#so i’m picturing that with rhett

[lewmagoo]

don’t mind me…just dreaming of falling in love with single dad rhett…

[bradshawsbaby]

“don’t worry, i’ll always come get you.” and “i didn’t have anywhere else to go.” scream rhett to me!! like you could call this man up at any time and he would drop everything to come to you

I hope it’s alright, but I decided to edit one of the prompts slightly to make them work a little bit better together. So “I didn’t have anywhere else to go” became “I didn’t have anyone else to call.” Hope you enjoy!

“Hullo?”

Rhett’s voice was groggy when he picked up on the fifth ring, and you could tell you had just woken him up out of a deep sleep. You winced, guilt assailing you when you heard the exhaustion in his husky greeting. It was nearly three in the morning, and you knew he’d have to be up in a few hours to start doing his morning chores around the ranch.

“Rhett.” Your voice was soft as you uttered his name, pressing your phone closer to your ear and turning your back on the entrance to The Handsome Gambler. “It’s me.”

You could hear the rustling of his sheets, the picture of him bolting upright in his bed floating clearly across your vision. The sound of your name on the other end of the line, falling from his lips, caused tears to spring unbidden to your eyes.

“Where are you?” he asked, a gruffness to his tone that you knew had nothing to do with frustration and everything to do with worry and concern.

“The Handsome Gambler. Can you come pick me up?” you asked, your voice sounding pitifully small, even to your own ears.

“I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Don’t move,” he instructed you. You could already tell he was jumping out of bed, reaching for whatever clothes he could find first.

“Thank you, Rhett,” you murmured, ending the call and burrowing further into your jacket, your back pressed up against the wall as you tried to make yourself as small and invisible as possible.

True to his word, as always, Rhett’s truck pulled up in front of the bar exactly twenty minutes later, his hair sticking up in all different directions as he jumped out and slammed the door shut. Evidently he’d been in such a rush that he hadn’t even thought to grab one of his hats.

“Are you alright?” he demanded, closing the space between you in seconds and pulling you in, his blue eyes scanning your face for any sign of trouble.

“Yes,” you assured him, suddenly feeling embarrassed. “I just really want to go home,” you confessed.

Rhett tore his gaze away from your face long enough to glance at the door of The Handsome Gambler, his expression hardening slightly as he turned back to look at you.

“Roxie still in there?” he questioned, his warm hands still resting on your upper arms.

You just nodded in response, ducking your chin to avoid his eyes.

“It’s not your responsibility to take care of her. You know that, right?” he asked, his tone softening as he hooked a finger under your chin to lift your face.

You laughed without humor. “It feels like it is.”

“If your big sister wants to drag you out every weekend so that she can get trashed, that’s her problem, not yours. Let her figure out her own way home. I’m taking you back now,” he said, draping his sweatshirt over your shivering shoulders and walking you to his truck.

As he opened the passenger door for you, you stopped him with a gentle hand on his arm. “I’m sorry, Rhett. I know it’s so late. I just…I didn’t have anyone else to call.”

Rhett grew very still, carefully lifting one hand to brush his fingers down your cheek. “Don’t worry,” he whispered, his voice low and husky. “I’ll always come get you.”

late night prompts

[petcr3]

dreams | rhett abbott x reader

summary: rhett asks if reader ever wants to move out of their apartment, and before either of them know it, they’re planning out a future together.

word count: ~1.4k

warnings: tooth-rotting fluff, my usual in depth cuddle descriptions because i am not normal, rhett getting to feel loved uwu, rhett being romantic because he IS i just know

a/n: this was completely unplanned, i was just yearning so hard an entire fic fell out

You’re curled up against Rhett’s chest, his cheek resting against the top of your head as he idly trails his fingers up and down the length of your spine.

“You ever think about leaving this place?” he asks.

“Wabang?”

“No.” A chuckle. “Well, yeah. But I just meant the apartment.” You hum in understanding, fingertips idly dancing along his side.

“Yeah. I wouldn’t mind living in a bigger place. Maybe a house someday.” 

“Any chance I’m in that house with you?”

“Of course you are. There’s a little spot for you to curl up at the foot of my bed and everything.” Laughter rumbles in his chest and he leans down to nip harmlessly at the shell of your ear.

“Mean.” 

You giggle and hide your face against his chest. He can feel you smiling against his skin. Despite your transgression, Rhett reaches up to play with your hair and you let out a contented sigh.

“There’s no house without you in it,” you say after a moment. It catches him a little off guard. Sure, he likes to think he plays a part in your fantasies about the future, but it’s something else to hear that he’s a fixture in them. Something clenches near his heart–– a beautiful ache that comes from a missing piece sliding home.

“Tell me more about it?” he asks, feeling suddenly a little vulnerable. You nose affectionately at his chest and pull him a little closer

“It’s got a lot of light. It’s big, but not too big, like, you can’t get lost in it. We wouldn’t need that kind of space. Mostly it just feels open and bright, you know? Lots of sun. Our bedroom has its own bathroom so I can listen to you sing to yourself in the shower.” Rhett lets out a quiet snort.

“Thought you did that anyway.”

“Yeah but now I can do it lying down. It’s a game changer.”

You’re funny, Rhett thinks. People don’t notice that enough. “Anyway, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted…” Your head bobs a little with his gentle laughter.

“Go on.”

“We have a big ol’ bathtub–– one where we both fit.”

“Sexy.” He can’t help himself. You pinch his side, but he can still feel you smiling..

“We have a big yard. Maybe even big enough to keep horses, if you wanted.”

“What about a dog?”

“Well we’d have to get two, so they can have a friend.”

“Agreed.”

“What about you? What are you adding?” Rhett thinks for a moment.

“Nice deck. Rocking chairs or a porch swing so we can sit out and watch the stars at night.” You let out a happy little sound, and he can tell you’re picturing it. “Lots of blankets out there. You can get nice n’ cozy and I’ll bring us out hot toddies.” Rhett knows he’s not playing exactly by the rules of the game, but he’s starting to get lost in the idea of a future with you–– one that you seem to already be counting on. “The dogs like to sit by our feet. At least one of ‘em’s too big to sit in your lap, but you let ‘em anyway because you’re soft on ‘em.” He smiles. “Guess I probably am, too.”

You’ve always loved Rhett’s voice. It’s sexy as hell, sure, but it’s also unbelievably calming. Paired with his arms wrapped around you, it’s positively lethal. But he’s so wrapped up in the fantasy you two are creating, he doesn’t notice the way your breathing evens out or your grip on his waist starts to slacken.

“Once it gets too cold we head inside and you tell me just to leave the mugs in the sink because you don’t wanna go up to the bedroom by yourself even if it’s just for a few minutes. Our bedroom is big, but it’s cozy. You picked out most of the furniture but you always tell everyone I helped. I built our bed frame, though. You like to brag about that.” He knows he’s right because you still tell everyone you know about the end table he made for your living room last year. When he starts speaking again, he hardly realizes what he’s saying. It just starts to flow out of him.

“I ask you to marry me in that bed. I got a ring and a proposal all planned out but you have to go and look so beautiful one night that my plans go right out the window. I take you out for a walk like I was going to, though, and get down on one knee. You don’t even let me get up, you practically tackle me to the ground saying yes again. Maybe we get married out in the yard or we find some place pretty to go. But I think the ceremony happens outside; that feels right. We make Amy the flower girl even if she’s not a kid anymore. I’m crying the whole damn time and I don’t care who sees. You hold my hand even if we’re not supposed to.” He isn’t sure if that’s a rule–– he thinks maybe it isn’t–– but he knows you’d break it if there was one.

“I know we haven’t talked about kids, but…” Finally Rhett catches himself. “Well, I guess I’m getting a little carried away, there, huh?” For the first time in several minutes, he realizes you haven’t said a word. He nudges his nose against the crown of your head. “Sweetheart?” You shift a little bit, saying nothing. Rhett can’t help but laugh when he realizes you’ve fallen asleep. He leans back just enough to drag his thumb gently underneath your eye. “Sweetheart,” he tries again, a little louder.

“Mmm?” The sheets rustle as you start to wake, the sounds of a slow inhale as it fills your lungs. “Rhett?”

“Hey, sleepyhead,” and he thinks that maybe he’s never loved you so much as he does now. It’s not the first time he’s felt it–– he falls more in love with you every damn day. But his chest is full of something honey-thick, and warm. Your groggy expression is the sweetest thing he’s ever seen. “Think you fell asleep.” You blink some of the sleep from your eyes.

“Oh fuck!” you swear through a yawn. Your eyes seem bigger than ever when you peer up at him apologetically. “I’m sorry, baby. It’s just you were playing with my hair and your voice is so soothing and––”

“It’s okay,” he says softly, “it was kinda cute.”

“No, but I wanna hear what you were saying!”

“You’re tired, honey. Let’s go to sleep and I’ll tell you in the morning.”

“No,” you say, wiggling out of his embrace and sitting up. “I wanna hear everything. No details skipped.” Rhett only smiles up at you, expression growing mischievous, lips sealed tight.

“Here,” you say, oblivious to the fact that he’d do anything you asked. “You can put your head in my lap. I’ll play with your hair. But you have to tell me everything I missed.” He chuckles and tucks his head against your thigh. His eyes flutter shut and a happy sigh leaves him as you begin to card your fingers through his hair. 

“Where’d I lose you?”

“I let the big dogs sit on my lap.” He grins up at you, eyes peeking open.

“Oh good, so you missed the proposal.” You freeze.

“The what?”

“You heard me.” And the smug bastard has the nerve to shut his eyes again, settling back into your lap.

“Rhett Abbott, you open your eyes right now.”

“Hmm… nope.” You tug at his hair but he just lets out a contented groan. He can’t see you glaring at him, and it’s hard to keep it up when your heart is threatening to melt down into nothing and kill you. You think that maybe you’ve never loved Rhett as much as you do in this very moment. 

“Did you mean it?” you ask, voice suddenly small. Rhett opens his eyes, expression serious now.

“Yeah, I did.”

“And you’re not even gonna tell me?” you cry. He smiles and turns his head to press a kiss against your tummy.

“I’ll tell you everything else. I promise. But some things ought to be a surprise, don’t you think?” You let out a huff, but it’s all fondness.

“Okay, so I’m a pushover with the dogs, and?”

“You leave the mugs in the sink overnight because you can’t stand to be without me, even for a second.” You give him a look, but you know it’s true.

Luckily, if everything goes to plan, you won’t have to.

[aestheticaltcow]

Anywhere

Rhett Abbott x Reader

A rejected marriage proposal and a desire to leave Wabang leaves Rhett in an interesting situation.

Outer Range Masterlist

You were awoken by pounding on your front door. A low wince came from your throat as the pounding intensified. “I’m comin’... I’m comin’...” you groaned as you got out of bed, draping your quilt over your shoulders as you walked out of your bedroom into the open, free-flowing vibe of the rest of your small apartment. You paused before opening the door. You should take that picture frame down…

As you peered through the peephole, a mix of fear and resignation gripped you. “Com’on Sunshine- I know you’re home.” you sighed, your mind filled with weariness, as you opened the door to reveal none other than Luke Tillerson. “You gonna invite me in?” His voice, laced with a hint of charm, sent a shiver down your spine. You wanted to slam the door in his face and go back to bed, but as he towered over you, you knew he could force his way into your apartment if he really wanted to. You stepped aside and allowed Luke into the foyer. He removed his hat and set it on the small table you had beside the door. 

You watched as Luke looked around your apartment. He scoffed slightly before putting his hands on his hips and turning his attention to you, “Why’d you say no?” he huffed. You took a shallow breath and watched Luke’s features harden. He was never your biggest fan, but when you’d told your now ex-high-school-sweetheart the infamous William “Billy” Tillerson ‘no’ to his incredibly romantic marriage proposal two weeks ago, Luke’s general dislike turned to hate. 

-

Billy had been the perfect boyfriend in high school and was really great when you’d gone away for college while he’d opted to stay home due to Wayne’s dwindling health. He was patient with you; he would drive from Wabang, Wyoming, to Vermillion, South Dakota, for every sorority event every softball game, and practically became your sugar daddy so you could focus on your studies. He was supportive in every way possible. He was proud of you and was content just sitting on your dorm room floor, staring at you as you did homework. As long as he got to spend time with you. After you’d graduated and moved back home, Billy thought it was time to ‘make an honest woman out of you,’ as Wayne would say. He didn’t want to rush anything; the two of you had been together for eight years, but he could wait another eighty if it meant being with you forever. You worked at the police station to get real-world experience before applying to either law school or the FBI- you still hadn’t decided what you wanted to do with your future, but you felt Billy wouldn’t be in it. 

You knew Billy was planning something. He was never really the subtle type; the bells rang when he’d asked you on a picnic one warm spring afternoon. You’d been back home for a few months and were officially independent from your parents. You were itching to get out of Wabang again. Billy drove the two of you out into the Northern pasture of the Tillerson Ranch, a vast expanse of green that stretched as far as the eye could see. In the spring, a large patch of wildflowers would bloom just outside the woods, adding a burst of color to the landscape. It was beautiful and secluded. Billy pulled out all the stops- it had been a great afternoon until he got down on one knee and presented you with a goddy diamond ring. He made a speech about how you were the love of his life, and he wanted the entire world to know. You watched the hopeful boyish smile leave his face as you started apologizing- “You don’t wanna marry me?” “No, Billy- I’m so sorry I just… I don’t know what I want.” 

You got up, wrapping your cardigan around your body tightly before running away from Billy. Your dress was riding up, but you didn’t care. You needed to get out of there. You weren’t sure how you’d managed to get to the road between the Tillerson and Abbott ranches before dark, but as you started the daunting walk back to the city, you’d absolutely shattered Billy’s heart, and you didn’t know if you’d ever forgive yourself. A horn honked behind you; as you looked over your shoulder, you paused in your step as none other than Rhett Abbott pulled up beside you. “Shouldn’t your guy be drivin’ you home?” 

When you burst into tears, Rhett stared at you like a deer in the headlights. He put his truck in park before hopping out and guiding you to the passenger’s side door. He helped you into the cab while you continued to sob fat tears, your body wracked with uncontrollable sobs. You didn’t care that Rhett saw you ugly crying- he didn’t know what to say or what to do. He thought about how he’d comforted Amy the first time she’d fallen off a horse, he figured since you were crying in a similar way- maybe it would help. You retracted when you felt his large, calloused hand pat your shoulder. He pulled his hand away, shifted his truck back into drive, and slowly made his way down the dirt road that led back to the city. He let you cry, unsure of what to say or what to do. He turned on the radio and drummed his thumbs along to the song that filled the cab. 

When Rhett pulled up to your apartment complex, you whimpered out a ‘thank you’ and reached for the door handle. “Do you want me to come inside with ya?”

-

Luke stared at you, waiting for a response. You sighed and wrapped yourself tighter, “Luke- I… uh, I just-” you stared before Luke cut you off with a loud scoff. “Billy has treated you like a goddam princess since high school! Just fuckin’ marry the poor kid!” he yelled, stepping closer to you. You shuttered at the sudden movement. Luke noticed and pushed a hand through his hair, “Look, Billy stopped singing. Don’t get me wrong- I like the quiet, but the crying… just tell him you’ll marry him.”

You shook your head, “I’ve hurt him enough, Luke… please leave.” you instructed as you opened the door. Luke huffed one last time before taking his hat from the table, “You should take that picture down.” he retorted before slamming the door behind himself. You sighed and looked longer at the picture frame by the door. It was a simple silver frame engraved with 9/2/16 at the top. In the frame was a collage of pictures of you and Billy from high school and a few from when you were in college. You couldn’t take it down but couldn’t look at it.

It had been a long week at work; you were tired and lethargic and absolutely did not want to go out with your friends that Saturday night. Walking into the bar that night, you saw Trevor Tillerson trying to cozy up with Maira Olivares. One Tillerson was one too many for tonight, you just hoped that Billy stayed home tonight. You followed your friends over to a booth in the back and quickly put in an order for drinks. 

After a couple of hours, you’d begun to enjoy yourself- your friend Sara was indulging the group with a story about some guy she’d been hooking up with as the five of you were throwing back shots when a waitress walked up and handed you a drink and handed it to you. “Guy at the bar sent this for ya.” she winked before walking away. A choir of ‘oooooo’s filled your booth, making you roll your eyes. “50 bucks; it was one of the Tillerson boys.” your friend Amanda laughed.

 “Fuck off, Amanda- Trevor and Luke both hate my guts, and I don’t think Billy is here.” you craned your neck over to the bar and felt the air leave your lungs when Rhett tipped his hat in your direction. “I need some air,” you said abruptly as you got up and quickly headed toward the exit. You weren’t looking where you were going when you bumped into the last person you wanted to see right now, “Hey, Sunshine…” you winced at the low voice of none other than Billy Tillerson. You didn’t respond to his greeting as you exited the bar. 

Rhett watched you from the bar. He’d always thought you were pretty back in high school. He was a couple of years older than you, and you’d been practically inseparable from Billy Tillerson since the two of you had gotten together during your freshman year- Rhett’s senior year. Since that night he drove you back to your apartment and hung out inside for a few hours. He couldn’t get you out of his head. When he saw you walk in with your girlfriends, he felt it was safe to make a move. He and Perry had come out to get a beer and unwind. Perry knew about his little crush on you, before a few weeks ago he’d thought it had gone away. Rhett had told him about a date he’d gone on with Maria, but it was like a light switch went off when he found out about you and Billy breaking up; he was over Maria and now head over heels with you. Perry found it amusing; he figured his brother would never tie himself down with a wife or kids, but when he saw how Rhett was looking at you, he was second-guessing himself. 

You pushed your hands through your hair as you took a deep breath outside, you were trying to ground yourself, but all of that went to shit when Rhett walked outside. “Hey.” he greeted you with his crooked smile. You groaned and walked in the other direction, “Rhett, please just leave me-” Rhett cut you off midsentence with a deliciously sweet kiss. His lips tasted like the beer he’d been drinking. With one hand on your waist and the other on your cheek, he pulled you close to his body as he pushed his tongue into your mouth. You kissed him back and looped your arms around his neck as the kiss raised in intensity, Rhett was the one to end it. “Let’s go somewhere. Anywhere,” he mumbled.

“Rhett- I - I can’t.” you studdered as you tangled your fingers in his hair. “Runaway with me, Sweetheart. Anywhere you wanna go, we’ll go.” Rhett said as he ran his thumb against your cheekbone, “Anywhere you want, Baby. Anywhere.” 

“You fuckin’ whore.” Trevor howled. He’d come outside to smoke but to discover you in Rhett Abbott’s arms was a slap in the face. “My brother isn’t good enough for you, but this fuck up is? You broke his fuckin’ heart, you fuckin’ whore!” his yells got louder, and you pushed Rhett away before wiping the corner of your mouth to wipe away your smeared lipgloss. You looked between the men and felt shame crash over you. Rhett walked up to Trevor and pushed him back, “Don’t call her a whore.” he spat. Trevor rolled his eyes as he chuckled, “Well, she shouldn’t act like one then.” he pushed Rhett back. The two stared each other down as the bar doors opened. 

Perry joined the group in the parking lot. “Everythin’ okay out here?” he questioned as he adjusted his hat, “This don’t concern you, Perry.” Trevor spat in his direction. Perry shifted his gaze to you. You shook your head, hoping this wouldn’t become a parking lot fight. There was a moment of silence before the other Tillerson brothers came outside. You looked at Trevor and pleaded with him not to tell Billy what he’d walk in on. He shook his head and didn’t bother to stifle his laughter, “Your little girlfriend here is just a worthless whore, Billy.” 

