@rowanfisher ○ 5 YEARS AGO
Maddox, at first, had felt a bit awkward about choosing sides when it came to Andy and Rowan. When it came down to it, Andy was his close friend but Rowan was his family. And when Andy went to jail, it was really hard to defend him. He was the one that had gone and gotten himself locked up. Now, as he drove Rowan to the jailhouse that Andy resided in, he couldn’t help but realize he had chosen a side. It was Rowan’s and probably would always be Rowan’s. She was the one that came and picked him up as a teenager when his mom was too drunk to care. She was the one that he went to when he needed advice. She was the one that he could trust with anything. And as shitty as that was to Andy, Maddox also knew Andy would want him to take care of Rowan, especially in her time of need.
Today’s need was a ride to the jailhouse, in which Maddox insisted he was coming. She was dropping off the papers that Andy Thane needed to sign to dissolve their marriage and afterward, Maddox wasn’t sure what the fuck to expect. He knew it would be plenty of emotions and likely the need for alcohol nearly immediately. And considering they were already two panic attacks in, Maddox knew she was going to need him to be there for her. Divorcing Andy Thane was a significant risk for Rowan. Her return to being a Fisher rather than a Thane could mean that the Thanes rejected her as a family. In fact, that thought is exactly why Maddox had offered to deliver her to the jail. No one else would’ve. He wasn’t even sure anyone else knew. And while Maddox knew the Thanes quite well from the shop but it was hard to predict them or their next moves, especially when he wasn’t on the inside. He just worked at their shop.
When Maddox pulled the old truck up to the prison, he gave Rowan a reassuring smile, although he wasn’t sure it would help things. She was leaving the person that she thought she’d be with for forever, only for things to come crashing down. First, it was Maddie and now this. Maddox couldn’t imagine living through losing a child, if he was going to be honest. He had watched Rowan stay in bed for what seemed to be forever. He’d brought food to her house, in case she ever gained an appetite or for Rhea and Reina to shove down her throat. He’d pop his head in her room to see if she wanted to talk and when she never did, he simply mosied around the house. It was the best he could do to try to repay Rowan for all the times she’d been there for him. But at this point, it seemed like they would never truly pay each other back in full, so they were just stuck together forever.
As he sat in the truck while Rowan made her way through the security and beyond, Maddox couldn’t help but wish he’d gone in. But he knew Rowan would never allow it. She’d barely allowed him to drive her. Time seemed to draw out but eventually, Maddox saw her blonde hair from afar, returning to the parking lot. He hopped out of the driver’s seat, moving around the truck to open her door for her, long before she actually made it to him. But as she got closer, Maddox couldn’t wait any longer so he half-jogged to her, instantly wrapping a comforting arm around her. “Come on, Ro,” he mumbled, softly, gripping her waist in case she needed his physical support, rather than just his emotional support.
