Tate (34 page)

“Why didn’t you call me?” Maisie asked, when I told her about the truck.

“I needed that time walking here. I’ve got a lot on my mind. That walk brought me right to where I needed to be - here with you.”

“Tate, is everything alright?” she asked, with misty eyes.

“It is. I’m just mulling over some things that Cage talked to me about. Can we talk about it later? I’m kinda hungry.”

“As long as everything’s going to be OK. You’re just worrying me a little,” she told me as she pulled leftovers from the fridge and heated up something for me to eat.

“I think so. As long as we’re OK, nothing else really matters.”

***

The next day was warm for this time of year, with temps in the forties. We had coffee with Mama and then I told Maisie to grab a jacket. I took her hand and we walked to the barn.

“You aren’t going to see Cage?” she asked.

“Later. This is more important. Wait here,” I said. I cranked up the tractor and backed it out of its spot; happy that Mr. Duncan, who’d taken over the mowing and baling in my absence, kept it gassed up. I reached for Maisie’s hand and helped her up. “Sit here between my legs,” I told her, and put it in gear.

“Where are we going?”

“Just back in time,” I told her, and tucked her in my arm as I drove the old tractor across the field. “I can’t tell you how many times I brought this sucker out of the barn to mow hay, and then after a few sunny days, I’d come back out to bale it. I love that smell. I love this field. I’d come out to mow a section and it was the most peaceful time. I ran here in sad times too. When my dad took off, I’d come here to think, just ride the tractor off for a while. When Paw died, I grabbed a blanket and took the tractor way over that way. I slept out and cried. Mama wasn’t worried, she knew where I went.

“This land has belonged to Mama’s family since 1819. I could ride you around and tell you stories for hours.” I pulled her closer and nuzzled her neck. “No matter where I go, this is home. Sometimes I just need to be on this old thing to feel my roots. Oh, and the vibration between my legs. Can you feel that, Maisie?” I asked.

She laughed that surprised, embarrassed, laugh that I loved. “Where are your roots, Maisie? Where is home really for you?” I asked.

She turned in my arms and looked up, “My home is right here. I don’t care where we live. I’m from Nashville, but I learned recently that home really is where the heart is. You are my heart, and this feels like home when we’re here.”

“Really?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Maisie?”

“Yes, my love?” she said, and snuggled closer.

“How much money do we need to be happy?”

“None,” she laughed.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, why?” she asked. “Is something going on?”

“I’ve had enough.”

“Enough what?” she inquired.

“Travel. Dragging you all over creation because I can’t stand you not being with me.”

I put the tractor in gear and took off across the field. Finally, I pulled up to a grove of old oak trees. “Look over there.” I pointed and her gaze followed my finger. “It’s mine. Popie and Gabby have a piece too, but that ten acres over there is mine. Ours,” I corrected myself. I pointed the tractor in that direction and an old dilapidated barn came in view.

“What are you going to do with it?”

“We. When you’re ready, we’ll plant some roots.”

“Now.” I looked at her hard as she said the word.

“Jesus, Maisie, each time I think that I can’t possibly love you more, you show me that I’m wrong. There’s something else.” I pulled the tractor to a stop by the barn. “Would you think I’d lost my mind if I told you I didn’t want to go back on the road?”

“Now?” she inquired.

“Ever,” I said, and pulled her closer to me.

“What do you think will happen?”

“That’s what I want to talk to you about. You know I’ve spent a lot time with Cage. This whole ordeal has him thinking about his future. He wants to sell Willie’s.”

“And?” The look on her face showed me that she knew what I was about to say.
I must be the luckiest man on earth
, I thought, kissing the top of her head.

“We have way more money that anyone needs to be happy,” she said. “You gonna buy Willie’s?”

No,” I said, and she turned to watch me. “We are.”

“I love this idea. You’ve thought all of this through?” she wondered aloud.

“I’ve thought that I can still record, if I want to - but no touring. See, this way, if people want to see me, they can come to Willie’s. I can still hit the stage a couple nights a week.”

“I think if you think it’s a good forward move, then I love it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Home,” she replied.

“‘Roots’, is what Cage keeps saying.”

“Roots.” She was quiet a moment and turned to sweep the area in a glance. I put the tractor back in gear and we headed back toward Mama’s.

“I have something to talk to you about, too.”

“What is it?” I asked, but she took my hand and placed it on her belly instead of saying a word, and I knew. I stopped the tractor and stared at her.

“About seven weeks. I was waiting on the right moment to tell you.”

“Christmas in Blowing Rock?”

“That’d be my guess,” she grinned.

“Jesus, Maisie! You’ve accomplished something I was sure could never happen.”

“What’s that?” she asked, her face glowing from the cold, the sun, and I hoped the love she felt for me.

“You’ve equaled the love and joy I felt the day you became my wife. You’ll be an amazing mom, and I’m gonna be the best dad you can ever hope for. I love you so much.”

“I already know this,” she said, and turned in my arms once more, putting her arms around my neck to kiss me.

“Let’s not tell the family yet. I want to do something big,” I told her.

“So, you were talking about roots,” she said, as I put the tractor in gear again to head back toward Mama’s.

“You ready to plant some?”

“Roots,” she said once more.

***

We returned to Nashville a week later. Maisie and I decided not to tell anyone about Willie’s or her pregnancy. I spoke with Ophie several times and made sure that Cage was sure he was set on this transaction. She said he was, but I had a condition.

“You at the rehab with him?” I asked.

“Yes,” she replied.

“Put me on speaker.” She did and Cage mumbled his hello.

