[Willie] Picture Perfect

[Eliana Rae Gallagher]

The last thing Rae ever wanted to do was bring Jaxon on a shoot with her, but when your baby sitter cancelled on you, you had to work with what you were given.  And Rae would never turn down a job opportunity like this one.  In the very least, Rae had been blessed with the most mellow child you could ask for.  Rae liked to think it was partly because she herself was fairly calm in nature, but mostly she didn't want to admit that Jaxon's calm disposition had probably more to do with his father.  Not that his father knew that.  Still, as it were, Rae was left without any other option than to bring Jaxon with her to Buck's, the country western bar where she was shooting an actor for a magazine spread.  Willie Price, known for his likeable persona on screen, more talked about because of his real life persona.  Which was blunt, she had been told.  Tyson knew of him, said they occasionally ran in similar circles.  Rae had seen him in a few of his films, and she had to admit he was talented.  His line delivery was something to be reckoned with.  It was definitely a career boost to have booked this job.  If only she wasn't sorting through her lenses with a baby on her hip.  The crew wasn't extensive though, and everyone had so far been really understanding.  So in between getting things set up for lighting and angles, she spread a blanket out behind herself and plopped Jaxon right down with some very quiet toys and let him be so she could continue getting her tripod set and ready to go.  She needed this shoot to go well.

[willie blake price]

Willie made a face as the woman came at him with the make up thing again. " I swear to God, Martha. If you come at me one more time with that I am going to have to hit a woman. " he said,lifting his eyebrows matter of factly. " I will bite your hand off if it comes in reach. Straight up Harambe on your ass. You're doing a great job." he said, trying to end it on a nice note. Anabelle had been talking to him about "being nice". He took the white fabric away from his face and neck before jumping out of the seat, yelling at the older woman about how she had to quit trying to seduce him this way before he made his way though the set. Eventually, he came across a tiny little human. Willie slowed his stride, while looking around. ".......There's a baby here!" he called out, looking around at everyone. Willie looked back down, giving a sigh and roll of his eyes before he leaned down and picked him up. "Look, don't shit on me and we'll be fine. Let's find your mom or dad, alright." he said, carrying the kid like it was a potato under his arm. "Hey, is there anyone missing a baby?" he called out, finally coming across the blanket and toys. Okay. Clearly a baby was supposed to be here. He looked around, giving another annoyed sigh before spotting a beautiful woman. "Holy shit..." he said, covering the tiny little man's ears. "Alright," he said, readjusting the little guy against his body. "Be cool. No one is great at being a wingman on the first try, but you might have a good chance," Willie said, trying to force the tiny little guy into giving him a fist bump. Willie slid over to the woman, smiling at her before giving her a wink, "Hola," he tried to say slowly in a mysterious tone.

[Eliana Rae Gallagher]

Rae become so focused on making sure everything was perfect, when she turned around to check on Jaxon, she realized he wasn't even there. "Shit." she murmured, glancing around and then hearing someone yelling around about a baby and asking who it belonged to.  "Shittt."  Rae quickly started finishing what she was doing to go grab him, but not before she heard a voice from behind her say hola.  Rae spun around, face to face with Willie Price who was carrying Jaxon along like a cute little potato sack.  He wasn't handing him over, or asking if this id belonged to her.  In fact, he was talking to her in what sounded like was him trying to be mysterious and making eyes at her.  Rae almost laughed out loud.  "Hi," she replied, crying her arms over her chest and offering a smile.  "You must be Willie."  Well he either wasn't annoyed she had brought her kid, or he had no idea the kid was hers.  She was going to guess the latter.  

