Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW

Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews and feedback.

Chapter Twenty-Six

There was a long silence while Scarlett was trying to decide what to tell Rhett. For his part, Rhett just stared at Scarlett wondering why it was taking her so long to answer.

Scarlett guessed that she could tell him five hundred which was what she had left from Charlie's money and her profits from the shop after she had paid her expenses. She could get Rhett to show her how to buy the bonds then go back on her own but then she wouldn't be able to store the extra bonds in the safe and they might get burned up if they had a fire. For that matter, her bills could get burned up if they had a fire. Besides she trusted Rhett. Hadn't he told her about all his secret money. He would not take her money or force her to do anything. Finally, she said, "Ten thousand, five hundred dollars."

"Where did you get all that money? I know your dress shop isn't that profitable."

"Charlie had a life insurance policy for ten thousand dollars."

"Why didn't you just live on that instead of buying a dress shop?"

"If I spent that money, it would soon be gone, and I would have no way to support myself. I didn't want to have to get married again. So that meant me finding a way to make money for me to live on for the next sixty years or so."

"You certainly found a wonderful way to support yourself and Wade. Fortunately, now you have me to support you and Wade. The smallest denomination of bond they sell is twenty-five dollars, therefore, every time you have more than twenty-five dollars, we will go buy some more bonds."

"Alright, Rhett. Speaking of my dress shop, did I tell you that Coco has started bringing her thirteen-year-old daughter with her to work?"

"Why?"

"To help with the sewing."

"Do you pay her a salary?"

"No."

"Pay her a salary."

"Why? We can get free labor out of Gabrielle."

"You are treating her like a slave which will build resentment in her. Have you ever heard the story of why Abraham Lincoln is such a staunch abolitionist?"

"No, why?"

"It is said that his father lent him out to other farmers. It is said that Mr. Lincoln had to give all of his earnings to his father. He once remarked that he was used like a slave by his father."

"Oh, my."

"You don't have to give her much but give her something. What do you give Mrs. Head?"

"Seven dollars a week."

"Give Gabrielle three dollars a week. She will certainly have a better attitude."

"I don't know Rhett."

"Can the business not afford it?"

"Yes, the business can afford it." Scarlett sighed. She knew Rhett was right. Finally, she said, "I will talk with Coco about it. Gabrielle is certainly a big help."

Rhett knew Scarlett still wasn't happy letting go of any of her money, but she did see the logic of his statements.

Scarlett's concern over Rhett dying made him realize that he had to draw up a will to make sure she got all of his money. Yes, she was his wife but that didn't automatically entitle her to his money upon his death.

The next day Rhett went to see Mr. Matlock. Everything he owned would be left to Scarlett in trust. Upon her death, everything in the trust would pass to her children. Rhett paused. What if after he died, she married again and had more children by that man. He laughed. Scarlett would never marry again. He had only gotten her to marry him by making that outrageous promise that thank God he had not had to honor.

In that moment, Rhett decided there was a God. A God who loved him. That was the only explanation for Mrs. Taylor taking him in. That was the only explanation for him being able to amass a large fortune after being thrown out on the street with just the money in his pockets. A lot of his being able to amass that fortune was being in the right place at the right time. There being a God was the only explanation for him running in to Scarlett in a park in New York City. That was the only explanation for her taking him back after he had insulted her so crudely. That was the only explanation for her marrying him. Yes, indeed there was a God, but he wasn't going to church any more often than he did now. He knew Scarlett was alright with him not going to church because she didn't want to go to church either.

The next Thursday Scarlett, Rhett, and Wade did go to the bank and bought savings bonds with all of Scarlett's cash. They had to go to several banks to buy ten thousand five hundred dollars in savings bonds.

Scarlett was nervous and scared. She asked the first teller, "How do I cash them in?"

"Just bring them to me and I will cash them out for you."

The trio then went home and put her bonds, his bearer bonds, and most of their jewelry in the safe Rhett had already bought them. The safe was in their room. Scarlett didn't cover it up. She wanted to see it. It gave her peace to see the safe and that all her money was safe.

Soon it was Wade's third birthday. By that time, he was always calling Rhett Daddy. Scarlett knew that Melly was not happy about it, but Melly also knew it was inevitable. Unfortunately, Rhett Butler was the only father Wade had ever known. The only thing about the arrangement that made Melly happy was that Rhett obviously loved her nephew very much.

For Wade's birthday supper they had stewed rabbit, broccoli, and beets. Scarlett had Rachael make Wade a chocolate cake for his birthday party. Although the boy didn't get to eat his fill of the cake, he was given a large piece.

Scarlett had made a big production of letting Wade sit in his own chair at the table. She had gotten a handy man that Coco knew to make Wade a box with a cushion on top of it. It had been one of his birthday presents. Scarlett had to admit Rhett had been right. It was time for Wade to sit in his own chair but, in truth, she had not wanted to admit that her baby was growing up. Nonetheless, he was no longer a baby but a toddler.

