The Power Of Music (The Original Draft)

Bentley and Raelynn Riggs!

The following weeks leading up to Bentley and Raelynn's wedding was hectic. They were running through so many hoops to get the wedding organized on a short notice and with the release of Bentley's new album "The Power of Music" didn't help matters. The record label was pulling Bentley in a thousand different directions organizing press interviews and talk show appearances, trying to promote the album. Bentley was overly exhausted meeting all demands set by the record label and Raelynn.

Things between Cassidy and Cameron were also heating up. The two of them were spending a lot of time together getting to know each other. For Cassidy it was the first time in a very long time that she was able to let her guard down so easily but with Cameron everything felt right. Also, for Cameron it was the first time since high school that he had truly fallen this hard for a female.

As Cassidy and Cameron grew closer, and Bentley and Raelynn juggled wedding preparations and record label obligations, Mr. and Mrs. Riggs cherished the time they spent with Skylar. They found themselves watching him frequently during those busy weeks, grateful for the moments they had with their grandson. Also, helped that Skylar enjoyed spending time with them too.

Cassidy and Bentley were also doing an excellent job co-parenting Skylar, keeping him out of the public eye and upholding their arrangements. This was especially important given the media attention on Bentley due to his album release and the recent article that outed Skylar as his secret love child. During interviews, Bentley would often skip over the question or reply with a simple "no comment," as he had not yet discussed with Cassidy how to address this publicly. He was wary of bringing unwanted media attention without her approval, as they had both agreed to keep Skylar's existence private.

The week of the wedding Raelynn and Bentley found their selves swamped with putting the last-minute touches on the small wedding that they were planning. As they were sitting at the table trying to decide on a playlist for the reception Raelynn's phone began to ring. It was her mother calling. After a few rings Raelynn picked up the phone to a frantic Olivia hysterically crying. Bentley could hear Olivia's cries through Raelynn's earpiece, and they sent chills down his body as those cries reminded him of the cries, he cried 8 years ago. "Rae, baby he's gone." a hysterical Olivia managed to utter out. Raelynn was trying to understand Olivia through her cries as she was lost as to what was going on, but she knew that it was something serious. "Mom, slow down. I can't understand you." Raelynn said. Olivia took a deep breath on the other end of the phone as she tried to compose herself. "Your father, he's gone. He's dead." Olivia managed to get out before breaking down again. Raelynn immediately clasped her hand to her face as she couldn't believe what she was hearing. She felt her heart breaking, but the realization had not yet set in. "No. You're lying mom." Raelynn responded as her voice began to crack. "Baby I wish I was. His plane crashed into the side of a mountain this morning. It's all over the news. I wanted to tell you before you saw it." Olivia said as she was managing to pull herself together. At this point the realization was starting to sink in for Raelynn as the tears started forming in her eyes. Bentley sitting beside her was lost at what happening as he could see Raelynn's heart breaking but no clue as to why. "Mom no. Stop playing with me right now." Raelynn said with her voice cracking and tears streaming as she jumped up to go to the living room to the tv on to the news. As Raelynn got the news on, it was the first thing she saw "Mr. Hart CEO of Hart Management dies in a private plane crash in Tennessee Mountains." The moment Raelynn saw the news headline she lost it. She dropped the phone and began to hysterically cry falling to her knees. Bentley came into the living room and as he saw the news headline, he immediately knew what the phone call was about as he dropped to the floor and began to console Raelynn the best he could.

Raelynn felt her world crumble around her as the reality of her father's sudden death hit her. She had always been close to her father, and even though they currently weren't on speaking terms the thought of never seeing him again was too much to bear. She cried uncontrollably, feeling lost and alone in her pain. Bentley held her tightly, comforting her as best he could, his heart breaking for her.