“He wants visitation rights. Rhett was more than willing to work with him, but he was being unrealistic. Every holiday, all summer, and every weekend.”
“He’s not the parent, and Texas isn’t a grandparent state, so he doesn’t have a say in anything.”
“Hey, baby. You look like you’re leaving,” he says finally walking over, looking me up and down.
“I need food at the house, so I can eat,” I tell him.
“Emma and I were wondering if you could make your delicious spaghetti and meatballs.” He gives me the puppy dog looks, and I can’t help but giggle.
“I didn’t think I was welcome in the house because of Katy. She was pretty upset with me,” I tell Rhett and Quinn the story, and he looks pissed off. “Don’t get pissed off. I’ll come in and start cooking.” I park my car and head into the kitchen. I start pulling out the ingredients that I need to make the meatballs, as Rhett comes in along with Quinn.
“They’re in my office, so I can be here to help you,” he tells me.
I start adding the spices into the hamburger meat and sausage that I had in the fridge. Rhett grabs two glasses for the sweet tea that Eric made yesterday, as I turn to stare at him. “What?”
“Nothing. I’m just happy,” I tell him with a smile on my face.
Rhett
“You finally banged your girl.” Tucker laughs. “We heard her. Very nice.”
“You’re listening to me having sex with my girlfriend?” I’m shocked, but not really at all surprised. Tucker nods. “You’re a sick fucker. I’m going down to where the cows graze to fix the fence.” I head down there in the John Deere Gator with the supplies in the back with me. I work on the fence for a while, until Wes comes down.
“Quinn is here and so is Katy and her dad.” He sounds annoyed. “Charlie’s in the kitchen with them.”
“Fuck.” I get on my Gator, following him to the house.
Once Charlie leaves the house, we all sit down at the kitchen table, and Quinn starts the conversation. “Katy, did you bring the papers that the judge told you?” She looks to her father. Oh boy. He’s going to go against the judge.
“No, she didn’t, because we’re going to appeal it. That judge obviously was on the take,” Mr. Stillman tells us.
“Are you actually telling me that you’re going to accuse a sitting judge of being on the take?” Quinn questions him. “You need a reason to appeal it. There’s nothing else that you can possibly think of saying that could win the appeal. Why can’t we just do this arrangement?”
“It's ridiculous, and you know it,” Mr. Stillman states, doing all the talking.
“This is an opportunity for Emma to get to know the Livingston family, and Katy to experience Paris. Emma already has her Skype set up in the game room. Did she not Skype you earlier, Katy?” She nods, as I look at Mr. Stillman. “You kept Emma from me, and you paid people to keep tabs on me, and I’m the bad person? After Katy left me, it broke me. I went to counseling, anger management, and finally, to college to make my life better. You made me believe that I wasn’t good enough for anyone, and I needed to work on myself. I did that with the help of my brothers and sisters. Karen, your sister-in- law, has been a tremendous help for that, too. I have a right to get to know my daughter, and the judge saw that. I’m not going to keep her from you, Mr. Stillman. You are always welcome here. Emma will be able to spend the night at your house, when I feel like I can trust you.”
“I’m calling my lawyer,” Mr. Stillman says, picking up his phone. Next thing I know, Mrs. Stillman and their lawyer are there and I have them use my office. Since it’s all brand-new stuff, I have nothing important in there yet. Quinn and I go outside to talk.
“What are my chances here?” I ask her.
“They can’t change the ruling. The judge already ruled on it. He’s stalling.” I’m glad that Emma went with Karen into the mess hall to color. She doesn’t need to hear all of this fighting. Quinn goes around the corner and disappears, and soon, I follow her voice.
My girl is here. I wonder where she’s going. She looks good in her comfy clothes. I convince her to make dinner and not leave. I hate how Katy drove her away from the house. Charlie’s part of my life, and she’s going to be living here with me.
“Can I help with anything?” I ask Charlie, who is in her cooking mode.
“Yes, after I’m done adding the seasonings, I’m going to need you to mash them all together, and then help me turn them into balls.” The way she stares at my cock, when she says balls, has me excited.
