Mockingbird: a Songbird Sequel

Twenty-One: Colt

Within weeks, Fall started to arrive in Georgia. Temperatures mellowed out, the nights got a little chilly and all the trees started to morph to various hues of orange and yellow. It was my favorite time of year. It was perfect for fires and late-night drives, and football games and snuggling. And here I was packing to leave the one person I wanted to do any of that with.

Eden had returned to Nashville a few days after I accepted the offer to record in Nashville. I was happy to have her gone. At least while we were recording, I'd only have to deal with her in the studio, or that's what I was telling myself. I wished with everything in me that we could do this with someone else, anyone else, but... we had to take the opportunity we were given. I could handle six weeks and after that, I never had to see the woman again.

At the beginning of October, Maggie was two and a half months along. Morning sickness was hitting the poor girl hard, and the kids seemed even more certain that they wanted Lennie and I to adopt him or her. Hell, I think if Maggie could've given us the baby now she would've. She wasn't yet showing, and it was pretty easy for her to still go to school and not face many questions. Though, Snyder being as small as it was, there was definitely questions being asked. At the moment, it had more to do with the fact she was obviously living with Lennie and I than anything else.

Her father still wanted nothing to do with her, but her mother started coming around. At first it was phone calls, then short little visits. She wasn't thrilled, obviously, that her teenage daughter was pregnant. Hell, I wasn't thrilled, but... she was coming around. She at least looked like she wanted to keep her kid in her life. Despite her acceptance of the situation, however, she wanted Maggie to remain with us. She was thrilled that the kids were considering adoption, but it wasn't enough for her husband. It broke Maggie's heart more than she was willing to let on. I mean, of course it did. She was sixteen. She wanted to be at home, she wanted to be allowed to be a part of her own goddamn family. Instead, she became a part of ours and Lennie and I did everything in our power to make sure she actually felt like she was. She was happy, at least moderately. But we all knew it wasn't the same.

On my final night home for a while, I was doing some last-minute packing. The boys and I decided we were driving to Nashville instead of flying. It was only four hours and I wanted to be able to leave at the drop of a hat if I needed to, so my truck was going with me. Carter and I were going to be road buddies, while Leon and Travis followed behind us. As I stuffed Tshirts into my duffle bag, I was absent-mindedly whistling a tune, and heard Lennie sigh from her place in bed.

"What?" I asked, pausing to look at her.

She was sitting with her legs crossed in front of her, wearing a sweatshirt that was way too big to be hers, her new little reading glasses on her nose and her hair tied up atop her head. She was pissed when she had to start wearing glasses, but she looked cute as fucking hell in them. She didn't seem to mind them so much after a few nights of "You're the nerd, I'm the tatted bad-boy." I sure as shit was in love with them after that.

"Nothing," she stated, pushing the black rimmed glasses up her nose, and keeping her eyes locked on the book in her hands.

"That was not a nothing sigh. What's up?"

"It's the book. Don't worry about it."

"Yeah? Good one?"

"Mhm."

"Really? Cuz you been reading the same page for the last twenty minutes, so..."

She finally looked up at me, a bit of a glare in her green gaze. "You keeping track of my pages now?"

"Nope. Just ain't heard you turn one in a minute." I pulled one last Tshirt out of the drawer and tucked the hem between my chin and chest so I could roll it up. "You gonna tell me what's on your mind or keep lying to me?"