Nashville chapter 9
"That's enough of that." Mom mentions turning off the news as they finish the story about Juliette Barnes' mom dying.
"I feel so bad for Juliette." Daphne says before taking a sip of orange juice.
"No matter how old you are loosing your mom is a terrible thing to deal with." Mom explains.
"Or your father." Maddie speaks.
"Well no matter what you're not loosing either one of us anytime soon." Mom replies.
"So I guess she's not going to the CMA awards." Daphne adds.
"I don't think so. That's actually something I wanted to talk to y'all about. Um so your uncle Deacon has asked me to go with him as his date. So I wanted to tell you that we are seeing each other." Maddie and I look at each other.
"So is he your boyfriend?" Daphne questions excitedly.
"Duh." Maddie replies.
"Well we care about each other a lot so yeah I guess." Mom tries to explain to Daphne. "I wanna know how you feel about that?"
"I do like Deacon." Daphne answers.
"I like him." Maddie says.
"Me too. Obviously. " I add.
"Ok cause you know if we go to the CMAs together they're gonna take all kinds of pictures of us and your father and I are public figures so people are very interested in our private lives and y'all are the most important part of my private life."
"Um alright so let's get going." Mom says as she zips up our lunch boxes.
"Actually Maddie is coming to school with me." I tell her. There's no way I can spend a whole car ride with our mom.
"Can I come too?" Daphne asks.
"Not today Daph sorry." I tell my little sister. I feel bad but Maddie and I are skipping school to go see my dad who might also be her dad now so we can't exactly bring Daphne.
"Um ok." Mom says taken aback.
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"Hey what're you doing here?" My dad asks Maddie and I when he opens the door. "You girls ok?" I see the tears start to form in Maddie's eyes.
"I think...We think...you're Maddie's father." A few tears fall from my eyes. My dad looks at us in complete shock.
"What?"
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"You just went to his house and told him that?" Landon questions.
"Yeah what's wrong with that?" I ask.
"Nothing I just thought you'd let it settle in first or something."
"We just wanted him to know."
"Does your mom know that you know?"
"Nope. I doubt she was ever going to tell us."
"Then maybe he's not."
"I just know he is."
"Babe stop jumping to conclusions and let your parents explain themselves before you make any big decisions." Landon reasons.
"They still lied." I argue.
"Hey hon can we talk to you...alone." My mom asks.
"I'll see you later Harper." Landon says before getting up to leave. I mouth I love you and he does the same.
"Honey I know this is hard to understand but Teddy and I love you and we were only trying to protect you and Maddie." My mom tries to explain.
"Protect me. You lied to me, Maddie, and my dad for years how was that to protect me?" I argue.
"Well honey it was a hard time. We weren't even sure if she was Deacon's when we got married and Teddy decided he didn't care. That he would love you, Maddie and I no matter what. Deacon is an alcoholic and he was not fit to be a father." Mom says.
"But what about when he was sober? Why not then?"
"Baby, you didn't know him back then. He was a different man back then
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"I know you guys are mad." Mom says to us when Maddie has calmed down a bit.
"We are mad." Maddie speaks.
"But I don't want you to be mad at me forever cause we need each other. I married your dad cause I loved him. And I also married him cause I wanted you to have of father who loved you, both of you, as much as I do. I love you more than any body in the world and I'm never ever gonna leave you." Maddie and I both sit on my moms lap and start crying as we both hug her.
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