Billy shook his head. He didn’t want to believe what his brother said. “Don’t say that Trevor…” he stared at the ground. His stomach twisted as Trevor continued ranting about your supposed promiscuity. Billy wiped his eyes with the back of his hand before looking up at you. Your hair was longer than he remembered. Although they were filled with tears, you still had the prettiest eyes he’d ever seen. Billy wanted nothing more than to reach out and hug you until his arms fell off. “Guess you lucked out, Billy- she probably woulda tried passing off Rhett’s kid as yours.” Trevor laughed. He was trying to get a rise out of you, “Shut the fuck up, Trevor!” Billy yelled, closing the distance between the two of them before finally punching him. 

Billy shook his hand out as Luke finally intervened in the situation. Billy pushed Luke away from him before turning his attention back to you. “Are you okay, Princess?” 

You slowly nodded, finding comfort in the pet name. “Okay,” Billy sighed. He glared in Rhett’s direction before walking off in the opposite direction. You’d had enough for the evening. Rhett reached out for your hand only to be smacked away. “Just- just leave me alone, Abbott. Please,” you begged. Rhett took a step back, and you went back into the bar to find your friends and go home. 

-

You couldn’t take it anymore. After weeks of gossip behind your back and judgemental stares from the older women in the community, you needed to leave Wabang. The day you’d gotten your acceptance letter to Texas A&M School of Law was the best day you’d had in weeks. You found an off-campus apartment and a job at a local law firm. Everything was set for the big move, but there was still one thing you had to do before you could run away to Texas for your new start. 

“Hey.” you half-heartedly grinned when Billy opened the door. “Hi,” he said as he stepped onto the front porch. “I got into law school… I’m leaving tomorrow, but I wanted to say bye to you.” 

“I knew you’d get in. You’re smart.” Billy chuckled as he rubbed his arm awkwardly.

“I love you so much. Thank you for everything you did for me. I couldn’t have done it without you.” you softly smiled as you reached out for one last hug. Billy smiled the goofy smile you’d loved since the day the two of you met in freshman biology. He wrapped his arms around your waist and rested his chin on your shoulder.

“If you love something, let it go…” he mumbled into the crook of your neck, making you giggle as you gave him a squeeze. “I love you Y/N. I’m always gonna love you.”

The two of you stood there longer than you should’ve; it felt nice and nostalgic. When he released you from his grip, it was freeing. “Just promise you aren’t movin’ to Texas with Rhett Abbott,” Billy pleaded as he walked you back to your car. You laughed and said, “No, Billy, I’m not moving to Texas with Rhett Abbott.” 

While you hadn’t planned on moving away with Rhett, he had other plans. You didn't know what to say when he showed up on your doorstep a few weeks after you’d settled.

 “I said anywhere, Baby, and I guess that’s Texas.”

[official-magnus-institute]

hey Jon can we have that book recommendation I’m curious

STATEMENT OF DONNA RHETTE, REGARDING 'THIS FUCKING BOOK'- VERBATIM FROM TEXT. STATEMENT TAKEN FROM REVIEW LEFT ON www.lionstreetbooks.com/i-spy-housewarming/K-6482749278.html

(tw: stalking, scopophobia, loss of child, arson)

STATEMENT BEGINS.

@_Donnarhette

★☆☆☆☆

do not purchase this book do not buy anything off this website theyre stealing your information. this website is unreliable and customer service does not respond they do not pick up their phones.

i bought this book for my 5 year old daughter. she kept waking me up in the middle of the night for weeks beforehand. it was normal, kids do that, kids are scared of monsters. but i would always read her i spy. we have every other edition, down to the miniature versions and the seasonal ones. eventually, she learned where everything was, though, and the books got boring, so i looked up 'i spy books' for the 80th time this month. it brought me here, and i purchased the book for shipping.

the very next day it was brought here, and i was astonished at first, but once i saw the condition of how it was packed, i figured why it came so fast. it was a wreck, the corners all beat, a handful of packing peanuts and some thin paper tossed cattywompus inside. the shippers mustve played hacky-sack with it before tossing it up to the house

even so, my girl was excited. she had completely forgotten about the supposed monsters, she just wanted the book. it's a unique edition for sure, instead of looking for small items on a small scale, it just looks like pictures of parks or buildings, along with riddles like 'i spy a tricycle, i spy ten cards, i spy a crack in concrete that's hard'. it was a change of pace for me, even- a challenge. but my daughter was doing phenomenally.

the photographer must be local to my area, because i recognized the photos soon. hell, i think i saw the back of my head in the bank one. but it got strange when it came to a picture of a street.

my street of my home.

now im thinking, 'maybe it's personalized, it's google maps, and they look up the address for the buyer before they send it out?' but that was... impossible. after i ordered the book it came the very next day, there was no way theyd be able to just cram this page in last second. not only that, but there was the riddle.

i spy a sewer grate, a baseball, a torch,

i spy a busted-up box on the porch.

i shut the book on that page and told my daughter to go to bed. there was fuss, but something was wrong. i tuck her in and she complains again about monsters in the window. all through the night, theres monsters in the window, and i snap at her when she wakes me up the 3rd time.

at that point she was crying, and i was.. yelling. i dont feel good about it, god, especially not now, but i was tired and scared. thats no excuse. so was she.

after telling her it would be ok, she slept in my bed with me. i held her tight the whole night through, and i would do my research in the morning, i assured myself.

but i didnt het a chance. by sunrise she was gone. not in her bed, in her pillow fort, not in the kitchen, the den, nowhere. i phone the police, and i end up running down the street screaming her name.

as i get back home, though, i felt compelled to that damn book. god, why did i go back to that damn book??

it was a picture of us through the window.

'i spy ten earrings, 2 rings, and a comb

i spy a mom and daughter at home.'

it was like my tears froze from shock. i steeled myself and flipped to the next page.

'i spy a woman, big tears and brown curls

i spy a book, but i see no girl.'

as i said, the police are investigating this store. burn in hell you freak. ill see you there.

Well. It took some digging, but there's your recommendation. We were able to get I Spy: Housewarming from the crime scene - or, more so, the wreckange. Donna was griefstruck, this adding onto the loss of her husband shortly before this, leading to a burst of arson. The book was recovered just fine, seemingly one of the Leitners that can withstand some flames.

J. Sims, The Archivist

[sebsxphia]

ptolemaea. | spirit in the basement.

preacher!rhett abbott x reader.

￫ description: all you can feel and see is darkness, but someone else is there with you. you pray for your preacher in these desolate times.

￫ word count: 2K.

￫ c/w: heavy religious themes, preacher!rhett abbott, death, love and cannibalism.

￫ a/n: this is it, the last chapter! i’d highly recommend listening to spirit in the sky by norman greenbaum and strangers by ethel cain when reading! i also want to say to every single one of you who have loved and supported this series, thank you, thank you, thank you, from the bottom of my heart. i’m genuinely so proud of this series and please know, that this is never the end either! my inbox is always open for these two! this is part of ‘ptolemaea. | the verses.’ my main masterlist can be read here! 💌

| previous chapter |

What was this?

What was this feeling?

Your muscles in your calves tensed first on instinct to familiarize yourself with this feeling. They squeezed against something and you tensed them again, in an attempt to push against this something and feel it out.

Your forearms and biceps together repeated the same action and once again, you felt them squeeze against something.

No matter how hard and tight you flexed, or squeezed your muscles, they would not move against this something.

Something was binding you together and as you moved against this feeling, it felt as though invisible ties of fraying rope were twisting and turning over your body. You could feel them contort over your ribs, and tug at your ankles and wrists. Your limbs were glued tightly shut to your body in a position that you couldn’t even fathom to picture. And you were cold. You were so fucking cold.

Throughout all of your winters back in your home town, you don’t ever think you’d felt a chill this cold. It was prickling at your skin and covering you from head to toe. But, although you felt this piercing cold, your body wasn’t shaking like it would back home. You wondered if you were moving at all.

You thought you felt your eyelids blinking against each other in an attempt to try and see this something, but no matter how hard you blinked, your eyes remained open and there was nothing to be seen. It was just black. A black, deep, dark void that consumed your vision and everything you knew to be true.

And then you heard it.

There was a faint hum of music above your head. It was muffled considerably, but you couldn’t mistake that tune for anything else. Spirit In the Sky by Norman Greenbaum entered your hearing and swarmed your head with its familiar lullaby. It was a familiar favorite with yourself and soon after, with Rhett.

Rhett.

The song was still severely muffled, but further muffled creaks and groans contorted above your head. They paced around in an un-predictable pattern, and slowly they started to grow louder and closer to you. The sound cleared up and you recognized them to now be rhythmic patterns of footsteps. They were descending lower and growing louder, but something else came with it.

The low hum of the tune playing above you was turning into a whistle as something, came closer to you.

This was someone whistling the tune.

“R— Rhett?”

Your voice was broken and it croaked out from your throat.

“Rhett!”

You screamed louder with desperation, but your throat felt coarse and torn up.

As you desperately pleaded for Rhett to find you, over and over, you could feel the flesh on your neck tearing with your muscles. Your vocal cords were severed as you screamed.

You came to the deafening conclusion that he couldn’t hear you, as you heard his low drawl draw closer to you and hum out the words, “Never been a sinner, I never sinned. I got a friend in Jesus…”

His voice was so close to you now and he was practically on top of you. A crack of light dawned to your left and widened quickly. The darkness was now cut open above you and, you thought, you blinked furiously as your eyes adapted to the light. It was a dim and flickering light, yet it felt as though you had seen this darkness for your entire life. Your eyes adjusted and they went wide as you finally saw him.

Rhett had heard your pleading prayer.

He had always spoken to you about how you would find yourself in the Garden of Eden with him, therefore this wasn’t right. This wasn’t God’s plan for you, nor it wasn’t Rhett’s plan for you either. Your Preacher had come to save you from whatever horrid Hell this was. You would be safe in his arms again. He would hold you tightly against you, so tight his flesh would mould to yours and you would be tethered for eternity. You needed him, you craved him.

You made another futile attempt at screaming his name, but they fell on deaf ears. Your words never came. And Rhett simply continued to hum out Spirit In the Sky as he looked down at your neatly tied together body, which was frozen solid in your freezer, at the bottom of your basement.

You saw his hunting knife twirl in his slender fingers. You felt a blunt thud! whacked against your body and you were thrown back into the darkness.

You had no idea how long you’d been surrounded by this pitch-black, aching, darkness. The concept of time had all but disappeared with the light you saw your Preacher with. You thought it funny how the dim lightbulb that flickered above his head, silhouetted him like an Angel.

Concepts and things were starting to merge. You got confused and you felt yourself forgetting what time was all together, what your Daddy looked like, where your home was, how to breathe… But, Rhett was what you thought of most.

As you thought of him you could feel your heartbeat quicken in your throat and trail down to your heart itself. His initials of ‘R.A.’ thrummed on your hip bone with it. When you thought of him in this darkness, your body would vibrate and the blood in your veins would fizz.

He always made you feel as though you were coming alive. Every kiss, touch and bruise from his hand during sex, made your flesh come alive. Your hearts were tethered together, with his arteries suffocating yours.

You missed him.

And then you saw him again.

The darkness around you knocked down like bricks, before coming back together and forming a kitchen, specifically your kitchen, that you lived in together.

You were home and Rhett was with you there.

It was a sickly sweet, warmth inside your kitchen and it was just as you had left it. Left it where exactly, you weren’t sure of, but the heat made it feel as though wind was blowing gently along your arms.

Still, Spirit In the Sky played on the antique radio and you remembered how it would play in Rhett’s truck during blistering hot drives to the West, with the wind blowing through his rolled-down windows and onto your arms. You would mumble the lyrics to the tune with your knee bouncing in time. Soon you began to notice how Rhett would hum the tune with you, quietly making it known to you that he loved the song just as much as you did. His slender fingers would tap against the wheel of his truck, or his truck door as his hand stuck outside.

You suddenly felt his fingers tapping against you and you jolted with a spark. You watched him in the kitchen as he seared something with his hands in a sizzling hot pan. That sickly sweet, warmth was all you could feel as it clung to your flesh and stuck you to this particular place.

The song died out faintly on the radio and it followed with the town's local news.

“The missing persons case that has been wracking and worrying the people of Wyoming is causing another wave of paranoia as it’s suspected links to the missing persons cases that recently happened in the state of Florida. At this point, it is only suspected and local authorities are questioning…”

The monotone voice on the radio wasn’t interesting to you. It was drowned out from your ears as you gazed fondly, with an emptiness still behind your eyes, at Rhett. Your heartbeat picked up its pace and thrummed heavily against your rib cage as you watched him still. He was so handsome as he walked over to you, and then by you, reaching out to the cupboard that held your tableware.

His forearms now had small freckles splattered over his skin. You adored how they came up darker in the hotter weather. The fuzz of his arm hair, trailing up to his calloused fingers, had got lighter in the sunlight and you felt it softly brush against your cheek like he would when he’d lean in to tenderly press his lips to yours.

You’d only ever just wanted to be his. When you would kneel by your bed each night in nothing but your thin cotton nightdress, you’d pray to be his. You would beg him through prayer to tell you that you’re his. With your hands clasped so tightly together that your palms became damp, you’d mumble against your flesh, “Can I be yours? I tried to be good, Preacher Abbott. Am I no good? Can I be yours? I tried—”

When he told you that you were finally his, his forehead was pressed to yours through your screen door at the back of your house. His lips fumbled over the mesh material as he spoke and you laughed with pure, undeniable happiness that you were his. Through the small holes in the screen door, his familiar scent mixed with Marlboro Reds blanketed over you and wrapped you up with comfort. His tiny glass bottle of aftershave would always be splashed on his pulse point, just under his jaw, which was now tensing tightly as he chewed.

You watched as he devoured his smoked meal sat in front of him, and suddenly you felt an overwhelming and all-consuming love. You felt loved and protected by him, and you came to understand, like it was the most simple thing on this bountiful Earth, that this was his plan to keep his little lamb safe with him.

As he swallowed you thickly, you could feel his heart beating rapidly. You thought it funny because you never considered yourself tough before.

You felt whole as his heart was beating and intertwined itself with yours again. You were turning in his stomach and making him feel lovesick off of you and your tender flesh.

Tender pieces were still bleeding red and you thought, that Rhett had never looked so handsome when you were all over his mouth. His dog teeth that bit the meat off of your bones, were stained red. He groaned quietly, as he occasionally let his tongue wrap around his calloused fingertips. Doing so, he would smear your blood across your chin. His face was the portrait of a lover's rage.

This feeling was euphoric, in some strange and delightful way. You could never blame him for loving you the way that he did, because you were happiest here and because he would always be tethered to you. You’d never be without your Preacher again. Never alone, or fearful. He could protect you now from any hurt, or pain. This was meant to be and you would always forgive him, because he would always come back to you.

This sensation crept up your body, and you recognized the feeling of Rhett’s large hands running along your fingertips, down your forearm, and then up your biceps and to your shoulders.

You watched as the kitchen fell around you again like bricks, before building themselves back up and Rhett’s board arms were incasing you against his bare chest. You felt warm again, but it wasn’t the sickly, sweet type of warmth you’d experienced in the kitchen. This was instead the comforting warmth of Rhett’s flesh, pressed and moulded against yours.

The bricks came back together, stacking atop one another to form your bedroom in your home, where you lay together. Your hearts pounded against one another and you could finally feel his breathing. You could feel how his lungs expanded steadily below your own. The steady thrum of his pulse that you could feel under his jawline. As you scratched over it, his stubble pricked at your fingertips.

But you knew this was different.

In his basement, you would grow cold. The memory of you to everyone who knew you would simply be restricted to the Polaroids Rhett had of you. And whilst you were torn apart by the dog teeth of Preacher Abbott, you would still wait for him in your bed, in Death.

You felt safe, loved and protected with Rhett as you turned in his stomach, and you were held in his comforting arms. You just prayed that he knew how much you loved him.

But, it’ll be okay.

You can tell him when he gets here.

to my muse, jenna, thank you.

taglist: @sunblchdfly @beachbabey @tallrock35 @currentlybradshaw @unmistakablyunknown @iloveprettyboysblog @wkndwlff @flames-thebitch @kmc1989 @randomfandomgirl97 @peachystenbrough

tagging those who may be interested: @attapullman @lewmagoo @floydsmuse @auroralightsthesky @rhettabbotts @hangmanapologist @bradshawsbitch @sugarcoated-lame @becks-things @roosterbruiser

[landojpg04]

Revenge on the Ranch//G.Tillman

Index

This is gonna be a multi-part series. It's gonna follow the story of Rumor Abbott as she progresses further into her career as an agent for the FBI and what she plans on when coming across blackmail. She is a long-time girlfriend of Gator Tillman and would do about anything to protect their love.

This story may have some dark themes, but I promise to detail all of the warnings. As mentioned previously, I am creating my own plotline but incorporating some themes from Fargo and Outer Range. I hope you guys enjoy it!

Warnings for this part: Language (few cuss words), Mentions of R*y Tillman.

Two weeks earlier

“What do you mean, they canceled the competition?” 

“Im telling you, they didn’t have enough cmpetitiors so now I’m done a month early.” Rhett was my older brother. He rode bulls professionally, and during the off season helped ur father and eldest brother Robert at the ranch. 

Rhett and I were closer in age making us closer in our relationship. He was the one to ship me away from the butt fucks of nowhere. Said my talent was a waste in the city we grew up in. Because of him I got into Quantico and began to pursue my dream.

“Well shit, what are you gonna do now?”

“Mom found out and entered my name into the homecoming competition. Said it’s an easy win. So guess I'm going back.”

Mom always did sneaky things to get us back home. Said shes done with Dad and Robert antics. This was a classic move by Reese herself. 

“Hows training going? You almost done?”

“I got a few months to go but its going good. I got to work this team this past week. Was able to locate and gather more intel for them.”

“Thats what I like to hear.”

I hummed to his response. I was sitting on the balcony of my apartment. The city was loud, in many ways than once. People yelling, sirens from every cancer with my head constantly going round in circles with thoughts.

“So you able to come up with me?”

“There it is.”

“Look you know Mom signed me up for a reason, she knows us.”

Mom did know us. I haven’t seen Rhett since last Christmas or have been able to get away to see him ride.

“I don’t know Rhett.”

“Come one, please. Do this for your favorite brother”

I laugh at his opinion.

“You think youre my favorite?”

“I definitely am.”

“That's presumptuous.”

“Well then, don’t go up for me–go up to see lover boy.”

I went silent thinking about that. Gator and I haven't seen each other since New Year. My schedule is the opposite of his. We talk every day still; we just haven't seen each other.

“What day are you gonna go up?”

“Probably Thursday. Friday is the competition.”

“Thursday, I have work till noon. But if you can't pick me up, no worries, I’ll drive up.”

“Sounds good. I'll see you later, Rue.”

“Bye, Rhett.” I hung up the phone. Immediately looking down at my lock screen. A picture of Gator and I last summer. I needed to go home, even for just a few days.

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I finished work around 1250. Today, I was on the desk for a gruesome case. I was able to find some information, but they weren’t able to raid till it was signed off by a judge. 

I began my walk from the office to my apartment. 

On the way there, I wanted to grab a pick-me-up drink, stopping by my local coffee shop.

I walked in, and there were two people in front of me. I took this time to text Gator,

How’s it going?

I send and within seconds I see the three dots.

Dad scheduled me to be out on the field. It’s like he know’s

You're gonna be back soon.

I’m counting down the hours 

I smiled at the last text. I look up and notice it was my turn to order.

“Hey Rumor, your usual?” I nodded and smiled. I began to pay when I heard the barista talk to me again. “You know, Rumor, there's a band playing at the Klatch this weekend; I have an in and was wondering if you’d be willing to go with me.”

The barista’s name was Vincent. He’s been working here since I moved. He went to college but dropped out, exclaiming he wasn’t gonna spend his life working away. 

