chapter nine,
the surprise party

📺🥧🦔

LAST night Boone proposed to Bailey on stage at Tootsies. And yeah, I saw it all. But, to my surprise, she said no.

"Poor Boone. Being totally rejected by a beautiful woman like that. I wonder what the feels like." Tuck says as he claps Brody on the back.

"Why are you lookin' at me?" Brody asks.

"Bailey Hart?" Someone asks from outside making us turn around to see Boone.

He begins to play his guitar and sing for Bailey. When he finishes, Bailey rolls her eyes. "I said no." She says before closing the window. "What is wrong with him?"

"A lot." I nod.

"When I was singing that Celine Dion song last night, did he not get that'd when everything came back to me? The pleasure, the pain, the realisation that I don't care for the pain? I'm finally over him." Baildy explains.

"What Celine song did you sing last night?" Dylan asks.

"Y'all didn't hear me sing it? I slayed it." Bailey says.

"I think she's losin' it." Cassidy says.

"I'm not losin' it. I'm perfectly clear about what I want and what I don't want. I want Boone professionally. I do not want him personally. Mic drop." Bailey says.

Daddy comes down the stairs and none of us talk. "Ok. You're all quiet. Obviously, you're talking about my birthday." Daddy says.

"Beau, when's you're birthday?" Bailey asks.

"Oh, nice try Bailey. Stick to singin'. Now, to make it clear to you as I already made it clear to the kids, this year, no party, no presents. No nothin'." Daddy says.

"Beau –"

"Bailey, you know how some people say they don't want a party, but they do? I don't." Daddy days.

"You know why you don't?" Bailey asks.

"Bailey –"

"Exactly. You're on a break with Summer, you're depressed, and it's hard celebratin' with a hole in your heart." Bailey says.

"You know what? Maybe you're right. Maybe you should do somethin' for my birthday." Daddy says.

"What?" Bailey asks.

"Listen to me for once. No party." Daddy says before getting his coat and leaving the house.

"You think he likes piñatas?" Bailey asks us.

📺🥧🦔

IZZY and I sit in my bedroom, flipping through magazines we found at the gas station.

"Do you think Carrie Underwood got grounded from seein' her boyfriend?" I ask making Izzy chuckle.

"Maybe. Why do you ask?" Izzy asks making me shrug.

"Just a general wonderin'." I say. Then the door bursts open.

"Mel, we need to go." Dylan says making me furrow my brows. "I'll explain on the way, hurry up!"

I look at Izzy and shrug as I get off the bed and follow my younger brother out to the truck where Bailey takes us to Summer's office.

"What're we doin' here?" I ask.

"We're gettin' a loan for Daddy's birthday present, now, help us." Cassidy orders.

Bailey goes inside the office and soon, the door re-opens again. "Please?" We all ask.

"Oh. No party, no loan." Summer says before kicking the door closed.

"Ok, what're we gettin' Daddy?" I ask.

📺🥧🦔

WE all walk into tootsies for Daddy's surprise birthday party and, of course, I'm in Daddy's truck because he can't trust me.

Bummer. "Surprise!" Everyone shouts as we walk in.

"Wow. Uh, Bailey, you told me this was a private family dinner." Daddy says to Bailey through gritted teeth.

"Well, that's what makes it a surprise!" Bailey says excitedly as Chloe taps on her cup with a fork.

"Attention, y'all. Bailey told me to tell ya it's not an open bar." Chloe says.

"And, we wanna thank all y'all for comin'. Y'all know Daddy. He doesn't like a fuss. Didn't even want a party." Tuck says.

"But we insisted, 'cause he deserves a party." Brody says.

"Now that he's surrounded by all the people he loves, he's happy. Right Daddy?" Dylan asks making Daddy smile.

"There are those dimples. He's happy." Chloe says.

"Daddy, you're always doin' everything for us, so we thought it was time for us to do somethin' for you." Cassidy says.

"We love you. Happy birthday!" I smile.

"Bottoms up y'all!" Chloe cheers as we all lift our cups.

"Thank you, kids." Daddy smiles. We all urge Daddy to open his large birthday present, but Chloe starts jumping up and down.

"Its a saddle!" She squeals. Daddy opens his present and takes off his hat.

"Oh, are you serious? This is – it's a Billy Royal Classic. That's just like the one your Mama," Daddy can't even finish his sentence because he sounds like he's going to cry.

We all hug Daddy and Tuck puts his arm around my shoulders. "Oh, and there's someone else we'd like to thank, Daddy. We couldn't have pulled your gift of without," Brody starts.

"Summer!" We all cheer.

We all sit down and before I can even hear Summer's speech, I feel someone tap my shoulder.

"Hi." Tim smiles.

"Hi." I smile.

"You look real pretty." He smiles making me chuckle.

"Thanks. Any occasion I have to dress up, I try my best." I smile. "I'm, uh, I'm sorry I haven't been able to see you."

"Its ok. Your Daddy's scared. I get it. Look, I like you, a lot. And I'm gonna keep doin' this with you and prove myself, ok?" He asks making me nod.