“I might need to cook with you more often,” I whisper, as I lean in to kiss her. We connect and kiss for a little bit, until we’re interrupted by someone clearing their throat.
“Mr. Stillman, will you be staying for dinner?” I ask him.
“Yes, the three of us are staying for dinner, so we can spend time with Emma, since we can’t appeal it.” His tone is flat. A few minutes later, Emma comes through the door from the mess hall.
“Meatballs!” she squeals. “Can I help?”
“Sure. You know what? Why don’t you see if Mommy wants to help, too? You two you can do the meatballs, while I work on the sauce.” Mr. Stillman watches Charlie interact with Emma.
“Mommy!” Emma runs away, looking for Katy, and after a bit, they both come back. Charlie pulls out the stool next to the sink. “Mommy, you have to wash your hands, before touching food. That’s rule number one in the kitchen.” Emma seems so proud.
“Where did you learn this?” she asks. When Emma says Eric, she seems relieved that it wasn’t Charlie.
Charlie starts working on the sauce, and Katy and Emma do the meatballs. I’m at the table with Quinn going over paperwork, and I see Emma’s birth certificate. My name is there, and I tear up. Her real name is Emma Katherine Livingston. I hold the certificate up to my heart, and Charlie stares at me with a smile on her face.
“What now, Charlie?” Emma asks.
“We need to put them in the oven, so we can cook them,” Charlie tells her. “Katy, do you want to put them in? Emma, here’s the timer. Set it for twenty minutes. Thank you, Katy.”
“No problem. It was fun making dinner with Emma. I don’t think I ever did it before. Thank you, Charlie.”
“No problem. I’m not trying to take your place as a mom. I want to get to know my boyfriend’s daughter and her mother,” Charlie tells her. I’m watching this scene like it’s out of the Twilight Zone. Katy seems to be okay, but she’s still unsure. She nods and walks away, after washing her hands.
“Rhett, do you know what school you’re enrolling Emma in, or are you going to keep her in the school that I’ve been sending her to?” She looks through the papers on the table and hands me the school bill. This isn’t a bad drive to take her. “I think she needs to stay in this school. She’s thriving, and with all the changes going on, I think she needs it.”
“I agree with you. Is it paid monthly or yearly?” I ask her, and she tells me either. Katy seems more relaxed right now, but Mr. Stillman isn’t in the room either. We figure out all of the doctors, school, dance class, and everything else that I need to get from her. I have all of her important papers and passport, so Mr. Stillman can’t take Emma out of the country. I don’t trust him. The timer goes off, and Emma comes running in from the game room.
Charlie pulls out the meatballs and moves them around, and then puts them back in. “Twenty more minutes, sweetheart.” Emma pouts a bit, and then runs away. I can’t help but laugh.
“She’s so comfortable here. It’s like she belongs here,” Mrs. Stillman comments, as Katy turns around to see her mom standing there. “Do you need help, dear?”
“No, I’m almost done, but thank you.” Charlie smiles at her.
“Katy, do you want to help me set the table?” I look at Quinn, waiting for Katy’s head to explode. She nods because she doesn’t go against her mother. Quinn helps them set the table, while I go over to Charlie, helping her get the meatballs in the sauc
e, garlic bread, and cut up the veggies that were in the fridge. We all sit down to dinner, as I stand up and at the head of the table.
“I want to say something, as I look around the new faces here for dinner. Welcome to family dinner. Today was a rough day emotionally, and it’s going to be a huge adjustment for all of us, but I do believe that we all have in common the wellness and happiness of Emma. Mr. and Mrs. Stillman, we would like to extend to you an invitation to join us for family dinner on Sundays, after church around five thirty. We always come to eat, laugh, and enjoy each other’s company. Katy, the invitation is always open for you. There will be a cabin built for you, once you give us what you want. It should be ready by the time you get back from Paris so you can stay here, whenever you want.”
“I can’t do this.” Mr. Stillman slams his hands on the table. “You bribed that so-called judge to get my granddaughter taken from us. Now, you sit here, as this saint. If my wife won’t fight you for Emma, I will,” he says, as he stands up, and the chair falls backwards onto the table. We all sit and watch his childish display.
