Love Under the Western Skies

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜɪʀᴛʏ ᴏɴᴇ

ꜱᴛᴇᴠᴇ

➵➵➵➵➵➵➵❂➵➵➵➵➵➵➵

I had texted Savannah to meet me at Nat and Bucky's diner early in the morning.

So here I sat, in a booth with a single cup of coffee as I waited for the biggest nightmare of my life to walk through the door. Okay, that's not entirely fair, Savannah wasn't that bad of a person, not really, I'm just livid at the whole situation with her. Because I don't know how she could look at that sweet baby boy and drop him on a doorstep in the middle of winter like he was a package being delivered. And I guess maybe I'm a little mad that she didn't ask me if I would want Madison to adopt my son because Savannah ultimately has no say. She may have half custody in the court's eyes, but she has never been involved with Rhett. All she did was give him a first name.

Rhett was Madison's child. That was confirmed this morning when I woke up, kissing my sweet, pregnant girlfriend's head, and went to retrieve my screaming son from his bedroom, all he wanted was Madison. Screaming Mama until I walked into the bedroom, telling him that Mama was asleep and was growing his baby sibling so she needed the sleep. But all she did was wake up, and hold her arms open until I settled Rhett in them. She kissed his head, kissed me, then fell back asleep, Rhett following soon after. Having her adopt him was a no-brainer, it was the fact I wasn't asked that made me upset, and I was upset because I could tell how scared Madison was when she asked me.

The door chimed and Savannah walked in.

Her chestnut hair was down around her shoulders and she wore a simple sweatshirt and a pair of leggings. She was beautiful, there was no denying that. Yet I couldn't stop the part of me that recoiled at her presence, she ruined my reputation, nearly ruined my life, and yet she smiled at me like I was just a friend she was coming to see. Not the father of her child, not the man she tried to destroy. The faux leather squeaked under her thighs when she slid into the booth, her hands clasped in front of her while we both sat in this awkward standoff. So, I cleared my throat, looking at the woman who I wanted to hate, yet for some reason couldn't, I raised my mug, "Coffee?"

"Yes please."

The diner wasn't open, not really. Bucky and Nat gave me a key and told me to use it when I called them late last night to tell them about what happened. I knew my way around their equipment enough that they weren't terrified to let me use it. So, I slid free from the booth, walking behind the counter to pour her a cup of coffee. If we were being completely honest, I think I was avoiding the conversation. Part of me was relieved that she wanted to give up her rights and give them to the woman who deserves them, but the other part of me wanted to cry because I couldn't understand how someone could see Rhett, and decide he wasn't worth staying in his life. Maybe that's why he and Madison were so connected, Madison's mother left her without a second thought, and she wanted Rhett to know that he had a mother who wanted him. Even if she didn't birthed him.

I grabbed the bowl of creamer from the counter, setting the mug in front of Savannah before I sat back down. I needed to get this conversation started, because Nate, Ari, and I had a meeting with Sawyer's before the sun fully came up. It was the only time that the rodeo grounds would be quiet enough. But I didn't have the words, I didn't even know how to begin this conversation.

"I'm sorry," My eyes shot up when Savannah spoke, "For everything really, but I'm sorry, I know I should've asked you and not Madison."

My mouth felt like cotton but I brought the mug up to my mouth, watching Savannah closely as she pulled some paperwork out of her bag. "I want Madison to adopt him," Savannah froze when I spoke, "That's all I've ever wanted for him, to have a mother that wants to be with him," Savannah physically recoiled and good, she should feel like shit, leaving her son without a second thought. "But I'm angry at why you thought going to her instead of me, his father, to ask that question. She's pregnant Savannah, she cannot be stressed and last night she was nearly in tears when she asked me that question. Do you understand how hard it is to watch the woman you love cry because she's so scared of being rejected for something she wants so badly? And it should have been me who asked her, not you. You haven't been involved in Rhett's life at all."