Sometimes when you have a kid with someone, but you're dating someone else, it can really be difficult for that person. Rian's been acting pretty distant for the last month. I've been splitting mine and Clementine's time her between her for half the day and Brenton for the other half. There have been days where I would give Clementine to Brenton for the day or Rian doesn't spend time with us at all. Every other day she sleeps in the guest room, depending if Brenton falls asleep in our room or she's just in one of her moods. Either way, she's leaving tomorrow, and she's gonna leave in a bad mood unless we can somehow communicate about this.
"Hey." I shut the porch door. "You okay?"
"Yeah. I'm fine." She lied.
She's been sitting on the porch for the passed two hours. She usually did that when she was going through one of her bipolar swings, and she was trying to distance herself from me and Clementine, or our relationship was on the rocks. We never really had a problem with our relationship, so she was usually having her moments.
"No, you're not. You've been out here for at least two hours everyday since you got back. You've been in a bad mood since you woke up your first day home. I told Clementine Brenton was spending the night, and you've been distancing yourself ever since. So come on. Spit it out. What's wrong?"
"I've been home for a month, and I haven't been spending as much time as I usually do when I'm home with you and Clementine. I'm gone for months on end because of being in the military, so I wanna spend as much time as I can with y'all before I have to leave again."
"Rian, you knew this day would come."
"I just didn't think it would be this soon. And I figured it would've been while I was gone. I'm leaving tomorrow, and I'm leaving in a bad mood because I didn't get to spend as much time with my girlfriend and her daughter."
"Kinda what happens when you date someone who has a kid with someone else. There's gonna be times when she has to spend time with her father instead of you and me, or me, her and Brenton have to spend time together as a family. I thought you understood that when we got together."
"I did, and I still do. But now that I'm actually seeing it, it hurts a lot."
"What do you want me to do, Rian? I can't change Brenton being in her life. She needs her father and me a lot more than she needs you. I can't just change who her father is because then she wouldn't be here."
"I know. That's what makes it harder?"
"Look, Brenton's out for a few hours, Connor's upstairs, Shayla's at work, and Clementine's in the living room. It's your last night home. How about the three of us go do something? Just you, me and Clementine."
"Okay. What are we gonna do?"
"I don't know. Wanna go ask Clementine?"
"I guess." We got up, and went into the house.
Clementine was sitting at her table with a coloring book and her horses. She wasn't even paying attention to the tv. For once, her cowboy hat was on the table instead of her head. We haven't really seen any similarities between her and Brenton. There was some stuff, but not a lot. Their eyes, their appetite, and their love of video games was pretty much it.
"Clementine," she looked up from her coloring book. "Rian and I wanna go out. You wanna come?"
"Where are we going?"
"Where do you wanna go?" Rian asked her.
"Horseback riding?" She suggested.
"She's so your daughter." Rian glared at me.
"So everyone says." I rolled my eyes.
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Clementine and I somehow managed to con Rian into going horseback riding. She's never been horseback riding before, so we should get a kick out of it. I changed out of my black T-shirt, boxers and blue hoodie into a pair of shorts, a purple and white flannel shirt and my brown cowboy boots with my rebel flag belt and my brown cowboy hat. Clementine took one look at me, and said she didn't look "cowgirl" enough. She changed from her pink pleaded skirt and yellow T-shirt with a rainbow in it into a pair of shorts, a purple tank top, her boots and her hat. Rian just stayed in her shorts and dark blue hoodie.
"I can't believe you convinced me to come." She said as we walked towards the farm.
"Hey, it's me and Clementine. If me and you were to get married, you would have to put up with it because it's something it's something we love. Especially if I were to get our own horse."
"Like you need to remind me." She followed us through the gate.
"Howdy there, Clementine. You and your mama come to ride the horses?" The owner, Miss Waters, asked my daughter.
Leigh came a pretty good fried of mine after taking Clementine horseback riding the first couple times. Evidently, she's also Connor's cousin, but that's beside the point. Clementine liked her a lot, but that's mostly because she has horses. She's a couple inches taller than me with long dirty blonde hair that looked like each layer was frayed, brown eyes and lots of freckles. She was wearing a pair of blue skinny jeans with a black Queen T-shirt and black boots, and she had a cross around her neck. For someone who lived in the south, she didn't have an accent, but she was still pretty cute.