It was just as well Wade sat in his own chair for soon, Scarlett would not have a lap for him to sit in. She put her hand on her abdomen and thought, 'Maybe.' She had only missed one monthly but like with Charlie she knew she was already with child. Unlike with Charlie she was happy about giving Rhett a child. A child she knew would be dearly loved, not just by her but by its father also.

Scarlett didn't know how true that thought was. Her husband would love his child almost too much.

A week later, Scarlett felt rage at her father-in-law. Rage that his own ambition had been the downfall of his first-born child.

Maybe because Scarlett loved her first-born child so much, she could not imagine throwing him to the wolves for her own selfish ambition. Yet, that was what Langston Butler had done. He had thrown his son away trying to force him to concur with Charleston's society's wishes. Yet the worst part of it to Scarlett was that Langston Butler had made the whole awful affair worse by his actions. He had thrown his son out like trash because Rhett would not kowtow to the man's desires.

In the years to come, Scarlett would occasionally reflect on her father-in-law's actions and wonder, 'Did he know his son at all?'

The night before after supper and Wade was put to bed Scarlett said, "I have never understood why the broken buggy wheel was such a big deal. It was obviously a broken buggy wheel. Why did it get turned into such a big scandal?"

Rhett laughed for a long time. At last, he said, "I was twenty-two years old as you know and despite the fact I had been expelled from West Point, I was quite the catch."

"You were quite the catch when you were thirty-seven."

"Thank you, Darling. I was the heir apparent to the Butler fortune. Not only would I inherit a lot of money, but I would also inherit the plantation, although I didn't want it. I was handsome and charming."

"Like you are now."

"Thank you, Dear. As I was saying…."

"Wait! Why was you being expelled from West Point such a big deal? My friends Stuart and Brent Tarleton had been expelled from four universities and nobody acted like it was a big deal. Except maybe Mrs. Tarleton. She wanted to take a switch to her sons."

Rhett smiled at the image of a mother taking a switch to her grown sons. He said, "West Point is believed to be one of the most honorable schools to have attended. Only great things happen to West Point graduates."

"Did you want a military career?"

"Hell, no."

Scarlett frowned at Rhett's language but went on. She said, "Why did you attend it?"

"My father thought the discipline would rid me of my wild ways. He threatened me with disownment and at the time I didn't want to be disowned."

"Was he ever wrong?"

"Unbeknownst to him I wasn't going to take over the running of the plantation either."

"Were you just going to surprise him with that information?"

"Yes."

"Back to the buggy incident, I understand the money but were the Crawfords that important?"

Rhett smiled at Scarlett and continued, "Amazingly yes. The girl, Caroline Crawford, was not extremely attractive and her family was dirt poor, but they had social prominence. That was just about all they had."

"Why did you take her on a buggy ride if she wasn't attractive to you?"

"My father asked me to. I did it because I couldn't see how it would cost me anything, but an afternoon and it would make my father happy with me for once."

"Boy, were you ever wrong?"

"Yes, I was."

"My father wanted me to marry her to cement our place in Charleston society. Her father wanted me to marry Caroline so his daughter would be a member of the wealthy Butler family. Both fathers made a big to-do about it. If the fathers had kept quiet, it would have been a five-day wonder and then it would have blown over. My father put me between a rock and a hard place. I either married the girl or I was no longer in society to embarrass my father."

"Was he ever wrong about that?"

"Yes, he was."

"Rhett, that is what I don't understand. Your family should not have been prominent in Charleston. God's nightgown, your grandfather was a pirate."

"Yes, but my parental grandmother was a Mulberry. My mother was a Kennesaw. By their social prominence, the Butlers were on the verge of greatness."

"Did they achieve it despite the scandal?"

"No, much to my father's disappointment, the Butlers are a second-tier family in Charleston society."

Scarlett laughed. She said, "It serves them right. Come to bed, Baby, I will show you how you are a first-tiered person to me."

Rhett, of course, accepted his wife's offer. He didn't think he would ever turn her down.

Afterwards, while lying next to Scarlett he wondered how he could have insulted her so, how he could have ever thought he would be happy with the paltry relationship between a man and his mistress. Furthermore, if he had gotten her with child, he would have to either let her bear his bastard or let her go to a butcher. Her going to a butcher would not only put her life in danger, but it would have killed his only child. No, he would have just married her, but she would have to bear the shame of everyone knowing they had relations before they got married. He was so glad she had forgiven him and taken him back.

A child! He wondered if Scarlett was already with child. She had not had a monthly since they had gotten married. His child that would be so very precious to him. A child that he would love until his dying day. He didn't know why he thought that, but he knew it was true. He would sacrifice everything for his child. Not just his child but his wife and Wade as well. He didn't know why he thought he would do that because he was a fairly selfish person and self-sacrifice was not something he normally would do.

Rhett loved Wade because of who the boy was, true enough. But what put his love over the top for the boy was because he was part of Scarlett. Wade was Scarlett's son and she loved him so very much.