The Love of Lies

Lasagna

Cori's POV

Ashton asked me to expect more of him, and so I have.

I even pushed my pride aside and asked the man about the return of my car, not really expecting him to know where it is. He doesn't know that it used to be my mother's, or maybe he does, but he promised me that it was safe, which opened the doors to a flood of other requests.

I've asked him to take walks with me, I've asked him to cook with me, I've even asked him to play in the pool with me, things I wanted to do before, but didn't because I was afraid to become a burden to him.

When I have a weird craving, I tell him about it, and he's always willing to help me find what I want, and if it's not in the house, we go out to buy it.

On weekends, we find something to do, even if it's just having lunch, and on 'lazy' days, we order takeout and watch movies in bed.

Tonight is a movie night, and we've invited Julia and Troy to join us.

Ashton doesn't know it yet, but I'm making his favorite meal.

I hoped to use his mom's recipe, but after gently inquiring, I got the sense that it was a family secret, so I dropped the subject.

What I'm doing now is recalling how my mom used to make lasagna, looking at other recipes online, then merging them to try and get the same richness Meredith is able to create.

So far, my sauce is amazing, which it better be because it's been simmering for over an hour.

I've never put this much work into a meal before, but here I am, hand rolling out strips of pasta because I really want to thank Ashton for the past month.

He's been patient, kind, understanding, sometimes annoying, but overall perfect toward me, and that can't be easy.

I have some emotional triggers, so I can't watch certain movies or shows, but after the first mistake, Ashton's never made another, even going as far as to forewarn me if something we're watching has a scene in it that might depress me.

He likes action films, so he's practically always covering my eyes, but exposure to some violence isn't going to break my mind. I understand that movies are fake, and in real life, none of the actors have been harmed.

Still, Ashton always talks to me afterwards, wanting to make sure that I don't start thinking about my parents, and that… that is enough to destroy all the walls I hadn't even known were up.

It also helps that Troy's helping me make money while I do nothing, Julia's been helping me research schools for the future, Mr. Lewis is constantly coming by to ‘check’ his son, and Meredith plays backup, coming to keep me company anytime I may be home alone.

I'm in such a loving environment that I'm starting to forget there's a opposite to this, and thinking about how lucky my children will be, has me in a state of tranquility that I hope nothing destroys.

"I'm back!" Julia waltzes into the kitchen carrying a huge grocery bag. "I got everything you asked for, no substitutions." I chuckle, remembering when she got me extra sharp cheddar instead of sharp cheddar, and my tears started to flow because I couldn't enjoy my taco. "It smells amazing."

"No tasting until it's done." Jules throws up her hands, backing away from my waiting fillings as she moves to wash her hands. "Think you can handle the salad?"

"NOPE!" The woman isn't joking. She's a terrible cook, but it's only because she hasn't actually applied herself to it.

"Come on Jules. Everyone starts somewhere."

"Fine, tell me what to do." I instruct the woman to begin by peeling the garlic, which she does with ease.

I dictate the next steps for her to begin making the garlic oil, but she starts getting nervous, so I have to stop rolling out the pasta to show her what the simmer setting looks like.

Jules is an extremely sweet woman, so she doesn't get offended when I correct her, nor does she become angry when she can't do something.

"Did any of them text you yet?" Troy actually had to go into the office today, so she and I have been home alone all day.

"Last I spoke to Troy; he said that the meeting was taking longer than expected."

"But everything's okay?"

"Cori… you really shouldn't worry about it. Ashton can handle himself, and I'm positive that he’s done nothing wrong."

"But he-..."

"Removed himself from the Dodson accounts to avoid further issues. They were the ones who made him feel uncomfortable first." A tiny smile grows on my face because that's exactly what Ashton told me.

Vanessa's father kept putting him in situations where he was one-on-one with his ex, and after expressing his discontent, the man invited him to a consolatory dinner, but only Vanessa showed up.

Ashton was wise enough to bring his father with him, so I can confidently say that nothing happened, but it didn't stop the woman from reaching out to me.

As a result, Ashton had my number changed and made private, so I don't have to worry about that anymore.

That interaction is what led to today's meeting, and apparently, it's a big enough deal to draw Mr. and Mrs. Lewis into it as well.

"What do I do next?" Jules snaps me out of my thoughts, and because I'm not going to ask the woman to watch the oil heat up, I suggest for her to help me with the pasta, but she flatly refuses. "You're not pulling me into this battle." Jules is referring to the potential for my feelings to be hurt.

"Fine, just watch the garlic then. I don't want the temperature to exceed 183 degrees, and if it starts browning, let me know."

