Sand In My Boots - Morgan Wallen Story

Chapter 10

By the time we got to Sneedville, Ellie had already fallen asleep in the car. The insane amount of cheese puffs I had let her eat probably didn't help. Andrew pulled into the driveway of a big farmhouse. I looked out the window; no sign of Morgan. He got out of the car and came to open the door for me.

"Be careful, ma'am it's a little-"he started. I jumped out of the car, staring down at my now mud covered feet. "Muddy," he added, a few seconds too late. I giggled.

"You're fine, Andrew. It's nothing," I said in an attempt to appease the alarmed look on his face. I heard a dog bark and the porch light went on.

"Quiet, Boots," I heard a voice say sternly. Of course he's got a dog named Boots.

The minute he appeared on the porch, I remembered why I had come here. He looked as beautiful as ever, wearing a white, long sleeved shirt that really modeled just how defined his shoulders were. He smiled at me and my heart skipped a beat.

"Girl, do you fill them jeans nicely," he said, beaming at me. I giggled, unable to wipe the dumb grin off my face. He walked down the four little steps that led to the porch and stood in front of me, putting his hands on my waist and looking deep into my eyes. "Missed me?" he asked. I rolled my eyes and he laughed. "Where is Ellie?"

"She fell asleep in the car after having way too many snacks," I shrugged. He made a little visor with his hands and looked through the car window, checking on her.

"Aww, she looks so peaceful. Her bedroom's ready, I'll carry her in," he said, opening the door and unbuckling her seatbelt carefully. In that moment, I could see what a great dad he must have been. Josh had never done anything like that for Ellie. Whether it be getting a bedroom ready and comfortable for her, or carrying her little sleeping body out of the car without waking her up, Morgan had already, in the span of a few days, done more for Ellie than her dad had in her whole three years. I hadn't been sure about Morgan up until now and one of the main reasons for that was that I wanted to protect Ellie from yet another heartbreak. And yet, right now, his actions were showing me that he might be the best possible person to share mine and Ellie's life. I smiled at the thought before realizing Morgan was already on the porch, waiting for me to open the door.

"Sorry," I whispered, running to get the door.

"You're fine," he whispered, kissing the top of my head gently. I followed him down the hallway and into the bedroom. I couldn't believe what I saw next. He hadn't just 'made the room comfortable' for her. He had made it her bedroom. He had gotten the pictures of Ellie and I that I had posted on facebook framed and displayed them in the room. He had gotten these cute little wooden letters that spelled out ELLIE and put them up on the wall above the bed. The comforter was a light shade of pink and there was a star shaped night light on the nightstand. He put her down onto the bed gently, took off her shoes and put the blankets over her delicately. He put a finger over his mouth, telling me to be quiet and tip toed out of the room, closing the door silently.

"I can't believe you did all this," I said, deeply touched by the amount of effort he had put in to make this happen with very little time. He smiled.

"I wanted her to feel at home," he said nonchalantly, looking deep into my eyes. "I didn't know what she was into so I didn't get her any toys yet, but maybe tomorrow my mom could take you guys into the store and pick a few things for her? That way you'd get to meet her and see how she is with Ellie, and-"

"I'm sorry for ever doubting you," I cut him off, genuinely apologetic. "What you've done for Ellie tonight is truly remarkable. Thank you," I said, maintaining eye contact. He tilted his head slightly and I noticed the sweetest twinkle in his eyes. I'm really starting to fall for him.