ｄ-ｄｏｗｎ ｓｏｕｔｈ ♡ -- private

[kaydollface]

go on and roll those pretty blue eyes
laugh and say boy you lie
girl i wouldn't dare
dare to make you love me more
i can take that on for sure
cause what we got is crazy, crazy good.

He was finishing up getting dressed and was mulling over on how he was going to tell Rhett what her father had just told him on the phone. Or at least talk to her on what they were going to do. Although he didn’t want to give her a choice because deep down he already knew what the right choice was going to be. He was going to take the alternative to jail time and serve in the military. Rhett opening the door and walking in just made him weak in the knees as she came over to him smiling and kissed his cheek. He returned the smile as she sat on their bed and he was finishing up getting ready.

”Hmm. I’m not sure yet, somewhere where we can sit down and eat?” He asked turning over his shoulder as he slipped on a buttoned up shirt. As he turned to her and started to button them up he just laughed. ”I promise, no fast food.” He stated with a laugh as she stuck out her tongue at him. He just returned it as he started to put on socks and sat down next to her and kissed her cheek.
When he was done Rhett led him out of the house and to his truck for them to go shopping and doing what they needed to do. Needing to talk to her about this was killing him on the inside.

He got onto the road and nodded along with her question. ”Yeah, I would like to do that. I want the nursery to be ready..” he stated softly trailing off a bit as she mentioned about painting. He looked to her and smiled and grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it softly. ”What ever you want baby.” He replied with a smile as they arrived to a small BBQ joint. ”Is this fine?” He asked before shutting off the truck.

When Rhett agreed he hopped out of the truck and then helped her out and they walked inside hand in hand and got a seat that was a bit secluded. This was going to work out in his favor. But when they sat down, he was going to need to spill the beans, because holding it in was killing him. He cleared his throat as the waitress brought out their drinks and Collin looked up at her. ”Could you give us a few moments?” He asked and the older woman smiled and then walked off. WHen she was far enough away he looked back to Rhett and then took her hands in his.

”We need to talk about something..” He started and held her eyes in his. ”Just know, what I’m going to say is that I have the best intentions for you and our family... “ He stated and then kissed her hands before telling her what her father had told him on the phone. As he spoke it hurt to see her reactions to what he was saying and when he was done he waited a few moments to let her process what he had decided.

”Me going to the service is the best decision in this… I don’t want to try and raise a family behind bars… I made a mistake that night by acting on impulse and I have to take my punishment. But Me going to Iraq will be the best than going to Jail. After a year of boot camp, I would be able to return home for a month before being shipped out. And every year, I have a week to return home before going back..” He stated softly trying to comfort her, but he didn’t seem to be doing a good job of it.

”Please, don’t be upset with me..” He pleaded.







if you were this guitar, i'd turn it to eleven
if you were an angel, i'd pray to go to heaven
if they wouldn't let me in, i'd break the gates down
i'd break'em all down
if you were on the other side of the world
i'd spin that thing back around just to get to you girl
i love the way you always go and mess me up
if you were a whiskey girl, i'd be a damn drunk

[fleur tea]

Rhett was more than happy when Collin said he wouldn't be taking her to a fast food place. It wasn't like that she didn't like those places because she did. She just wanted to spend time with Collin in a restaurant where they could sit down and the atmosphere was more... romantic in a way. When he stuck his tongue back out at her, she couldn't help but giggle as well as smile when he placed that kiss on her cheek when he sat down beside her. As she watched him continue to get ready, she couldn't help but feel so lucky that he was her husband and that they were so in love with each other. She couldn't imagine being without him and didn't want to think about what it would be like to separated from him even if it was an too real possibility. The possibility of being separated from him was always in the back of her head but she did her best to remain positive. She did so because she didn't want to put anymore stress on Collin but also because she did want to spend what time she had with him being pessimistic about what could happen. All she had to hold onto was the hope that if he was put in jail for what happened, it wouldn't be for too long.