[willie blake price]

WIllie smiled as the girl said hi to him, and then as an added bonus seem to know who he was. "Why yes.. I am.. And what is your name, bonita?" he asked, through her a wink. " i just want to clarify that you are Mexican, right? Because I'm conservative, but not Donald Trump "Let's build a wall" conservative. I love a lot of the things that come out of Mexico. Not so much the drugs. Mainly the food... and the women." he said, giving a firm nod. She really was stunning. He wondered who she was here with, the thought made him look over both of their shoulders. Surely if her boyfriend was working he was keeping close tabs on her. "Are you with someone here? " he asked with a quick little smirk. " Cause I can fire them.." he said, giving her an honest look. She was pretty enough to fire someone over. The tiny little guy was squirming in his arms, trying to what.. get away from him? Willie readjusted him, "Hang tight little man." he said, whispering to him.

[Eliana Rae Gallagher]

Rae let out a laugh, her mouth open in... awe?  that someone could be both charming and offensive at the same time?  "Umm, actually no, I'm not Mexican, so I'm going to disregard all the offensive things you just said..." she paused smiling, "I'm Rae, by the way."  God, why was she smiling at him like an idiot?  He was offensive, and probably full of himself, and was he really using her own kid to hit on her?  He was.  And yet somehow he was incredibly charming and it sort of made her want to hate him.  But he was holding onto her squirming kid like a good sport.  Rae could see that Jaxon wasn't just trying to get away from Willie, but wanted Rae.  "My guy seems to have wandered off from me," she said, even though Willie had unknowingly brought him back.  

[willie blake price]

Willie smiled as she spoke to him. He liked a girl that had a little bit of sass to her. And she seemed to be pretty good at holding her own. Not Mexican.. Hm. Well, whatever she was. She was beautiful. Oh okay, he could hear it in his own thoughts. Maybe he was an offensive asshole.... Hm. He would have to worry about that later. Right now, he needed to focus on the beautiful woman in front of him. Ah, she had a guy. Figures. She was stunning. " Well, he doesn't happen to be Ray does he?" he said with a hopeful look. " Because I don't see our photographer anywhere. Super professional.. Actually, it's about as professional as bringing a baby to a set. I mean, who does that?" he asked, shaking his head. He looked back down at the kid though he had stopped their wiggling and was instead giving the beautiful girl a look of contempt, like he had just accepted his fate. " He is a cute little guy though, I'll give him that. And he doesn't make a lot of smells or noises..." Willie said, as though that were a huge plus.

[Eliana Rae Gallagher]

Rae smirked as Willie began complaining about the photographer 'Ray' being late, almost as unprofessional as bringing a baby to set.  Well, it was what it was.  Rae reached out and took Jaxon from Willie, pulling him into her arms and smoothed his hair down away from his eyes.  The stuff was growing like a weed.  She smiled when he said he didn't make much noise, offering, "Only when he's especially tired."  She paused, holding out a hand, "I'm Rae.  The photographer.  We're ready whenever you are."  She shook Willie's hand politely and then moved to put Jaxon back down on the blanket where she hoped he would stay put, seeing his eyes grow more tired.  Nap time nearly, she timed that pretty well.  "When your baby sitter cancels on you last minute, you have to just go with it," she shrugged, seeing that the little guy was becoming more relaxed where he was and the crew on set started adjusting the lighting.  "I think we'll start here by the bar, you can take a seat there." And so began the process of adjusting lights, poses, someone running in now and then to fix his hair, or make up; Rae did her best to direct Willie and the crew in a way where Willie could just act as much like himself as possible.  She'd learned early on that it was no use trying to force a subject into your vision, you had to let them mold where the vision was going.  

[willie blake price]

Okay, so she was not Mexican. Her guy was….the kid. And she was the photographer. Great fucking start, Willie. But bad starts had never stopped him before. She seemed to be a pretty good photographer. Really good, actually. He looked away every so often to let the rest of the crew work on him. But otherwise he felt like he was just joking around with people, listening to some of Luke’s latest album at the loudest volume possible. Willie stretched his arms out during a lull of boredom on his part. Rae was holding her camera to the side, pointing to some pictures on a computer screen with the editor and was in her own little world. Willie wiggled his cheeks, looking around before he got up and went over to her. “ Are you hungry?” he asked, realizing that every one around them was starting to gravitate toward the food service table.