That’s a job Julia can handle well, and while I continuously roll and cut, the woman and I make small talk about the twins.

I already know what I'm naming the girl, it's the boy that I can't seem to find anything for.

"I wish you'd go for rhyming names. Corey and Lori would be cute."

"But I'm already Cori, and you know how I got my name. I do like the rhyming thing though."

"Lori and Tory?"

"Too close to Troy."

"Lori and Nori?"

The more Julia speaks, the more depressed I get, and it dawns on me that I really don't want to give my daughter the name Lori. I'm just doing it to make myself feel better about losing her, but it's only reminding me that she's gone.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine, I just… I may not have a name for either twin," I admit, feeling guilty about it because I'm not sure what changed.

"That's understandable. I was almost Juliannalise, but my mother said that she took one look at me and knew that name was too long."

"As in… you wouldn't be able to spell it?"

"As in, she would have fainted from screaming it out all the time." I chuckle, not quite understanding how parents can look at a newborn and think, 'this one's trouble.' "I’ve no complaints; compound names are weird."

"Were you a mischievous little girl though? That's what's important to the story."

"I wasn't. The only time I disappointed my parents is when my father caught me bent over in-"

"Julia!"

"What?! I'm sure you've heard the story." I'm about to pee on myself from laughing at the woman, who clearly sees nothing wrong with her tale. "I was so mad; I was just about to have my first real O, and in comes dad."

At this point I can't hold it, so I waddle to the restroom, leaving a panicked Julia to 'watch over' the kitchen alone.

When I get back, the woman is staring at the oil like something bad is going to happen if she looks away.

"So back to my story," she suddenly says, dead set on giving me her version of events, so I silently listen.

Ashton's POV

Mr. Dodson thought I was f*cking around when I told him that I would withdraw from their accounts, which in turn means that Troy will withdraw because he only works with me or my father.

They learned today that Cori is as important to me as my career, and since money is more important to them than their daughter, we concluded that while I'll stay on the accounts, I will not meet with them in any private setting.

That was enough to almost throw Vanessa into a fit, realizing that she lost control of me, but she never had control, I was just too dumb to realize that they need me, not the other way around.

I have Cori to thank for that, and now I can go home in peace. I asked her to expect more of me, and she has, but now, I expect more from myself.

Troy and I drove together, so we entered the house at the same time, both looking at each other in bewilderment because, the closer we get to the kitchen, the more we smell what we do.

"Your back!" Cori always greets me the same way, so I already have my arms open when I approach, ready to receive my hug and kiss.

"You have time to change into something comfortable, dinner is not quite ready."

"No walk today?"

"Ashton, she’s been in the kitchen for hours. Give her a break." Julia lifts a plate of bread sticks that are literally calling my name, but Cori shoos me away from them.

"Please wait," she says, looking up at me with tired eyes that almost melt my heart.

"How much longer?"

"Twenty minutes max." Regardless of the wait, I was going to do it, but I can't resist teasing Cori whenever I can.

"Twenty minutes, and when I come back, I expect-..."

"You better expect nothing because that's what I could be feeding you." That's the reaction I was waiting for.

I hug Cori around the shoulders, backing her against the counter to give her a deep kiss, but our moment is interrupted by Troy's random cough.

"We're right here."

"Then close your eyes," I reply, still looking down at my beautiful pregnant girlfriend.

I don't know how I got so lucky, but I plan to hold onto her for as long as I can.

Done changing, I get to the table only to see exactly what my brother and I thought.

Cori made lasagna, and truth be told, I'm uneager to taste it.

My mother learned to make the dish in an authentic setting, and I doubt Cori made trips to either Greece or Italy growing up.

Troy and I are terrified right now. A. Because Cori just said she’s never made lasagna, and B. Because, if it's better than mom's, we'll feel like sh*t.

My brother cowardly fills up his plate with salad and breadsticks, claiming that it's because Julia helped with those items, but he's a damn liar and I’m jealous. He's just waiting to see my reaction, and so is Cori.

"The meeting went well today." I'm trying to distract the woman from staring at me expectantly, but she gets impatient and begins to cut the lasagna and puts a pretty looking slice on my plate.

"I made everything from scratch," she says, clearly proud of herself, and with a silent prayer, I lift the fork to my mouth.

It tastes amazing, but now I'm in a tough position. If I show too much enthusiasm, I'll feel like I'm betraying my mother, but if I don't show any, I'll hurt the woman I'm with.

"It's really good for your first attempt," I say, trying to be nonchalant.

“I’m glad you like it,” she innocently beams.