“Sorry Vince, I’m actually planning on going back home this weekend.”

“Yeah, to see that fake boyfriend of yours.”

I just pressed my lips into a thin line. Despite Vincent knowing about Gator, he has always given me shit about him. Saying it would just be better if I said I wasn’t interested in him rather than creating a fake boyfriend.

Rather than responding, I just grabbed my drink, gave a small smile, and walked out.

Yeah, it's definitely time to go back home.

And like an angel from heaven as I turn the corner to reach my apartment. There he was sticking out like a sore thumb. Dressed like a cowboy. Hat, boots, and one of his sponsors jacket on.

“Rhett!” I scream overwhelmed with emotions.

He was standing in front of my building. I run towards him, he engulfs me in a hug.

“Holy shit Rue. I have never seen you run that fast.”

“What, I can't miss my favorite brother?” I say.

“That is exactly what I like to hear.”

I laugh.

“Okay, let me shower, pack my bags, and then we can hit the road.”

Rhett nodded.

“Thank god I have time for a nap.”

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Arriving at home was bittersweet. The ranch looks the same. But those who occupy it look older. Dad has a few more gray scattering his beard and Momma is aging like fine wine. Both of them cried when we got out of the car.

If it was up to them they would have us at the ranch year long, but they are the type of parents who don’t hold their kids back from their dreams. And for that, I am thankful.

“Honey, you haven't been eating,” Momma exclaimed. I roll my eyes at her.

“Mom I eat just fine.”

“Rob, go get your sister’s stuff! Rhett needs to rest up.”

“You owe me so many drinks tomorrow.” Robort says hugging me once more.

I laugh at thow we have resumed the hustle and bustle of the house like it once was all those years ago. 

Rylee was now walking and had long hair pulled into braids. I got up to swoop her, having her grow into a fit of giggles.

“Aunty Ru-Ru!” She says while giggling. 

I see Jane and rush to give her a hug. Jane was always the older sister I never had. 

“Hell Rumor look at you!” She said taking me in. “Crime stopping does wonder for you.” I laugh at her comment. Jane and Robert were high school sweethearts. Jane was always around, she got me ready for my first date and did my makeup for all the special occasions. I set Rylee down and pulled Jane into another hug “Miss you sis.” I said.

“Don’t go soft on us killer.”

I look down to see her belly growing.

“Son of a bitch.” I say under my breath.

“Hey don't talk like that about your nephew.”

“Rumor, come eat!” Jane laughed hearing Momma call me. I walked over and sat down. Content with the peacefulness around me.

After dinner and the catching up conversations with the family, Momma sent us all to bed because of the competition tomorrow. Exclaiming we all needed to be on our best behavior, as it was the first time since graduation we would all be together. I laid in bed and reached that call button. I heard it ring a few times before I heard him.

“How is my girl doing back?”

“Momma made me eat two servings of food and made us all go to bed. So currently a little happy."

“Sounds like Reese.”

“Where you at?”

“An hour or so up north. Roy sent me up due to a call about some missing cattle. I’m just sitting here till six and then heading back.”

“He hates me.”

“That I can not dispute. He is even making sure that I go to the station before the competition tomorrow to ensure my papers are up to date.”

“I hate him”

I heard Gator snicker.

“You’ll see me before your brother is up to ride, I promise.”

“I miss you.”

“I’m pretty sure I miss you more.”

I took a deep breath, and Gator did the same.

“Not to be a pest but why didn’t you text me back earlier?”

“Some asshole I was dealing with tampered my mood.

Then Rhett was already at my apartment.”

I heard him hum.

“Anyone I need to deal with?”

“Not yet. But you can deal with your father for me.”

He laughs.

“Call me if you can't sleep. Ill be up, but get some rest.”

“I will. See you tomorrow.” 

“See you tomorrow, love you.”

“Love you.”

[rhettabbotts]

what if i said dilf!rhett gets pissed after you send him pictures of yourself while he's out at the bar, then comes home and makes you ride the arm of the couch while he watches???

"been actin' up lately, haven't you whore? need to remind my little cowgirl who's in charge."

WHAT IF I SAID THIS WAS MY LAST STRAW!!!!

he asked you to watch the girls later than he usually does. he had a few old riding buddies in town and was going out for a few drinks. you happily obliged, not minding the extra time you got to spend with grace and ellie.

after bath and bedtime, you were laying on the sectional sofa that was in the middle of the large living room. you couldn’t stand to look at another post on instagram. you were uninterested in scrolling mindlessly through videos. you were bored. dangerously so.

your thumb hovered over rhett’s contact. going against better judgment, you clicked on it, opening a thread of texts between the two of you.

“how’s it going with the retirement committee?”

“very funny. it’s fine. i’m too old to be taking shots of tequila. how’s the girls?”

“they were angels as always. i kind of miss you right now☹️”

“i’ll be home soon”

“will this make you come home sooner?”

you attached a photo you just took. a risqué picture of your thigh. dress hiked up enough to show a peek of your lacy underwear - a pair that rhett had bought you.

the three bubbles appeared and disappeared several times. it made you nervous. you were afraid you had crossed a line. but then his text came in.

“i’ll be home in thirty minutes. that dress better be off when i come through the door.”

you tore the dress off your body like it was burning you. your body was on fire at the anticipation of hearing rhett’s truck turning up the drive. waiting for the crunch of gravel and the slam of his door. a smug grin settled on your face as you heard the telltale sign of his arrival.

his heavy footsteps fell on the wooden porch, matching the thud of your heartbeat. your breath caught in your throat as he opened the door. he was not happy, if the clenched jaw told you anything.

“hi,” you greeted him softly, hands placed delicately in your lap. you sat on your heels in nothing but your bra and panties.

rhett was silent. he kicked his boots off next to the assorted pairs of shoes that lined the wall. he tossed his jacket on the bench and rolled his sleeves up without a word. he pointedly ignored you, heading towards the kitchen to pour himself a drink.

the ice cubes clinked against the crystal glass as he filled it, pouring the dark colored liquor in before taking a long swig. he let out a hiss through his clenched teeth as the whiskey burned down his chest.

“you think you’re cute, don’t you? sending me a picture like that where anyone could’ve seen,” rhett spoke finally, voice deep and raspy with a hint of malice. he was reprimanding you and you hated to admit it made your thighs press together.

“i just missed you,” you pouted at the man that was approaching you.

“you’re a fucking brat, is what you are. thinking you can always get your way. do i need to remind you who’s in charge?”

rhett towered over you as he took his stand before your kneeling frame. his thumb and index finger gripped your chin tightly, roughly. he took another drink and your mouth dropped open on its own accord.

he smirked before leaning down to let the warm liquid drip onto your waiting tongue, forcing your mouth shut so you could swallow.

“couch arm.”

“what?”

“i want you on the couch arm. that’s all you get tonight. it’s either that or nothin’. take your pick.”

“but-“

“i ain’t arguing.”

you moved hesitantly, straddling the couch arm and positioning yourself comfortably. you felt a sting in your muscles as the arm spread your thighs wider than you’re used to.

“g’on,” rhett commanded, nodding towards you as he sat at the opposite corner, legs stretched wide and the drink still in his hand. “show me how much you really missed me.”

you started with a slow drag of your covered cunt against the material, biting back a moan as the cool leather of the couch created a dizzying contrast to the heat at your core. the leather became more slick with each pass, making it easier to grind into it.

you got lost in the feeling, closing your eyes and arching your back as you imagined it was rhett’s cock you were riding. breathy whimpered escaped your throat and your stomach knotted up at your impending release.

“daddy,” you whispered, neck craning to look at rhett. “can i please cum? i promise i’ll be good,” you pleaded.

rhett let out a mumbled curse before he started palming his hard cock, giving you a singular nod.

that was all you needed to pick up your pace, chasing that high that you desperately craved. it hit you hard and fast, your thighs shook and your mouth was agape with a silent scream. rhett groaned loudly as he watched you come undone.

it took you a few moments to settle. after you caught your breath, you just threw yourself back onto the sofa. your head landed in rhett’s lap as you looked up at him. the glow of the lamp brought out the greys at his temples and you could assume that he only had more because of you. not that you minded.

“this poor couch,” you laughed, fingers tracing invisible shapes along rhett’s thigh.

“it should be burned,” he responded, a dry laugh escaping him as well.

“i really did miss you tonight. we missed our show,” you said.

“m’sorry, baby. i missed you too. but andy almost saw my phone and i don’t want someone lookin’ at my lady like that.”

“i’ll be more cautious with the nudes i send,” you joked. which earned you a little love tap to your thigh.

“you’ll be the death of me, girl.”

[lewmagoo]

million dollar man | rhett abbott

description: in which a mysterious, silver-haired cowboy rescues a young waitress who’s down on her luck

listen to the spotify playlist here!

warnings: 18+ ONLY, age gap (rhett is in his mid 40s, reader is in their 20s), mentions of sex work, workplace harassment, financial troubles, a little ageism, smoking, unprotected p in v sex, daddy kink, dom/sub dynamic, degradation, overstimulation, squirting, begging, choking, creampie, i think that's it?

pairing: rhett abbott x f!reader

notes: this is one of my longest stories to date. it started out as a simple smut scene and then it turned into an entire backstory. rhett has gray hair in this because i said so. i'm also dedicating this to my fellow old man fucker in arms, @rhettabbotts <3

It was late July. The air was hot and sticky, but the crystal water of the swimming pool was cool on your exposed skin as you sank down into its depths. 

You couldn’t help but let out a long, blissed-out sigh, your eyes drifting shut at the feeling of the ripples washing over you. You couldn’t remember a time in your entire life when you’d felt this relaxed and at ease. Not a care in the world, floating through the water as if you were suspended in a dream. 

And you were, really. A dream that had been made a reality by the man sitting just a few feet away from you, cigarette smoke swirling around him like a halo as the sunlight illuminated his figure, making him appear like an angel. And as far as you were concerned, he was just that: an angel. One who had saved your very life. 

Rhett Abbott was a very powerful man. You couldn’t fully wrap your mind around just how powerful he was. It was something he never discussed with you, insisting that he didn’t want his demons tainting you. 

While he had always been nothing but loving and kind to you, you had witnessed the ruthless side of him a few times, namely when he’d rescued you from your old life. 

Rhett had come rolling into town in his Silverado, just passing through, and he met you at the hole-in-the-wall diner you waitressed at. You’d never forget seeing him for the first time. Tall and broad, tan Stetson balanced atop his head. A pair of worn Levi’s with a white T-shirt on top. He was the most beautiful man you’d ever seen. 

He took his hat off as he took a seat at the counter, revealing a head of graying hair that sent your heart quickening in your chest. Then he smiled at you. You shyly offered him a menu, but he shook his head. “I’ll jus’ have a black coffee, ‘n two eggs, over easy. Toast, bacon, whatever you put on your usual breakfast plates. Please and thank ya.”

His voice caught your attention. Deep and low in his throat, lilted with an accent you couldn’t quite place. But it was clear he was from out west, that much you could tell. 

“Of course! Anything else?” You asked as you scribbled his order down on your pad. 

He considered it for a moment and then he said, “Some jam for the toast, if it ain’t a bother.”

You couldn’t help but smile at his politeness, despite his rough exterior. His shining blue eyes were gentle as they regarded you, and you found yourself distracted by them. You’d never seen eyes so blue. They looked like the ocean. You’d never been, but you’d seen pictures of water that was so blue it was breathtaking. His eyes were even prettier than that. 

“C-comin’ right up,” you finally responded, realizing you were allowing your mind to wander. 

You turned and put your order in with the cook before you quickly moved to pour a cup of coffee. Everything was going just fine until you turned and miss-stepped, sending yourself careening forward. To your utter horror, the mug of coffee slipped from your hands and hit the counter, splashing all over the man, effectively staining his white shirt. 

You gasped sharply, steadying yourself before your hand shot up to cover your mouth. “Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry! Are you alright?! Did it burn you?!” You were shifting into a panic, scrambling to grab a handful of bar towels you kept behind the counter. You rushed around, intending to help the man clean up the mess. 

You were so wrapped up in your panic that you didn’t realize that he wasn’t angry with you at all. You were simply so used to customers, and your manager, being rude to you that you just expected a hostile reaction. 

But just as you approached him, he slowly stood, and suddenly, a pair of steady hands were resting over top of your own. You looked up in surprise, only to find those crystal blues gazing steadily down at you. 

“Hey now, don’t fret none, it was just an accident,” he assured you, and the deep velvet of his voice calmed you instantly, bringing you back to yourself, renewing your focus. 

You stared at him in confusion. “I just spilled hot coffee on you, and you aren’t angry?”

He shook his head, gently taking the bar towels from you to dab at the stain himself. “Ain’t no use gettin’ angry over somethin’ you didn’t do on purpose. I got plenty more of these white shirts where this one came from. And I’ve had worse injuries than a measly little burn from some hot coffee. I’m fine. Promise.” 

You let out a sigh of relief, your tense shoulders falling relaxed. “Oh, thank goodness. I really am sorry, though. I’m so clumsy.”

He moved to wipe up the mess from the counter, completely unbothered by it. But he was bothered, however, by the implications of your response. “You have people get angry at you often?” He asked. 

You paused, considering your answer. “Well…some of the men that come in here aren’t very nice. Cranky truckers and whatnot. If you make a mistake they tend to get pissed and take it out on you. And my…” you glanced around to make sure no one was listening, “boss, he’s not the nicest guy out there. He says I’m too clumsy for my own good.”

Something flashed in those blue eyes. You swore they darkened a shade. “Huh. Well, they’re all fuckin’ assholes. You’re just doin’ your job.”

You were floored by his behavior. You’d expected him to insult you for your mistake, to call you some degrading name, like you’d been called so many times before. But instead, he’d offered you kindness and understanding. 

“Thank you,” you earnestly replied. 

He shrugged, taking a seat again on the stool he’d previously been perched upon. “‘s basic human decency to be nice to your fuckin’ waitress. ‘specially when she might have half a mind to spit in your food if you treat her like shit,” he said with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. 

You couldn’t help but smile at that, finally turning to gather up the coffee-stained towels and rounding the counter again. As you tossed the towels in a bucket nearby so you could wash them later, the cowboy leaned forward, still eyeing you. 

“I’m Rhett, by the way,” he informed you. 

You shyly gave him your name in return. “It’s nice to meet you,” you said. 

“Likewise,” he echoed. His exterior seemed so rough. There was a tattoo of a steer skull inked into the skin of his left forearm. His face was fixed with hard lines, and although he still appeared youthful, you could tell he was older. Mid to late forties, if you had to guess. His eyes held untold stories, things he’d experienced that had turned him into the rough man he was today. But his exterior was misleading, because behind it, he was warm and kind. 

You didn’t know it then, but this was the start of something bigger than you ever could have imagined. This man, with his ocean-blue eyes and velvet voice, would soon become your knight in shining armor. 

Until then, the spell between you was quickly broken when you heard “Order up!” which caused you to jump in surprise. 

You giggled softly at your own jitteriness, and quickly turned to retrieve Rhett’s food from the serving window, thanking Anton, the cook, as you did so. “Here you go! Need anything else?”

“Just a coffee refill,” he replied with a knowing smile. 

“Oh! Of course! Sorry, I got so distracted!” You exclaimed in embarrassment as you hurried to pour him another cup of coffee, this time making sure not to spill it on him. 

“Thank y’ kindly,” Rhett said. 

“You’re welcome. Let me know if you need anything else!” 

You busied yourself with sorting clean coffee mugs back into their respective stacks, all while Rhett tucked into his food. You found yourself wanting to speak to him further, to ask him questions about himself, but you were afraid of being a bother, and you were afraid you were misreading his kindness as an invitation to talk to him. 

He’s just being nice, you thought. He doesn’t actually want to talk to me. 

Besides, your boss, Martin, was just in the back. If he saw you bothering a customer he’d flip his lid and use it as an excuse to yell at you. It didn’t take much to piss him off, and for whatever reason, he seemed to particularly have it out for you. The least he was involved, the better. 

Some might question why you kept this job if you were being mistreated by your boss. The fact of the matter was, you had no choice. You were desperately trying to keep up with your living expenses and rent to avoid being evicted from your home. You were severely behind on your utility bills, to the point where the city was going to start shutting things off if you didn’t pay up. 

You were living paycheck to paycheck, barely staying afloat. This waitressing job was the only one you could get in this tiny town, and you didn’t have the time or resources to go hunting for a better-paying job. This was your lot in life, and you were trying to make due. However, you weren’t sure how much longer you could go on. 

You tried your best to keep your head down and do your job, but with the way your boss behaved, and the way this town seemed to have it out for you, it was difficult. You seemed to have garnered a reputation, and you weren’t quite sure how it had started. You heard the way people talked about you when they thought you weren’t listening. Whispers of what you got up to after the sun went down. Accepting money from men in return for sexual acts. 

The truth was, you were not involved in sex work. The only thing you could think might have started the rumor was the fact that Luke Jones, the sheriff’s one and only deputy, had propositioned you for sex once, and when you turned him down, he went off the rails and berated you in front of the whole diner. He must have decided to spread rumors about you behind your back, which had done great harm to your image, and changed the way people treated you. If the cops said you were bad news, everyone believed them, 

You hated this tiny, conservative Christian town, but you were trapped with no escape. 

Rhett Abbott was the first person who’d been genuinely kind to you in a long time. There was no judgment in his eyes as he looked upon you. Not even after you’d embarrassed yourself and spilled his coffee. It made your heart warm in your chest, and you decided that maybe this work shift wasn’t so bad after all. 

Then he was asking you for a coffee refill and you were trying to hide your smile as you turned to grab the well-used coffee pot.

“Thanks,” he said with a nod and a crooked smile. It made your knees weak. 

But the spell between you was soon broken by the sound of your name being gruffly spoken. You jumped, nearly spilling the coffee you were still holding. Rhett watched you, his eyes narrowing as you scrambled to put the carafe back in its place and rush to the back. 

There was a man back there, and just by the time of his voice, Rhett could tell he was no good. He put two and two together and realized the man was your boss, who you’d already mentioned having a short fuse. 

Rhett was a lot of things. He’d committed acts he wasn’t proud of. He had many enemies. There were those who would pay money to see him dead. But one thing he was not, was an abuser. He didn’t mistreat people just for the hell of it. And just from interacting with you, and seeing the way you reacted when you spilled his coffee, he could tell you had suffered a lifetime of mistreatment. 

And that was when he found himself considering something he never thought he’d do. Maybe he was crazy. Maybe he’d been bashed in the head one too many times. Either way, he wondered if you would let him take you away from all of it. 

He wasn’t sure why he was so enamored by you. He’d only just met you, and if he offered to take you away right then and there, he was sure you would say no. So he didn’t say anything. But he decided that he was going to remain in this godforsaken town a few more nights, just to see how things played out. 

He hadn’t done much good in his life, but if he could rescue you from your unfortunate circumstances, maybe it would make up for all the years of sin and wickedness. Maybe he could do right by you. Give you the life you deserved, protect you from harm, give you freedom. 

Until then, he wouldn’t jump the gun. He would wait patiently, and swoop in when you needed him to. Although, now seemed like a pretty good time to do that. He could hear your boss shouting, and it sent heat boiling beneath his skin. 

But he resisted the urge to go back there and tear the man apart. He didn’t want to scare you, and such a reaction would be overkill, especially when he’d only known you all of forty-five minutes. 

A few minutes later, you came back to the front, very obviously trying to make it look like you hadn’t been crying. At that point, Rhett had finished his food, and when you saw it, you quietly spoke to him. 

“All ready to finish and pay?” You asked, avoiding eye contact. 

