Everleigh's POV

"Brantley, no. It's not happening" I tell the man standing in front of me.

"Everleigh, yes. It's either you get in the truck yourself, or I drag you out there myself" he responds, crossing his arms over his chest.

I let out a groan, "Need I remind you everything that has been said about me online? You want me to go over to your mother's house for lunch knowing that she might have read that? Hard pass Brantley" I state.

"Ev, she has no bad thoughts about you, she's more pissed off about what they've said about you. Her mama bear instincts kicked in when I let it slip that you were here, she's worried about you being down here by yourself and wants to check in on you, just like any mama would" he responds, walking closer to me.

"You're not going to let me say no are you?" I ask, letting out a sigh. 

"Nope" he responds.

I let out a sigh, watching as the smirk on his face grows. Damn man, stubborn ass man who knows that he's going to get his way.  

"Fine" I tell him.

A smile comes to Brantley's face as he wraps his arms around me tightly.

"I promise that you're going to love her, just like she's going to love you" he states.

An hour later, the two of us are driving towards his moms house. As soon as he noticed my nerves kicking in, Brantley grabbed one of my hands, intertwining our fingers.

I looked over at him, a smirk on his face, "stop stressing yourself out, you're working yourself up for no reason" he tells me.

I give him a nod, before twisting around one of the rings on his finger, attempting to take my mind off of the impending situation.

As soon as we pull up to his mama's house, I watch as the front door opens. Brantley squeezes my hand tightly, a gentle reminder that he was here for me, and for once I believed it. 

Mama Becky's POV

As soon as I pull lunch out of the oven, I see Brantley's truck pull into the driveway.

Right on time, as always. 

When he brought up Everleigh in conversation the other day, I saw his eyes light up for the first time in a long time, something I had missed seeing in my oldest.

Walking out onto the front porch, I watch as Brantley opens up the door for Everleigh, giving her a comforting smile.

I can see the nerves on the poor girls face from all the way over here. No doubt wondering exactly what I've seen or read on the internet, and if I believe it all.

The two of them walk up towards the porch Brantley's arm wrapped around her shoulders tightly, almost as if he's there to be an anchor.

"Mama, this is Everleigh. Everleigh, this is my mama, Becky, or Mama Becky as she likes to be called" he introduces.

"It's lovely to meet you sweetheart" I tell her, before walking the rest of the way down the porch and wrapping my arms around her tightly.

Everleigh tenses for a second, before wrapping her arms around me, relaxing in my hold. 

A mama's touch always works. 

"I just pulled lunch out of the oven, you two have some perfect timing" I tell them, leading the way into the house.

After lunch, Brantley walks outside to take a call while Everleigh helps me in the kitchen.

The entire lunch, Brantley couldn't keep his eyes off of her, he was intrigued with every word that came out of her mouth.

As I've gotten to know the young girl a lot over the past few hours, and I can honestly say that she is nothing like how she has been portrayed by the media. She's sweet, loving, happy, and brings out a side of my son that warms my heart, a side of him I haven't seen in a long time. 

"So, what are your feelings towards my son?" I ask Everleigh.

Everleigh freezes for a second, before looking over at me, red cheeks shining brightly. 

"Oh, um, I'm not entirely sure. He's a great guy, you raised a great man, but with everything else going on in my life, I don't know that I can risk brining him into all of that.  If people find out that I've been around him, it'll turn into a bigger mess for the both of us" she responds.

Putting the dish in my hands down, I walk over to her, grabbing both of her hands in mine.

"Sweetheart, let me tell you something. I was a fan of yours before everything came out, and I didn't believe what they said for a second. Brantley is a grown man, he doesn't care about what the media may say about him, so I doubt he would care what they said about him being around you. The media shouldn't control your life, live it how you want, with who you want. If that person is my son, screw what they might say about it" I tell her.

A smile grows on her face, before she quickly wraps her arms around me.

"Thank you for that, you have no idea how badly I needed to hear that" she mumbles.

"Just so you know, I'm here for you whether it's because you need some company, or if you need to cry it out. I'm only a short drive away from you. If you don't want to drive, I'll get my son too. You're not alone here anymore Everleigh, remember that" I respond. 

Brantley's POV

After hanging up the phone with Rich, I walk back into the kitchen to see my mama and Everleigh with their arms wrapped around each other, something that immediately warms my heart.

"What's going on in here?" I ask, leaning against the doorway to the kitchen.

The two pull away, smiles on their faces as Everleigh wipes her eyes.

"Just having a heart-to-heart son, nothing to worry about" Mama tells me. 

As we get ready to leave a few hours later, my mama pulls me aside, a knowing smile on her face.

"So, when are you planning on taking her out?" she asks, quietly.

"Mama" I respond, letting out a groan.

"What son, I'm just making an observation. All I got to say is make sure you do it cautiously, and tread lightly. She might be going home soon, so if you plan on making a move, better do it soon" she tells me, before walking towards Everleigh, smiles on both of their faces.

I watch as the two of them laugh amongst themselves, happiness flows through me thinking about the growing friendship between the two women. Something that I was hoping would happen.

Even if nothing happens between Everleigh and I, at least she knows that she has people in her corner. 

As Everleigh and I pull out of the driveway, I look over at her, an unwavering smile on her face. The two of us ride in a comfortable silence, my mamas words flowing through my brain, as we near the cabin, I can't help the words that come out of my mouth.

"Let me take you out tomorrow" I say, catching Everleigh's attention.

Everleigh looks over at me, a surprised expression on her face.

"Are you sure about that?" she asks.

I let out a chuckle as I park the car, placing my hand on her thigh.

"I'm entirely sure Everleigh" I respond.

Everleigh gives me a smile, before nodding her head.

"I'd love to" she tells me.

"I'll pick you up at 7" I state.

She gives me a nod, before quickly leaning over the arm rest, kissing my cheek and jumping out of the truck, bounding for the front door.