Then, we hear Summer singing wildly off key. "Beau, I'm so sorry." Bailey says.

"I gotta find Summer. You need to –"

"Pack my bags." Bailey says.

"Take the kids home." Daddy corrects.

"That's what I was gonna say. Let's go." Bailey says.

"Bailey, can I go home with Tim?" I ask.

"Sure, ok." Bailey nods. I smile at Tim and kiss his cheek.

Twenty minutes later, his family drives me home. Tim and I share headphones as we drive, but I can hear the conversation his parents are having.

"She's a lovely girl." His Mama says.

"I know." His Daddy says.

"I hope he treats her well." His mama says making me smile to myself.

📺🥧🦔

I stand in front of my full length mirror wearing the outfit Bailey laid out for me.

I smile at myself because, honestly, I quite like what I'm wearing. I put another bobby pin in my hair and walk downstairs.

"Mornin' y'all." I smile as I walk downstairs.

"Mornin'." Cassidy smiles.

"Mornin' family." Tuck says as he comes up behind me, a blanket wrapped around his body.

"Holy crap! Are you sick? Get away from me!" Bailey says.

"I just came by to wish you good luck." Tuck says.

"Oh, oh that is so s – sweet. How about I make you some nice soothing hearty soup? Big hearty? And whole I'm doin' that, I'm gonna have Mel take ya upstairs, tuck ya under those covers, and not let that least nose down here for forty eight hours." Bailey says.

I roll my eyes and look at Tuck. "I am not smearin' vaporub on you." I tell him as we walk upstairs.

"Thanks Melly." Tuck says with a blocked nose.

"I love you too, Tuck." I smile as we walk into his room.

📺🥧🦔

STANDING in the kitchen and watching Bailey and Boone do an interview is not what I invisioned for my day.

But what I really didn't think I would have to do, is walk outside in the middle of said interview and grab my sick older brother and stop him from flirting with the camera girl.

"Tuck, come back inside." I order.

"I'm all better." Tuck says.

"Really? You're all better? Really? Say M&M." I say as I cross my arms over my chest.

"Eb‐and-eb." Tuck says making me roll my eyes.

Cassidy gets Bailey out of the way as I grab Tuck's arm. "Are you all hungry? I can make up some biscuits, churn up some butter. I'm only happy when I'm servin' others." Bailey says.

"Don't get too close, Maria!" Brody shouts as he runs outside and stands between Tuck and the girl. "He is, uh, he's highly conceited."

"Oh, good lord." I mutter to myself.

Tuck picks up a guitar and smirks. "Maria?"

"Nope." I say as I take the guitar from Tuck and hand it to Boone. "Tuck, get inside or I swear to God, I will cut your hair."

My brothers eyes widen as he walks back inside the house, me following him. "Get up to your room."

"Ok." Tuck says. Then, before we all know it, we're standing in the stable, My Girl laying on the ground as Cassidy, Chloe and Dylan sit with her.

"I don't get it, Dylan. After you did this with mama's horse, you promised her you'd always triple-check that latch. How could you do it again?" Cassidy asks.

"Leave him alone." Brody says.

"He feels bad enough." I say.

"Well, you should all feel bad." Cassidy says.

"This is really Brody's fault. If he brought me up my soup and kept my in bed, none of this woulda happened." Tuck says making me raise my eyebrows at him.

"Excuse me Shakira?" I asks.

"Hey, knock it off. This is a time to come together, not fall apart." Daddy says.

"I wish Bailey was here. She would fix everything." Chloe says.

"Well, she's not. And after what y'all did to her today, I mean, you knew for weeks how important today was to her. I wouldn't blame her if she quit." Daddy says.

"Bailey!" Chloe smiles as Bailey walks into the stable.

"What are you doin' here?" Daddy asks.

"Chloe called me in tears and told me about My Girl." Bailey says.

"Yeah. That's real sweet, Bailey, but you didn't have to give up your reception. There's nothing you can do for My Girl." Daddy says.

"Well, I'm not here for My Girl. How is she?" Bailey asks.

"Not good. If she's still this way in the morning, she may not, well, just have to wait and see." Daddy says.

I feel myself getting upset, by what I don't know, so I leave the stables and sit outside on one of the benches. "Hey, kid, what're you doin' out here?" Boone asks.

"I, uh, I needed to come outside." I say. Boone sighs and sits down next to me.

"What's wrong?" He asks. I shrug.

"I dunno. I – I just couldn't be in there." I say softly as I play with the daisy bracelet on my left wrist.

"That's a pretty bracelet." Boone says making me nod. "Where'd you get it?"

"My boyfriend bought it for me." I say quietly. I feel some tears slip out of my eyes and I sniffle. "God, I'm sorry, you must think I'm pathetic."

"No, I don't think you're pathetic." Boone says reassuringly. "How 'bout this, I take you back inside and we can eat cupcakes?"

I smile and nod. "Awesome. C'mon kid." Boone smiles.

-

^hanging out with izzy^

^beaus birthday party^

^interview outfit^