Rhett leaned forward over the counter, lowering his voice. “Shouldn't let ‘im treat you that way.”

You paused, a fresh wave of tears welling in your eyes. You managed to lift your gaze to his, your bottom lip quivering. “I have no choice. It’s either work this job, or end up on the street.”

I could take you away from all this. Those were the words on the top of his tongue. But he refrained. Now wasn’t the time. “Yeah, well, he’s a goddamned prick. Y’ deserve better.”

You stared at him for a moment, your heart aching in your chest. His kindness and understanding were unfathomable to you. Why on earth was he being so nice? And that’s when your brain threw a negative thought at you that made everything come to a screeching halt. What if he was only being kind because he wanted something? He didn’t seem like a creep, and he hadn’t made you feel uncomfortable in the slightest. But what if he was just good at hiding it?

“Why are you being so nice to me?” The words came out before you could stop yourself. 

Rhett leaned back in his seat, grabbing his Stetson before he rose to stand. “Because you look like you could use some kindness. And I don’t believe in mistreatin’ service workers just for the hell of it.”

He dug out his wallet and tossed a $100 bill onto the counter, which more than covered his measly $10 meal charge. Your eyes went wide, and you looked up at him just as he placed his hat on his head. “Keep the change. Buy yourself somethin’ nice.”

Then he was gone, leaving you flabbergasted in the middle of the diner. “Ninety fuckin’ dollars,” you whispered to yourself in amazement, referring to your tip. You snatched the bill off the counter and quickly rang it up, placing the money beneath the cash tray to be put in the safe later, and taking out $90 in cash for yourself. He told you to keep it, so that was what you were going to do. 

You thought that night would be the last time you ever saw Rhett Abbott. Thought that he appeared like one of those guardian angels you’d heard people talk about, just to give you a little help along the way, before disappearing into thin air.

But the very next night, he walked through the door of the diner again, and your heart began to race in your chest. He was real. Flesh and blood, standing right in front of you. 

He looked just as good as he had the previous night. Except this time, he’d ditched his coffee-stained white shirt in favor of a blue button down, tucked into his jeans with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows to show off his strong forearms, that steer tattoo still on display. 

He took his hat off and sat at the bar, and he gave you that crooked smile of his. It made your knees weak, and you set down the stack of plates you were carrying just so you didn’t drop them. 

The diner had a few customers that night, so you couldn’t focus all of your attention solely on him. Nor could you talk freely, for fear of other patrons overhearing. 

But he was still as charming as ever. “Hey,” he said with a twinkle in his eye, “miss me?”

Actually, yes. “I thought you were just passing through,” you said. 

He shrugged, resting his elbows on the counter. “Changed my mind.” He held eye contact with you, and it made your heart race. 

You shook off your dazed expression and whipped out your order pad. “What’ll you have?”

“How’s your French toast?” He asked. So he was a big fan of breakfast for dinner, it seemed. 

You shrugged. “It’s pretty good. I’d recommend the pancakes though, Anton makes the batter from scratch and they’re fluffier than a cloud.”

Rhett’s smile grew wider. “Alright then, I’ll have a stack of ‘em. With a couple of scrambled eggs this time. And black coffee.”

You couldn’t help but smile in return. “Sure thing. And I’ll try not to spill the coffee on you this time.”

That smile turned into a grin. “Thanks, ‘preciate it.”

That was, unfortunately, as far as your interaction went. You handed him his coffee and then got whisked away to serve food to other customers. A family of five walked in, and seeing as how you were the only waitress on the current shift, you had to take care of them. 

Rhett noticed this, and his brow furrowed. It was hardly fair that you had to do all of this by yourself. Where were the other waitresses?

When you made your way back to the counter to grab his order and hand it to him, he stopped you with a question. “You’re doin’ all this by yourself? Where’s your help?”

You grimaced. “There’s usually only two of us working at night but the other girl has been sick in the hospital so she’s called off a few nights in a row. My boss won’t hire anyone else either so it’s all on me.”

“The more you tell me bout that son’bitch, the more I don’t like him,” Rhett grumbled. 

You shrugged. “Just somethin’ I gotta deal with. You need anything else?”

He wanted to continue the conversation, but he didn’t want to keep you from your work and get you in trouble, so he simply requested some pancake syrup and let you get back to your duties. 

That night, as he left the diner, he gave you another large tip, and you cried over it, not understanding why he would do such a thing. In this place, you were lucky to even get a dollar or two as a tip. 

After those first two nights, Rhett quickly became a regular. Each night he’d walk through the doors, take a seat at the counter, and order breakfast for dinner. And each night, you’d talk to him, and find yourself growing more and more enamored with him with each passing hour. He continued to leave large tips, and it made you think that he had to be rich. No one could afford to throw money around like that. 

But it didn’t feel appropriate to ask him about his money, so you kept your questions to yourself. You fell into a routine of expecting his presence every night, and appreciating those generous tips.

The entire time, however, Rhett was watching you, and he noticed a few things. Of course, there was the way your boss treated you. But he also noticed how some of the customers treated you. They were impatient and short with you, and it only served to make you more frazzled, resulting in a few mistakes on your part. 

You would always apologize profusely and come back to the counter holding back tears. It sent the heat of anger blossoming through Rhett’s chest. He couldn’t stand to watch this much longer. And thankfully, he didn’t, because his opportunity to give you a better life came one night when the diner was particularly busy. 

A group of younger men, one of which wore a deputy’s uniform, were picking on you. They would make comments each time you tended to their table, and Rhett caught wind of every word. Their behavior filled him with such rage that he took his hand off of his coffee cup, for fear that he would crush it in his own grasp, just from his anger. 

He was tempted to step in, but he waited. The next time you walked up to the counter, he caught you. “I can take care of them assholes for ya,” he offered. 

“What?” You asked, unsure of what ‘take care of’ meant in this context. 

“Teach ‘em how to be respectful. ‘Cause they sure as hell ain’t respectin’ you right now. ‘Specially that fuckin’ cop.”

“Oh, no, it’s okay. They’re just playing around. Don’t pay attention to them,” you brushed it off. But he could tell it was bothering you. 

The final straw happened when you walked back over to their table, and one of them stuck out his leg and purposely tripped you. You let out a yelp of surprise and went down. Thankfully, you were only carrying a pitcher of water, but the water went everywhere, including all over your white top. 

Quick as a flash, Rhett Abbott stood up. “Enough!” His voice boomed through the diner, and everyone went dead silent, including the boys who’d been picking on you. 

The cowboy approached the table, kneeling to reach for your hands. He locked eyes with you and calmly asked, “You okay?”

When you nodded, he pulled you to your feet, and without hesitation, he shrugged out of his denim jacket and put it around your shoulders so no one would be able to see through your wet shirt.

“Go outside,” he said to you. 

“But-”

His piercing eyes caught your gaze. “Go. Trust me.”

And you did. Maybe you were foolish for it, listening to this man you’d only known for the better part of a week. But when Rhett told you to trust him, you somehow knew you could. You hugged his jacket to your body and you walked out of the building and into the cool night. 

Back inside, Rhett was seething. He stared at the group of men, and without a word, he reached across the table and grabbed the napkin canister, yanking the top off and dumping the stack of napkins into the lap of the deputy. “Clean up the mess,” Rhett gruffed. 

The boys snickered. “Not my fault this place has clumsy waitresses,” Luke, the deputy, said. 

Rhett growled, and suddenly, he had Luke by the collar. “Clean up the fuckin’ mess!” He barked. Then he slammed the man back down into his seat.

“Hey!” Luke exclaimed, jumping back out of his seat as Rhett marched back to the counter to grab his hat. “You realize you just assaulted an officer of the law?!”

Rhett remained silent as he fished out his wallet and pulled out a single $10 bill, slamming it down on the counter. Then he turned, his eyes dark and stormy. 

“I don’t give a shit. Next time, I’ll do a lot worse.” Then he put his hat on his head and sauntered outside. 

He found you leaning against the outside wall, and when you saw him, you wiped at your cheeks, trying to hide the tears. He sighed softly, boots crunching against gravel as he neared you. 

“Thanks for that,” you whispered. 

“Mm,” he hummed in response. You were both quiet for a few moments before he spoke again. “Listen, maybe I’m bein’ too forward, maybe I’m fuckin’ crazy, but what if I said I could take you away from all this?”

You looked at him, your brow furrowed in confusion. He was as serious as could be. “What?”

“I could. I know I don’t look like much, but I got some money. Got a place out west. Lots of land, horses, cattle. Nice house with a swimmin’ pool in the back. But the thing is…it’s real empty. It ain’t fit for a lonely old cowboy. But it could be a home, with you in it.”

Your eyes widened. There was no way this was real. There had to be a catch. Maybe you were dreaming. Yeah, that was it. This was a dream and you’d wake up any minute, curled up on your broken-down old mattress in your tiny, ill-repaired house. 

“I’ll let you sleep on it, if ya need. But I’m tellin’ you right now, you deserve better than this town. It’s like fuckin’ quicksand, it’ll suck you in and you’ll never get out. Believe me, I know.”

“Why?” You asked. “Why would you do this for me?”

Rhett shrugged. “Because I can see you need help, and I have the means to give it to ya.”

You stood there, speechless, your eyes wide and watery. “This isn’t real,” you whispered. “You’re just a dream and I’m gonna wake up soon and you’ll be gone.”

“Ain’t no dream, sugar. I’m real and I’m offerin’ you a fresh start. Don’t need to give me an answer right now, you can think about it, but-”

To hell with it. “Yes,” you cut him off. 

His brows raised. He hadn’t expected you to say yes so quickly. Before he could speak again, you continued. 

“Why the hell not? I’ve got nothing going for me here. I’m gonna die in this Podunk town if I don’t get out right now. So yes, I’ll go with you.”

Rhett tilted his head, caging his bottom lip between his teeth. “Alright then. We can leave tomorrow if y’ want. My place is in Wyoming, it’s gon’ be a long drive.”

You wondered what he was doing so far away from his home state. And in the back of your mind, you knew this was potentially the most foolish decision you’d ever made. What if he was a serial killer who was going to dump your body in some ravine somewhere? But as you looked into the kindness of his deep blue eyes, you knew that those fears were all in vain. This man was not here to harm you. He was here to rescue you. 

So you took a headfirst leap of faith and let him. 

That very same night, you walked back into that diner, tossed your apron onto your boss’s desk, and told him, “I fuckin’ quit.”

You ignored his overdramatic pleading, tuning him out when he shouted after you. You left it all behind and came back outside where Rhett was waiting, smoking a cigarette. When he saw you, he stamped out the cigarette and pushed off of his truck, which he’d been leaning on. 

“Well?” He asked. 

“I quit. Maybe I’m stupid for doing this, but I trust you, and I’ll go wherever you wanna take me.”

And that’s how it all started. 

He took you back home that night, insisting upon it after you told him you’d been walking to work to avoid the cost of gas and car maintenance. 

His truck smelled like him. The faint scent of cherry tobacco, and a cologne that smelled like vetiver and cedar. It was strangely comforting and you found yourself at ease wrapped up in his scent. 

When he pulled up outside your shabby little house with its unkempt lawn, you felt a little embarrassed about your living situation. But if he judged you for it, he made no indication. 

“Pack what’s most important to ya. I can have a moving company come and pack up the rest and ship it to my place.”

You hesitated before you climbed out of the truck, reality finally hitting you in the face. “Rhett…you should know I’m sort of…in trouble. I owe money. I’ve got overdue bills, and people I borrowed money from. If I skip town I’ll be in big trouble.”

Rhett gazed at you, and the yellowish light cast from a nearby street lamp made his eyes look dark, almost brown. “Don’t worry about all that.”

“But-”

“I said I’d take ya away from all this. I mean it. You come with me, and you won’t have to worry about anythin’ ever again. I can promise you that.”

“I can’t ask you to take care of my problems for me.”

“You aren’t askin’ me to. I want to.”

You stared at him in disbelief. There was no way this was real. But your heart was telling you to trust him. If he said he would take care of things, then he would. 

“Okay,” you relented. 

“Alright then. I’ll see ya tomorrow mornin’, around 7 if that’s okay with you.”

You nodded. “Yeah, it’s okay. I’ll see you then.”

Then you slipped out of his truck and slammed the door shut behind you. He waited in your driveway to see to it that you got safely into the house before he finally pulled away.

Once you were inside, you pushed the front door shut and leaned back against it, reeling from what had taken place in the last few hours. Had you really just agreed to run off with this man? Were you crazy? Had you gone completely bonkers? Maybe, but strangely enough, you also had a sense of peace. Somehow you knew this was the right decision. 

So you set about packing a duffel bag with your necessities, and by the time morning came, you were waiting out on your front step for Rhett to arrive. 

He pulled up at 7 o’clock on the dot, and he climbed out of the truck to greet you. “Mornin’.” His kind smile sent a fuzzy warmth rushing through you, as if you’d just sipped a glass of bubbly champagne. 

“Morning,” came your response. He graciously took your bag from you and placed it into the bed of his truck. Then he opened the passenger door for you, and you climbed into the confines of the vehicle. 

“Y’ hungry?” He asked after he’d settled into his side. 

As if on cue, your stomach rumbled, and you gave him a sheepish look. “I haven’t eaten yet.”

“I’ll fix that.” He pulled out of your driveway and headed into town, there he stopped at Royal Donut, the local donut shop. He took you inside and let you choose whatever donuts you wanted. You walked out of that shop with a dozen assorted favorites, cups of coffee, and some other bakery items. 

It was more than you could ever eat, but Rhett spared no expense. And as he drove, you happily ate your fill of donuts, a treat that you never bought yourself. He seemed pleased that you were enjoying the sweet treats. 

And thus began your trip to Wyoming with a mysterious, silver-haired cowboy. 

The further away you got from that shitty town, the more at ease you felt. You relaxed into the leather seat of Rhett’s Silverado, and you let yourself forget about your problems for just a little while. 

You found Rhett incredibly easy to talk to. He had this way about him that made you want to talk to him. You wanted to know more about this man who’d walked into your life and whisked you away. This was the kind of thing that only happened in movies and storybooks. It didn’t happen to small-town girls who led flat, broke-down lives. 

And yet, there he was, driving with one hand on the steering wheel, the other resting atop the gearshift, looking like a dream with his hair haphazardly brushed back with his fingers, wearing a simple black t-shirt and jeans, with an ornate belt fastened around his waist. 

There was a pair of black cowboy boots on his feet. You never thought you’d find such a thing attractive, but you did. He was every bit a cowboy as you could have imagined. Open pack of Marlboros in the cup holder. Pistol in the glove compartment. Dreamcatcher hanging from the rearview mirror. 

He told you the dreamcatcher was given to him by an old friend named Joy Hawk. “She passed a few years ago. Every time I look at it I think of her.”

You admired the colorful beads, watching as the feathers fluttered from the air conditioning. Someday, you would find that same dreamcatcher beside your bed, because Rhett noticed you admiring it so much that he decided you should have it. But until then, it would remain dangling upon his rearview. 

During that lengthy road trip, you talked about anything and everything. You revealed some details about your life and explained why you had a negative reputation, of sorts, within your town. 

“You mean that fuckin’ asshole that tripped you spread rumors that you were tradin’ sex for money?” He clarified, his hand tightening on the steering wheel. 

“I-I think so. That’s the only reason I can think the rumor even got started. His pride was hurt when i said I wouldn’t sleep with him.”

Rhett ran his tongue over his teeth, breathing in deeply. “I shoulda beat his ass like I wanted to. Fucker deserves it.”

You shook your head. “What you did last night was more than enough. Besides, I wouldn’t want you to get arrested on account of you defending me. I’d feel so bad,” you said. 

“I wouldn’t’ve gotten arrested. And even if I did, they’d let me go after I made a phone call.”

You looked at him curiously. “Why? You famous or something?”

“Not really. Won a couple bull ridin’ circuits. Own a cattle ranch. I just have good connections. And a good lawyer.”

Something about his answer made you think he was being modest. With the way he threw money around so freely, and the way he was dressed, you knew he was more wealthy and powerful than he was letting on. But you chose not to question it further. If he wanted you to know more, he’d tell you. 

Instead of talking about his status, he changed the subject. He talked about his family, and how rocky his relationship was with them. 

“It all fell apart when I was in my early 30s. Found out my wife was cheatin’ on me with my brother.”

Your jaw dropped at his revelation. “Oh my gosh. With your own brother?! That’s awful. I’m so sorry.”

He shrugged. “I got over it. But it took me a while. I spiraled pretty hard after it. Did some shit I ain’t proud of, all because I was angry. But that was a long time ago. I’m in a better place now.”

“You never remarried?”

“Nah. Just never found anyone I wanted to settle down with. Maria, my ex-wife, tried to rekindle things but I never could look her in the eye again after what she did. So I just put all my focus into buildin’ a life for myself. Rode in a few rodeos. Built a house. Been runnin’ a cattle business for the last decade. Haven’t had time for anyone special.”

“Except for me,” you quietly murmured. 

He smirked, nodding in agreement. “Except for you, little darlin’.” Then he paused. “‘s alright if I call ya that?”

“Yeah. I like the sound of it.”

From that moment on, you became Rhett Abbott’s little darlin’, and everything changed. You wondered what made you special. What made him decide, fifteen years after his marriage went down the drain, to open his arms to someone else? 

You’d never understand, but you didn’t have to. Rhett had pulled you from the miry pit you’d been sinking into, and you would be forever grateful to him for it. You didn’t know it yet, but he would soon lavish you with everything you could ever want or need. He would provide for you beyond your wildest dreams, and you would wake up every day and thank your lucky stars that he had walked into that shitty hole-in-the-wall diner and swept you off your feet. 

Now you were on your way out west to his big ranch to start a new life. You had no idea how he was going to work out all the details. There were still so many loose ends you had to tie up in your personal life. To anyone else, this decision probably seemed like the most foolish decision you could’ve possibly made. But to you, it felt like fate, so you decided to take it as such. 

Instead of worrying about those things, you allowed yourself to be in the moment, getting to know Rhett during all those hours in the truck together. He got you whatever you wanted to eat along the way. Fries, milkshakes, your favorite treats. You felt a little bad that he was spending money on you, but at the same time, it felt nice to be spoiled, so you allowed yourself to bask in it. 

The trip took twelve hours in total, and toward the end, you fell asleep with your head resting against the window. A few hours later, you woke with a start when you felt the truck pulling to a stop. 

“Shh, you’re alright,” Rhett’s low cadence filled your ears. “Just pullin’ into the drive.”

Suddenly, you were very much awake as you realized what you were looking at. You’d finally arrived, and although it was dark, you could see that the property was large. And the house you were approaching was bigger than you could’ve imagined. 

Your eyes went wide. So he was rich, rich. 

You were essentially speechless as you climbed out of the truck and followed Rhett to the front door. There was a motion light that had turned on as soon as he pulled the truck to a stop, illuminating the front of the large house. It was designed to look like a rustic cabin, but much bigger. Wood beams framed the expansive porch. Even the front door was wooden. A few rocking chairs decorated the porch. Green fern plants hung from the ceiling, creating a whimsical feel.

You weren’t sure what you were expecting his home to look like, but this exceeded your wildest expectations. You drank everything in as he took you inside, standing there dumbly in the entryway as he reached over and flipped several light switches on one switchplate, illuminating the front of the home.

An entry area with a plush rug stretched out before you. It opened up into the main living room, which was furnished with two leather couches, some comfortable-looking overstuffed chairs, a bearskin rug, a custom coffee table, and so many more odds and ends that made it feel like a home. 

“Whoa,” you whispered to yourself in amazement. Your own home looked like a tattered shoebox compared to this. “How is this real?”

Rhett smiled at your wonder. “It’s real. Built it myself.”

Your eyes went wide as saucers. “You built this?!”