[Eliana Rae Gallagher]

Rae knew she had caught him off guard, and that had made her smile.  While she worked through the shoot she focused on her job, checking things in the monitor with the editor, and catching Willie in his most candid moments.  She only gave him minimal instructions, not wanting to mess with his natural vibes, but just enough the get a variety of shots for the editors.  Every now and then she checked on Jaxon who was beginning to look very sleepy; if it weren't for the music and people around catching his eye he probably would have dozed off.  Rae furrowed her eyebrows, chatting openly with the editor, "Mmmm, maybe of these few I would sharpen this.  But this one, this one is perfect... with a golden hue to it, that would enhance all the liquor bottles.  Really eye catching..." she mused.  She looked up, thinking they had so many good shots already they wouldn't much more.  "Maybe just a handful more of this setting and we could call it good."  She was brought out of her thoughts when Willie came over, thinking he had some suggestions or thoughts on the photos, but was surprised when he asked if she was hungry.  "Oh, I suppose I could eat, yeah."  Rae pointed to the monitor, "I think we just want to get a few more like this one, and then we can wrap it up.  The photos look great," she added.  "Is there anything good from food service?" she asked, eyeing the tale where a few crew members were mingling.

[willie blake price]

Willie lift his eyebrows, looking back over his shoulder to look at the food service table before looking back at Rae. "No, actually. It's pretty horrible. But I know somewhere that's got pretty good food. We can take the little guy," he said, giving a nod as though that settled matters. Willie took a step back, turning to go back to where he needed to be sitting for the remainder of the shots that were left. He hated photoshoots. He hated red carpets. You know what he liked? Acting. Hunting. Fishing. Shooting the shit. Drinking beer with Luke. This hoity toity Hollywood stuff felt weird. And honestly, he imagined some of Rae's best shots were of nature, or candids of people doing regular things. Did anyone really care about him for a magazine spread? No. He wasn't a hollywood heartthrob. He wasn't your typical handsome. But all he could do was hope for the best that Rae and the editor would sign off on a few more photos soon so that it could be over. At the end of the shoot Willie went to get some of his things, placing a baseball hat on over his hair that would soon be messy. "We can get his carseat and move it to my truck.. I have a double cab," he said, gesturing over his shoulder.

[Eliana Rae Gallagher]

Rae made a face, there never really was anything good from food service.  She sighed but nodded, "Yeah, that would be nice."  She wouldn't mind grabbing a bite to eat with him.  She WAS beginning to get hungry, and though she was imagining Jaxon could probably use snack too, she thought he might just sleep through it.  They finished up the photo shoot, Rae nodding in agreement when Willie said he had room in his truck for the car seat, and she began packing up her camera and lenses into the case.  Because the shoot was for a mag, she didn't have any other equipment and just had Jaxon's bag to carry along.  She packed up his small things, slinging both his bag and her camera bag over her shoulder and then scooped him up where he rested his head on her shoulder.  "Okay, the crew will pack up the rest, so i'm free to leave," she smiled, following Willie to his truck.  She smiled apologetically when she handed Jaxon over so she could buckle in the car seat and then reached out to take him and buckle him in too.  "So where are we headed?  I need to start mentally deciding what to order," she joked, knowing she could never decide what she wanted.  After climbing in the truck, she mused out loud, "You're not one for the fame, are you."  It was really more of a statement.  Rae spent a lot of time behind the lens watching peoples body language and reading their faces.  She had become pretty good at reading people and she knew even though Willie was a jokester and put on a good face, he looked a little like he hated that photoshoot.