After they had gotten into his truck and were on their way, Rhett turned her attention to Collin as he spoke to her and smiled as she did. At least they were on the same page about the nursery for the son they were both sure she was carrying. Her cheeks burned a bright shade of red as he placed that kiss on the back of her hand while looking at her. She was even more excited when he agreed they could also look at paint while they were out as well. "I'm so excited now, Collin! I honestly can't wait to start working on the nursery and buying the things we're going to need," she said happily as she looked into his eyes. As he turned back to the road, she let her eyes drift to look out the window, watching the trees and pastures pass them by. Even though she missed the city, she was more than happy to be living out in the country with Collin. She loved the slower pace and the quietness of living so far from the city. Hearing his voice pulled her gaze from the window and over to him before settling on the restaurant. "Yeah, it's perfectly fine," she said with a smile. She then watched as he got out of the truck and came around to her side to help her out, which she happily let him do, before following him into the restaurant with her hand tightly clasped around his own. Everything felt like it was going so perfectly and she couldn't be happier.

It didn't take them long to be seated and after they were, Rhett ordered a blackberry lemonade as well as a glass of water just in case before Collin ordered his drink as well. She wasn't sure how the lemonade would settle on her stomach but she didn't think she would any aversion to it. She was surprised when the waitress came back so quickly with their drinks as she hadn't even gotten around to look at the menu yet. She thanked the waitress and when Collin asked her to give them a few minutes, she thought it was so they could figure out what they wanted to order but she was so wrong. When he took her hands in his own, she gave him a smile and gently squeezed his hands as she listened to what he was saying, smiling even more when he kissed her hands. She didn't think it was going to be anything too bad but soon enough, she realized just how wrong she was again. With every word he said, she could feel her heart breaking more and more while she did her best to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill onto her cheeks. Her stomach felt like it had dropped onto the floor and she almost couldn't comprehend how he could have made a decision like this without even talking to her first. It made her feel sick to her stomach and keeping her eyes on his was getting harder by the second. Her perfect day had taken a sudden and heartbreaking turn.

Only seeing him one week out of a year for God knows how long was something Rhett wasn't sure she'd be able to deal with. She knew when she married him it included for better or for worse but this wasn't the worst. For her, it would be like downright torture. When he pleaded with her to not be upset with him, those tears that had been welling up in her eyes finally spilled onto her cheeks as she looked into his hazel eyes because she knew she couldn't hide how upset his decision had made her. It was so painfully obvious and written all over her face. "I can't... I can't not be upset with you, Collin," she said through her tears while squeezing his hands. Just speaking to him was harder than she thought it would be but she knew she had to. "Only seeing you for one week out of a whole year is almost the same as you being in jail but instead, you'll be in a foreign country where you could die! Did you even think of that, Collin? What am I supposed to do if you come home in a coffin? What about our baby? I'll still be raising our baby pretty much by myself!" she exclaimed as she pulled her hands from his and quickly used her napkin to wipe her cheeks. "We only just got married and you're going to be gone. I'll give birth to our baby without you," she whispered softly as she stared down at her belly while one of her hands gently rubbed over it. It felt like she was in a nightmare but it was all too real. For her, her life was falling apart around her.

What felt like an eternity passed before Rhett was able to bring her eyes back to his but this time, her eyes were bloodshot from all the crying she had done. Her crying had gathered the attention of the other patrons in the restaurant but she didn't care. Normally she would but this time, she just didn't. She took a deep breath as she looked into his eyes and tried to give him the best smile she could. "I'm just so heartbroken that you obviously made your decision before talking to me about it, Collin. I'm not just your girlfriend anymore... I'm your wife and the soon-to-be mother of your child. This decision you made effects all of us, not just you," she said softly before taking a drink of her lemonade. She knew he honestly did it with the best of intentions but that didn't change how it made her feel. "It's going to take some time before I'm even remotely okay with this, Collin, and I'm not going to pretend to be happy with your decision," she stated as firmly as she could while also trying not to sound like a b***h. Though, she still felt like that's how she was coming off because of everything she had said but she couldn't help it. She was utterly and completely heartbroken again because of a decision he'd made.