“Not by myself, I had a lotta help, but yeah. C’mon, let me show you where you’re gon’ be stayin’. I’ll give ya a tour tomorrow, I’m sure you’re wiped out and want some sleep.”

You were in fact wide awake, but you let him lead you up to your room anyway. You followed up up the wide, wooden staircase and up to an open hallway, complete with wooden banisters. It overlooked the main floor of the house and gave you an idea of just how big the place really was.

On your way down the hallway, you passed a few different rooms, and you noticed that one had a nameplate on it with the name Amy etched into it. You wondered if it was too forward to ask him about it, but the words were out of your mouth before you could stop yourself. 

“Who’s Amy?” You asked as you trailed after the man.

He glanced back at you. “Amy’s my niece. She don’t stay here much anymore, she’s grown, and she’s off backpackin’ through the Appalachian Trail with her wife, last I heard. I just kept her room the way it was in case she ever needs to stay with me.”

You nodded in understanding, and you wondered if she was the daughter of the brother that Rhett’s wife had cheated on him with, but you didn’t ask any more questions. You already felt like you were imposing enough as it was, and you felt it was rude to interrogate this man who’d just invited you into his home out of the goodness of his heart.

You didn’t have time to continue your questions anyway, because Rhett stopped at the end of the hall and opened the door to another bedroom, motioning for you to step inside. The first thing you noticed was its coziness, with a large, plush rug covering most of the floor. The bed was queen-sized, set inside a bedframe made of logs. 

There were rich oak nightstands on either side of the bed with ornate wrought iron lamps. There was even a flatscreen television mounted to the wall across from the bed. But best of all, there was a large, stone-hewn fireplace along the far wall. You were blown away. It was the nicest bedroom you’d ever seen. And the bed looked so inviting. Maybe you would finally get a good night’s sleep and wake up without any lower back pain, as you were prone to.

“Rhett, I…” you started, but you couldn’t form the words.

He smiled as he walked over to place your bag atop the bed. “Don’t mention it, little darlin’. For now, I want ya to get some sleep. Bathroom’s right over there,” he motioned toward a door on the other side of the room. “Should be toiletries and whatnot in there. My housekeeper Kira usually keeps everythin’ stocked.”

Your brows shot up. He had a housekeeper? It only made sense, seeing as how the place was so big and he was only one person. Even so, it was a lot to process. How on earth had you gotten so lucky to meet this guy? It still felt like a sick joke that God was playing on you. But you’d enjoy the joke for as long as you could.

However, there was no joke. No one was pulling a fast one on you. Rhett Abbott was a sincere man who truly wanted to help you, a poor waitress down on your luck. And help you, he did. After you got settled in that night, he set about doing exactly as he told you he would; taking care of things.

Over the next few weeks, he began the process of having all of your things moved to his place. He worked behind the scenes to cover all of your financial expenses. He paid any outstanding balances and bills you had, down to the very last dime. 

In just a short amount of time, your entire life changed. You went from barely keeping your head above water, to floating atop the same water on a pool float with a mimosa in hand. Rhett became your protector, your provider, the best thing to ever happen to you. 

Gone were the days of worrying if you’d have enough money to buy groceries or pay your electric bill. As the months went by, Rhett provided everything you could ever need or want. Clothes, jewelry, shoes, food, hygiene products. He spared no expense and he was more than happy to lavish you with those things.

He’d well and truly become your savior, and you would be forever grateful to him for giving you a chance when no one else would.

As time passed, and you fell into an easy routine of life with the gray-haired cowboy, you found yourself falling in love with him. Being in his presence felt so safe and warm, and you became drunk off of that feeling. You couldn’t help but fall head over heels, and he was there to catch you when you did, confessing that he, too, loved you. 

It felt natural. It felt right. And Rhett hadn’t allowed himself to love anyone in this way since his marriage had fallen apart. Even then, he never truly knew what love was. He’d only married Maria because he was afraid of being alone. A lot of good it had done him, because he’d ended up alone anyway.

But all of those events in his life had led him here, to you, and he realized then that it was all worth it. The pain, the suffering, the hardships he’d endured were simply molding him into the man you needed him to be. Taking care of you gave him purpose.

He pledged himself to you, promising that he would take care of you for as long as he lived, and even after, he would see to it that you didn’t have to worry about a thing. You would be financially set for the rest of your life. It was a concept that was so foreign to you that it was difficult to wrap your mind around.

Money would never be a concern for you ever again.

But for you, it wasn’t about the money. Of course, the financial stability was wonderful, but you came to the conclusion that you would be happy with Rhett no matter your situation. Rich, poor, anything in between. You were content with all of it as long as he was by your side. Not only was he your savior, but he was also the love of your life. 

He had so much to teach you, from all the years of life he’d lived. He’d seen so much in his forty-five years, he had many stories to tell, and you eagerly listened to all of them. As time went on, he opened up more and more. 

You were curious as to how he made so much money. He didn’t tell you all the details, but the gist was that he raised and sold cattle, and it had become a wildly successful means of living for him. Before his livestock business, he was a bull rider. You’d seen the medals and trophies in his office. He was modest about his riding career, but his awards boasted of national fame in the rodeo circuit. He was one of the best there was.

He explained that he’d had to give up riding when he was still young. “Most guys get ten or so years in the circuit. I got seven. Fucked up m’ shoulder and wrist one too many times. Got to the point where I couldn’t hold onto the ropes anymore. My last ride damn near killed me, I thought I could handle it but I lost m’ grip and went down. Landed me in the hospital for a month.”

He showed you the various scars and injuries he’d suffered during his riding career. His shoulder was littered with aged scars, which were from extensive surgeries he’d undergone just to be able to use it still.

After that, you spent many a night massaging lotion into that shoulder, just to give him some temporary relief of the pain he still suffered. He was grateful for your gentle touch, and he found himself marveling at how he got so lucky to find someone like you.

But life wasn’t all rhinestone cowboys and star-spangled rodeos. While he made an honest living with his job, he had his fair share of issues when it came to his wealth. After his divorce, he’d spiraled out of control and gotten himself in trouble with some powerful people. 

Those days were behind him, and he’d since paid his dues, but he still had those enemies who would jump at the chance to see his success go down the drain. Particularly the neighboring Tillerson ranch. 

The Abbotts had a long history with the Tillersons. And that history had carried on through each generation. Rhett’s father, Royal, had been dead for the better part of a decade, and the Tillerson patriarch, Wayne, had been dead for even longer. But his sons were still alive and kickin’. And they’d do anything to knock Rhett down a few pegs and gain the upper hand in the business realm. 

Rhett had fought tooth and nail to get where he was today. He was the son of an impoverished cowboy, he had extremely humble beginnings and was always told he wouldn’t amount to much. But he’d proved everyone wrong just by succeeding. Because of all the blood, sweat, and tears he’d put into his livelihood, he was especially protective of it, and never allowed anyone to threaten what was his. 

You knew Rhett was protective. You had seen it early on when you first met him, when he defended you against those boys in the diner. But you saw it again one day when you faced his competitors one night at a rancher’s event. 

He told you that you didn’t have to go. “Don’t want ya to feel obligated, little darlin’.”

“I want to go, so I can support you,” you insisted. “Besides, I couldn’t pass up seeing my man dressed up all fancy.”

He smiled shyly. “If you’re sure, then okay.”

“I’m sure. Plus, it’s high time I let everyone know you’re off the market, right?”

Despite your upbeat attitude, part of you was nervous. Rhett had told you how some of these people behaved, and how judgmental they could be. You were afraid of what they might say when they noticed how much younger you were than Rhett. 

But your relationship wasn’t something you wanted to hide. To hell with what others thought, or at least, that’s what you tried to convince yourself of. You wanted to walk in on Rhett’s arm and have him show you off. 

And that was exactly what you did. Rhett bought you a new dress, a deep blue to match the shirt he wore. You couldn’t take your eyes off of him. He wore his nicest pair of jeans, the blue shirt with a bolo tie around the collar, his most expensive belt, decorated with his favorite buckle that was polished to perfection. His silver hair was neatly combed back, and he wore a jet-black hat atop his head. 

He’d never looked more beautiful, and you couldn’t believe you were lucky enough to be called his. You walked into the event that night with your arm looped through his, butterflies of nervousness fluttering in your belly. 

“You’re gon’ do just fine,” he quietly assured you. You smiled and squeezed his bicep in thanks. 

And you were just fine. Until it came time to meet people. You were content to keep to yourself, safely tucked into Rhett’s side. But everyone noticed you, because it was a rarity for him to come to an event with a plus one. 

It was Luke Tillerson’s wife, Camilla, that took it upon herself to find out who you were. “Who’s your little friend, Rhett?” She spoke up. 

Little friend? You didn’t like her tone. But Rhett didn’t let it affect him. He tightened his arm around your waist and replied. “This here’s my girlfriend,” he introduced you. 

The woman made a face, eyeing you up and down. You immediately felt scrutinized. “Oh, how…cute.”

“She is, ain’t she?” He said, gazing down at you lovingly, purposely ignoring her implication. But he could tell you were bothered, he could see it in your eyes. You stepped closer to him, pressing yourself against his side. 

You’d never felt so out of place in your life. These people were all filthy rich. They’d been born into wealth. Surely they would see you as Rhett’s charity case if they knew your background. 

“Abbott!” A male voice suddenly interrupted the conversation. An older man dressed in an expensive suit and sporting a stereotypical handlebar mustache approached Rhett, and before you or Rhett could protest, he whisked him away, claiming he had someone for him to meet. 

This left you entirely alone with Camilla. Your palms grew sweaty and your muscles tensed. You were afraid she was going to start prying into your business. And sure enough, she did. 

“You’re awfully young,” the woman remarked, idly sipping the expensive cocktail she held between her manicured fingers. 

“And what about it?” You asked, immediately defensive. You’d been afraid this would happen. 

“Oh, don’t take it personally, hon. I just didn’t think Rhett would stoop to such a level. I mean, what are you, mid-20s? He must have been incredibly desperate.”

You bristled, your skin growing hot beneath your dress. “I really don’t appreciate that,” you gritted out. “He isn’t desperate. It’s not like that.”

Camilla laughed it off. “Oh, you sweet child. You don’t get it, do you? He’s having a midlife crisis. You’re only a phase. Once he gets sick of you? He’ll drop you like a bad habit. He’s only interested in one thing, and it’s not your brains or pretty face.”

You wanted to throw angry, biting words right back at her, but you were speechless. You couldn’t believe the audacity of this woman to speak so boldly to someone she’d never even met. You could feel tears welling in your eyes, and although you willed them to go away, they wouldn’t. 

“H-he’s not like that,” you whispered, repeating yourself. You had been with him for nearly a year. Not once did he ever display the tendencies she was describing. 

“Honey, I’m just trying to warn you so you don’t get hurt when he gets bored. Go find a man your own age before it’s too late.” 

Those tears welling in your eyes began to make their way down your cheeks before you could stop them. You couldn’t fathom how someone could be so cruel. Camilla said something else to you, but you didn’t hear her. You were too overwhelmed, too hurt. Your immediate instinct was to find Rhett. With your breath coming out in short, shallow gasps as you tried to hold in your tears, you turned, your blurry eyes scanning the room for him. 

But Rhett had already seen you, and he was making a beeline for you. As soon as he appeared in your line of sight, you knew he was going to come to your aid. He’d been watching you warily from the corner of his eye as he talked to a potential new business partner, because he knew how Camilla Tillerson was. She’d never grown out of her high school mean-girl phase, and she thought just because she was Mrs. Luke Tillerson she could behave whichever way she wanted. 

When he saw your shoulders tense, he knew something was wrong, and he excused himself to come to you. And then you turned, and there were tears in your eyes. It set off alarm bells in his head, and his chest tightened as anger welled up inside him.

As soon as he reached you, he was pulling you close, and you let yourself melt into the safety of his arms. Rhett had it handled, you didn’t have to worry anymore. “The fuck did you say to her, huh?!” He demanded.

Camilla’s eyes widened. “Nothing! I was just trying to give her some friendly advice, woman to woman.”

Rhett glared at her. “Like hell you were. You really gon’ stand there and insult my gal? And ain’t it convenient that you waited ‘til I walked away to do it?”

“Hey, there a problem here?” Another voice chimed in. This time, it was Luke’s.

Rhett sighed, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, your wife. Tell her to keep her big mouth shut.”

He ignored Luke’s dramatic reaction, opting to instead end the argument and tend to you. He tucked you under his arm and he led you out of the room. You didn’t see it, but he made sure to hold his hand out behind him as he went, his middle finger in the air to get the message to Luke and his wife across. 

Once he had you outside, he led you to the truck, where he stopped to let you pull yourself together. You wiped at your wet cheeks, and he kindly gave you the handkerchief he always kept in his pocket to help. 

“How can someone be so mean?” You whimpered softly.

Rhett fought the urge to go back inside and start yelling. It wouldn’t help anything, and it would only get him banned from the event altogether for acting like a fool. Instead, he focused on you. “What’d she say to you, baby?”

You sniffled, staring down at the handkerchief as you gingerly folded the fabric over itself. You relayed the words Camilla had spoken to you, and you watched as Rhett’s jaw tightened, his chest heaving slightly. 

“That fuckin’ bitch,” he gritted out. Then he grimaced apologetically. “‘scuse the term, I don’t like to call ladies names but that one deserves it. I can’t believe she’d do that to ya.”

“It’s what I get for thinking I could measure up to all this. I’m nothing compared to all those people in there. They’re filthy rich and I’m just fuckin’ trailer park trash!”

In an instant, Rhett had your face in his hand. “Don’t you dare start talkin’ like that about yourself. I ain’t gon’ stand for it. You got just as much a right to be there as anyone else.”

“Do I? Or am I just your arm candy?” As soon as you said the words, you regretted them. 

“You know that’s not true,” he lowly said. “You’re not a fuckin’ object, alright? You’re a brilliant human being and I’m sorry the others can’t see that.”

You wanted to say more, but you were too emotional. “Can we please just go home?”

Rhett sighed softly, but relented. “We’ll talk more about it later.” And then he opened the passenger door of the truck and allowed you to climb in. 

Camilla’s words and attitude had really gotten to you. You knew what she said about Rhett wasn’t true, but there was still that nagging voice of insecurity that made you think it was true. 

What if he did eventually get bored of you? What if he didn’t even love you and he truly was only interested in you for what you brought to the table sexually? Those were all lies, and you knew that. But the longer you let them fester, the more tortured you felt. 

When you arrived home that night, you went right up to the bedroom without saying a word to Rhett. He stood at the foot of the steps and watched you go up, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he sighed tiredly and sauntered over to his extravagant liquor cabinet. 

He poured himself a glass of whiskey, downing it in one go before he poured another, and then made his way upstairs to where you were already getting ready for bed. He decided to give you a few moments of silence before he tried talking to you again. You obviously needed a little time. 

Instead, he busied himself with getting ready for bed himself, shedding his clothes and slipping into a fresh pair of underwear to sleep in. Then he finished off his whiskey before he headed to the bathroom to brush his teeth. 

It wasn’t long before he was settling into bed, all while you were still busy at your vanity, going through your skincare ritual. He gave you that time to yourself as he cracked open the book he’d been reading the last few nights, perching his reading glasses on his nose as he did so. 

A few minutes later, you joined him in bed, slipping beneath the plush covers. He didn’t waste another moment as he quickly set his book aside. “We need to talk this out.”

You sighed. “I know.”

“Do you? Because I don’t think y’ do.”

You looked at him with a furrowed brow. “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“Listen, I ain’t the best with words, but…I don’t think you know just how much you mean to me. I don’t give a shit what Camilla Tillerson says. She’s wrong, you hear me? You’re not just some phase that I’m gon’ get bored of. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me. You make me a better man and I’m forever grateful, you hear me? So fuck what all them prissy, starch-collared cowboys think. Because I know the truth. And the truth is that you’re the love of my life. Nothing’s gon’ change that.” 

At his earnest confession, your eyes welled with tears again. “Oh, Rhett,” you whispered. You moved closer, wrapping your arms around him. 

“I love you, you hear me, girl? I’ll love you ‘til the day I die.”

And somehow, you knew he would.  

His confession eased your fears, but there was still that little insecure voice within you. However, somewhere along the way, you determined in your heart that you were done caring about what people thought. 

You loved Rhett, and he loved you. You weren’t going to hide that. So you continued attending events with him, walking in with your head held high, proud to be standing by your man’s side. You didn’t let anyone talk poorly about him, or yourself. You stayed far away from Camilla Tillerson, and you refused to listen to comments that she or her family made toward you. What they thought didn’t matter. 

Rhett proved his love to you over and over again. He showed you that what you shared was real and true. That you were the only one for him. And it wasn’t long before he pledged that love to you with a ring. 

You were married in the woods. You wore a whimsical dress with a crown of flowers in your hair. You even got Rhett to wear flowers in his hair. You said your vows under an old weeping willow, with the local pastor officiating. Rhett’s niece Amy and her wife flew in to witness the marriage, and his mother Cecelia, who was well up in years, but still just as lucid and fiery as she’d ever been, came too. 

It was a quiet, intimate ceremony. And after it was all said and done, Rhett treated you to a honeymoon in the mountains, in a little log cabin built for two. It was blissful and dreamy and everything you ever could’ve hoped your honeymoon to be. 

He treated you like a queen, and you knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he was it for you. There was no one else you could imagine spending your life with. He’d found you at rock bottom and offered you a steady hand to hold, slowly pulling you to your feet and building you up until your old life was but a bad memory. 

With Rhett, you wanted for nothing. You were loved, provided for, protected. He was the greatest gift you’d ever been bestowed, and you cherished him every waking moment. 

Now, whenever there were business events to attend, you walked proudly by his side, displaying the beautiful ring he’d placed upon your finger, letting everyone know that you were the one that had made Rhett Abbott believe in romance again after all these years of wallowing in his own loneliness. 

Your life together was sweet, and it went down easy like a spoonful of honey. Gone were the rough days and the fear of wondering if you’d end up living on the streets. Now, you woke up every morning to the sun streaming through your windows and your husband’s strong arm slung across your waist, and you silently whispered a prayer of thanks to the universe for it.

That was exactly the kind of morning you’d just woken up to. It was early, especially to be awake on a Sunday morning, but you were alert as could be. Beside you, Rhett was still sleeping peacefully, the sheets slung loosely over his naked hip, his silver hair mussed against the pillow. 

Sundays were his day of rest. He wasn’t above doing hard labor, and could often be found working out in the fields with his ranch hands. But Sundays were reserved for rest and spending time with you. Usually, you would gently wake him, but because it was early, you decided to let him rest a little longer. He deserved it after a long and arduous week. 

Instead, you slipped out of bed and went to get into your swimsuit so you could jump into the in ground pool in the back. Although the sun had barely been up that long, it was already quite hot outside, and you were eager to take a dip in the cool water to start your day. 

You donned a white bikini. It was simple, but it was Rhett’s favorite. Particularly because the straps wear easy to untie and gave him easy access to the body that he loved so much. You couldn’t help but smile to yourself, because you knew he would be delighted to wake up to the sight of you in your skimpy bathing suit clinging to your wet skin.

As you sneaked back through the bedroom, he was still sound asleep, and you left him be. You padded through the house with your feet bare, the air conditioning cool against your exposed skin as you went, raising goosebumps in its wake. 

But the second you stepped outside, you warmed right up. You stopped to grab a beach towel and a bottle of SPF in the outdoor cabinet near the door, and then you took a moment to put on the cream, allowing it to soak in for a bit before you stepped toward the pool and dipped your foot in, shivering at the coolness. 

