomb that I broke up my fake engagement with Jackson?"

Ashton felt that Sabrina is tugging his shirt, indicating to him to lay on the bed and Ashton obeyed.

Sabrina smiled while gazing in Ashton's eyes full of love and it took her some time to speak.

"Ashton, love, we talked about this. Your family or mine, they are one and the same, no difference. I hope that we can all get along, but if we can't… the only one I care about is you. As long as we are harmonious, everyone else can either join us or watch from the side. We are going to make our own family, with our rules. Don't worry about me having a bad impression if they do something I don't approve of. We should do our best to live in harmony with everyone, but if we can't then… at least we did our best. OK?"

Ashton smiled. "How do you know about my concerns?"

"Not so long ago, I introduced you to my family as my boyfriend."

Ashton was surprised. "You were worried that I will not like you if your parents don't approve of me?"

"I knew that if they don't approve, it would weigh on you. It would make you think that you are not good enough. And I will lie if I say that I don't want approval from your family. However, if they don't approve of us together, I will never let go of you… as long as you don't let go of me."

Ashton pulled Sabrina into his embrace. "I will never let go of you, Rina…"

Sabrina took a deep breath, inhaling Ashton's perfume and she smiled. Sabrina is not aware at what point she slept off.

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