[kaydollface]

go on and roll those pretty blue eyes
laugh and say boy you lie
girl i wouldn't dare
dare to make you love me more
i can take that on for sure
cause what we got is crazy, crazy good.

As she started to raise her voice at him it took everything in him to not get flustered at her. He could understand where she was coming from, but this was going to be for the better. He hung his head low as she scolded him, but when there were low blows being thrown he couldn’t stand it any longer. ”Do you want me to be in jail? Raise our child with me behind bars? Having to go to a prison to celebrate birthdays and somewhere where I can’t see you two and sleep in a bed with you.” He asked his voice was firm as he spoke careful on not to raise his voice at her.

As she pulled her hands away and rubbed her belly saying that she would give birth without him he clenched his fists and bit his lip. ”That’s how you’re going to be?” He asked firmly but silence only answered him. He just stared at her the entire time, wanting her to speak to him but he didn’t know what he wanted her to say anymore. Collin leaned back into his seat and crossed his arms and stared at the table. The few people around them stared and he was just embarrassed. What else was he supposed to do? When she looked at him he adverted his eyes away from her bloodshot ones. He didn’t want to be angry with her, but he was.

”What else do you want me to do Rhett? There are going to be sometimes where I will make a decision to better our family without you. This was one of them… this has to do with a ******** up decision that I made. I’m sorry you’re not happy with my choice, but it’s been done.” He stated looking back at her. She tried to smile, but it didn’t meet her eyes and it hurt for him to think that he hurt her yet again. ”I don’t expect you to be happy with it Rhett? I think you misunderstand that. You need to know that some of my decisions are not going to always please you and vice versa. I didn’t make it to hurt you Rhett, it’s not my intention.” He stated as the waitress came over cautiously to take their order. Collin let Rhett order and then declined to order. He was no longer hungry or in the mood to be out today.






if you were this guitar, i'd turn it to eleven
if you were an angel, i'd pray to go to heaven
if they wouldn't let me in, i'd break the gates down
i'd break'em all down
if you were on the other side of the world
i'd spin that thing back around just to get to you girl
i love the way you always go and mess me up
if you were a whiskey girl, i'd be a damn drunk

[fleur tea]

Rhett couldn't believe how quickly her day had gone down the drain. This was not what she imagined would happen when she had asked Collin to go shopping with her and to go out to the lunch. She had just wanted to go out and have a good day with her new husband but that didn't seem to be happening. She knew the way she was taking it was upsetting Collin by the way he was looking at her and speaking to her. Maybe she had overreacted but she was pregnant and hormonal. The thought of being away from Collin for any reason was almost too much for her to bear because in all honesty, she'd never been without him for the majority of her life. They'd never been more than a few hours apart from each other for as long as she could remember and it wasn't something she wanted to experience. Though, she knew deep down that Collin had a point but her emotions were clouding her better judgement. She knew that Collin being the military was a much better option than him being in prison. She wouldn't want to bring their child to visit him while he was behind bars and it would be easier to explain to their child why Collin was away if he was in military. Also, it would save him from being a convicted felon and having to live with that stigma and label for the rest of his life.

While it might seem that she was upset with the decision he made, she wasn't. What she was upset with was that he hadn't talked to her about it beforehand and she was clear about that much. His reason for not talking with her about it beforehand was a sound reason but it did nothing to make her feel better. She knew there were going to be times that one of them was going to have to make a decision that might make the other upset but she didn't think it would happen so soon. She knew it wasn't his intention to hurt her but he still had. It was hard because she even though she knew that, she couldn't help the way she was feeling. It wasn't often that they were angry with each other and she hated that this was one of those times. They'd only just been married and they were supposed to be basking in the happiness of being married and expecting their first child but they weren't. They were sitting across the table from each other in a crowded restaurant not trying to make even more of a scene than they already had. Everyone was staring at them and she knew it was because she had been crying. Because of that, she did her best to stop crying and calm herself down. It was harder than she thought it would be but she managed to do it.