[willie blake price]

When Rae handed Willie her son to put the car seat in, he held him at eye level and just stared at him. Maybe he was imagining it, but it seemed like this little man was sizing him up, too. But just as quickly he was climbing back into his truck, readjusting his hat against his head. He was being mindful that he now had a little guy in his truck and needed to not rev the engine like he normally would, speeding off. Nope, master of the road today. Save driving at it’s finest. The music was on, low and quiet, but loud enough for him to hum along to the Johnny Cash that was coming from the speakers. He looked over at Rae as she stated that he wasn’t much for fame. He looked back at the road, giving a nod. “ That would be true,” he said, turning the steering wheel to head onto the interstate. “The fact that people feel like they should know everything about our lives sort of freaks me out. I’m just a guy with a job,” he said, looking over at Rae with a smile.

The rest of the ride he spent telling her about his friendship with Luke, how his grandma made the absolute best oatmeal raisin cookies in the world. How his sister had a different view on fame than he did. How he felt about not fitting into Hollywood’s ideal standard of handsome. The scar he had just on the right side of his chin that he got from jumping out of his first girlfriends window. In no time he was pulling up to his house, putting the truck in the garage. He lived about forty minutes out of the city. Luke had convinced him that there was property where you could feel like the city was hundreds of miles away. This was one of them. Willie got out of the truck, getting out to take the carrier out of the carseat attachment and headed into his house through the garage which entered into the kitchen. Hell, he was pretty sure Luke had this carseat and carrier combo.

Willie dropped his keys on the counter, taking the carrier into the little offset so that they could still see Jaxon from the kitchen while they cooked. He took out his fleece blanket, spreading it on the floor. He was pretty sure Luke and Anabelle had left some toys here. He disappeared into the living room for a moment before coming back with a basket of toys, spreading them out on the blanket. “ Alright,” he said, readjusting his hat before coming into the kitchen and grabbing himself a beer. He looked through the fridge, finding the Lavender Lemonade that Anabelle had made and he took it out, pouring Rae a glass. “For dessert I have peach cobbler. But I’m not going to pretend that I made either of these. That would be Anabelle. But I will make dinner.” he said, setting the Lavender Lemonade down in front of her and turning back to the fridge. “… I did just shoot this venison,” he said, taking a package of meat to himself as he muttered to himself. Willie looked around the kitchen, starting to cut the bits of venison into tiny little bite size chunks. He cleaned his hands off quickly, going over to her where he set a bundle of asparagus in front of her. “Can I trust you with that?” he asked with a smile before going back over to the venison. Willie flipped his hat around backward, taking bacon from the package and wrapping it around the small venison bites before setting them on the tray for the grill.

[Eliana Rae Gallagher]

Rae nodded in agreement when Willie expressed his views on fame, "I do cherish my privacy."  it was strange to imagine how things might be different for her, had she been up front with Tyson about being Jaxon's father.  Would he have kept hush hush about it?  How could you?  Eventually people would wonder if he had a kid, and who the mother was.  Rae feared that before she knew it she would have been the topic of conversation of Tyson's fans and public alike.  She didn't love that thought.  She just wanted to raise Jaxon in peace, without public scrutiny.  Unfortunately that cost Jaxon the chance to know Tyson as a dad and not just a guy that hung around his mom.  That was probably the worst, constantly wondering if keeping knowledge of Jaxon's paternity from Tyson was a huge mistake.  She knew one day Jaxon would be asking her who his father was, and she would be honest when he did.  Facing Tyson scared her more than telling her own son the truth down the road.  Would he feel cheated out of fatherhood?  It wasn't as if he was unhappy currently; Rae had made a decision that she hoped would help his short term happiness.  By not complicating things with herself, Tyson was free to pursue Leah, and Rae had seen Tyson endure too much heartbreak than he ever let on.  he deserved every happy day he spent with Leah and her girls.  It was just confusing, watching him warm up to another woman's children and stepping into their life as a sort of father figure when he had no idea he had a child of his own. It was all so muddled in her mind, it made Rae's head hurt.  And her heart.