"Hey, Leigh." I said.
"Hi, Miss Leigh." Clementine said.
"Hey, Piper."
"Leigh, this is my girlfriend, Rian."
"Hey, Rian." Rian just nodded her head.
"She's just grumpy because Clementine and I convinced her to come horseback riding with us, and she never has before."
"Eh, it's okay. You wanna take her 'Tim she gets the hang of it, and I'll take Clementine?"
"What do you think?" I asked my girlfriend.
"I guess." She shrugged.
Leigh led us back to the barn where she had the horses. She didn't have a lot, but she had a decent amount. There was only four full sized horses and two little ones for small children like Clementine. Clementine never really rode one of the little ones. If I went riding, she would sit in front. That was pretty much ever time.
"You're gonna go with Miss Leigh, sweetie. Rian's gonna come with me, so she can get used to it. Then we're gonna switch. Okay?"
"Okay, Mommy."
Leigh brought out a white and brown spotted saddle named Buttercup and a black and white American quarter named Hobo. She usually gave me Hobo when I was taking Clementine along since they're smaller and better for children as small as her. She saddled up, Hobo, and I helped Clementine up.
"You ready, baby girl?" I asked her.
"Yes, Mama."
"Hold onto the saddle and your hat." She smiled.
"You can saddle up Buttercup." Leigh offered.
"Gladly."
I volunteered here on occasion. Sometimes it was volunteer work, others it was a part-time job. If felt nice to be able to help Leigh out, and Connor understood if I wanted to work there instead of the garage. He knew how much I missed being around them since I pretty much grew up in a barn. If Leigh needed some extra help, she would have me come help her out, but that wasn't very often. Usually, Clementine and I would do whatever work was around like feed and brush the horses.
"Alright. We'll be up there. Saddle her up, and meet us up there." Leigh instructed.
"Alright. See ya in a bit." Leigh hopped up on the horse.
"Come on, Hobo." They rode out of the barn and I turned to Rian.
"Ready to see how much of a country girl I am?" I twanged.
"Oh god." She shook her head.
I grabbed the saddle off the hook in the stall, and placed it on the horse. I led the horse over to the stool, so it would be easier to mount them. Rian just stood there, staring at it. I lowered my hat, and hopped up on the horse.
"Come on up." I offered my hand to my girlfriend. "Put your foot in the foothold, and swing your leg over."
"I'm beginning to think of dating you as a bad idea." She joked as she climbed up on the horse.
"Why?" I asked as she tried to situate herself. "Hold onto me."
"This is kinda scaring me." She wrapped her arms around my waist. "Kinda like dating the farmer's daughter. Introduce me to all the cows and chickens and pigs and goats in the barn."
"Do you want me to? When you come home, we'll go back to Alabama and I will." We rode out of the barn.
"Oh, my god." She chuckled.
After twenty minutes of it just being me and Rian, we caught up with Leigh and Clementine. Rian was doing really well for her first time riding. I don't think it would be a regular thing for every time she comes home, but once in a blue moon. She's still kinda frightened by it though, which makes it cuter. We headed to the stables after we met up with Leigh and Clementine.
We decided to call it quits for the day since Rian would rather spend time with me and Clementine than just sit on a horse until she got used to it. After we took the horses back into the barn, we said goodbye to Leigh before making our way to the bowling alley. Bowling was usually something that Rian, Clementine and I did with Connor and Shayla on a night the whole house decided we wanted to go out. We didn't exactly get out of those nights this month because of Rian throwing one of her fits. Since Connor and Shayla were probably having their alone time at home, Rian and I just agreed to go bowling with Clementine as a family thing instead of a whole house thing.
"You ready to go bowling, my little country orange?" I asked Clementine.
"I'm gonna get a strike!" She declared.
"I think that's a yes." Rian stated.
"Can we get pizza and ice cream after?"
"You really didn't wanna be home at all today, do you?" I looked at my daughter.
"Not really."
"She's a genius." I glared at Rian. "And she's only three."
"Shit up, Rian." We got out of the car and walked into the bowling alley.