Sucking in a breath, you finally went for it, quickly lowering yourself off of the concrete edge and plunging straight into the water. You squeaked at the cold shock, but moments later, your body grew used to the temperature, and you relaxed, closing your eyes for a moment before you swam to the other edge of the pool to grab a large innertube to float around on. 

You pulled it over your body and then rested your arms over the inflated edge, breathing out a sigh as you let yourself float around aimlessly. You rested your head atop your hands, letting your eyes drift shut as the water gently lapped at your body. It felt heavenly, and you relished in every moment of it.

You couldn’t believe that this was your reality. A giant in-ground pool in the middle of a glorious ranch in Wyoming. Never in your wildest dreams had you imagined you’d be in this position, but here you were, all thanks to your million dollar man. 

“Thought I’d find y’ out here.” Speak of the devil.

You smiled, lifting your head to take in the sight of your husband. He was dressed only in the white underwear he’d worn to bed, and you couldn’t help but let your eyes wander brazenly, drifting toward his crotch.

“Mornin’, Daddy,” you sighed. 

He raised a brow as he stopped at the edge of the pool. You eagerly swam toward him, and he leaned down to kiss you. “Mornin’, little darlin’. Sleep okay?”

“Like a baby.”

He smiled, kissing you again before he turned, opting to take a seat on one of the soft lounge chairs. You watched as he reached into the side table that stood beside the chair, pulling out his pipe set. You couldn’t help but bite your lips as you watched him ready the old pipe. It had been given to him by his grandfather, and he only used it once in a while. It was intricate, hand carved and passed down through the generations.

He noticed you eyeing him, and he smirked. “What? I’m feelin’ fancy this mornin’, sue me.”

You shook your head. “Oh, no, keep going. You know how sexy I think you look with a pipe.”

He rolled his eyes as he pressed a scoop of cherry tobacco down into the pipe. “Yeah. Sexy like a fuckin’ grandfather.”

“Exactly.”

He snorted in laughter. “Oh I’m sorry, I forgot who I was dealin’ with. My wife loves old men.”

You giggled in response. “Hey, I only have eyes for one old man, and that’s you.”

You shared a good-natured, knowing look with him before you spontaneously turned and dipped back into the water. Rhett leaned back against the lounge chair, taking a puff from the pipe and letting the smoke curl into the air. He watched you through hooded eyes, admiring the way your body moved in the water. He noticed that you were wearing his favorite bikini of yours, and he couldn’t help but groan low in his chest. 

You swam about for a few more laps, all under Rhett’s watchful eye, before you finally decided to get out of the water. You felt his gaze on your body as you emerged from the pool dripping wet, bathing suit clinging to your skin. Your nipples were prominent beneath the fabric against your breasts, and Rhett could see it clearly. 

You grabbed the towel you’d set out early, using it to dry your body, right in front of your husband. You turned to catch his cool blue gaze, and the way he was looking at you made you weak in the knees. He stared right at you as he brought his pipe back to his lips, and this time, when he released the smoke, he created smoke rings that floated up into the air. 

God, did he really have to make everything so sexy?

“What’s’a matter, honey?” He teased, a twinkle in his eye.

“Nothin’!” You peeped, shaking your head as you finished trying off. 

He smirked again, and you wanted to wipe it off his face. Then he leaned back, spreading his legs. You had full view of his cock, and those heavy balls of his, barely hidden by the fabric of his underwear. You swore you began salivating, and he wasn’t even hard yet. 

“Come sit on daddy’s lap, little darlin’.”

Oh, so that’s how he wanted to play. Without a word of protest, you tossed your towel aside and climbed into his lap. He set his pipe in its cradle so both of his hands could rest on your hips. “Look so pretty, glimmerin’ like a fuckin’ diamond,” he mused, admiring your damp, shimmering skin.

You leaned in, searching out his lips, and he obliged you, kissing you languidly. In the process, you lifted your hand, discreetly tugging at one of the ties on your bikini top. When you parted, the top conveniently fell, revealing your breast.

“Oh, oopsie!” You exclaimed. 

Rhett rolled his eyes. “Yeah, oopsie.” But he brought his hand up to untie the other side, and then the back. With ease, he plucked the fabric from your body and tossed it aside, revealing your chest. “Much better.” Then he surged forward, opening his mouth to swirl his hot, wet tongue around a nipple. 

You gasped lowly when he closed his lips around the little bud, suckling softly. “Know I can’t resist these fuckin’ gorgeous titties,” he growled, teeth nipping at you. 

“I know,” you gasped, “‘s why I wore this set.”

He grinned at you as he made quick work of untying the bottoms. “I figured. Dirty little slut, know exactly how to get daddy goin’, don’t ya?”

He went back to mouthing at your breast, his other hand coming up to knead at the one he wasn’t laving his tongue all over. You wrapped your arms around his shoulders, bringing yourself closer to him as you relished in the feeling of his teeth gently scraping against your nipples. It sent shockwaves of pleasure crackling along your spine, and you could feel yourself growing wetter by the minute. 

Rhett was obsessed with your tits. He always wanted his hands or his mouth all over them, and you were more than happy to oblige. 

“Can’t get enough of ya,” he murmured, his large, warm hands squeezing your ass. “Mind if I fuck t’ out here, baby? Or would you rather go inside where it’s cooler?” He was always so considerate of your comfort. 

“Out here,” you gasped as you pulled his mouth to yours, your fingers threading through that silvery hair. “Don’t wanna wait.”

He hummed in amusement. “Impatient lil thang,” he drawled. 

“Can’t help it,” you sighed as you positioned yourself so your pussy was against his slowly hardening cock. “Need my daddy right now.”

He growled low in his chest. “Yeah? Poor baby, daddy’ll give you what you need.” 

You whined in response, letting your head rest on his shoulder as you began to rock your hips back and forth. His big arms came up to wrap around your torso, and you basked in the feeling, eyes drifting shut. You felt so safe, surrounded by him. The sweet scent of cherry tobacco was comforting, paired with the scent of his shampoo, and the natural, intoxicating musk that could only be described as Rhett. 

You could get drunk off of his scent alone. 

When he realized you were inhaling him, he hummed knowingly. You were like a little puppy, the way you always sniffed at him. He found it endearing. 

But then he felt your cunt soaking through the fabric of his underwear, right against his cock, and he forgot all about that cute little quirk of yours, his brain short-circuiting. 

Above him, you could feel him growing harder and harder against you. It was your favorite feeling, because when he was hard, he grew so big. You’d never forget the first time you saw his hard cock. You had meekly questioned how it was going to fit inside you. 

Now you took it like a champ, but that didn’t mean you didn’t still like to talk it up and tell him how big he was. You knew how much it got him going. 

You looked down, and whimpered pathetically when you saw him growing between your legs. Almost frantically, you began rutting your hips more quickly, building friction. 

“Hey now,” Rhett drawled, “slow down there, baby. We got all mornin’, ain’t no rush.”

He tipped your chin up to kiss you again, and you shivered in his arms. “I know. But I wan’ you now. Need to be full, need your fat fucking cock inside me.”

Rhett’s eyes widened at your brazen language. He wasn’t shocked by it, he just wasn’t used to you being so bold right off the bat. Usually, it took getting you a little worked up for the filthy talk to start, but he was already getting your unfiltered desires and you’d barely even begun.

Before he could reply, you were scrambling to get his underwear down his legs. Moving quickly, he aided you, yanking them down the rest of the way and kicking them aside. 

Without warning, your hand was on him, stroking him to full hardness as he grunted in surprise. You leaned forward and let a trail of spit fall from your pursed mouth, right onto the shiny, pink tip. 

You used it as lubricant to stroke him further, but within seconds, he was gently pulling your hand away. He then reached between your thighs and slid his middle and ring fingers inside you, pulling a sharp gasp from your throat. “Gotta get you ready,” he murmured, and suddenly he was fucking his fingers into you hard and fast as you squealed and fell forward against him, the obscene wet sound reaching your ears. 

You weakly grasped at his arm, unable to speak, but you knew if he kept going you’d end up squirting all over him. “Da-d-daddy!” You managed to squeak. 

And then, all at once, he stopped. He pulled his fingers from you and used your slick to further lube up his cock. You watched, salivating as the tip began to glisten with precum. Eagerly, you reached down, swiping your finger over the slit and smearing it around. 

Rhett gasped, shivering at the sensitivity. 

“So pretty, Daddy,” you mused, admiring the glimmering hardness beneath you. 

“S’all for you, little darlin’,” he rasped. Then he grabbed your hips, arranging you properly before he aligned himself with you. “Let’s see if this needy pussy is ready f’ me.”

He ran the plush tip over your aching clit, and you trilled softly, closing your eyes in anticipation. Then, finally, you felt him as your entrance. Slowly, oh so slowly, he began to push into you. Little by little, your anatomy stretched to accommodate him. You could feel every vein, every twitch, and it already had your eyes rolling back in your head. 

“‘ere you go,” he praised, his eyes fixed on the place where your bodies met. “Just a little further. C’mon honey, I know you can do it.”

At his encouragement, you sank down all the way, until you felt his balls pressing against you and you’d taken him down to the hilt. Then you glanced down and smiled proudly. “I did it, Daddy. I took the whole thing!”

Rhett beamed. “Atta girl. Takin’ it like you were made to.” His hand came up to cup your cheek, thumb stroking the skin. “You wan’ do it by yourself or do ya need Daddy’s help?”

Your brow furrowed as you considered the ultimatum. “I wanna try to do it by myself first.”

He nodded, leaving a kiss to your knows. “Alright then, go ahead. Take what y’ need.”

You placed your hands on his big, broad shoulders and began to slowly move atop him, using your thighs to lift yourself off before sinking back down. Rhett’s own hands found purchase on your thighs, lovingly squeezing at the flesh, enjoying the feeling of you building your own rhythm. 

As you did so, he dipped his head forward again, mouthing at your breasts, tongue swirling around each nipple. You let out a soft moan at the feeling, taking in every sensation you felt. 

The stretch of his cock inside you, the shock of his teeth nipping at your sensitive flesh, the feeling of his hands, calloused from years of work, resting on your thighs. His presence was so big and manly, surrounding you entirely. You felt so safe, like nothing in the world could harm you. 

“Love you, Daddy,” you breathed as you began moving faster, focusing on the task at hand. Up, down, swivel your hips against his. A steady rhythm that you stayed with, periodically tightening around him as you did so. 

“Love you too, baby.”

Rhett watched you above him, his eyes shining like the stars. You were so beautiful like this, slipping into the throes of pleasure. He wished he could have this moment etched in gold and display it on the walls of his home. 

Your soft whimpers filled his head, swirling around like the smoke from his pipe. The sweetest music to his ears. He ran his hands along your body, as if committing the feel of your soft skin to memory. 

“So pretty like this, ain’t ya? Usin’ Daddy for your own pleasure.”

At that, you moaned, opening your eyes to gaze into his own. “Feels so good.”

“I know. I can feel you gettin’ wetter.”

And he could. Your arousal had begun to drip down against his balls, and you were so slick that you had to focus on being careful so you didn’t accidentally take him too deep and hurt yourself. 

But soon, your thighs began to burn, and you grew fatigued from doing all the work. You’d bitten off more than you could chew. You needed help. 

“C-can you take over, please?” You asked. 

“Already?” He cooed. “I thought for sure you’d last longer. You’re just a pathetic little thing, ain’t ya? Need Daddy’s help with everything.”

“Yes sir,” you agreed, nodding your head and gazing at him with doe eyes. 

“Don’t worry. I gotcha.” His hands tightened around your hips, and suddenly, he was moving you up and down on his cock with his sheer strength. You gasped loudly, immediately falling forward against his strong chest as he did so. 

You felt every inch stretching you, splitting you open. Your mouth parted to let out your unabashed moans and whines, already so blissed out that you were drooling against his chest. 

He began shifting his hips up to meet yours each time he brought you down, jarring you as he fucked you fast and deep, fingertips digging into the flesh of your ass. 

But he didn’t let you get too used to that position, because it wasn’t long before he was suddenly pulling you off of him. You squeaked in protest, looking at him in confusion. 

“Want you on y’re hands and knees,” he gruffed. He slipped out from under you, and you watched his hard cock bob as he got up, glistening in the morning light. 

He had to arrange you how he saw fit, because you were too preoccupied staring at his dick. Then he was behind you, clutching your hip with one hand while the other aligned himself with your cunt. 

In one swift but careful thrust, he was back inside you, and you all but howled against the lounge chair. He lifted his hand to swat your ass, leaving a brief sting that was soothed by his gentle palm. 

Then that same hand rested on the small of your back as he pushed you all the way forward so your face was against the cushion. Then he began to roll his hips forward, and you whined at the feeling. This angle was so much more intense, and he felt even bigger somehow. 

“S’big, Daddy!”

“I know. Poor little pussy’s just stretchin’ so wide to take me. I don’t know, think I should pull out and make you take m’ fingers instead?” He pulled his hips back, and you gasped, immediately reaching back to grab at his arm. 

“No! I can take it, promise! I’m a big girl!”

“Are you? And here I was under the impression that y’ were just a little thing.”

“No! Please!” You begged. 

Then he thrust forward, and you let out a wail into the open air. Good thing no one could hear you back here. “Alright then. Wan’ you to lay there and take every last inch of Daddy’s dick.”

And you did. He fucked you hard and fast, and you clawed at the cushions for purchase, your mouth open, your eyes screwed shut. It felt like heaven, and you were certain you weren’t even on Earth in that moment. You were floating above yourself, watching your husband claim you as his. 

Again, drool spilled from your mouth, this time soaking the fabric of the cushion beneath you. You moaned and squealed and cried out, wonderfully blissed out. 

But all too soon, Rhett was switching positions again. He pulled out of you once more, and this time, you wailed. “Daddy, no!”

“Be fuckin’ patient,” he huffed as he turned you onto your back. “I’m gon’ give it back to you.” He shoved your knees up toward your chest, and then he was inside you again, stealing the breath from your lungs. 

This time, he pressed the weight of his body against you, keeping you grounded as he began fucking into you. A hand came up to wrap around your throat, squeezing the sides, not to cut off airflow, but blood flow. Within seconds, your head was going woozy, and Rhett grinned down at you. 

“Filthy little slut. Bet you’d come right now just from my hand around your throat if I let ya.”

You would, because you’d done it before. However, that wasn’t his goal in that particular instance. He simply wanted to watch the way your body reacted to it. Your eyes rolled back in your head and your mouth fell open, leaving you in this state of pure, unadulterated bliss. 

He felt you tighten around him, and he grunted, pushing his cock even deeper. Your hands clutched at his flexed forearm, nails digging into the skin, sure to leave marks. He growled and grunted above you like a goddamned animal, fucking you within an inch of your life, and you took it like the good girl you were. 

And then you felt it. The tip of his cock brushed something inside you that sent you into orbit. 

“That’s it. Look at’cha. Got your eyes rollin’ back in your fuckin’ head.” Then he grabbed one of your hands and brought it down to your lower abdomen. “Feel that?” 

All you could do was squeak in reply. 

“‘S Daddy’s cock inside ya.”

At that, you let out a deep keen, tears beginning to stream down the sides of your face. You sobbed and moaned and made all sorts of sounds that you might’ve otherwise been embarrassed about, but Rhett couldn’t get enough. 

Then his scruffy face was nuzzling into your neck, and his teeth were nipping at your pulse point, and you swore you were going to black out from the glorious intensity. 

“D-d-” was what came out of your mouth. He knew what you were trying to say. 

“What is it, huh darlin’? What’s my baby need?” Suddenly his fingers were at your aching clit, rubbing short, sharp circles, and you jolted against him like a live wire, pussy clamping around him. “Oh, that’s what you needed. Poor thing, Daddy was neglecting that sweet little clit. I’m sorry.” 

He kissed you, swallowing your cries as he pumped his hips in time with his fingers at your clit. That, paired with his free hand still around your throat, you knew you were a goner. 

“Go-gonna c-c-come! Please D-Daddy can I–”

But you didn’t even have to ask. “Come.” 

And you did. You tried to scream, but it died in your throat. Instead, your mouth opened, but no sound came out. Rhett stayed close, his forehead pressed to yours as you fell apart around his pistoning cock. 

You were free-falling, plunged straight into the depths of an orgasm so fiery and all-consuming that you lost yourself to it. You were not of yourself. You were on an entirely different plane of existence, vibrating with crackling electricity, as if you were a bolt of lightning flashing through the sky. 

The molten heat surged through you from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. And Rhett held you the entire time, your body trembling fiercely in his arms. 

It took some time to come back to yourself, and when you did, you found him gazing down at you, his eyes as clear blue as the sky above him. He let out a breathless laugh. “Hey there, darlin’. Welcome back to earth.” He’d slowed the movement of his hips just to let you recover. 

“I…wow,” was all you could say. 

“That was intense, huh?”

You nodded, your eyes watery. 

“You okay to keep goin’? Or do you need a break?”

“I-I think I’m…okay.”

But that didn’t convince him. “Look at Daddy.” You lifted your eyes to his gaze. “I need a for-sure answer. Can I keep goin’?”

“Yes,” you finally answered with confidence. “Wan’ you to keep going, please Daddy.”

He smiled softly, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “Good girl, that’s all I needed.” Then he kissed you before he leaned back, pushing your knees toward your chest again. 

And just like that, the switch was flipped, and he slipped right back into that harsh dominance, as if it was a well-fitted glove.  Suddenly he seemed so much bigger above you, and you felt tiny. It made your heart sing. 

Slowly, he began to move within you again, and you whined, closing your eyes at the delicious stretch. Rhett leaned back to admire the sight of your pussy swallowing him whole, and the creamy ring of your cum that now decorated the base of his cock. 

He reached down, swiping his fingers against the base and gathering your slick before he brought those same fingers to your mouth, sliding them past your lips. “Tastes so good, don’t it?” He murmured lowly, and you nodded in agreement, eyes wide and watery, gazing up at him with such trust and adoration. 

He leaned in to kiss you, tasting your cum on your lips. He stayed close, wrapping your legs around your waist and pressing his chest to yours. He began to fuck you deep and slow, rutting into you. This allowed you to feel every inch, every spasm, everything. 

He caged you in with his big strong arms, protecting you from the word. You were so safe. So secure. Rhett would protect you from all harm. 

“You mind if Daddy fills y’ up, baby?”

“Please,” came your whisper. 

“Good. ‘Cause ‘m close.”

With his mouth against yours, he began to pick up the pace again. Quick but deep thrusts, cock battering that spot inside you that made your toes curl. It was inevitable that you’d come once more before he did, just by the way he had you feeling. A steady pressure had begun to build deep within the core of your being, and eventually, it would have to be released. 

Then his fingers were at your sensitive clit again and you were mewling into his open mouth. Stars danced in your eyes, on your skin. You felt like you were part of a glittering galaxy. 

Your arms found their place around your husband���s shoulders, and you held tightly to him as he went a little faster, a little deeper. Building and building and building. And you were already growing closer by the second. You knew your end was almost upon you. 

“Daddy!”

“Go ahead.”

This time, when you came, it flooded from you, soaking Rhett’s cock, dripping down beneath you onto the lounge cushion. It was his turn to have his eyes roll back in his head, and he fucked you through it. 

“Fuck, got this pussy squirtin’ all over me,” he hissed, slipping out of you to run the tip of his cock rapidly over your clit, prolonging your orgasm and making you cry out. 

Just as you came down, he slid back into your still-spasming cunt, grunting at the tightness that surrounded him. He gripped your thighs in his strong grasp and his focus shifted to chasing his release. 

Beneath him you were so far gone that all you could do was lay there and take it, still writhing in bliss, silent, pleasured tears falling. Your head was swimming, you felt as if you were floating through time and space. 