She wasn't sure where on earth they were going but she didn't feel unsafe or threatened; mostly just curious.  You could imagine her surprise when they pulled up at what was apparently his house, fitting for him to be in something so far from the hustle and bustle.  And Willie had so much conversation to offer he was making if easier to feel comfortable around him.  Getting to know new guys had become difficult after Jaxon; she scrutinized them so much more now, trying to figure out if they were a good match for the pair of them.  She spent so much time trying to read them she oftentimes never really let her walls down.  But Willie felt like someone you could just bullshit with for hours, no judgement.  "You brought me to your house?" she smirked?  It was a gutsy move.  She had to admit she was a bit astonished when he got out and brought Jaxon's carrier into the house, getting a blanket and toys and everything while Rae lifted Jaxon out and laid him on the blanket.  He had fallen asleep with the low rumble of Willie's truck, and though he had slightly awoken now, she knew he would drift back off for a little while until she got him some dinner.  Rae returned to the kitchen, smiling at the Lavender lemonade, "So you have.... nieces or nephews...?" She questioned, not convinced he had a kid himself.  She felt he would have mentioned it by now.  "Or just Luke and Anabelle's little ones?" man it was weird talking about 'celebrities' like just people he knew.  She saw a lot of them for work but, she didn't mingle much other than her friendship with Tyson.  She smiled all the same, "Jaxon likes you."  She took the bundle of asparagus, glancing over at the venison he was cutting up, "Ooh, a man who can provide," she joked, taking a sip of lemonade.  rae began snapping the ends off the asparagus, asking, "Have you always wanted to act?"

[willie blake price]

Wes smirked, giving a small shake of his head. Even if his sister had a baby, he kind of had the doubts that she would ever tell him. He would probably hear about it on the news or something. “Unfortunately, no. I didn’t even really know that I liked kids until Luke forced me to be around his so often,” he said, giving an honest answer. “They kind of grow on you. I like em now,” he said, giving her a smile as he finished wrapping up the last of the venison with bacon. Willie picked up the tray, stepping out through the sliding door as he remembered that he needed to turn the grill on. The girl was just too pretty. It was messing with his train of thought. He leaned down, lighting the grill before setting the venison on it and closing the lid, figuring that it could just have a little extra time in the grill. He came back in, setting the tray down as he took in a breath. “No, actually.” he said, taking his hat off and tossing it onto the kitchen counter. Willie crossed his arms, leaning against the counter. “When I was younger I wanted to be a farmer. My dad did it. I uh… in high school I did this play. Some girl I liked was starring in it, so I figured.. why not try out,” he said giving a smirk. “Premiere night my dad came out to see me, and when we were leaving he told me he had never been more proud.” he said, giving a slight nod. “ Twenty minutes later we were in the emergency room and the doctor was declaring a time of death… Drunk Driver.” Willie lift his eyebrows slightly, taking a long sip from his beer. “What about you though? Photography. That takes actual talent. I just say lines people tell me to. You actually have to bring your own talent to the drawing board so to speak,”

[Eliana Rae Gallagher]

"I'm sorry to hear that," she mentioned, grateful for his honesty.  She was interested in how much of an open book he was.  She felt like she could ask him anything and he would answer, even if he had to make something up.  "I think it's more than just repeating lines.  There has to be a way of delivering the lines that feels natural, the timing has to be right.  Not everyone has a talent for timing."  She smiled, wasn't that the truth.  "I always wanted to do photography.  I used to carry around disposable cameras when I was little and take pictures of just anything.  My parents were so excited to get me a digital camera so they didn't have to keep getting film developed.  I have scrapbooks of just photos of my cat," she laughed.  "But I love just taking photos of landscapes, people.  Sometimes i go to the park and just wait for the world to happen around me.  Photo shoots pay the bills, but having my stuff in a gallery, that's the most satisfying."  That was probably the most she had said about herself since meeting him.  It wouldn't kill her to share a little bit more about herself, "I'm an only child.  My dad was a truck driver so he wasn't home that much.  My mom worked in a hair salon for years.  I used to just wander around the neighborhood and these woods by our house with my camera."  She laughed, "I guess I wasn't the most social kid."