AN: I haven't written a story in a very long time but I have currently been wanting to get back into writing again. Please review and let me know what you think so far or if you have any suggestions! Thank you in advance!

I've been sitting in this truck for 3 hours now, unmoving. Stir crazy isn't exactly describing my mood at this point. I've been reading the same page in this book over and over, not really comprehending anything. The sound of obnoxiously loud snoring coming from the bed of the truck is not helping. The only thing keeping me from moving is my husband's hand on my shoulder, his thumb rhythmically moving across my collar bone. He's trying to keep me calm…bless him.

"What the hell is going on up there?" I say, placing my book on my chest, looking up at him from my head being in his lap.

"Dunno," he says while shrugging his shoulder and taking his thumb from his mouth, which he has been feverishly chewing on all afternoon. "How's tha' book?"

"Can't get into it. Too nervous I guess." I pull myself up from his lap and pull my sneakers back on. As soon as I reach for the door handle I see a familiar flash of silver in front of my face and feel a tight grip on my hands.

"Where do ya think yer goin'?" I stare at the wedding ring on his hand and sigh, fighting the urge to roll my eyes. Looking up from his hand to his face I can't help but smile. I love his eyes. They pull me in every time, always have.

"Daryl, baby, I am just walking up a few car lengths to see if I can see what the hold up is. Sittin here is drivin me crazy and if I have to listen to Merle for one more minute I'm gonna suffocate the bastard just to shut him up."

"Woman jus keep your ass in the truck. You don' need to go wanderin off with everythin goin on."

"I love you, but I am gettin out of this truck." I say while opening the door and rushing out to walk ahead.

The glare he sends my way doesn't phase me in the slightest. I wouldn't have married him if I couldn't handle the Dixon's. People never understood how Daryl and I ended up together, or even how I could "control" Daryl and Merle. Earning Merle's trust and respect was the hardest part of all of it.

I met Merle when he came into the hospital needing to be stitched up. I am, or rather was, a nurse at the local hospital in our town in southern Georgia. He found out quickly that I took no shit from him, but I could certainly give it back when needed. After that, I started seeing Merle around town and would talk to him and joke around. He introduced me to Daryl. One look at Daryl and I felt an instant pull to him. I can't explain it to this day, but it is still there after 6 years. The only thing I can think is that it's that whole fairy tale kind of love. I know, I know. That is probably the cheesiest thing to say, but it's the only way I can explain it. I cannot live my life without him, it would break me.

"Hey! Be careful!" I hear from the left side of me. When I look over I see a young boy with a mop full of brown hair running towards me, chasing after a ball that rolled right into my leg. I pick up the ball and walk up to the boy so he doesn't stray too far from his family, which are eyeing me like a hawk.

"I think you dropped this." I say while laughing and holding the ball out to him.

"Thanks. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hit you. Are you okay?"

I can't help but give the boy the biggest beaming smile I have. He looks to be about 10 years old, with blue eyes and a bright smile.

"I'm fine, I promise. Just make sure you hold onto it so you don't lose it."

"Everything okay over here?" A rather large man, who could probably pass for my brother on any given day says while walking over towards us. I guess he must be the boy's father.

"Absolutely, I was just returning your son's ball. It was about to roll off the highway."

The way he looks at me makes me slightly uncomfortable. It's almost like he is sizing me up while checking me out at the same time.

"He's not my dad. This is Shane. He was my dad's friend. I'm Carl." He says while holding out his hand.

I shake his hand back with a smile and bend down to meet him eye to eye.

"My name is Jenna. It is very nice to meet you Carl. It's also very nice to meet you Shane." I say while extending my hand to him as well, which he gladly takes before looking over my shoulder. I don't even need to turn around to know he is looking at Daryl, walking up behind me. Over protective should be his middle name.

"Wha happened to not wanderin off?" Hearing his familiar gruff voice in my ear makes me smile, especially when I see the look on Carl's face. Poor boy looks worried about me.

"I didn't wander off, you could see me the whole time and I was returning a ball to Carl." The only reply I receive is a grunt and I can't help the eye roll that escapes me this time, causing Carl to laugh.

"C'mon," Daryl says while pulling on my arm gently "you ain't gotta make friends with everyone woman."

I raise my eyebrow at him and smirk. "Who said anything about friends, I just found my future husband." I see the blush the creeps into Carl's face and I can't help but laugh and ruffle his hair a little.

"I'm Shane, and you are?"

"Daryl. C'mon woman I ain't fightin no kid for attention." If you weren't paying attention you wouldn't have seen the small smirk he gave Carl, but I did and so did Carl, which thankfully seemed to make him feel less intimidated. Daryl is great with kids. He stepped up and took over the role of dad to my own daughter. He was in her life from the age of 3 until she passed away at 9 from a heart murmur. He helped me through that. Some mornings I wouldn't get out of bed, just wishing for death to take me too, but he made it his mission to make sure I was taken care of, and made it through everything from the funeral to the grieving. He didn't allow himself time to grieve until I started to realize that she may not have been his daughter by blood, but she was his too just the same and he felt the loss just as hard as I did.

"How do you two know each other?" Shane says while pulling me away from the thought of how much my baby would've liked Carl.

"He's my husband. My brother-in-law is passed out in the truck. I'm sure you've heard the obnoxious sounds all the way up here from him snoring."

The look of surprise that Shane gives doesn't go unnoticed by myself or by Daryl. This is always something that annoys me but Daryl brushes it off. His childhood wasn't great and neither is his self-esteem. People judge him off of his appearance and never give him a chance to see who he really is. He looks like the typical rough redneck that always has on a flannel with sleeves that have been torn off, worn out jeans, and an ever present scowl unless we are alone, but inside he has a heart of gold.

Shane is wondering exactly what everyone always wonders. How in the hell did this redneck land a chick like that? Shane looks Jenna up and down a few times before he looks back and catches Daryl's narrowed eyes on him while Jenna is in conversation with Carl. She's about 5'3", 125 pounds which is filled out in all the right places forming an hourglass shape. She has an olive skin complexion which seems to hold the perfect tan. She has black curly hair pulled up into a messy bun on the top of her head, hazel eyes, and a pouty bottom lip that looks perfect for nibbling on. He gives the redneck a smirk and shakes his head. Nope, he doesn't get it. This guy looks like the type of redneck that he always saw on domestic dispute calls.

"Why would you work two jobs? Being a nurse pays a lot right?"

Carl's curiosity makes Jenna smile. "Well being a nurse pays ok, but after a while I wanted to keep myself busy so I work as a bartender on the weekends while Daryl goes on hunting trips."

"Cool! I always wanted to try and hunt at least once but my mom doesn't want me to use a gun yet."

"Your mom sounds like a smart woman." Jenna can't help but laugh until she looks up seeing Daryl eyeing Shane in an aggressive manner.

"You okay, baby?" Daryl grunts and looks at her before picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder. She lets out a yelp in surprise and starts laughing.

"Guess that's my cue…it was nice to meet you Carl!" She shouts while waving and Daryl starts walking back towards the truck. When Daryl puts her back down on her feet at the truck he holds onto her waist and gives her a quick kiss while no one can see them.

"Guy was lookin at ya like he was gonna eat ya fer breakfast. Stop wanderin off woman." He playfully smacks her ass while opening the door for her.

"Would you two shut the fuck up! Tryna sleep!" Jenna rolls her eyes and throws her shoe at him in the back of the truck.

"Ow! What the fuck was that for?"

"Bein a dick."

"Love ya too Sugar." Merle grumbles under his breath while tossing her shoe back at her.