Catching Texas

With You I Am

This will be the last actual chapter of Catching Texas! Next is he epilogue and there you will understand why! Hope you enjoy, though it's short! ;D

Knox

The little girl world toward me, her identical jade colored eyes dancing and she grabbed chubby fistful of the flowers and toss them directly in front of her bare feet, her little painted toes a dark contrast against the pale flowers. Her dark blonde hair was in waves, courtesy of the youngest Dixon girl, her little cheeks were a blaze with color and a grin plastered on her pudgy face. She was the cutest flower girl I'd ever seen.

Her name was Annalynn Renee and she was two years old.

She also happened to be Stetson's daughter. The night he had interrupted our proposal, he'd been making his way to announce her arrival. She'd been dropped off at my dads house on the front porch like a FedEx package, accompanied by a note, a box full of clothes and an enclosed legal envelope. The note that was attached to the front read I don't want her anymore. Morty Lawler, the towns resident lawyer informed us of what the papers were. They were parental rights releases.

Morty informed Stetson in his soft way that the mother, Shelby Atkins, had filed with the family law firm six weeks prior to the child being dropped off to terminate her rights and since he was listed on the certificate, the child was to be placed in his care.  We were collectively curious as to help as to how Shelby, a woman we didn't even know, had managed to put Stetson's name on the birth certificate without proof that he'd ever signed an AOP, or acknowledgment of paternity.

This is something we had Morty looking into. So far Stetson was taking the news in stride, but he had revealed to me one day his ultimate frustrations; they been comical, but sound. He couldn't do the child's hair to save his life and bathroom time with disaster. On more than one occasion he had shown up at our front door at the crack of dawn with an exhausted and grumpy looking Annalynn and a pleading look, begging Texas to help him so he could drop her off at the Sunny Day Nursery. Of course, my kind woman, who had a soft spot for both Stetson and Annalynn, would just smile tiredly and let them in, before handing me the baby girl before leading him to the large desktop and pulling up YouTube. I'd sit and rock Lynn as Texas instructed him to practice on her hair. She stated that she would much rather be bald from his failed attempts than make the precious baby girl in my arms have to suffer that fate.

It was in those moments that I knew I would forever love that woman.

"Dude, stop daydreaming or I'm taking your place and your bride." Stetson hissed good-naturedly as he elbowed me to get my attention. My mind cleared of everything but Texas. She was walking toward me, her dark curls turning different shades under the blazing light, with a smile that rivaled the brightness of the sun. Having opted out of wearing a veil was probably one of the best decisions I could've pitched in on, for this very reason. She was radiant, glowing -- I was lucky man and there was no doubt about that.