Fix You

Chapter 10

It was November, and Carrie had been working extremely hard. She had been recording every day and constantly be in writing sessions getting any possible thought or idea out onto paper and made into song. This album had to be good. It had to be perfect. It had to trump the two before it.

This album was different than the others, as they should be. But it was especially different. All of this time, a lot of her songs were made for story telling and playing a character. This time, most of her songs consisted of actually her. This was her thoughts. Her songs. Her lyrics. Her feelings. And she didn't particularly know how well her fans were going to like it. She was used to always being sassy and upbeat. She didn't know what was going to happen when this album was soft and lovey dovey. She didn't even know how her own family and boyfriend would react.

It was the weekend, and Carrie was giddy as all get-out. Not only was her boyfriend home from a long string of away games, her parents were visiting. Her parents going to meet the love of her life. All these years, Carrie was nervous to introduce her boyfriends to her parents. There were times when they never even met them. But Mike was different, much different. He proved her that every day.

"I'm so nervous," Carrie admitted to her boyfriend as they sat cuddled up on the couch together.

"What?" he questioned startled by what she said. "Your nervous about me meeting your parents?"

"Not as much as I am nervous for you and them to hear the new album," she told him.

"Why are you nervous about that?"

"Because...this album is different than the other ones," she explained. "I'm showing a side to myself that I didn't even know I had in me. And I'm afraid to show that to the world because what if you or everyone else doesn't feel the same way?"

"Then I'll be right beside you, holding your hand through it all," he said assuringly, taking her hand into his. As if almost on key, the doorbell rang and Carrie sprang up like a little girl and ran over to the door to answer it knowing exactly who it was.

"Momma! Daddy!" she squealed jumping into their arms. She missed them so much. Sometimes the daily calls they made to one another just wasn't enough. Having them here is exactly what she needed. Mike walked up behind Carrie where she turned around to introduce. "This is Mike, my boyfriend."

"It's nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Underwood," Mike welcomed them warmly with a firm and assuring hand shake.

"It's nice to meet you, Mike," Carrie's father replied.

"I'm a hugger," Carole smiled as she gave Mike a warm hug causing Mike to smile instantly.

The four of them had a light conversation in the living room before Carrie decided it was time for the big reveal. She pulled the CD out of her purse that was sitting on the counter, and put it into the CD player, and the new album, Play On, decided to play on.

At first, Carrie was excited for them to listen to what she had been working so hard on. She was nervous, but anxious and excited. But all of that instantly turned into fear. She was scared. Scared of what they make think. Scared that the people closest to her wouldn't understand how she really truly felt. Scared that all that she had worked up to having would come crashing down in a second.

She moved out of Mike's grasp that was around her waist and stood up from the couch. She couldn't be in the same room as them when they heard everything. She needed to get out.

"Care," Mike said. "Where you goin'?"

"Um..." she struggled to get out. "I'm just going for a walk."

Before she turned around, she felt someone gently grab her arm, preventing her from leaving. She looked into the eyes of Mike who was very concerned. "You okay?"

Carrie just faked a smile, "Yeah. Stay here with them and listen okay?"

He just stood there lost in her eyes trying to read the look on her face. He could sense the fear but trusted his girlfriend so he nodded also. "Okay."

Mike watched Carrie walk out the backdoor and through the backyard into the many acres of land that was behind her house. He made sure she was safe before rejoining her parents in the living room where they were listening to Carrie's sassy current single, Cowboy Casanova, which by then had already gone to the top of the charts to number one.

As the album progressed, the mood changed. Carrie's sass and spunkiness became soft, loving, and caring. As Mama's Song played throughout the living room, Mike looked to Carole to see that she was in tears and Carrie's father had been comforting her.

Carrie had told her that she loved him about a month ago, and she had definitely said that to him many times since. However, Mike now fully understood what she meant by that. He fully understood the extent of the love they had for each other. And the truth of that was, there was no extent to their love. It was going to continue to grow and grow and grow.

Carole looked up at Mike making sure she would have his attention. "I prayed every day for my little girl. I prayed that she would have someone by her side that would love her and make her the happiest girl I knew she could be. And now...I know she has that because of you, Mike."

"Thank you," Mike gave a warm smile. "I want to let you two know that I love Carrie more than she could probably ever realize. Both of us have developed a faith so strong, that it could never break. I want to be there with her for the rest of her life. And with both of your guys' permission, I would like to ask her if she would want the same."

"Our little girl deserves everything she ever wants. And if spending a life and a marriage with you is what she ends up wanting, we don't want to be the ones that hold that back," Carrie's father explained.

It was a very special moment that those three shared. Mike always thought of being with Carrie. He thought of them growing old and having kids together. He thought about all of that. He knew he would marry her. And he knew that very soon, would be the right time to do so.

As soon as the album went through all of the songs, Mike excused himself as he went on a walk through Carrie's backyard. He thought he knew exactly where she would be, and he was glad that he was exactly right as she was sitting underneath a large oak tree, her back leaned up against the trunk, her eyes looking out into the gorgeous Tennessee sunset.

Mike sat down beside her without saying a word. He draped his arm around her and pulled her in close with his other arm kissing her passionately. He pulled away and caressed the side of her face with one hand. Her eyes were glowing up at him. There was no more fear in those eyes. Just love. Pure love. And Mike's eyes, showed the same causing Carrie to be unable to wipe the ridiculously cute smile off of her face.

"Care, I can't wait for our future together," Mike said assuring her that there would in fact, be a future. "Babe, I love you every day, every morning, every night, for the rest of my life."

Carrie couldn't help but chuckle at his mushiness and gave him another passionate kiss before telling him the simple words of, "I love you so much."