We flew down to the State where Ashlie was and took a rental car to get to the meeting place. Ashlie looked a little apprehensive at first, but I made sure to not scare her.
"Ashlie," I said, "It's been so long since we were together. I know you're scared, but I am here." Ashlie recognized my voice and her features brightened.
"Mommy?" Ashlie asked, "Why did you wait so long to come get me, Mommy?"
"I was trying my best to come get you this whole time, Ashlie," I said, "But there are things that got in the way."
"Terrible things?" Ashlie asked.
"Yes, Ashlie, terrible things," I said.
"Who is that man?" Ashlie asked as she pointed to Mitchell.
"This is my husband," I said, "He told me he didn't mind being called whatever you want to call him."
"I'm scared," Ashlie said.
"Why are you scared, sweetheart?" I asked.
"Will he hurt me like that bad man?" Ashlie asked.
"No, dear," I said, "He was the one who was able to have us meet and take you home. He will protect us from the bad men." Ashlie smiled.
"I'm going to go home with you?" Ashlie asked excitedly.
"Yes," I said, "After this you won't have to change your home again."
"Am I going to your State?" Ashlie asked.
"Yes," I said, "We're going to bring you to the store and have you pick out your new things."
"Esmerelda said to pack my things," Ashlie said, "So I brought my backpack and Sammy panda bear because it reminds me of you, Mommy."
"Thank you," I said, "I love you so much, Ashlie. We just have to wait until my Hubby's done with all the paperwork."
"What should I call him?" Ashlie asked.
"There's many things you can call him," I said, "Like Papa or Dad."
"Then, Papa," Ashlie said, "I don't want to call anyone Daddy ever again. He betrayed me."
"Oh, sweetheart," I said, "I know. I'm so sorry."188Please respect copyright.PENANAQF9oaaBtKU
We had gone over most of the paperwork before we went to pick Ashlie up, but we knew that we had to triple check them to make sure they were correct before we could bring her home. We were lucky that we didn't have to be in State for the court system to give us custody like I had originally thought.
Ashlie fell asleep on the plane ride home, but it made sense, because it was a long day for her. When we arrived at the airport, I woke Ashlie up, because I couldn't carry her and Mitchell was going to have to drive us home.
"What?" Ashlie asked, sleepily.
"We're at my home State at the airport," I said, "Didn't we promise you that we'd get you some nice things?" Ashlie smiled and hugged me.
"I missed you so much, Mommy," Ashlie said.
"I missed you too, Ashlie," I said.
We left the airport at 17:05 and drove the 25 km to N City. The clothing store was open for a couple more hours, so we went there first. Ashlie picked so many different outfits. She chose one pair of shoes, even though we told her she could have multiple. So we secretly bought more in her size. We got her a few duvet covers and sheets. She chose about 30 plushies. We got her a tooth brush and her own tooth paste. We got her some more toys.
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