After her tears subsided, Rhett looked at Collin and gave him genuine, albeit small, smile. Just as she was about to say something to Collin, the waitress cautiously came over to take their order. "I'll just take a turkey club sandwich and cobb salad with the dressing on the side," she said softly as she handed her menu to the woman. She was surprised when Collin didn't order anything but she knew why he hadn't. Once the waitress was gone, Rhett took a sip of her water and turned her attention back to her husband. "I'm sorry for the way I reacted, Collin, and I understand why you made the decision you did. I just... It's hard, you know. We only just got married like yesterday and now you're telling me I won't see you that often for the next several years. I knew it was a possibility before but now it's a certainty," she stated while reaching across the table to hold one of his hands in her own, giving it a gentle squeeze as she did. "Did my father tell you when you might be leaving? I mean, I'd like to know how long I have with you for now so we can do the things we need to do," she said with a hint of sadness in her sweet voice. She hoped they would at least have enough time together to find out the gender of their unborn child and get the nursery set up. It wasn't something she was going to be able to do on her own but it was something she could help with. Maybe she would get that much of a silver lining out of the situation.

While still waiting for her food, Rhett caught a whiff of another person's food and it made her stomach turn. Her stomach was still turning when she let go of Collin's hand and ran from the table, heading for the restroom. She spent quite a long time in there and it was obvious to almost everyone why she was in there. When she did emerge from the restroom and make her way back to the table, she sat down and took a drink of her water. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to keep herself from making another trip to the restroom so when she saw the waitress again, she waved her over and asked if she could have her food to go. After that was said and done, she rested her head in her hands and tried to keep herself from dry heaving. "Whoever said pregnancy is a beautiful and wonderful thing was such a liar. This isn't anything like I expected it would be," she mentioned with a laugh as she moved one of her hands to rub her belly. "I'm not even that far along and I'm already showing. My emotions are all over the place and my stomach isn't being very kind to me," she said softly as she took another drink of her water. She wasn't even sure if she'd be able to wait for her food because all she wanted to do now was go home and relax. Hopefully going shopping could wait until the next day and maybe then it would go better than it had so far.

[kaydollface]

go on and roll those pretty blue eyes
laugh and say boy you lie
girl i wouldn't dare
dare to make you love me more
i can take that on for sure
cause what we got is crazy, crazy good.

It had been three months since they had spoken last about him serving in the military. It wasn't something he knew of when he was going to be leaving. It all just depended on the hearing. Which was scheduled for another two weeks. During the time of everything Rhett was farther along now and if things kept getting pushed off he was still going to be here for the baby's birth, but just not his first year. He really wanted all of this to work out for their favor and he was really trying.

His and Rhett's relationship was smoothed over after that day at the diner, but he knew it was the same. It was like impending doom was settled onto them. And it was just a matter of time then. Collin had done all the necessary preparing for when he would be leaving. He added Rhett to his bank account, she officially changed her name. They created a will, encase anything happened while overseas. He signed on Jonathan to take his place on the ranch and to start paying him whenever the time came. He already had a helper on standby hired to help Rhett with whatever it was that she needed.

Currently it was five in the morning as he laid on the couch looking up at the ceiling waiting for coffee to finish brewing. He was mainly making it out of habit, but honestly didn't really want any of it. He had a hard time sleeping last night and didn't want to disturb his beautiful wife.






if you were this guitar, i'd turn it to eleven
if you were an angel, i'd pray to go to heaven
if they wouldn't let me in, i'd break the gates down
i'd break'em all down
if you were on the other side of the world
i'd spin that thing back around just to get to you girl
i love the way you always go and mess me up
if you were a whiskey girl, i'd be a damn drunk