Chapter 14 ~ Rhett

The week had passed before Rhett's eyes. They'd spent it running back and forth between the ranch and the hospital like chickens with their heads cut off.

Mama had been discharged the day before yesterday, and they'd moved into a room at the farmhouse to keep an eye on her for a few days.

Tae settled the argument between his mother and him on where Caroline would stay.

"You can't stay by yourself, so you're coming to stay with me, Mom. End of story," Rhett had said.

"Rhett Montgomery, don't you take that tone with me. I brought you into this world, and I can take you out too," Mama said.

"You heard the doctor, you can't stay by yourself, " he argued.

"I'll be just fine. I've taken care of myself this long, a little heart problem ain't going to change that now," she said proudly.

"Well, Mama Care, the doctor did say that you'd feel okay now, but once the drugs wore off that you'd be hurting," she said to help Rhett.

"Exactly," Rhett sighed.

"I don't want to stay with you guys," she had said.

"Well, how about this? We'll stay in a room at the farmhouse with you," Taylor supplied.

His mother finally agreed, and he sighed in relief.

Now, two days later, he regretted agreeing to stay here. He'd slept like hell on his old mattress from when he was a kid.

Rhett was pacing the floor in front of the dining room windows, and Taylor and his mother were both sitting at the table. He could feel their eyes following him as he paced.

"Rhett, all that pacing is going to give you a complex," his mother chastised him.

He stopped and looked out the window. There was no sign of Rose.

"Have you heard anything from her?" he asked again.

His insides were shaking with anticipation, but he was trying to be calm.

"No, Rhett. In her usual fashion, Rose hasn't said anything besides the short call she sent last Wednesday," Mama Care said, shaking her head.

He blew out another breath, and Tae got up. She walked up to him and pointed to the barn through the window.

"Go fix that radio that Mama needed," she said.

Rhett looked down at her like she was crazy.

"What, can't that wait?" he asked her.

She shook her head.

"No. You're about to walk a hole through the floor, and you need a distraction," she said pointing at the back door.

He nodded his head, but looked again at the front door.

What if she shows up while I'm in the barn? he thought to himself.

"Uh, uh. Before you say it, she will not get here while you're out there. If she does, we'll call you as soon as we see her car," she said sternly. "Now get out of here before I have to kill you," she said smiling.

He kissed her forehead and murmured his thanks, then headed towards the barn. This was the family barn, and it was bigger than his private barn. He'd always hidden out in the hayloft when he was younger. He was able to avoid Jack if he stayed hidden and out of the way. Thinking about those times now, he headed towards the rickety latter. After climbing up, he sat down in front of the window on a bale of hay like he had so many times before.

He thought back to how this had been his safe haven as a child. Jack would never attempt to crawl up the latter, so he assumed that Rhett wouldn't either. He'd hidden up here a many of times during Jack's rants. The spot by the window was perfect to take a nap, and when you cracked the window, it let in a nice breeze to save you from a heat stroke.

He looked around and noticed his hot wheel collection on the floor. He was surprised they were still up here.

He began to tinker on the radio in his lap before, finally, setting it down. His hand was cramping from trying to maneuver the small parts inside of the miniature radio.

He sat up to see out the window. Looking out, his nerves relaxed at the motherless sight of the ranch. He laid back on the hay and rested his eyes. He hadn't slept great the last few nights because of stress, so he was thankful for the peace that washed over him. He easily drifted to sleep.

He woke up to the sound of his phone ringing. He quickly sat up and answered it.

"Yeah?" he asked.

His voice with thick with sleep.

"We see dust from a car at the top of the hill," Tae said.

His breath caught. It was time.

"Okay I'll be right there," he said into the phone, he was already moving towards the latter.

He hung up and crawled down. He ran across the yard and barreled through the back door.

Taylor looked up at him with wide eyes and giggled. She pressed her lips together and motioned for him to help his mother.

"Let's move to the living room, shall we?" his mother asked.

He nodded and grabbed ahold of her arm to help steady her.

"I'm a big girl. I can do it on my own," Caroline said to him as she moved to the living room.

Rhett looked over his shoulder at Taylor and raised an eyebrow.

"Don't look at me like that," she said giggling.

He thought back to how many times she had said the same thing to him in the last month and a half. She was more like his mother than she realized.

Taylor sat down on the loveseat and patted the cushion beside her. He sat down with her, leaving the couch open.

