Redemption, H.L.B. Adams [grave mercy txt] 📗

he knew the little girl couldn’t hear him.

“I tried, but I couldn’t find you. You didn’t exactly leave a number or forwarding address,” Ann said angrily.

“Well you obviously didn’t try hard enough,” Brandon accused. He knew that probably wasn’t true. He hadn’t wanted to be found. He was mad at himself, granted, but he still took his anger out on Ann.

“You bastard,” Ann said looking up at him, “what the hell gives you the right to come back here after six damn years and accuse me of a damn thing.”

“Mommy,” Mackenzie said walking up at the worst moment. “Watch your language, and you leave my mommy alone.” Mackenzie stomped on Brandon’s foot and grabbed Ann’s hand trying to pull her to another booth.

“Mackenzie!” Ann said trying not to laugh. “We don’t hurt people.”

“But he upset you.”

“We still don’t hurt people,” Ann said getting down to eye level with her daughter. “Now apologize.”

“I’m sorry you’re a jerk,” Mackenzie said, and Ann couldn’t help it she laughed then.

Brandon didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. His daughter, that he hadn’t even known he had just tried to break his foot and called him a jerk. He settled for a laugh, but shot Ann a pained look.

At the look on Brandon’s face Ann stopped laughing. “Mackenzie, that’s not an apology. Now you give a real apology or we’re going to leave right now,” Ann said sternly. Mackenzie looked at her mom and huffed out a breath. She looked back at Brandon and said, “I’m sorry I stomped on your foot and was rude.” Mackenzie turned back to her mom and said, “Now can we stay, please.”

“Yeah,” Ann said as she stood back up.

“I think I’m going to go on home. It might not be such a great idea for me to hang around right now, but will you call me?” Brandon said to Ann.

“Yeah,” Ann said sighing, “Give me your number.” Brandon rattle off his number for Ann to program into her phone. Then he got down to eye level with Mackenzie and said, “I’m sorry I upset your momma and you. Friends?” he said holding out his hand. “Maybe,” Makenzie said looking at him doubtfully. “You’re a hard nut to crack, aren’t you? Just like your momma.”

“Momma says I get that from my dad, but I wouldn’t know I’ve never met him,” Mackenzie said simply. “Now can we go play some more games,” she said looking back up at her mom.

Ann looked down at Brandon and saw the distraught look on his face. She couldn’t help, but feel sorry for him. It wasn’t really his fault that he hadn’t been a part of their daughter’s life. He hadn’t know she existed. “You sure you don’t want to stay a little longer?” Ann asked him.

“Are you sure that’s okay?” Brandon asked.

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Ann said.

“Okay, so stay,” Mackenzie said exasperated, “No let’s go play some games.”

 

Chapter Two

 

Ann woke up at six o’clock Saturday morning feeling hung over without having drank a drop the night before. ‘It was just a dream. Why couldn’t it just be a dream?’ Ann thought as she got out of bed. ‘I’ve finally gotten okay with being a single mom. I’ve finally gotten to where I don’t wish for him to come back every day, and now that I’m not waiting around for him, now that I’m okay with it all, now that I know I can do it on my own, he shows up.’

Ann went into the kitchen and put on some coffee. She sat down at the table and just put her head in her hands. ‘How am I going to tell Mackenzie that the guy she met at the fair is her father? Should I tell her he’s her father? If he doesn’t plan on sticking around and being a part of her life I’m not. I’m not going to put her through that. He’s not going to leave her heart broken like he did me.’

“Mommy,” Mackenzie said breaking Ann from her thoughts. “Mornin’ sweetie,” Ann said looking up to the door way where her beautiful daughter stood. ‘She looks so much like him.’

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine baby. Just didn’t sleep well last night. Probably the fair food,” Ann said getting up to fix her first cup of coffee. “You want some juice?”

“Yes, apple please,” Mackenzie said walking into the kitchen and sitting down at the table. “Can we go to Lynn’s for breakfast? I want waffles.”

“Yeah, we can go to Lynn’s,” Ann said smiling as she came back to the table with her coffee and Mackenzie’s juice.

“Thanks,” Mackenzie said and took a sip of her juice. “I don’t like that Brandon guy.”

“Why? I thought y’all were getting along by the end of the night.”

“Well it was nice of him to buy me all of that stuff, but he was mean to you. I hope we don’t see him again.”

“Oh baby, don’t dislike him just because I got into an argument with him,” Ann said. ‘You’ll find you have plenty of other reasons to dislike him soon enough,’ Ann thought. Instead she said, “People argue sometimes. It’s no big deal. Do you dislike me just because we argue sometimes? Or do you dislike Uncle Jay when me and him argue?”

“No,” Mackenzie said, “but that’s different.”

“And how is that different?”

“Because I love you and Uncle Jay. I don’t even know this guy.”

“Well, how about you get to know him before you decide you dislike him.”

“I guess. Are we goin’ to be seein’ him again?” Mackenzie asked not looking too pleased. ‘Oh you are so much like him,’ Ann thought smiling, ‘Two peas in a pod.’ “I don’t know, maybe.”

