i had some help | book four

chapter nine

Anticipating his arrival, she paced back and forth in the closet. What should she wear? She was never nervous but she was feeling a mix of anxiety, excitement, and anticipation all at once. Settling for a short-sleeve shirt and some sweatpants, she decided this would be enough.

The evening dawned on her as Laney sat alone in the living room, reflecting on what their relationship had looked like. She didn't even know what she wanted to say to him. All she did was note down areas of improvement in their relationship and that she missed him.

When Morgan arrived, the car pulled up making her stomach churn. Laney placed Luna on the floor, who had run immediately to the door as the knob turned.

"Daddy!" she exclaimed giving his legs a hug which made Morgan look down in shock and with a smile.

Returning the hug tightly and giving her a squeeze, he inhaled the scent of Luna, missing his daughter for the duration he was on tour. Picking her up and giving her a few kisses which made her giggle, he redirected his attention to Laney.

"Hey," Laney softly spoke, "I made dinner".

With that, she walked away shakily to the dinner table where she had set up some candles, nice plates, a steak, and some mashed potatoes with broccoli. It was meant to be a steak salad but Laney never made it to the grocery store.

Morgan placed Luna down and sat down at the table, "This looks great thanks babe".

She nodded as she sipped from her wine glass before taking a bite, "Of course".

The two made small talk about his tour and her painting as they shared their meal. Laney was hoping it would be a relaxing dinner before their much-needed conversation. When their plates emptied, Laney placed them in the sink and left them. She could scrub them after her nerves settled down.

The two sat on the couch without saying a word together preparing for the conversation ahead.

Laney eyed him and took a deep breath, "I've been thinking a lot. There's a lot we need to do to move forward. We have both made our mistakes but we are only human. I want us to be there for each other and talk about our new priorities, especially with her growing up. Neither of us should have to put our lives on hold".

Morgan nodded as his expression relaxed but kept it serious. "I agree. I let you down but this is just a bump in the road. Sometimes work overtakes my family needs but I need to balance it better".

Laney smiled at his agreement, she was so afraid the conversation would go the wrong way. "So what do you need from me?".

"I need you to be more understanding. I can't read your mind and forgetting our anniversary was obviously horrible of me, but I need you to be understanding and open. If you want me to be more present emotionally and physically, if we need date nights, I want you to tell me. I don't want to figure it out when it's too late," he explained.

Their conversation was filled with heartfelt intense moments as they both opened up and expressed the ways they had to change for each other. Their individual wants and needs not only personally but for each other and Luna, their own goals, and how they could help each other. It was like a weight was lifted off their shoulders.

As the conversation ended, Laney could feel a sense of relief and uncertainty. She knew they were on the same page but she was nervous the previous conflict would make moving forward come with baggage and resentment. Luckily, the conversation also allowed her to see clarity in their needs.

Laney got up and made her way to the sink as Morgan stayed put on the couch and watched her in confusion. As she turned on the sink water and began to scrub the dishes she spoke, "When are you leaving again?".

"Want to get rid of me so soon?" he joked as he played with Luna.

Laney shook her head as he answered her question, "I leave in two days in the morning to go back on the road".

She nodded as she continued to load the dishwasher, "Nice, do you have any plans?".

"I've missed you and Luna," he told her as she looked at him. His voice sounded hurt as it wavered while he spoke, "I'm here for the both of you".

Her eyes softened at the sight of him breaking down. He never did break down before but the tears streaming down his face spoke volumes. She couldn't help but feel a pocket of air hitch in her throat as she crumbled at the sight of him.

"I've missed you too," she confessed as she went to him and gave him a hug.

The warmth and comfort of her embrace was something he craved every night and to finally feel her touch, was a blessing to him. She couldn't help but feel relief as she latched onto his body. That hug was enough to make her rethink all of her priorities and choices.

"I don't ever want to be apart from you," she whispered. Saying the words aloud was something she never thought would occur since it was a feeling she had been suppressing since she had left.

"I don't either. Not like this," he croaked.

The two sat intertwined with each other as they decided to reflect on their feelings once more.

"I'm coming back on the tour after this last commission," she blurted.

He stared at her in shock.

She was just as shocked but she knew deep down, that this was what she wanted to do. "I want to be there for you. I didn't move to Nashville to paint and that's something I can just occasionally do. I'll do it on off-season when we are home fully," she explained to him as she began planning it out in her head.

"Laney I can't ask for that. This is what you want to do. It'll hurt me to see you give this up," he disagreed.

"I wanted to be an event coordinator, not a painter. Things I can still do on the side," she reminded him.

He grabbed her hand and gave it a light squeeze. Grasping onto her hand he just leaned on her shoulder and took a deep breath, "I got lucky".