Chapter 156: Second Chance

Megan's POV

I was worried about the outcome of grandpa and my father-in-law's talk while I listened to my husband's conversation with his siblings, and I didn't think we could go back to the tree house near the lake knowing we would be dealing with his dad.

I didn't hear the roaring of the chopper, which meant Ashton's parents were still inside the house.

"So, what are you going to do here, Belle?" Cole asked his sister.

"There are a lot of things I could do here, and maybe I will start with helping grandpa in his vegetable garden or helping grandma Sarah tend her roses." She replied.

"Oh, no! Please don't steal the position of grandpa's gardener," Cole replied as he looked at his sister with amusement.

"I would not be stealing anyone's job, Cole. I will improve their work by advising them to beautify the place." Isabelle replied.

"I planned to have a coffee shop, a ballet studio in town, or a beauty parlor," Belle responded, and her brothers burst out laughing.

"Why are you laughing, guys?" Belle asked while his siblings were still laughing, and I don't understand why.

"You should let Cole run the beauty parlor; you are good with strategic planning, Belle, a cafe is not for you, and I don't think you can still dance." Lennon said, and Belle's eyes widened.

"I thought you would support me with my plans," Isabelle responded as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Don't listen to them, Belle; you can do anything you want; you can hire someone who is good with hair and makeup who doesn't have the capital to establish his own business, and I think, running a cafe will suit you as well," I interjected with their conversation, and Belle smiled sweetly at me.

"Thank you, Meg; I guess this is one of the perks of having a sister; I have someone who will understand and support me." Isabelle said, and her brothers shared the same grin as they looked at me.

"Well, my wife is correct; we were kidding since it was hilarious, Belle. I didn't expect you would say something like that since I was hoping you would say you will have your own advertising agency or a travel agency." My husband said as he put his arm around my shoulders.

"You don't understand, guys; I just wanted to have a simple life, I want to experience how to become an ordinary person, and I know it would be ridiculous, but sometimes I wished I wasn't a Pritzgold, having that family name was a burden to me." Isabelle said, and I could feel her pain, and her siblings agreed with her.

Other people might not understand, but I knew how they felt; they lived in luxury all their lives, but I could say Ashton and his siblings weren't happy being Gregory's children because of the pressure they underwent, especially in choosing their life partner.

 I am glad Ashton fought for our love. Belle wanted to be an ordinary woman, while others dreamt of being in her shoes. She was one of the beautiful debutants in Astikoz, but sadly she fell in love with my brother, and she doesn't need to tell me how she felt because I know she was in pain.

 I hated Dexter for having Monica as his girlfriend, but I couldn't blame him. My brother got tired, and I knew how much he loved Isabelle, but his heart got tired because he knew Isabelle would only suffer in the end because of Gregory.

My brother and I were both victims of Gregory's wickedness, and I will do everything possible to protect my son. I knew he planned on taking Axel; he couldn't deny it; Axel's charm captured his heart. But Ashton's dad hated my existence, and I am sure he will do everything he can to discard me.

They continued talking, and I could tell how close they were to each other, and my heart was overwhelmed with gladness that Ashton had them in his life. I received the same treatment because I could feel their love for me when he became my boyfriend; I felt happy that they made me feel I belonged to them.

They were laughing like they were not about to lose their inheritance, and I was glad that none of Ashton's siblings was greedy with power and money.

"This is a beautiful scene to behold, and I could say I would die with a contented heart knowing grandchildren are there for each other, and I couldn't believe you would be here talking and laughing like nothing was going on." Grandpa Henry declared the moment he joined us in the backyard.

Ashton pulled out a chair for him, but he shook his head as he looked at his grandchildren individually.

"How I wish your father would see this and he would understand that he needed to put down his pride," he added.

"Are they leaving?" Cole asked, and grandpa shook his head.

