It's a small world

The big reveal

Jason's pov

I'm about to walk out onstage. My hands have never shaken so much. "They're gonna love you just as much as they did years ago." She says, fixing my shirt. She hands me my guitar. I kiss her. She holds my hand and we walk out onstage together. They're quiet. Tim hands me the mic. "Hey y'all, it's been a while." "Is that Jason Aldean?" A fan asks. I laugh. "Yeah, it's me in the flesh. Or what's left of me." I say, limping up the stage. "I reckon you're all wondering what happened?" I ask. They scream in a chorus of yeses. "I was runnin' from the mafia. And I came home and made myself a wife and daughter." My girls walk out. "You were right baby, they do still love me." I say, kissing her. I start singing and the crowd cheers. I even see a girl crying. I high five them. "Hey guys grab your girl, I know I will." I say, grabbing Kim's hand and singing burnin' it down. "Oh I'm getting winded." I mumble, sitting down. She sits beside me. She squeezes my hand. I've been wearing shorts the whole time so I'm just waiting for someone to ask like I know they will. I'm glad my fans still like me. "Even though I look like a pirate." I mumble. "A sexy pirate." She says, smiling and I kiss her. Addy jumps on my back. I smile and give her an evil look before I grab her and tickle her. After that we head backstage. "That was being recorded. It was on TV." I freeze. "Damn, I never thought I'd hear your voice again." I gasp, turning around. Dad and mom hug me. Dad doubled as my manager. "It's great to see you again." "Everyone watching CMT saw you. They all know and they're blowing up social media. I pull out my phone and sign in to Instagram. It's blowing up just like he said. With little messages saying "omg Jason Aldean is back!" "Yaaaaaay!" "Aldean army turn your TVs to CMT cause Jason Aldean is back and he's better than ever." Kim takes it from me and sets it to the recorder. "What do you wanna tell your fans?" She asks. "Oh uh I'm totally not ready. My trusty and loyal Aldean Army, I may be a little different." She moves the camera up and down, showing them my prosthetic leg. And yes I know I look like a pirate but that doesn't mean I can't still sing country music for y'all. I'm putting on a free show at the snowden grove amphitheater tomorrow for my wonderful fans. I hope to see you all there." I stop and she posts it to Instagram. "That was great." Dad says, ruffling my hair. I swat his hand away. "I was scared for nothing." I say, hugging Adeline and Kim. "What were you scared of?" Mom asks, confused. I sigh. "What does it look like ma?" She smiles. "It looks like my son." She says her hands on her hips. Nobody thinks I look like a freak. I need to stop worrying.

*a few years later*

Adeline is bringing her boyfriend home. "Don't go crazy." Kim says, holding my hand. "Ugh, my little girl is growing up." I mumble, bummed. "Hey cheer up, she's following in her daddy's footsteps." She says, kissing me. The door opens. "Mom, dad, this is Mark." She says. Wow, he's dressed in cowboy boots dusty blue jeans, a blue plaid button down, and a cowboy hat. "Is this what you meant by following in my footsteps?" I ask. Kim nods. "Pleased to meet ya ma'am. Sir." He says, holding his hand out. I shake his hand. A strong firm handshake. He's a country boy! "What do you do for a living?" I ask. "I work on my parents' farm and the convenience store down the street." He says.

*later*

"So dad do you like him?" Addy asks. I try to hide my smile. "I don't like him." Her jaw drops. "I love him Adeline." She instantly cheers up. She hugs me. She walks to the door. He walks over to me. "Your daughter is amazing." He says. "Thanks." "I'm glad to be able to date her." "Well, I'm glad you're able to date her." I say, smiling. He looks up surprised. "I'm glad ya approve." I freeze.

~flashback~

We just got back from our first date. Adeline was still asleep in the hospital bed but she woke up as soon as she entered. I stayed by the door. I hear her say she likes me which makes me smile. I walk in and say, "I'm glad ya approve."

~flashback over~

Kim's pov

"What's wrong with him, Mrs. Aldean?" Mark asks. "He's okay, just a flashback." I say, grabbing his arm. He's staring in space, mumbling inaudibly to himself. "Hey Jason, sweetheart come back to me. You're okay, you're safe." I say, gently guiding him to the couch. He shakes his head, blinking. "I konked out again didn't I?" He asks, smiling embarassed. I nod. Every time he does this, he's able to talk easier about the five years he was gone. "What was it about this time?" I ask. He smiles. "It wasn't anything bad this time. It was when we first met." He says, making me smile. I hug him. "Is he gonna be okay?" Mark asks. "I'm fine." He says, standing up. "Have fun on your date." "I'm not growing up too fast, am I?" She teases. He laughs and nods. "No matter how big you get you'll always be my little girl." He says, hugging her. "Thanks Dad, I love you." "Love you too sweetheart." They go on their date and it's just the two of us. "She's growin' up too fast and won't be long before I gotta put the fear of God into some kid at the door." He jokes, using song lyrics from Rodney Atkins' song cleaning this gun. I roll my eyes. "Don't you have a show to do next week?" I ask. He nods and pretends to think hard. "Uh, for the life of me I can't remember where." He says with a smile as he kisses me.

*later*

"You didn't forget at all, did you?" I ask, snuggling with him. "You know me too well babe." He says. He hugs me. "I like Mark. He reminds me of me at his age." "I knew you'd say that." He sits up, smirking. "How'd you know?" "Because I know my husband." I say, laughing. "Yeah, you know me better than I know me." He jokes. "And that's just how I like it." He adds, laying back down, one hand behind his head and the other around me and I drift off to sleep.