“We didn’t bribe the judge,” Quinn speaks up.
“I’m the reason why.” Emma stands up. As she walks over to Charlie and me, she doesn’t make eye contact with anyone. “The judge came to talk to me, and I told him that I wanted to live with Daddy and Charlie.”
“Why did you do that?” Katy’s voice is loud.
“I don’t like Grandfather. He’s mean to me, and so are you. Daddy doesn’t grab me by the arm and hurt me. I told the judge that, and he saw the marks on my arm.” Emma sits down on Charlie’s lap. Mrs. Stillman stands up now and comes over to Emma, asking to see her arms, as she starts to cry.
“Oh, my baby. I’m sorry. Grandma didn’t know.” She kisses Emma’s forehead.
“I will be back to see my grandbaby. These two won’t, until they get some counseling. If they show up, you call me. You take care of her.” Mrs. Stillman hugs me. “You two let’s go.” Mr. Stillman and Katy stand there. “I said let’s go.” Her tone is one that you don’t mess with. They leave silently, and we eat dinner in silence for a while, until Tucker and Emma start goofing off. We laugh a lot, and it makes the situation lighter.
We clean off the table, and Emma helps Wes do it. I feel really horrible that Emma had to talk to the judge and say those things about her mom and grandfather. Charlie sits and watches the scene, and I can see the love in her eyes for Emma.
“Are you staying over tonight?” I ask Charlie.
“I’d like to,” she says, kissing me.
“Good, because I have a few surprises for you tonight,” I tell her, and she smiles.
“Charlie, when are we going to go into the garden?” Emma asks her.
“Let’s go now, if your dad is okay with it.” I nod and say okay, as they go outside, leaving Quinn, Tucker, Wes, and I sitting at the table.
“Emma’s a strong girl,” Wes comments.
“Too strong for her own good. I hope she can be a kid here and not worry. Mrs. Stillman surprised me, when she used that tone. I sat up straight up.” Tucker says as he takes a drink of his beer.
“I can’t believe she talked to the judge. When did she talk to him?” Quinn questions.
“When we were talking inside the room, and Charlie was with her outside,” I tell them. I knew that Emma had talked to the judge. I kept it a secret, but I didn’t know what was said.
“I think I’m going to look into a new school for her. Actually, a new everything for her just to keep Katy and Mr. Stillman away from her,” I say to myself out loud. Quinn agrees with me and tells me that she’ll talk to some of her friends, who have children. Tucker gets some cards out, and we start to play poker, while Charlie and Emma are in the garden. I know not to bother them. I did that once, and Emma threw a tomato at me. It’s their time together. Charlie even let Emma plant some flowers in front of her house to grow.
“When are you asking her to marry you?” Tucker deals the cards.
“Tonight. I would’ve already done it, but we needed to be in a good spot again. When I watch Charlie with Emma, and I see the love in her eyes for her, I know I found the one.”
“Plus, anyone willing to live with you three jackasses is a saint,” Quinn pipes up.
“Ouch that hurts.” Tucker fakes being heartbroken, and we all laugh. The backdoor opens, and Emma comes flying in laughing.
Charlie
Emma and I head out to the garden, while the adults talk. I know not to pressure her into talking to me. She'll talk, when she's ready.
"Charlie, where's my garden going to go?" I see the sadness in her eyes, as she looks back to the house.
"What do you want to grow?" I ask her, as we lay down in the grass, staring at the stars in the sky.
"Veggies and flowers."
"The veggies we can have Daddy add on to this garden. The flowers we can do all over the property, like in front of the houses and around the cabins."
"That sounds like fun. Charlie?" Emma whispers my name, as she puts her head over my heart. "I wish you were my mom. You wouldn't hurt me like my mom does." The tears start to flow from a quiet cry to a sob that has me trying to calm her down, before she hyperventilates. I rub her back singing “You Are My Sunshine.” She joins me, as she sniffles.
“In my office, I have the different vegetables that we can plant and flowers that we can buy. Do you want to go look at them?” I ask her.