"I asked him to stay and spend time with you," he replied, and I could tell they all looked unhappy and worried that Gregory would be staying with us; it would not be the case since children should always be happy every time they get united with their father, but Gregory Pritzgold is not an ordinary man.

"Don't worry, kids; my son is willing to compromise; he wanted to donate most of his assets to charity since he was so angry with all of you. I told him he could do whatever he wanted, but I told him to ensure he would not have any regrets in the future." Grandpa added.

"I am glad your mother stood up against Gregory; she gave your father an ultimatum; if he does not make amends with you, she will leave him for good." He continued, and I smiled as I realized nothing could compare with a mother's love.

"So, please, do your part, guys; I expect you will cooperate. I want to ask everyone to stay here in my house until your father has the chance to get to know you all; he was so busy running the company that he had forgotten you needed a real father who would support you with your every endeavor." He declared.

"I know how much you hated your dad, but I want to remind you he will always be your father, and he is my son. I could feel his pain and regrets, and I guess it is not yet late, so please, give Gregory a chance to prove his worth, and I want you all to join us in having breakfast tomorrow." Grandpa Henry stated.

"Don't worry, grandpa, we are not like dad; we always believe in second chances, and you taught us that," Lennon said and grandpa smiled.

"Megan, I hope you will give my son another chance. I knew he fooled you when he made you believe you were welcome in his house, but Greg only did it so he could embarrass you during the party, I wasn't proud of my son, but he needed your understanding." Grandpa said, and when he looked at me with tenderness, I couldn't stop my tears from falling.

"I will always be waiting for the day that he would accept and embrace me as Ashton's wife, and you don't need to worry, grandpa, I believe in many chances, and I would be hoping for the best. I don't want Axel to grow up without his grandfather, and I want them to have a bond like you and your grandchildren have." I responded.

"Thank you, Megan," he replied as he took me into his arms.We didn't go back to the lake, and we sleep in Ashton's room. It took me a while to fall asleep since I felt so happy that things went smoothly.

"Good morning, dad, mom!" Axel greeted us with a wide grin on his face."

Dad, the grandpa, said you would be coming with us," our son added, and I could see the shock on my husband's face as he got up from the bed.

"To where son?" Ashton asked.

"We will go fishing at the lake with my uncles and grandpa," he responded, and I could see the excitement on Axel's face.

"Now?" He asked.

"After breakfast, dad, mom always said I can't do anything with an empty stomach," Axel responded, and I smiled, and my husband nodded his head."Of course," Ashton replied.

"Mom, you need to get up, too; it would be so much fun. Everyone is downstairs waiting for us. Grandma said she would buy me toys, but I told her I wanted to have a puppy, but I had to ask your permission first. Would it be okay, mom?" He asked with puppy eyes, and I looked at my husband for support.

"That would be nice, Axel, but if you have a pet, do you know you have responsibilities?" My husband asked, and he shook and nodded his head which made me beam.

"I need to take good care of my puppy," he responded.

"Yes, that is right, but it would be a lot of work, buddy; you need to clean his poop, his urine, and you need to walk him every day, and there would be times the puppy would get sick." Ashton declared, and Axel listened to his father without blinking his eyes.

"And if you will not take good care of the dog, it might die," Ashton added, and I could see the worried looked on Axel's face.

"Do you want to have a puppy?" I asked, and he shook his head."Maybe when I become older, when I am old enough to take care of him, I don't want the puppy to die because of me," he responded, and his answers melted my heart, and I hugged my son, and I couldn't stop kissing his cheeks.

"Mom, you need to hurry," Axel stated, and I almost jumped of the bed; I changed into a casual dress. I only pulled up my hair into a ponytail, and in less than five minutes, I was ready.

My husband looked dashing as ever, even if he was only wearing a white t-shirt and board shorts.

We walked out of the room together, and as we descended the stairs, I couldn't stop feeling nervous, but I knew it would be a beautiful day for all of us as we gave Gregory a second chance.