“Look at me,” Rhett’s lilted baritone filled your fuzzy head, and you opened your eyes, locking your gaze with his. “Gon’ fill your pretty pussy up. Want you to take it all like my good little darlin’.”

You nodded, eager to take his load. His movements quickened, hands clutching you tight as he thrust forward hard and fast. You held onto him to keep yourself grounded, body trembling, hovering on the brink of being too overstimulated to handle much more. 

And then, finally, you felt it. Rhett gasped, mouth falling open as his orgasm overwhelmed him. He kept his hips flush with yours, cock spasming within you, spilling the heat of his release into the deepest part of you. And you took it all gladly, body relaxing entirely at the feeling of him claiming you. You’d never tire of it. 

He gradually came down, his body falling limp above you, though he still kept himself from pressing his full body weight into you. His softening cock was still nestled inside you, and you wrapped your legs around his waist, hoping to keep him there a little longer. 

“M’ good girl,” he cooed down at you. “Took that so well.”

You smiled dreamily up at him. You didn’t quite have the wherewithal to speak, but that was okay. He didn’t need you to speak. Gingerly, he moved to slip out of you, but you whined in protest, not wanting to part from him. 

“Y’ gotta let me go, honey. Can’t stay like this forever.”

“W-want you close,” you whispered. 

“I know, and you can have me. But I gotta get you cleaned up first. And it’s gettin’ hotter by the minute, I ain’t about to let my pretty little gal get heatstroke on my account.”

He kissed you sweetly as he pulled his hips back, shushing your cries. You hated the initial empty feeling, especially when you were feeling fragile like this. But Rhett was quick to soothe you. 

“Up ya go.” He lifted you to your feet, and you wobbled a little, still woozy. He secured a steady arm around you and guided you back into the house. 

It was much cooler inside, and it felt good on your heated skin. However, you hardly even registered what was taking place, you were still feeling floaty. But Rhett had it handled. 

He guided you upstairs, where he made sure you used the bathroom and took a quick shower just to rinse off. You didn’t have to make any of the decisions for yourself, because he did it for you, knowing you couldn’t handle trying to clean up by yourself. You needed this form of aftercare for your own well-being. 

A little while later, you were clean, and dressed in one of his old rodeo t-shirts. You felt a little more like yourself, albeit a little fuzzy. Rhett had just finished helping you put lotion on your legs, and he was smiling up at you from where he knelt on the floor. 

“I’ll bet you’re hungry after all that work,” he teased. 

You hummed sleepily. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“How do some blueberry pancakes sound for my little darlin’?”

It was your turn to smile. “Sounds so good.”

“Alright then, let’s head on downstairs. You’re also gon’ drink yourself a nice glass of water while you’re waitin’ for your food. Ain’t gonna have you dehydratin’ on me.”

You hummed in agreement and allowed him to lead you out of the bedroom and back downstairs. He kissed the top of your head as you went, and you sighed happily, feeling at peace. 

You were led to the kitchen, where you sat at the round table and waited for your husband to prepare your breakfast. As promised, he slid a glass of water in front of you and encouraged you to drink it. You sipped on it as you watched him move about the kitchen, and you couldn’t help but marvel at how good you had it. 

Spending the morning being fucked by the pool, and having breakfast made for you? The old you could never have imagined this would be the case. You were eternally grateful that life had given you a second chance and allowed this man to come to your rescue when you needed him most. 

You had faced a lot of adversity in your life, but now, it all seemed worth it, because it led you here. 

Rhett truly was your saving grace. The yin to your yang. The moon to your stars. He was your million dollar man, and you wouldn’t trade him, or his love, for anything else in the world. 

-

tagging those who might be interested (if you liked/reblogged any of my mdm promotional posts, i tagged you lol)

@eternallyvenus @up-thereinthesky @antiquitea @cdauni @coffeewithcal @rhettabbotts @combat-sixty-three @karma-is-my-girlfrined @blitchenslibrary @whoeverineedtobe @l-ynsdove @ravenmoore14 @virgo-wonder @sugarcoated-lame @sebsxphia @peachystenbrough @laracrofted @bradshawsbitch @damrlova @randomfandomgirl97 @bobfloyds @beepitybeepboop @buckys-estrella @callsign-magnolia @sunblchdfly @wkndwlff @withahappyrefrain @creatchie8 @topgun-imagines @lovinglyeternal @bobfloydsbabe

[killrisma]

So earlier today I was on the phone with my aunt and Rhett and Link came up. Anyways, she didn’t know who they were so I sent her a picture of them.

And she goes “oh I know them”

And I’m like, yeah they have like 20 million subscribers.

And she clarifies that she meant it personally

WHAT

[theealluringstoryteller]

Against The World Around Us

Chapter 2

The rewrite

The sound of heels clicking against the freshly polished wooden floors alerted the maids and butlers of the approaching Queen and her dear friend The Baroness. Breaths were held as the pair passed each who stopped to greet the Queen with a bow each waiting to see the imperial act the way they were told imperials acted: cold and entitled but,all they received was a warm smile and a short greeting made in a soft voice that didn't intimidate them at all. Smiles of relief made it’s way on to the palace workers faces instead of dirty hostile looks she was once sure she would receive.

"See! You were nervous for no reason." Aurelia hummed looping her arm with the Baroness's.

"You can't blame me for being a little nervous.” Omorose huffs gluing a smile on as they passed by a few more.

Rolling her eyes Aurelia let out a laugh "look at you and look at them! Behaving like nervous School children!"

Omorose smiled grew with what her friend was saying realizing how funny the situation was.

“I’m considered an enemy in foreign land! I have a right to be nervous.” Omorose stated in a slight whine leaning into Aurelia's warmth.

"An enemy in foreign land... " Aurelia repeated her silly mood dropping and replaced with concern. "I hope you know you're safe here Rosie " Aurelia said squeezing Omorose's upper arm. Their Journey through the halls towards the Queen's drawing room that held a surprise halted as Aurelia assured her close friend.

Omorose didn't want to offend or worry Aurelia with her thoughts of concern that she forced herself to swallow when she decided to travel into Intacia. She counted the risks, she went over each scenario then she put on a brave face and never looked back.

“Thanks for the reassurance, Lia. It’s just the war is over and everyone is trying to pick up the pieces and I don’t know where it’s going to leave me in the end.” Omorose’s admitted “And I know that sounds selfish but being in my position right now is so stressful,”

“Marriage proposals, pleads to fund imperial campaigns, and people demanding to know which side you are on since a rise of resistance have surged so soon?” Aurelia listed already having some knowledge of what's going on through gossip.

A groan left Omorose’s lips at the mention of all the things she left in the imperial Capitol.

“Please!” She began to beg “let’s not go over those things! I’ve left those things in the coastal empire.”

“Alright …” Aurelia shrugged her shoulders “on a better note I … have a surprise for you in my drawing room!”

Curiosity peeking Omorose’s couldn’t help but to ask “A surprise?”

Nodding Aurelia practically dragged Omorose down the hall and stairs towards said room. Excitement radiating off of her, shining through her smile. Struggling to keep up in her delicate taller heels the Baroness made a few comments and requests for Aurelia to slow down especially as they descended the stairs but all her words fell on deaf ears leading to the Baroness tripping and nearly falling on her face. “Woah!” A voice said catching the Baroness by the waist “You have to be more careful, Beautiful.” They said in a more flirty tone. Before Omorose could show her appreciation to whoever stopped her from falling Aurelia pulled her arm.

“Aurelia can you please slow down!” Omorose’s pleaded turning to glance over her shoulder to see who saved her only to see king Rhett blocking her view

“Castin! It’s good you’re here” Rhett said as he pulled the other man into a hug.

“In your letter you said you needed me,” Castin stated mindlessly returning the hug “Brother.” He added solidifying why he was there despite giving his attention to the woman he saved from falling.

“Ah, I see you’ve met the Baroness,” Rhett playfully nudged Castin’s shoulder.

In disbelief Castin couldn’t help but ask “That’s the Baroness?”

His eyes started on her figure until she finally disappeared around a corner.

“That’s not what I pictured,”

Resisting an eyebrow Rhett gave Castin a questioning look “What? Didn’t expect her to be so pretty?”

A snort left Castin as he rolled his eyes. “So pretty?” Questioned Castin shaking his head not seeing that word correlate with the woman he briefly saw. ‘She’s gorgeous’ he thought allowing Rhett to lead him into the ‘war’ room.

“Ta dah! Aurelia cheered opening the door to reveal a beautifully decorated cake, a bottle of champagne and a banner that read “Yay! The two headed dragon has been slayed by the sea!” Omorose’s read before turning to a proudly grinning Aurelia with a look that said ‘Really?’

“Oh don’t look at me like that! Your parents were evil.” Aurelia stated as of Omorose’s was unaware. “And you deserve to celebrate being free of them.” She added ushering Omorose into the room.

Eyeing the white cream and fresh berry covered three layered cake The Baroness couldn’t help but to crave a slice of the Berry Chantilly cake

“My favorite! Aw Lia, you remembered!” Cheesing Omorose took a seat as Aurelia threw confetti she pulled out what seemed like no where, the colorful pieces fell and scattered over the floor, table and all over Omorose.

“This is so sweet! I love it Lia, thank you.” Omorose went on, dusting the confetti off her cleavage and the top of her lilac dress.

“Oh no need to thank me. Your whole time here is going to be a good time! I know the sudden responsibility and getting hounded has your head spinning. If I can I’m going to try to my best to keep you at ease here.”

“YOU WANT ME TO GET MARRIED TO SOMEONE I DON’T KNOW!” Screamed the Baroness.

2 weeks had passed since Aurelia made the promise of trying to keep her friend at ease but as problems progressed between the rising Intacia and the fallimg Empire Aurelia had to put her friendship aside and her duties as Queen to the forefront.

Rhett her husband sprung the idea to her four days before she got the courage to bring it up to the Baroness.

"yes." Aurelia stated firmly drinking the remainder of the wine she brought to break the ice.

“You know how I feel about marriage-”

“I do! And I feel that you need to grow up!”

Taken aback Omorose hands found their ways to her hips as she hissed out “Excuse me?”

Aurelia bit her bottom lip mentally cursing herself out for adding fuel to the fire but, she couldn’t take back her words and she wouldn’t even think about doing so.

“Omorose you never give the chance to anyone to give you the relationship you keep telling me you long for! And I think I know why-”

“Why?” The Baroness demanded moving her arms to cross them over her chest. Her body buzzing with so much emotion it nearly felt like a wild fire swept across her.

“You’re scared you’re going to end up like your parents!”

A noise left the Baroness’s lips as she fell onto the soft cushions of the sofa. She knew she couldn’t deny that fact but there was another reason.

“Despite that Aurelia everyone that has approached me has shown me their true intentions-”

“So let me and Rhett pick for you! You can met them and if you don’t like them we can arrange for you to meet other suitors.”

“Do you think this would work? Marrying me off to an Intacian while the Empire rebels against you and Rhett?”

Aurelia repeated the lines that Rhett told her when he was convincing her why Omorose was the perfect candidate for the arrangement.

“You’re apart of a very influential and powerful family! You getting married to an Intacian who is equally influential could bring our people together. Show them that we can be one kingdom.”

“I have my doubts but for you and the potential peace I’ll do it.”

Relieved Aurelia pulled her friend into a hug.

“Wonderful! I’ll let you finish your night routine now. I’m going to tell Rhett.”

By morning Rhett had made his way to his number one pairing choice. Walking into the Barracks Rhett greeted his soldiers until he found his Commander.

“Heeeyyy Rhett? Whatcha doing here?” Castin asked walking back to his room from the communal bathroom. A towel hanging loosely around his waist and a toothbrush in his mouth.

“I’ve come to ask you to do something that could help us bring Intacia and the Empire together.”

That sentence made Castin’s eyebrow raise.

“Maybe we should speak in your room-”

Quickly Castin blocked Rhett from his door not wanting to to see who was on the other side. Familiar with this behavior Rhett disappointingly asked “who is she this time,Castin.”

A nervous laugh passed through Castin as he looked down at Rhett’s shoes to avoid his eyes.

“More like them-”

“Them! Castin your supposed to be a leader and a role model to those you lead and you have multiple women in your room-”

“I’m not on the battlefield I need to release this lent up energy somehow-”

“I think this proposition would be good for you.” Rhett claims shaking his head and pinching the bridge of his nose.

“A proposition?”

“An arranged marriage-”

“No!” Castin cut Rhett off shutting down the proposal. If he was going to be one half of a marriage he was going to be the one to pick the other half of said marriage.

“An arranged marriage to the Imperial Baroness Omorose Fentress.” Rhett went on to say waiting for Castin to shut him down again.

“Aurelia’s friend? That woman I stopped from falling?” Questioned Castin suddenly interested.

“Yes.”

Castin turned his eyes to the ceiling in thought. His toothbrush out of his mouth and his hands securing his towel.

He didn’t see much of her that day but he could tell she was a beauty. He weighed out the pros and cons of the marriage and couldn’t get passed the biggest con of them all.

“She’s an Imperial.”

“We are taking the Empire Castin it doesn’t matter.”

Doesn’t matter.” Castin scoffed.

“It doesn’t! Besides she’s nothing like the Imperials we’ve come across, trust me Brother.”

It went silent for a moment Castin still thinking it over before giving in.

“We’ll look at you getting me settled down like you.” He joked subtly agreeing to the arrangement.

“So you’ll do it?”

“Anything for you,Brother.”

“Good it’s settled then! I’ll make the arrangements for the engagement ceremony! You bring a gift to offer your bride.”

Just as Rhett finished his sentence Castin’s door opened and the stench of last night’s activities followed the three women who dressed scantily out of the room. Each giving Castin a kiss on the lips as a farewell. Stupidly grinning castin said “Goodbye ladies-”

“Castin!” Rhett scowled watching on in disappointment. The stupid grin fell from Castin’s face as he caught his ‘big brother’ figure peer down at him with a look that reminded him of his mother.

“Be sure to get checked out by the physician! Last thing you need to do is give the Baroness something incurable, and maybe try celibacy until you are wed.” Rhett suggested pushing Castin into his room before turn in on the heels of his feet to leave.

[jungle-angel]

She’s Only Happy When She’s Talking (Rhett Abbott x Reader)

Summary: After one hell of a ride, Rhett hears something out of Amy he never expected

Notes: Guys I promise I’ll be back with an explosion of Top Gun Maverick content sooner than later. I don’t know when, but I promise it will be soon (lol). 

Those eight seconds had been the longest of Rhett’s life. Hanging on had been the worst, the ropes digging through the kevlar of his gloves and leaving it a raw, reddened mess as the nasty old bull had done everything in his power to buck him off. When Rhett was finally thrown off, relief had washed over him like a raging flood. 

He stumbled to the rows of trailers where the riders could often be found, some of his buddies congratulating him on the way down. He was a mess, a sore, bruised, aching mess. 

“There’s my handsome cowboy,” you chirped as you held nine month old Amy on your hip, her adorable little giggles broadening the grin on Rhett’s face. 

“And my gorgeous queen and my princess,” Rhett answered before he placed a firm kiss on your lips. 

You eagerly returned the kiss, the warm sensation vibrating throughout your whole body. Amy’s screechy little giggles made Rhett laugh a little as he took her from you and into his arms, kissing her soft little cheeks before her little hands grabbed Rhett’s face. 

“God she gets cuter every day,” he chuckled. 

“I know and our own will be just as cute too,” you told him, smoothing out your hoodie so that your small bump was visible. 

“I’m ready to go home though,” Rhett sighed. “Hot dinner, bath and bed for all three of us.” 

“Well, it’s getting warmer out and we’ve got the lake trout your dad caught in the freezer,” you remarked. “I figured mix up a jar full of blackening spices, slather it all over the fish and throw it on the grill.” 

“Oh God, darlin you’re making it worse,” Rhett laughed. 

Amy’s tiny little fingers continued to grab at Rhett’s hat and his vest as you took numerous pictures to send to Royal, Cecelia and other members of the family. You wished to high heaven that she could stay that little and that adorable. 

“My bug, you are too adorable for your own good,” Rhett chuckled as he tickled her under her chubby little arms. “Ya’ll have everybody wrapped around your little fingers.” 

All of a sudden, Amy looked right up at him. “Dada?” her little voice squeaked. 

Rhett’s eyes went wide and his jaw nearly dropped. “Darlin?” 

“Oh my God!” you laughed. 

“Dada?” Amy babbled. 

Over and over again, the word spilled from her little mouth, nearly reducing you and Rhett to tears. You two had been through so much with Amy in the last few months, but this was one moment you never thought you’d see or hear. To hear her calling Rhett “Dada” was surreal.....but amazing. 

“Oh bug,” Rhett croaked through his tears. “I love you. I love you and your momma so much.” 

You and Rhett left that night, prouder than ever, not just of Amy, but of each other. 

[greymoonfeelings]

Last Christmas

based off of “Last Christmas” by Wham!

pairing: Ex-best friend! Rhett x Fem! reader

word count: 2.3k

summary: last christmas you confessed your love to your best friend Rhett, but the next day he ran away with Maria. One year later, he shows up back in Wabang just in time for the holidays.

warnings: christmas angst, maria is the villain but Rhett’s kinda shitty too.

•••

You’d been in love with your best friend Rhett since you were 17 years old. You kept your romantic feelings towards him shoved deep down for fear of losing him. That, and the fact that you knew he didn’t return the feelings. He had been in love with Maria Oliveres for quite some time and while it hurt to watch him pine after another girl, you were mostly content with being his best friend.

It wasn’t until you were 21 that you thought you might have a chance, but you were still too scared of potentially losing the only friend you’d ever had in your small hometown. Instead, you continued to keep those feelings locked away until the small touches and flirtatious comments reached an all-time high and you felt the need to do something about it. You decided the risk was worth the possible reward.

It was Christmas night. You and Rhett had a tradition of bundling up and climbing onto the roof of your house after midnight to escape your respective families. The two of you enjoyed sharing some quiet time to exchange gifts.

“Here, you go first.”

You pull a candy cane-striped box from your coat pocket and shove it into Rhett’s glove-clad hands. You watch excitedly as he fumbles with the rectangular box to reveal your gift to him, a new hunting knife with a carved wooden handle.

You wait with bated breath for his reaction.

“Do you like it? I figured you needed a new one since you lost your other.”

Rhett turns it over in his hands, studying the detailed handle. His initials are carved into the side along with some intricate patterns.

“It’s beautiful. Thank you.” He presses a quick kiss to your forehead and the warmth of his lips takes you by surprise considering the freezing cold temperatures.

“Now it’s your turn.” Rhett places a black velvet box in your hands. You slowly open it to reveal a familiar gold necklace.

“Oh my god. Is this the necklace from the antique store?”

Rhett nods, “I saw the way you looked at it when we went in there last month. I went back later the same day and bought it for you.”

“It’s gorgeous.”

You take the necklace out of the box and let it dangle in your hand. A detailed heart-shaped locket hangs on the simple gold chain.

“I’ll have to find a good picture to put in.”

“Well, I hope you don’t mind,” Rhett begins as he leans in closer to you. “I already put one in.” He thumbs open the locket to reveal a small picture of the two of you.

Your heart feels like it could burst out of your chest. Sitting next to the man you’ve been in love with for over 5 years, looking at a picture of yourselves he had shoved inside a heart-shaped locket was like a scene out of your dreams. You couldn’t imagine anything better than being tucked against Rhett Abbott for the rest of your life.

Slowly, you turned your head to look at Rhett. Your faces were so close, you could see your fogged breath passing his cheek in the nighttime air. You were so touched by his thoughtful gift that this felt like the perfect moment to say what had been on your mind for ages.

You look into Rhett’s piercing blue eyes and before you can even process it, the words are spilling out.

“I’m in love with you.”

He looks at you with a puzzled expression, like he didn’t hear you. “What?”

