98 Braves // Morgan Wallen

5.

Morgan's POV

Pulling into Audrey's driveway behind her, I look at the 2-story ranch style home in shock.

From first meeting with her, Audrey didn't seem like the kind of girl who wanted to live on a plot of land in a house like this. I took her as the kind of girl that wanted to be in a penthouse in the city somewhere, guess I was wrong about that one. 

Watching the doors of her Jeep fly open, I immediately turn off my truck, before getting out. 

I watch as Austin goes to the back of the car while Audrey and Beckett heads towards the house.

"Do you need any help?" I ask Austin.

Austin looks back at me, before focusing on getting the bags out of the trunk again.

"I got it, you can go ahead and go in. Beck needed a bath before lunch" Austin responds.

I let out a sigh, "Look, I'm not here to intrude on anyone's life. The last thing I was expecting was to find out I had a kid out there. Now that I know, I don't plan on going anywhere. I know that you have been there for Beckett for a while now, and I thank you for that, and I need you to know that I don't intend on pushing you out or taking your place that you've already established, but I do plan on being his dad from here on out. For the sake of Audrey and Beckett both, we need to get along" I tell him. 

 Austin turns to face me, a hard look on his face.

"Those two mean the absolute world to me and have for a long time. I don't intend on going anywhere. I don't like the fact that you come blowing into town and immediately the world shifts on its axis, but for the sake of the two people in that house, who I love more than anything, I will try and be as civil as possible. Just remember, your place here is as Beckett's father, and only his father" Austin responds, before shutting the back of the car and heading inside.

"That looked like a pleasant conversation" I hear coming from behind me.

Turning around, I see Chipper and Tiffany walking up to me.

"I'm sorry you guys had to see that" I respond.

Chipper places a hand on my shoulder, "Don't let him get to you. I know this might be scary now, but being a dad is one of the best things I've experienced. It's going to be tough for a little while, but you'll get the hang of it. Welcome to the family Morgan, and don't hurt those two" Chipper says, before walking inside the house.

Here goes nothing. 

Audrey's POV

 Lunch was awkward as could be.

No one uttered a word from the moment we sat down at the table, to the time we got up to clean everything off and headed outside to enjoy the pool that was recently finished at the house.

Austin, Beckett, and my parents are all in the water, while Morgan and I are sitting on the deck in silence. 

I could tell that something happened between Morgan and Austin just based off of the way they are acting towards each other, but I choose to ignore it. The quieter we keep things at this point, the less likely Beckett is to find out everything before we are ready to say anything. 

"How is all of this going to work?" Morgan asks, breaking the silence.

I set my wine glass down on the table in front of me and let out a sigh.

"Well, obviously we are going to have to work around tour dates, baseball season, school, and my work schedule to try and line things up. We're normally always in town except the odd weekends that we go somewhere with my parents, so that'll help some. I'm willing to bring him up your way too some weekends you're home, maybe bring him to a couple of shows as long as we can keep things quiet" I respond. 

Morgan nods, "I think we can work something out with that. I don't want to rush telling him exactly who I am yet. I kind of want to let things go naturally, see what happens. I don't want to overwhelm anyone, seeing as how I know my presence isn't exactly appreciated" He says. 

"What do you mean?" I question, confused as to where he was getting that from.

Morgan looks back out at the pool, before looking back at me.

"I just don't want to step on anyone's toes here. I know Beckett has an already established relationship with Austin, and I don't want to mess anything up as soon as I come into his life" he explains.

I let out a small chuckle, rolling my eyes.

Of course this has to do with Austin, just like I expected. I knew he was taking all of this hard, but I told him from the beginning not to have any expectations when it comes to his role in Beckett's life. At the end of the day, he wasn't his dad, and Austin just has to except that. If he doesn't, maybe he doesn't deserve a roll in either of our lives. 

"Don't let him get to you. I know he's not happy about all of this, but at the end of the day, he doesn't have the ultimate say so in all of this, I do. I'm the one saying that I want you two to have a relationship if that's what you want, and he has to accept that or move on" I tell him, shrugging my shoulders. 

Morgan cracks a smile, the one that I know sends girls onto their knees in an instant, but for me it just makes my heart flutter just a bit, it has since the day I met him.

"Thank you for that and thank you for agreeing to let my mom come down in a few weeks. She's really excited about meeting you guys, and Beckett of course. I had to talk my sisters and my dad down from trying to tag along too" Morgan says.

"Once he knows they can all come to a game. Baseball is his life, so we're always at the field" I respond. 

"They're going to be so excited when I tell them" he responds.

"I'm glad" I tell him.

It's no lie.

I'm so happy that Beckett has another side of his family out there that is excited to meet him, and excited to share in what he loves.

I just hope everything doesn't come crashing down in the process.