Sand In My Boots - Morgan Wallen Story

Chapter 17

We had spent the rest of the week at Morgan's parents' home where I had gotten to meet his entire family. Our kids had had time to bond, which I have to admit was pretty magical to watch. I had never really taken the time to imagine Ellie as a big sister, but seeing how caring she was towards Indigo truly made my heart melt. Katie had come to pick up Indie the night before we left to go on tour and Ellie was really sad to see him go. Even though Morgan had made it clear that he would not let her come between us, I had preferred to stay in our room when she had come to get her son. Our last encounter had left a bitter taste in my mouth and I was desperately trying to avoid another argument.

We had flown in from Knoxville to Milwaukee that morning, where Morgan was scheduled to play a sold out stadium that very night. I would be lying if I said that Ellie hadn't been on my mind the whole time; I'd never been so far away from her and the mom guilt was omnipresent. But, I tried, as much as I could, to take everything in and appreciate the moment because I knew this was a one of a kind experience and that tons of people would've killed to be in my shoes. It was about 3:00 PM when we got to the venue, just in time for the soundcheck. We had barely had time to set our stuff down before Morgan's manager, Seth, barged into his dressing room, instructing him to get on stage for the final soundcheck.

"They won't get off my back, man. I know the call sheet said 3:30 but apparently they need a break before the show, it's a union thing," Seth explained.

"That's alright, man. I'm here so might as well get this over with," Morgan said. "You can chill here if you want. It shouldn't take too long. Help yourself to anything you want, okay?" Morgan told me. I nodded and he placed a gentle kiss on my lips.

"Woah, guys, I'm not a snitch or anything, you don't have to do that here," Seth chuckled. I looked at Morgan and raised an eyebrow, confused by the comment. Morgan looked at him and subtly shook his head no.

"What?" I asked, genuinely confused.

"Nothing, baby. Old inside joke," he said, trying to brush it off.

"Okay," I said, still not fully grasping what they were going on about. Morgan gave me a quick kiss on the forehead and exited the room, followed by Seth, leaving me alone in the dressing room.

***

9:00 PM. The stadium was packed and the frenzy palpable. This guy named Hardy had just gone off the stage and Morgan was about to go on. The whole crowd was chanting his name and my heart was beating in my chest as if I was the one who had to go out there and put on a show for 40,000 people. Seth came to stand next to us and told Morgan he had 30 seconds until showtime. Morgan grabbed my face and spent twenty of those thirty seconds kissing me like no one else had ever kissed me. His lips softly mashed against mine, our bodies sharing one timeless, passionate moment. He pulled away gently and grazed my cheek softly with his thumb.

"I love you," he mouthed.

"I love you too," I replied before he gave me one last quick peck on the lips and ran on stage. The minute the spotlight hit him, the crowd went crazy. I bit my lip, almost as if I was nervous he'd mess up.

"Are you nervous?" Seth asked.

"Kinda," I admitted. "Probably not as much as him though," I giggled.

"Oh, he's used to it by now, but you're new to this. It's a very selfless thing you're doing, he's lucky you agreed," he smiled. I smiled back, slightly confused as to what he was referring to. "Don't worry, Jensen will come by tomorrow to coach you," he added.

"Coach me?" I asked.

"He's Morgan's publicist. He's the best, you'll see! This whole stunt was his idea, actually!"