“Shit, I didn’t mean to spring that on you. It just felt like the right time to tell you.”

“What?” He repeats, this time louder.

“I’m in love with you, Rhett.”

He starts to shake his head, visibly surprised by your confession. “Why would you tell me that?”

“Because it’s true… and I thought you liked me too.” You suddenly feel very small in Rhett’s presence and you decide that you don’t enjoy this feeling at all.

“I’m moving away with Maria tomorrow,” he blurts out.

Your mouth drops open at his rushed statement. There’s a sharp pain in your chest like you’ve just been stabbed.

“You’re what? When were you planning on telling me?” From your defensive tone, it's obvious, you’re crushed.

You shove the necklace he gifted you back into its box and secure it in your coat pocket so you don’t drop it onto the snow-covered ground below you.

“Right after givin’ gifts.“

“What the fuck? You haven’t seen her in years and now you’re just gonna run away with her?” You start to raise your voice, red hot anger floods your bloodstream.

“It’s not runnin’ away, I’m an adult.”

“Rhett, she fucked with your feelings for years! What makes you think she likes you now?”

“We’ve been… together.” He stutters.

“For what? A week?”

“Two…”

“She doesn’t even know you!” You wave your hands around furiously.

“We went to school with her!”

“That doesn’t mean she really knows who you are and you don’t know a damn thing about her either! You just have this pretty little version of her in your head.”

Every insecurity you’ve ever had is now coming to the surface. All the years you spent comparing yourself to Maria, wondering why Rhett couldn’t love you the same way he loved her.

“You’re way outta line.”

“Jesus, Rhett! You’ve been leading me on for months!”

“The hell do you mean?”

“All these little touches and flirty remarks.”

“We’re friends!” Rhett yells, exasperated.

“Last week you told me my boobs looked good in that black top!”

“Yeah, well you were worrying about how it looked!”

“What about when we were at the bar and you put your hand in the back pocket of my jeans while we danced to Valerie!”

“I was tryin’ make sure you didn’t knock into anyone!”

“God! You really are an idiot, Rhett Abbott.”

“It’s not my fault you took it all the wrong way!”

“Just leave, Rhett! Get out of here! Enjoy your new life with Maria, asshole!”

Tears rushed down your face, blurring your vision and staining your cold cheeks as Rhett drove away in his truck.

That was the last time you ever saw Rhett Abbott. He had packed up all his belongings and driven away to god knows where with Maria, leaving his family and you behind. Almost 7 years of friendship with him was thrown away like it was nothing, like you were nothing.

At first, you spent your days crying your heart out and blaming yourself, but eventually, you realized that you couldn’t be responsible for his feelings, or lack thereof. As much as you hated to admit it, Rhett didn’t care about you as much as you thought.

———

Now here you stand, in the Pit Bar with your new best friend, a woman named Aubrey who works with you at the library. After Rhett left, you needed to branch out and she was a natural choice. Besides working at the same place and having a shared love of reading, you had plenty of other things in common. She helped you deal with the aftermath of Rhett and you helped her move into the house she inherited from her Aunt.

“Shit, who’s that fine-lookin’ string bean? I’d sure as hell remember a face like that around here.”

You turn around at your friend’s comment, unsure who you might come face to face with. When you see who she’s referring to, your heart drops. You’d recognize that cowboy anywhere, even in the poor lighting of this bar.

“Are you feeling alright?” Aubrey asks when you face her again. “You look like you just saw a ghost.”

You gulp down the rest of your beer before answering. “I did. That’s Rhett.”

Aubrey’s eyes nearly pop out of her head. “No! *The* Rhett Abbott?”

“Yes,” you frown.

Your friend immediately straightens up, ready to protect you. She had heard all about Rhett and what he did to you.

“What the hell is he doing back?”

“I’m wondering the same thing.”

“Let’s get out of here,” Aubrey suggests.

“No, it’s alright. The holiday party is here and I’m over him.”

“Are you sure about that? I know how many reminders of him there are in this town, but I can’t imagine what seeing him in person must do to you.”

I refuse to continue to be that broken girl. I won’t let him have that much power over my life anymore.”

Aubrey nods, agreeing to support you in your journey to freedom from the emotional clutches of Rhett Abbott. She orders you a refill and leads you over to a group of her other friends.

You continue to mingle with people around the party, trying desperately to keep your focus off of Rhett, but Aubrey catches your eyes wandering over to him every once in a while.

He looks the same as he did the day he left. Long brown hair curling around his neck and a flannel buttoned up his broad chest. He sits there slinging back shots of tequila with his cowboy hat resting on the bar top for half an hour before you look over and he’s nowhere to be found.

You decide he’s likely left for the night and the coast is clear to go get a new round, but you were wrong.

As you lean against the bar waiting for the bartender’s attention, a familiar drawl followed by a tap on the shoulder makes you freeze.

“This seat taken, ma’am?”

You slowly turn your head to look at the man beside you. No amount of time in the world could have prepared you to stare into those clear blue eyes again. Shock crosses his face as he realizes who he’s looking at.

“Shit.” He whispers, followed by your name.

“Rhett.” You nod politely. “Seats all yours. I’m just getting a refill.”

He falls into the wooden bar stool, clutching his beer. You wave to the bartender, getting his attention so you can get away from your ex-best friend as soon as possible.

“How ya been?” His deep baritone voice still makes your legs feel like jello. You hate him and the fact that he can still have this effect on you.

“Fine.” You answer curtly. “Not like you care.”

“I…”

You cut him off, “Let’s not do this, Rhett.”

“Do what?”

“Any of this. The small talk, greetings, and catching up. I don’t want you to pretend to be interested in my life because I’m sure as hell not interested in yours.”

Lie. You often thought about what his new life was like, wondered if he was happy with Maria, and part of you hoped that he was. Just because he hurt you doesn’t mean you stopped caring about him, even though you wished with all your heart that you could.

“So you just sit there and drink your beer and I’ll continue to enjoy my night with my friends.”

“Could you just give me a minute?”

“No. Not after the way you left me. You threw away all our years of friendship like it was nothing, left me in the wind. If I wasn’t so set on pretending to have moved on, I would kick your ass right now.”

“Just give me 10 seconds,” he begs.

“Why are you even here, Rhett? Why aren’t you out there living your fantasy life with your perfect girl? Where is Maria anyways?”

You cast a glance around the bar but secretly hope that your eyes don’t land on her. You’re not sure you could see her without wanting to violently throw up.

“I don’t know,” Rhett mutters.

“It’s a small bar, she couldn’t have gone that far. You should go find her and leave me alone.”

“No, I mean I don’t know where she’s living.”

That catches your attention.

“We didn’t last all that long. Five months, maybe six. We didn’t get along good, barely knew each other. You were right.”

You scoff. “Well, there’s a sentence I never thought I’d hear.”

“She didn’t want a guy like me, she wanted someone better and truth is, I didn’t want a girl like her.”

“Beautiful, smart, popular, confident?”

“Fake, controlling, untrustworthy.”

“Are we talking about the same Maria?”

“Most certainly are.”

At that moment the bartender stops by with another bottle of beer for you.

“Sounds like a real nightmare. Too bad you ruined everything all for a chance with her. I wish I felt sympathy, but you made your own bed. Goodbye, Rhett.”

You stand up to leave with your drink, but Rhett grabs your wrist. “Wait.”

“What?” You snap.

“I’m sorry.” He puts his hands up in defense. “You were right, okay?”

“So you said, and while that does wonders for my ego, it doesn’t change the way you treated me.”

A deep sigh passes through Rhett’s lips. “I know that but could you just let me explain myself?”

“You did that pretty well last year.”

“I wasn’t thinking. I was so caught up in this fake idea that I had of Maria in my mind that I didn’t see what was right in front of me. You were the one always by my side, through thick and thin. You were the girl treatin’ my injuries after rodeos, the one spendin’ her free time in detention with me. Maria barely looked my way in high school and she only wanted me after the fact because she wanted to rebel against her parents, but you, you always liked me for who I was.”

You notice tears forming at his waterline and for a moment you have the urge to pull him into your arms, pepper his stubbled face with kisses and tell him that everything is okay. Six months ago, you would have, but now you’re in the anger stage of your grieving process and you’d love nothing more than to slap him silly.

“I’m glad you finally realized, but it’s too late. I’ve moved on, Rhett. I’m not the same girl you left behind. Never again will I let anyone treat me the way you did, like a second choice. I’m sorry your life with Maria wasn’t how you imagined, but this is your karma.”

[sebsxphia]

this SCREAMS polaroid of an end of high school lake trip

You and bobby dated in high school, the type of relationship where everyone called you “mom and dad” whenever y’all planned anything.

Senior year y’all planned this amazing lake trip for your whole friend group, you brought your polaroid camera(this picture was taken when you and rhett were trying to have a moment on the dock at night but your friends crash)

When y’all get back you watch Bob tuck it in his wallet

The school year ends and you are off to some fancy college and Bobs heading to the naval academy and you both decide to end on a good note( both of you are really upset about it but are putting on a brave face bc if one you cries you both cry)

You promise to keep in touch, but over your crazy schedule and the navy being psycho, constants texts fade to happy birthday texts, and eventually nothing.

A couple years later, you and Bob both end up home for the holidays (i’m imagining this is post-uranium bc i think bob is on the younger end of the spectrum of the dagger squad)

Y’all end up getting drinks(spark still very present) and he pulls out his wallet to pay and you see the picture still there

i cant write them actually falling in love but y’all never stopped loving each other and he kept the photo in there because he was always flying home to you, even if you didn’t know it

y’all live happily ever after the end

y’all never stopped loving each other and he kept the photo in there because he was always flying home to you, even if you didn’t know it

OHHHHHHH MY GOD! YES YES YES TO ALL OF THIS PLEASE! i went through the five stages of grief reading this, but in like the best possible way 🥹 i will dream about bob floyd keeping his picture of us for the rest of my life! bless you, thank you so much for this incredible thought my love! 💌🥰

[laracrofted]

(since I’m feeling greedy) how about “show me how much you missed me” for Rhett 😍

i saw the new lewis content and exactly one (1) rhett picture yesterday, and suddenly, i was inspired to write some filth. enjoy! 🤠

warnings: minors dni, mentions of alcohol, language, explicit sexual content (basically rhett gets blown in the storage room at the handsome gambler... so semi-public oral sex), not proofread. rhett x fem!reader (bartender).

You are working a double at the Handsome Gambler again, an excruciating eleven hours, filled with spilled drinks and scattered peanut shells and rambling drunks who've got nothing better to do than get in a fight in your goddamn bar.

Luckily, Carl is working security tonight and can throw them out at the drop of a hat. You just have to give him the look, and all 200-something pounds of muscle are strolling over and grabbing some drunk out-of-towner by the collar of his brand new Carhartt.

Everything gets a whole lot better when Rhett strolls in around midnight, looking rugged and handsome as hell in an old worn (read: not fresh off the rack like California License Plate's) pair of Levi's and a Stetson.

He's been gone all of yesterday and today, away at an out-of-town rodeo just across the state line in Gardiner.

You wanted to go so damn bad and lose your voice cheering him on from the stands, but the Handsome Gambler needed two bartenders to operate on a weekend night. No one wanted to cover your shift.

You were disappointed, of course, but couldn't blame them. Who wants to work a double on a Saturday?

He braces his elbows on the bar and leans in, enough for you to smell mint and tobacco on his breath, and looks at you with those ocean blue eyes, half-lidded from exhaustion and something else entirely.

"Hi darlin'," Rhett murmurs, rough and pleasant, all smoke and leather. "Can I get a whiskey and a beer?"

An idea develops in your brain – your sleep deprived and cowboy deprived brain, who doesn't care much about your job now that Rhett's here. You cast a sidelong glance down to the end of the bar to make sure Wendy has it covered. She seems fine.

"Sure, but I keep the good stuff in the back, cowboy." His eyes flare at the nickname, black pupils blowing out the blue, flickering down to watch your mouth move around the word. "Wanna come help me get it?"

His lips twitch.

Less than a minute later finds you on your knees in the back room with Rhett's cock in your mouth.

You'd pushed him back against the locked door, hard enough to rattle the good liquor bottles that're kept on the metal shelving unit nearest the door, reaching for his belt buckle and peppering kisses on any inch of available skin within reach.

His strong neck. His collarbone, visible through the smallest gap in the plaid shirt. His jaw, covered in afternoon stubble. His neck.

You'd breathed, "Missed you, cowboy," between kisses, to which Rhett had rasped, "Oh yeah, darlin'? Why don'tcha show much how much you missed me?"

You were on your knees in a heartbeat. You might've actually bruised them.

His fingers are strong and insistent in your hair, guiding you on him, encouraging you to move faster. Take him deeper. He brushes the back of your throat, salty and warm.

You swallow instinctively. A strangled whimper punches out of Rhett's chest.

He lets out a long string of curses. "Shit, darlin'. Love your damn mouth. You're so good to me."

You pull back, running your tongue along the sensitive underside of his cock, licking and sucking at the tip of him, growing wetter with every harsh breath that shudders from him.

You're soaked already, just from the sounds of him, the weight of him in your mouth.

You look up at him, lashes sticking together from the moisture welling in your eyes, and damn, Rhett really is beautiful, eyes closed in desperate pleasure. He is still wearing the damn Stetson, which somehow gets you even hotter.

Idle fingers sneak under the hem of your denim skirt, and Rhett catches the movement.

"God, are you – Touch yourself for me," Rhett instructs, breathing hard, "but don't come. I want you to come on my cock later. Don't come, darlin'."

You desperately moan, vibrating around his cock, and with a half-gasped warning, Rhett comes down your throat. You wipe at your mouth with a crumpled napkin in your pocket, rise to your feet again as Rhett recovers.

He is red in the face, flushed and breathing like a marathon runner. He catches a glimpse of your damp fingers, slick from your own wetness.

Rhett lifts your hand to his mouth and sucks the wetness from your fingers, groaning.

"When do you get off, darlin'?"

"2:30 AM."

"Can you make it until then?" Rhett smirks, knowing, reaching under your skirt and running his index finger along the damp seam of your panties. "Christ, girl."

You think Rhett might be half hard already, straining against his now buttoned jeans.

You smirk back, despite the uncomfortable stickiness between your thighs that'll distract you for the rest of the damn shift. "A better question might be, Can you make it until then?"

His gaze is dark and wanting, but Rhett grins. "Meet me at the motel. I'll get us a room."

[delopsia]

delly, i’m not really sure what you’d like to do with this (if anything), but the idea came to me in the middle of a big plate of pasta, so… bone apple teeth!

*whispers* i’m rambling here, forgive me

the hawthorn trio come into a small litter of puppies a la our good pal, archie! maybe it’s a little sudden 🥺 a dirty box on the side of a country road, but luckily the puppies are just old enough to not need a bottle to feed.

they’re still worried, though, and they become a lovingly spoiled little bunch in the floytt household. one could (funnily) think they’d get “one each”, y’know, 3 puppies and 3 people, but no. they all take an extreme liking to bobby. listening to him the most, seeking him out the most…

“sky daddy” rhett affectionately calls him when he’s curled up on the couch with 3 fluffy babies all over him.

“well what’re you then, land daddy?” he asks one day while they’re on a walking trail with the puppies. “sounds like a lawnmower.”

rhett and reader laugh, loud and bright in the crisp autumn air, all the way home.

when they hit the long drive, rhett unlatches the puppied and races them up to the house. eventually, they start expecting this after every walk.

rhett and reader can already tell bobby wants to keep all three of them… and no matter what, they’re not going to be the ones to break his heart. they’ve got the space and resources. they’ll just have to make the time with the rest of their responsibilities. but watching him on the floor with what are quickly growing into what appear to be three little wolves (maybe they’re husky mixes), trying to get them to listen to giggly commands is certainly a sight.

the puppys biggest vice is gnawing on their hands—mainly bobby and rhett because they let them 🙄 i do think the puppies do it with reader, too, but reader is trying to do that trick where you go “ow!” to try to teach the puppy in question that using their teeth can hurt. and it… works. most the time.

bobby jokes that puppy teeth are nothing compared to rhett’s.

(he’s gonna get them into some classes, don’t you worry, honeybee)

one day, the baby of the bunch gets rhett pretty good (for a puppy) while they’re playing, and rhett makes an offhand comment about needing to do something about this.

bobby just comes over to take the puppy, but not before lifting up to meet rhett’s eye. “pot, meet kettle.”

rhett does not tackle him, on account of the baby in his arms.

(omg delly, what are you naming the puppies?)

💐 t

ohhh my goodness, puppies!! 😭💐 this ask is so cute, omg. I spent way too long trying to find pictures to add to this. I cannot imagine actually living with three husky mixes (the one I have is PLENTY), but the idea of it?? Sign me up

Archie is only supposed to be coming over to bring back a few tools he borrowed from Rhett. It's only a handful of wrenches and a cordless drill, you know, stuff that you can carry in your hands without any help. So when Rhett watches Archie pull a whole cardboard box out of the passenger seat, he's more than confused.

And for some reason, that box is whimpering.

"Found 'em up o'er yonder on Butter Street," he tells you as a little ball of fur pokes its nose out of the top. "Figured... y'know, there's three of 'em 'n...three of y'all."

Bob and the two cats (Egg and Duchess) are standing in the living room like "we are not taking in three puppies." But Rhett's already got the three squirming babies in his arms, and one of them is licking your nose, and it's just so hard for him to keep telling you no.

So they become 'temporary' residents until they're old enough to find homes elsewhere. And he keeps insisting that they're not keeping them, even when he takes a nap on the couch with the three fuzzy babies.

"You're gettin' attached."

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes, y' are."

And Bob just keeps saying it.

Even when he watches Rhett and a stampede of puppies race each other up the driveway. Even when they snuggle up on his chest, when they cry until someone caves and brings them up into the bed, and when Duchess starts bathing the tiny black and white one.

He's not attached, but you catch him gathering them up into his arms and kissing the tops of their little heads. He's taught two of the three to sit and shake (the third is an ornery little bastard), and well...well, they need to stay another week.

Did you know that it's recommended that the litter stay together until they're twelve weeks? Oh, oh, wait, he misspoke. Sixteen weeks. They need to stay sixteen weeks. Yeah, he read that in a book! It's definitely true and not at all something he just made up on the spot.

You know what he's doing. Rhett knows what he's doing. But Bob doesn't actually admit that he wants to keep them until after Rhett tells a little white lie and says that his coworker wants one of them.

"Well, who said we were getting rid of them?"

"You did!"

"Well...I changed my mind."

And that is how you wind up keeping all three little girls 🌷 (from left to right): Fern, Sage, and Primrose.

Fern is the golden child. She's such a well-mannered sweetie, easy to train, gentle when taking treats, quiet, was the only one to not tear apart the toilet paper roll…

Sage is an odd one; she listens well and learns just as quickly as Fern does, but she's been known to only follow commands when she knows that she's being watched. Also happens to be the one who is notorious for digging under the fence and figuring out how to open doors.

Then you have Primrose. She's the dog version of Duchess. Won't step through water on walks, turns her nose up at dry kibble, and only sleeps on the bed/the orthopedic dog mattress. It takes a lot of effort to get her training to stick.

Rhett's biting habit may have been what influenced the puppies and their nipping because nobody really remembers them doing that when they first arrived? But you're actively trying to train them out of it, while Rhett just has one chewing on him like a bone.

Eventually, they just learn who is chewable and who is not (🙄)

Do you think Bob can get away with signing Rhett up for one of the obedience classes? Or will a chew toy help curb his nibbling habit...

"Pot meet kettle" 😭 Rhett can't even complain about the puppy bites because he himself is a hundred times worse, and Bob has the workplace embarrassment to prove it.