“We’re not going to proceed with this unless you agree to help me. I want a signed contract saying you’ll both stay on. I won’t go through with this without you.”

I knew Ophie couldn’t be away from it – it was in her blood. I also knew Cage would wither away without it. Once they agreed, I made an appointment to meet with our attorney to discuss the details. He set up a corporation in order to complete the deal. Once everything was worked out, he planned to go to Oklahoma with Maisie and me. Mama’s birthday would be the Saturday after we arrived.

We went to see Cage. He looked good, but was having a hard time “making things work,” as he put it.

“He’s fine, just ornery,” Ophie said with a smile. When Cage’s attorney arrived, the sale of Willie’s to TaMaMo, LLC, was a done deal. We were ready to make a few announcements. Family first.

Saturday afternoon, the family came together at Mama’s for a big birthday celebration. Gathered in the living room, everyone was talking. It was loud and I loved it. Maisie joined me on the sofa and we handed Mama a small box to open. She lifted the lid and removed a set of keys. Holding them up with a questioning look, she asked, “What are these?”

“The bigger one is for Willie’s,” I explained.

“I don’t understand.”

“You’ll need it in case we need you to go check on things if Maisie and I are away for some reason,” I told her.

“I don’t get it,” she said, with a puzzled look.

Everyone just sat there. “We bought Willie’s, Mama.”

“You what?” she yelled.

“Cage and I made a deal. Willie’s belongs to the TaMaMo Corporation. Tate and Maisie Morrow. We bought it,” I clarified.

“You bought Willie’s?” she yelled again.

“Yep.”

“I’m still not quite sure I understand,” she said, clearly confused. Everyone was looking on with the same bewildered expression.

“The second key represents roots,” Maisie said.

“Roots?” Popie asked.

“That key will open the door to our new home. The one we’re going to build on Tate’s piece of Oklahoma,” Maisie informed them with a smile.

“You’re going to build
here
?” Gabby yelled.

“Roots, we’re laying down roots,” I told them. “Mama, did you even look at that keychain?”

“No, I was too busy trying to figure out what in the hell is going on,” she laughed and then saw what we wanted her to see. “Grandma” was engraved in the silver disk. She started to cry. Maisie rose to lift her shirt to show her belly with the pooch that had grown. I’d written the words ‘do not open until August’ and drawn a bow on her stomach.

“A baby!” they all hollered, and then the tears came.

“I can’t believe you didn’t hear her giggling in there this morning! She was about to lose her mind,” I laughed as everyone congratulated us.

“It tickled! I just hope it washes off,” she roared, followed by excited conversation about Willie’s, a house, and a baby.

“Wait!” I said abruptly. “I forgot something important!” I handed Maisie a box, and when she opened it, her laughter was contagious as she pulled a small pair of cowboy boots from the box.

“Unisex,” I grinned.

***

Deidre made an official ‘Tate and Maisie Morrow are going to have a baby’ announcement, and the fun began. For the next two months we were in Nashville. I by-passed the award circuit, hauled in a few more trophies, but didn’t miss a bit of the hoopla. I told anyone who asked that I wanted to be home with Maisie. We went to Blowing Rock to relax while we worked on plans for the house in Oklahoma. I spent a lot of time on the phone with Deidre rearranging my schedule in order to stay off the road. I worried at first that she’d be offended that I’d promoted her and now would be working a much more limited schedule.

“I’ll do whatever you need me to do,” she said. “I’m giving Jake as much of my time as he wants. You know he’s planning on going to Okie with you.”

“You comin’ with him?”

“If he asks,” she replied, and I heard the smile in her voice. And I knew he would.

I called Andy to let me know my plan before it went public.

“I admire you, Tate. You learned quickly what’s important and what’s not. People will respect what you’ve chosen and they’ll stay loyal. I’m excited for you for the road that lies ahead,” he told me.

Deidre released a statement saying I was taking some time off. Everything was falling in place. My schedule had me hitting some of the biggest venues in the U.S. in a fast-paced two weeks out, two weeks home, finishing with one more two-week jaunt. Shows sold out quickly. It wasn’t a Farewell Tour. We were calling it the Home Tour.

This time it’s true!

Tate and Maisie Morrow are expecting their first child later this summer, and Tate has decided to put recording and touring on hold in order to be home with his family during this exciting time. Keep an eye on the Fan Page for further announcements!

In early May we moved to a condo in Guthrie to wait. Maisie would have been fine at Mama’s, but I didn’t want to share every minute of this experience with the family. I wanted to selfishly enjoy Maisie alone. She wanted to have the baby in Oklahoma, so we’d been going back and forth for doctor appointments for months.

Once we settled in, Mama had a baby shower for us. It was a family affair. Along with my family, Carlene, Dion, Deidre and Jake were there. Some of Mama’s friends were there too, to shower us with gifts. But the greatest gift was that Mama and Carlene made sure that David Lee Maynor was there. Maisie decided this was when she’d reveal whether we were having a boy or a girl. She’d kept it a secret from me, and I was as excited as a child at Christmas.

After opening dozens of presents, Maisie pushed a large box my way. I eased the paper off the package. I could feel my heart racing. The box told me that it was a picture frame, so I was sure the frame contained the news. What I found when I opened it brought me to tears right there in front of everyone. It was a picture of Maisie lying down with pink balloons in the background and a princess crown sitting atop her bare belly. The cowboy boots were sitting to the left and had a sign propped on them with fancy script that read
Lileeana Fay Morrow
.

I cried like a big’ol baby, and had everyone crying over my reaction. “I didn’t ever want to say that I hoped for a girl. I’d have been over the moon with a boy, but this,” I said, wiping my eyes.