“Okay.”

They sat there for a few minutes in silence. “Well, if you want to go to Lynn’s for breakfast you better go get dressed,” Ann said looking at Mackenzie.

“Okay!” Mackenzie said hopping up from the table.

 

Brandon woke up early the next morning and realized he still didn’t have power. ‘Duh dummy,’ he thought as he tried to turn the light on in the kitchen to make coffee. ‘They said they would be here around ten this morning, and I don’t have any coffee either.’ Brandon stomped back upstairs to get dressed so he could go get his very necessary morning coffee. ‘I wonder if Lynn’s Dinner is still open. Hope so,’ he thought as he got dressed.

As he walked out the front door headed to his car, the events of the night before hit him. ‘Oh damn, I have a daughter,’ he thought trying to take a steadying breath. ‘And she already doesn’t like me, but man is she a little spit fire.’ He laughed at that thought. She sure showed him last night. You don’t mess with her momma or she’ll hurt you, and you have to twist her arm to get her to apologize for it. He couldn’t help but grin at her antics from the night before. No matter how much stuff he bought her she never gave in. ‘And she’s so smart. I mean how many five year olds know who Shakespeare is. That she gets from Ann. Ann was always smart.’

Brandon pulled up at Lynn’s ten minutes later and was happy to see it was still open and not packed yet. He looked at his watch and thought, ‘No wonder nobody’s up at seven on a Saturday morning. Why am I?’ He walked in and took a seat at the counter. “Oh my goodness, is that really you?” the woman behind the counter said as soon as she saw him. Miss Pam the owner and everyone in town’s favorite entrepreneur still looked the same, maybe a few more wrinkles than he remembered, and was that a gray in her red hair, but other than that she was still the same, short and skinny. “Yes ma’am, Miss Pam,” Brandon said smiling.

“Well hot damn, I can’t believe it. I didn’t think you would ever come back around here, but I’m glad you did,” she said as she came around the counter to give him a hug. “So, the usual.”

“Yes ma’am and a cup of coffee, black,” Brandon replied. Miss Pam had always had the best waffles in town.

A few minutes later just as Miss Pam was sitting his plate in front of him he heard the bell over the door ring, and the look on Miss Pam’s face told him who it was, Ann and Mackenzie. He turned around and looked at his daughter and her mother. He smiled and said, “Good morning ladies. Y’all must be here for Miss Pam’s famous waffles. Still the best in town.”

“Mornin’ Brandon,” Ann said politely, “And yes Mac here wanted waffles this morning, and ever since she had Pam’s she won’t eat mine.” Mackenzie just stood there looking at him for a second then she walked up to him and said, “I don’t like you, but Momma said I should get to know you first. So (long suffering sigh) I guess you should eat breakfast with us.” With that Mackenzie walked off to their usually booth.

Brandon looked up at Ann and saw she was trying hard not to laugh, and he heard Pam behind him not doing such a good job of hiding her laughter. “Well then, I guess I’m having breakfast with y’all. Maybe I can redeem myself,” Brandon said getting up and grabbing his plate and cup of coffee. “Good luck with that,” Pam said smiling, “She stayed mad at Jay for two months once because he missed her dance recital.”

“Ouch, she holds a grudge huh?” Brandon said looking back at Ann.

“Well, sometimes. I think she gets it from her father,” Ann said heading back to the table.

“Ah now I’m not so sure about that,” Brandon replied.

“Oh, are you saying she gets it from me?” Ann stopped and looked at him.

“Umm, no. I’m not sure where she gets it from.”

“Uh huh,” Ann said and went to sit down with her daughter.

“Crap,” Mackenzie said when Brandon sat down beside her in the booth. “What?” Brandon asked. “Nothing,” Mackenzie said as Pam brought her an orange juice and Ann a cup of coffee. “Y’all’s food will be out in a sec. So how was the fair last night?” Pam asked Mackenzie.

“Great I got to ride the Ferris wheel twice, and won a lot of prizes,” Mackenzie said happily.

“You got to ride the Ferris wheel twice?” Pam asked and looked at Ann with an eyebrow raised.

“Yeah, I know she can talk me into anything, and no I didn’t pass out or take a nerve pill beforehand,” Ann said. Pam just laughed and patted her on the shoulder before she headed back to the counter.

“So, what’s your favorite color?” Mackenzie asked Brandon sounding bored.

“Red,” Brandon answered, “What’s yours?”

“Yellow.”

“Makenzie, what have I told you about lying?”

“I’m not lying. I changed it to yellow just now.” Brandon tried hard not to laugh. “So what was it before yellow?”

“Red.”

“Okay,” Brandon said grinning. Ann just rolled her eyes at the both of them. They were so much alike, it killed her.

Pam brought over Ann’s omelet and Mackenzie’s waffles with a grin on her face. She had obviously been listening to their conversation. “Enjoy,” she said setting their food down, and headed back to her spot behind the counter.

“Mommy, what time