“No yet. I like looking at the stars. There are so many of them.” I start showing her the different constellations. Emma decides that she wants to collect some vegetables, so I can make a Spanish omelet for breakfast. She gets up and starts to race to the garden. Emma starts to giggle, as she takes some tomatoes, green peppers, onions, and whatever else she can get her hands on to fill the bucket. She hands it to me, and then races to the house, but not before falling in the mud next to the house. Emma’s laugh is so contagious.
“Daddy, you should see all of the veggies that we got. Look I fell in the mud.” She turns around to show Rhett.
“Someone needs a bath,” he tells her.
“Aunt Quinn, can you give me a bath?” Emma asks, and Quinn can’t say no, because she’s going to miss out on this, when she goes back to San Fran.
“Did you fall, too? I can give you a bath.” Tucker looks to me, wiggling his eyebrows. I wait until Emma’s out of range of hearing me.
“Do you want me to shove this cucumber up your ass?” I hold a cucumber up, doing a Vanna White over the cucumber.
“My ass isn’t for things to go inside,” Tucker grumbles.
“Will you guys help me take these into the mess hall? I have a lot of baskets. They’re heavy.” They help me out, while I get the veggies ready for breakfast in the morning. I help clean up the poker game, so we can watch a movie with Emma, before her bedtime. An hour or so later, Rhett puts Emma to bed and reads her a couple of stories.
I have a glass white wine sitting on the porch, watching the lightning off in the distance. It’s calm right now, so I close my eyes, listening to the silence and concentrating on the noises around me. I hear the frogs, crickets, and the owls. I smell the flowers in front of the house and also the smell of horse manure. I feel the wind on me, touching my body, as my hair hits in my face. This is a paradise for me.
The screen door opens and shuts, and I’m startled by the loud noise of the door and almost fall out of the rocker.
“Sorry.” Rhett touches my shoulder, and his hand feels as though it’s burning on my skin. Oh, how his touch sends a signal to my brain to want him to hold me, kiss me, and fuck me. “I was getting ready to head to bed, and I was wondering if you were staying the night with me?”
“I wasn’t planning on it, but I can if you want me to,” I tell him, looking up at his beautiful eyes.
“I want you to,” he tells me, holding out his hand to me. I grab it, and he leads me into the house. It’s awfully quiet for only being ten at night. Usually, Tucker and Wes are i
n the game room, messing around watching sports playing pool. I follow Rhett to his room, and he stops, before he opens the door.
“Charlie, I want you to know something.” He looks me right in the eyes. “I love you with all my heart.” I nod not sure what to say to that. I love him, too. He finally opens the door wide, and I gasp.
Walking into the bedroom, there are about thirty candles all around the room, rose petals on the floor and bed, Fireball whiskey, and cream soda chilling in a bucket of ice near the bed. I walk further in, seeing that the rose petals lead to the bathroom as well. I don’t feel Rhett behind me, so I spin around to see where he is, and I can’t move from the spot that I’m in. He’s on one knee with a ring box open with a gorgeous solitaire diamond. Rhett doesn’t move, but he does start singing “I Cross my Heart” by George Strait acapella.
When he gets to the lines:
As we look into the future
It's as far as we can see
So, let's make each tomorrow
Be the best that it can be
I start to cry and walk towards him. As he finishes the song, he says, “Charlie, I love you with everything that I am. I fucked up, and I will spend the rest of my days making up for that. It won’t happen again, I can promise you that. I want you to be my wife, the mother of my children, and the mother to Emma, who keeps giving her the love she deserves. I want to spend every waking minute with you. I want to wake up with you and go to bed with you every day. I don’t want to be separated from you ever again. Will you marry me?” He’s crying, as he says the last words to me. Rhett doesn’t like to be vulnerable too often, and right now, he’s is completely exposed. I can see his hands are shaking, as he takes the ring out of the box. I move my hand closer to his, so he can slide the ring on my finger.
“Rhett, my future is with you. I want no one else. I want to be your wife. Now, put the damn ring on my finger, so I can kiss you,” I tell him. He slides the ring on and picks me up, twirling me around. He kisses me, and we laugh through our tears.
Cross My Heart Page 17