Sand In My Boots - Morgan Wallen Story

Chapter 7

I barely had time to get out of the bathtub and get dressed before I heard the knock at my door. I swung the door open.

"Jeez, I thought you said 20 min- Oh, sorry Ms. Brown, hi!"

"Oh, are you expecting someone?" she asked. "Is it the hot doctor?" she whispered, winking at me.

"No, unfortunately not," I chuckled, semi-disappointed myself.

"Well, mind you, our little Ellie fell asleep on the couch watching her cartoons. I can wake her up if you want, but I truly wouldn't mind keeping her for the night. I could even walk her to daycare in the morning if you'd like," she offered.

"You truly are an angel among men Ms. Brown," I said, eternally grateful.

'It really is my pleasure, Aubrey. You know, my kids don't visit me much. Little Ellie is one of the greatest joys of my life."

"Thank you, Ms. Brown, this really means a lot," I thanked her.

"Alright, darling. I'll leave you to it. And sleep in a little later tomorrow if you can, I'll take care of Ellie, you look tired, honey," she said, waving her hand at me and heading back to her apartment. I heard her lock her door and was about to close mine as well when a hand stopped it.

"Hey," Morgan said, opening the door himself.

"Hey?" I answered, baffled by his manners. "Would you like a key as well next time?" he chuckled.

"I mean, if you're offering," he said. I rolled my eyes.

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

"I don't get a drink this time?"

"Boy, who raised you? Wolves?" I snapped. He chuckled.

"I won't tell my mama you just spoke like this of her favorite son," he said jokingly. I forced a smile. "I want you to come on tour with me," he said. I coughed, choking on my own saliva.

"Are you insane?!"

"I'm serious," he retorted.

"So am I! Are you sane? Should you even be driving? What the fuck is wrong with you?" I questioned. He laughed.

"Look, you think I'm a piece of shit, right? You think I'm an asshole who doesn't care about you and your feelings and that you're just one of many names I get to write down in my playbook. Right?"

"You have a playbook? Wow, that's even worse."

"I don't have a playb- Girl, you play too much," he said. I giggled. "I want to prove to you that I am for real. I like you for you. Come on tour with me, I'll show you firsthand that you can trust me. No other girl, no dumb shit, just you and me, girl," he said, looking deep into my eyes. And for a second, I really thought about it. What would it be like to actually go out and see the world with him? Ever since I had had Ellie, I hadn't really done anything crazy. I hadn't left Vermont, or partied (except maybe the few too many whiskeys I'd shared with Morgan that night), or even gone to a single concert. My days were like one big blob of medical files and diaper changes. For a second, I wanted to forget I had responsibilities. I wanted to, but I couldn't.

"I can't, Morgan. You know that," I shook my head.

"Why?"

"Because!" I said. He raised an eyebrow, encouraging me to elaborate. "My daughter, my job, I have a life here. I can't just go on tour with you and leave everything behind. I'm not free like you," I said, defeated.

"My mom can look after your daughter, I already asked her. She looks after my son quite a bit, she was a foster mom, she's great with kids," he stated, making his case. "And your job? C'mon Aubrey, you know Jared would let you off the hook."

"I don't think you know Jared like I do. Plus, he's not even talking to me right now, thanks to you."

"I will fix that. I'll talk to him. Please, let me fix that," he pleaded. He took both my hands in his and looked deep into my eyes. His eyes looked beautiful as ever. And for once, he looked like a real, genuine person. I realized that up until that moment, what I'd seen was a character; a version of him that he chose to present to the world to protect himself. For the first time since I had looked him up online, I started thinking that he might be telling the truth. His eyes were screaming that he cared about me and I wanted to believe him.

"I don't know your mom," I mumbled.

"Come to Tennessee with me tomorrow. I have a whole week left before leaving again to go on tour. You'll meet her and if you don't love her and don't feel comfortable leaving Ellie with her, I'll never mention it again. I'll disappear and I'll leave you alone. I swear," he pleaded. This was crazy. I couldn't possibly think of doing this. But even though my rational side was begging me to tell him no and ask him to leave, the romantic in me actually wanted to give this a shot.

"How long would we be gone?" I asked.

"3 months."

"That's crazy, Morgan. I can't leave my daughter for 3 months. I'd miss her way too much, that's not possible-"

"So we'll fly her in every two weeks, she can watch the show, my mom can even bring Indie along so she'll have a little friend-"

"Indie?"

"Indigo, my son. We can make this work, and when you miss her too much I'll fly you out to Tennessee so you can spend time with her," he explained. He had really thought this through.

"I can't afford that."

"Aubrey," he said, pulling me in a little closer. "Money is the last thing on my mind and it should be the last thing on yours. I will never ask you for a penny, I will pay your rent while you're out there with me, and all of your bills, and anything you want, girl. Please don't let this be an issue."

I wanted to say no. I wanted to call him an overconfident asshole and be the -probably- first girl to ever turn him down and walk away. I wanted to, but before I could even think of what to say, I heard myself answer out loud.

"Fine," I mumbled. His eyes widened and a large grin appeared on his face. He looked like a kid in a candy store.

"Really?!" he asked. I nodded yes. "Baby, baby, baby. I promise you won't regret this."

"You have to speak to Jared though," I said.

"I will go see him right now. Right this minute," he said, opening the door. "Pack your bags baby, you're going to Tennessee."

--------------

This is a bit shorter than usual but I hope y'all like it. If you guys liked this chapter, please feel free to leave a comment or give a vote! Any bit of feedback is super appreciated. I hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it!

xo

LadyBug