Loving Cassie

These Days

So, originally, this chapter was going to be "Don't Leave Her, If You Can't Let Her Go", but there's no video for the song by the artist on YouTube. It's a fantastic song and I think it accurately describes how Dalton feels. There are some great covers, but Chris Young's is my favorite.

Ward

I was being glared at by Cassie's priss of a husband, and to be quite honest, it was starting to irritate me. I think it would've been fine had I not been holding Walker, but I felt as if the only reason he was even doing it was because of the little blond trouble maker in my lap. I did my best to ignore it as I wiped the strange orange concoction off of my cheek. The little devil seemed to be intent on feeding me his breakfast instead of actually eating it. I didn't mind too much, shirts could be washed and so could faces, but I definitely didn't like the smell of the baby food. It was awful. With a sigh, I dipped Walker's weird baby spoon in the jar and came out with a big glop of it. I tried one more time to feed him the nasty mess, but he didn't seem to want it. Finally, I recapped the jar of food and stood with Walker, who was in desperate need of a bath. Lucky for me, bath time was Walker's favorite point in the day. 

I trudged past a group of Cassie's family members, smiled politely at her grandmother who kept makin' moves on me, walked straight up the stairs to the bedroom I'd shared with Cassie and into the attached bathroom. It seemed that little guy wasn't in the mood to be compliant today, because much like his breakfast, I ended up wearing most of his bath. I talked senselessly to him throughout bath time, wondering how much of it he really understood. By the end of his bath, he was squeaky clean and we both smelled like Johnson & Johnson baby wash. He babbled as I dressed him, tossing out only a few words that were actually intelligible, but for the most part, I was just glad to hear him coo. Until Cassie, I hadn't realized how much I'd been missing out on when it came to children, but now I knew. Sure, taking care of Walker could be a little work, and I didn't know the half of it, but I knew it was worth it. Through the last few weeks, listening to Walker try to take on new words, or watching him attempt to stand or even crawl were the most outrageously amazing moments I'd ever experienced in my life. The swell of pride and accomplishment totaled a lot more than I even felt when I finally got my business off of the ground. 

As I made my way out of the room with Walker in my arms, there was a very loud discussion going on at the far end of the hall. I knew the man' s voice right away, but the woman's was one I hadn't heard before. I didn't want to stand awkwardly in the doorway and eavesdrop on their conversation, but I was slightly little curious.  Walker seemed to be content with lying against my shoulder fussing with the collar of my shirt and it was keeping him pretty quiet.

"No! We're not leaving until my family acknowledges me and this baby, Dalton!" The tone was shrill, almost panicked, and bounced off of the walls of the hallway clearly. I knew right away who the voice belonged to. Carrie. Cassie had warned me that since they were here, things were not going to go smoothly and it sounded like she knew what she was talking about. 

"Carrie," Dalton's tone was hard and held a clear warning, but obviously, Carrie didn't care.

"No." her tone was softer now but they sounded closer than before and I could just make out their profiles a few doors down. "They're ignoring me, Dalton, and not a single person has congratulated me on the baby. No one will even look at the sonogram." I had forgotten about the fact that they were expecting a child. If I didn't know the whole story I'd be inclined to feel bad for Carrie and the way the Malcolm family had turned their backs to her, but I knew the facts. It astounded me that she expected her family to just readily accept the awful thing she'd done to her sister. I didn't stick around to hear him placate her. 

Cassie 

There's a thing to be said about family togetherness. Especially in my family. Well, there are probably multiple things, but one of them is; it's endearing but also a little extreme. 

I had been outside for nearly two hours, sipping on Granny Tig's mint sun tea and listening to Aunt Tilly, Aunt LuAnn, and my favorite cousin Isabella chat when someone finally brought up the discussion I'd been dreading. Carrie and Dalton. At first, I agreed with their proclamations of how wrong the pair was and how they were going to have to live with the consequences, and I was initially very flattered by the fact that no one was speaking to them, that is, until they meant everyone. Aunt Tilly, in her eccentric manner, began to tell the table of growing listeners of how when Carrie had shown up and tried to speak to Daddy, he'd have none of it. How he'd ignored her plainly and had gone as far as to simply walk away from her. I was appalled in all honesty. I knew that he was disappointed in her, even ashamed in her actions, but to ignore her? I hadn't even ignored her when she spoke directly to me. I might've been curt and icy, but to go as far as to ignore her? 

"And that little wench kept trying to pass around sonogram and show it off. How dare she think that we-" But I had to stop Aunt LuAnn from continuing, with a belly full of dread.

"Tell me you guys aren't treating her as if the baby doesn't matter?" My voice shook lightly as I spoke. I was honestly afraid of the answer I'd receive. We were a close knit family and we loved each other with a ferocity that couldn't be matched. With that being said, when one was wronged, we all tended to feel the same. I wholly appreciated and loved my family for backing me up when it came to my sister sleeping with my soon-to-be ex-husband but, I didn't want them to go as far as to ignore an innocent child. 

"Well, of course we are, Cassidy!" Aunt LuAnn chirped as a wicked smile appeared on her wrinkly ruby colored lips causing the lines around her mouth tighten. "How dare that trollop parade around here and wave that sonogram like a victory flag!" Her tone was tight and disapproving, but half of the time that's the only thing that came out of the woman's mouth. My heart tightened with grief and sorrow. While I obviously wasn't thrilled with the fact that Carrie and Dalton were having a child, I didn't want that to affect the way I - or anyone for that matter - treated the baby. 

"Y'all know better!" I blurted out finally, letting my irritation get the best of me. "What Carrie and Dalton did was wrong, there's no doubt about that. But, that baby they created? He's innocent in it. He hasn't done anything and he's the one that's going to suffer if y'all don't at least try to talk to her. I'm not telling you that you have to support the decisions they make together, or even accept the fact that they're gettin' married, but do not take your feelings out on the child." I could feel my face growing hot, and I wasn't sure if it was because of the embarrassment or anger rushing through my veins.  Various faces stared at me in shock, most of their mouths gaping. Having enough of their baffled looks, I stood and went in search for my Dad, hoping they'd settle things on their own time. 

*  

Finding Daddy wasn't too hard since he was out in the boathouse with Uncle Irv. He looked up and smiled when I walked in, only for it to deflate when I didn't smile in return. At first, nothing was said, but then I let him have it. My anger and disappointment in his childish actions, my irritation at how everyone seemed to think of everything but their child, and finally, I apologized for not telling him how I felt about the entire situation. I knew that all of this could've been avoided had I just talked it out with him, but I hadn't. I'd been too caught up in my own world. 

"I can't tell you how horrible it feels to know that they're ignoring her because of what she did to me." I said lowly, "I don't support what they did, and it hurts beyond belief that Carrie and Dalton couldn't just tell me that they wanted to be together. But, the baby she's having -- he's your grand-baby just as much as Walker and for you not to acknowledge that is possibly the worst thing that you could do." Daddy just stared at me when I was finished talking, just like the women at the table, but didn't walk off this time. It was silent between the two of us and I was sure that Uncle Irv had stepped out to allow us privacy. 

"I'm surprised with you, Cassidy." He mumbled, running a tired hand through his salt and pepper beard. "I didn't expect you to be the one to lecture me on being nice to your sister, I was actually expecting a fist fight." I blushed under his gaze. Carrie and I had gotten into a physical confrontation only once when we were younger and it had been over something ridiculous. He'd walked in the house to find Carrie nursing a black eye and me with a bleeding lip. It was the one and only time we'd ever fought with more than nasty words hurled at one another. I wasn't proud of that fact but it wasn't something I could take back now. 

"You raised me better than that, Daddy."