Taylor reached over and started plucking hay out of his hair and off of his clothes. He chuckled as realized he probably looked like a mess from laying in the hayloft.

Five minutes later, there was a loud knock on the door. Taylor had already said that she'd open the door so that Rose would actually have to move inside to speak with Rhett and his mother.

She got up to go to the door and sent him a small, reassuring smile. He heard her open the door and say hello, then, the piercing sound of a baby screaming.

He strained to hear their conversation.

"Here take him. I don't know how to get him to stop screaming," Rose said.

"Oh," he heard Tae gasp.

The baby stopped crying.

He watched as they walked around the corner. The woman was tall and blonde. She had long legs and piercing blue eyes.

Just like mine, he thought.

He knew that she was around fifty, but she barely looked thirty-five. She gave them a smile and sat down on the couch.

Taylor had the baby in her arms and was staring down in awe at the baby's eyes. She sat down beside him and cooed to the baby.

The baby was staring up at her. He looked very young, but Rhett hadn't been around enough children to tell age.

"How old is he?" Tae asked.

The woman looked at the baby in Taylor's arms and made a face of disgust.

"He's two weeks old," she said simply.

Taylor's eyes got wide, and she held him a little closer.

Rhett's eyes moved to Rose's and saw her staring at him. His anger rose to the surface. She'd been gone for twenty-five years.

"What do you want?" he asked her.

She smiled at him sweetly, but he saw straight through her smile. She looked over at Caroline who was sitting in the chair watching.

"Well, I have some information that would make sweet Caroline's, here, life very hard. What would people think of her if they knew that her husband hadn't stayed faithful to her?" she asked icily.

Rhett sent a glare over her. Technically, they hadn't been together when it happened.

"What do you want?" he asked again.

She looked at the child again, then back at Rhett.

"I'm in a little financial trouble, and I need help," she said shrugging.

"How much money, Rose?" Caroline asked.

Rhett looked at his mother. She had been quiet up till now.

"Only a thousand," she said shrugging.

Rhett would gladly give her the money if she'd keep her mouth shut and get out of their lives.

But, he didn't want her to think that she could keep coming back and doing this. He looked at Tae who was soothing the baby. She had a look of total love on her face. He smiled at the connection she was already forming.

His mother cleared her throat, and everyone looked at her.

"What did you need us to keep?" she asked Rose.

Rose looked back over at Taylor and the baby.

She spoke to Tae, "I'm glad you are bonding with him because that is what you will be keeping."

Rhett felt his jaw drop in shock. He couldn't believe that she was doing this again.

"How many have you had and done this with?" he growled.

She looked at him with a bit of shock.

"Five," she said completely unaffected.

Caroline growled, and he looked over to see her face red with rage.

"We'll give you the thousand to stay quiet, but only if you get your tubes tied. We'll pay for it, but no child deserves this," she said mad.

Rose looked at her and smiled sweetly.

"Oh, that won't be necessary. The doctor told me that was the last time I'd be able to get pregnant. I'm too mature now. It was crazy that I got pregnant at my age anyway," she said smiling happily. "It was a scare just to deliver the little devil," she said with a laugh.

Rhett felt sick. He couldn't believe it. A child?

"We'll keep the baby, too," Tae said softly.

He looked down at her. She was looking up at him with hope in her eyes.

He looked down at the baby who had the same eyes that he had. He saw a pure love radiating off of Taylor's face already as she looked back down at the baby, and he made a split-minute decision.

"Yes, we'll keep the baby, but you need to sign the guardianship papers over to Tae. You will be the mother of this child no longer," he said through his teeth.

Taylor gasped, but Rose's smile only grew.

"Oh, yes, I can do that," she said happily. "But, you'll have to go down as the father," she added.

He nodded. He could live with that as long as this woman never had the chance to ruin another child's life. Caroline nodded to him and gestured to the main bedroom.

He knew what she meant. He got up to get the money. When he returned to the room, Caroline motioned for him to hand her the money.

She sat up straighter in her chair.

"Rose, I will give you this money, but let me tell you one thing. This is the only money I will ever give you. If you return to try to blackmail us again, then I will let loose my own information. You happened to be twenty-six the night that you met Jack. He was only sixteen," she said.

Rose's eyes widened.

"Yes, I bet he didn't tell you that, did he? So, if you want to continue to use us, then I will make sure that that little tidbit of information slips out," his mother said smiling broadly.

