Say You'll Stay

Night Out On The Town

"Olivia! Dillon is here!" Laura called out.

"This a date?" Zayden wonders.

"Not at all" She reassures him. There's no way she wants to date anyone, and certainly not anyone from here. She'll never go through like that again. Besides, Dillon is a like a brother to her.

"Dillon is a friend that I went to school with. He just needs someone to go with him to run some errands" Jayden walks over to her and clutches his arms around her.

"I miss daddy ma"

She cupped his face kissing his nose.

"I know baby, I miss him too" As angry as she still was, she missed him every day. Surely, throughout the years of their ups and downs like any other married couple, she loved him through them. Jadyn understood her. He wasn't the burn-the-sheets type of lover, but he was reliable and satisfying. There wasn't a moment she ever felt like he would abandon her. Until now.

"I don't want a new dad" Zayden stood to the side with a scowl painted on his lips.

"You can't do this"

"Zayden" She walks over to him.

"Nobody said you're getting an new dad. He's a friend of mommy's, and I don't need your permission to go"

This wasn't easy on them, and she knew this. They've endured a yard long list of changes and unpleasant circumstances, none of them they asked for. At the same time, she felt like they were all in purgatory. None of them were living. And if she didn't start moving forward, they'd never follow her. Rather than Dillon carrying her out screaming, she's choosing to leave on her own accord. Zayden shakes his head with an pout on his face.

"I hate it here!"

"I know this, but being around Uncle Jordan is pretty fun. He said you guys have been a big help on the ranch for him" She bends so she's eye level with them.

"I understand how hard it is to live somewhere you don't want to be. I've been where your guys are. It's an big change, from what you used to call home. But I promise, Dallas is a great place to live"

That was the first time since being there where she truly felt like this maybe wasn't the worst thing to happen to them. Her parents, Jordan, Dillon, and this ranch could save them all.

"We haven't even left the house! There's nothing to do here! I hate this!"

Zayden is by far the angriest of the three of them. He wears it on his face and his sleeve. Billy said to let him to have that anger. Boys need it sometimes. She doesn't know what to think.

"I want to go back, I can live with Aunt Nina"

"That's not happening baby boy, this is how it has to be for now"

A tear leaks from his eye. She longed to make this better for him. She would take all of their pain and carry it, but she can't. She had to stand strong and hope by that living, they would eventually follow. Right now, all they see is her moping around and being angry at the universe and she wanted to do better for them.

"We need to make the best of this, is it ideal?" Olivia paused.

"No, but we have to be here for the foreseeable future. So we have two choices, either we make the most of it, or suffer the entire time. You choose"

"Whatever" Zayden crosses his arms while shaking his head.

"I love the both of you so very much, and believe me I want to be back home too"

"We miss our friends" Jayden jumps in.

"Zayden is boring"

"I promise you'll make new friends as soon as school starts" Jayden looked away with a dejected expression on his face.