Rhett shook his head and smiled. Leave it to Caroline Montgomery to get you out of any situation. Rose's eyes were still wide when he looked back at her.

She nodded quickly, then handed Rhett the diaper bag. She took the money and got up, walking out of the house and out of their lives again. Rhett stood by the window and watched her drive off.

He turned around to see Taylor holding the baby up so his mother could see. He smiled as he watched the two women coo over the baby.

Mama yawned, and Tae looked over at him.

"Ya'll go home. I know you were just staying here in case she showed up early. You can go home now," Mama said yawning again. She was beginning to wear out it seemed. "Besides, I need a nap," she said.

Rhett chuckled and grabbed the diaper bag. They headed to the truck and climbed in. Tae stopped him when he went to turn toward the house.

"Nope, we're going to town. This baby is not riding around in a truck without a car seat. That is the first thing we need to do. There are other things we need to get, too," she said.

She pointed towards the sign that pointed in the direction of town. Rhett turned the truck and headed towards town instead of his home where he could lay down in his big, comfortable bed.

"You know, you can say he is yours," Taylor said quietly. "He looks just like you.

He looked again at the baby asleep in her arms and smiled. He really did look like a miniature him.

Taylor leaned down to rummage through the diaper bag.

"Ah-ha," she said as she found something.

She stared at the paper for a moment.

"Luke Max Norton," well that's getting changed," she said laughing.

Rhett chuckled. "Yeah, that won't work. As much as I love Luke and Max, I don't think that would be fair. What are you thinking?" he asked her.

She looked down at the baby, then back at him.

"I think his middle name should be Frank," she said smiling at him.

He pretended to be shocked.

"What's wrong with Frankly?" he asked her.

She rolled her eyes.

"No child of mine will be named Frankly," she said shaking her head.

Rhett chuckled and thought about names. Thinking that he found one that he liked, he thought it over.

Aloud, he said, "Levi Frank Montgomery."

Taylor looked at him with round eyes, and they both looked at the baby.

As if he knew that this was his name, the baby peeked open his eyes and looked up at them. He cooed and shook his fist.

Tae giggled, and Rhett shook his head.

"Levi it is," he said.

"Well, that's settled," Taylor said with a laugh. She looked down at Levi who had drifted back off to sleep. "Were you happy with the way it went?" she asked him.

Rhett thought it over. He didn't know what he had expected, but his real mother not acknowledging that she was his mother at all, was not it.

"I don't really know. I mean I'm glad that we ended with the better side of the deal, but I was truly expecting her to use that I was her son against us," he admitted.

"But Rhett, you're not her son. She has no say whatsoever on you because she wasn't the woman who put the blood, sweat, and tears into raising you. That was all Caroline," she said with a smile.

"You're right, but it still felt weird. It's not how I imagined meeting my mother for the first time," he said with a chuckle.

"She's not you mother," Taylor repeated.

"I know," he said softly. Taylor nodded in acceptance. "It was weird seeing her thought," he admitted.

"And why is that?" she asked.

Rhett shrugged, trying to put the feeling into words.

"Could it be because she's a stone-cold heartless biatch," Taylor almost growled. Rhett laughed at her inability to say the actual word. "I mean, who just gives children away? How could you not want this precious angel?" she looked down at the baby in her arms.

He thought about the surprise baby, and wasn't quite sure how he felt about him yet.

"Wait, you are okay with the baby, right? You don't have to go down as the father, that way if we split up, you wouldn't have to pay child support or anything," she rambled on.

Rhett was shocked she could think of things like this. He couldn't imagine letting her out of the house without him, let alone, breaking up. And the fact that she thought he wouldn't want to help with Levi was even more irritating.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that," he muttered. She looked at him with big eyes, clearly startled. "Of course, I'll help with Levi, and I do want the boy, it's just new to me still, and I don't know how to be a father," he said quietly.

He thought about his own father.

What if I turn out like him? he thought to himself.

"Rhett Mongomery, you are nothing like Jack, and I don't want you to ever think that you'll turn out to be a father like him, because frankly, he is no father, and never was," she said angrily.

He only nodded, afraid if he spoke out loud, more of his fears would come out.

She rode along, anger simmering in her eyes. Mentioning Jack, made her mad all over again. If it wasn't for him, none of this would be happening.

He sighed and turned the radio up as he continued into town.