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

need to know so I know what to tell her,” Ann said feeling a little disappointed. She’d been hoping he’d want to stay. ‘Once a runner always a runner,’ she thought.

“I understand that. I just don’t know yet if I’m staying. I’m sorry I can’t give you a more definite answer,” Brandon said feeling like a jackass. ‘Why can’t I just tell her I’m staying? That’s what she wants to hear, and the sooner I say that the sooner she’ll tell Mackenzie I’m her dad. But I can’t lie to her. If I lie to her I’ll be lying to Mackenzie too and I don’t want to do that.’

“That’s okay, I’ll figure out the right way to tell her. I just don’t want her to expect you to be here all the time and then you not be. It would hurt her, and I can’t have that.”

“Just tell her that I live out of town, and that I’ve come to town for a visit. And if I end up staying then we just tell her I’m moving back.”

“It’s not that simple, Brandon. If she was two, it would work, but she’s five and way too smart for anyone’s good. She asked me why she didn’t have a daddy when she was three. I had thought I had couple of more years before I had to answer that question, but no not with Mackenzie. All the other kids at day care had a daddy. I told her that her daddy had a very important job that kept him constantly moving.”

“I’m sorry. If I had known I wouldn’t have left,” Brandon said looking down. He couldn’t look her in the eye.

“Are you sure of that? I mean you didn’t even leave us a way of getting a hold of you. I looked for you for nine months after you left. After I had Mac I didn’t have time to look for you, but I still look every year around her birthday. I keep thinking that that would be a perfect birthday present, her daddy. But no matter how hard I’ve looked I couldn’t find you. In all honestly I don’t think you would have stayed if you had known. You worked too hard to make sure you weren’t found,” Ann said pained.

“You can’t know that I wouldn’t have stayed. I believe I would have. And you could have found me if you wanted to,” Brandon said deciding to choose anger over pain.

“And you can’t say that you would have stayed. You like to believe you would have, but that doesn’t mean you would have. And you have no damn idea how hard and long I looked for you. I felt you deserved to know you were a father, and that Mac deserved a father,” Ann yelled getting up from the table.

“Ann calm down,” Brandon said a little unnerved. In the many years he had known Ann he had never seen her loose her temper like this, we except for last night.

“Calm down, really Brandon you’re acting like it’s nothing for you to walk back into mine and Mac’s life. Like everything is going to be just fine and dandy, like you can just walk in our life one day and walk out the next with no consequences. I’m not worried about me, Brandon. I got over the pain of you leaving years ago, but I will not stand by and watch you hurt my daughter.”

“She’s not just your daughter,” Brandon said starting to get mad himself. “I’m not going to hurt my daughter. I might live in Troy or I might not, but I will continue to be a part of her life. Stop acting like I’m an irresponsible selfish jackass. You know me better than that.”

“But I don’t Brandon. It’s been six years. We’ve both changed. You don’t know me anymore than I know you,” Ann said looking exhausted. “I’d hoped this would be easier. I hoped we could just figure this out, but life is never that easy. I thought I learnt that lesson six years ago.”

Brandon stood up and walked over to her. “Ann,” he said putting his arms around her, “I’m sorry. I should have been here, and I promise you, I won’t do anything to hurt you or Mac ever again.”

“Okay,” Ann said pulling away, “the only way to do this is to just do it and let the chips fall where they may. I can’t protect her forever, and she deserves to know her father.”

Ann walked back over to the table and sat down just as her cell phone started to ring. “Hey Jason,” she said without looking at the read out. ‘So, he has his own special ringtone,’ Brandon thought snidely. “Yeah, I’m still at Brandon’s. Why don’t y’all just come on over here…No, you can stay… Yes its fine…No, I’m not going to ask him. I want you to stay…Okay see y’all in a little while. Bye.”

“So how long have you and Jason been together?” Brandon asked with an edge to his voice.

“We’re not,” Ann said shocked.

“Oh, please. ‘I want you to stay.’ Don’t lie to me Ann. You’re not very good at it.”

“I’m not lying to you, and anyway why the hell do you care who I date?”

“I care because he’s trying to take my place as her father.”

“No hell he’s not. He’s her Uncle Jay. He has been there for her since before she was born. He has been like an overprotective brother to me. He has helped me out more times than I count. So, you will stop being an ass hole because you are jealous that he has been here and you haven’t. Dammit what happened to the two of you? I’m going to tell you like I told him earlier. Y’all used to be best friends stop being mad at each other, and take this opportunity to get to know each other again, to be friends again.”

“Whatever, I’m going to get the stuff ready to have a fish fry with my daughter,” Brandon said walking out of the kitchen.

 

Jason and Mac pulled up a few minutes later. Brandon walked around front to see his daughter. “Hey, Mackenzie,” Brandon said smiling as he helped her out of Jason’s F-150 extended cab. “Did you have fun?”

“Yeppity yep yep yep, now I can’t wait to eat ‘em,” Mac said, “Hey why don’t you call me Mac like everyone else? No one calls me Mackenzie unless I’m in trouble.”

“Okay, then I’ll stop calling you Mackenzie. How about I call you Kenzie? I don’t like to be like everyone else,” Brandon said.

“Kenzie,” she said with a thoughtful look, “I like it.”

“Good, why don’t you head around back, and I’ll help your Uncle Jay get the fish.”

“’Kay,” Mackenzie said and ran around the back of the house.

Ann watched the exchange from the front porch. When Mackenzie ran around back Ann headed back into the house and went out the back door.

“So, how do you like playing daddy? You better enjoy while it last because I’m back and I’m Kenzie’s father not you,” Brandon said and grabbed the cooler of fish of the back of the truck.

Jason stood there for a second stunned. ‘What the hell was that?’ he thought. He grabbed the cooler of drinks and headed around back. When he rounded the house he saw Brandon showing Mac how to clean the catfish. He looked around for Ann and saw her sitting on the back steps. He walked over to her and set the cooler on the ground beside the steps, and then sat beside her on the steps. “So, how did it go?” he asked.

“It went,” she said.

“That bad?”

“He doesn’t know whether he’s staying or not, but he doesn’t see where that’s a problem. I kinda lost it.”

“You lost your temper?” Jason asked with a raised eyebrow and a grin.

“Well, you know how I am when it comes to Mac.”

“Yeah, momma bear.”

“Yeah,” Ann said. She laid her head on Jason’s shoulder and sighed. Jason put his arm around her and gave her a kiss on the forehead and said, “It’ll be okay. Everything will work out.”

Brandon looked over and saw the happy couple all cuddled up on his back steps. Really, did they have to shove it in his face? “Brandon,” Kenzie said, “Is it supposed to look like that?”

Brandon looked down at her and smiled then he looked at the fish. “Well, not exactly, but its fine. Here watch me some more,” Brandon said and tried to concentrate on his daughter and fish instead of the happy couple.

“One question, what made you think it would be fine with Brandon if I stayed instead of just dropping Mac off?” Jason asked when Brandon shot him a look that promised death.

“Why do you ask?”

“Oh, I don’t know maybe because he reminded me I’m not Mac’s father and that he is, right after I got here, and the look he’s giving me now.”

“Sorry, I didn’t know he was going to react that way. I mean he did get pissed while I was on the phone with you, but that’s just because he’s upset that you’ve been here and he hasn’t. He’ll calm down.”

“Yeah, whatever you say sweetie,” Jason said very doubtful.

 

A couple of hours later after they had all ate Jason announced he had to go. “But,” Ann said getting up and following Jason around the house. “I shouldn’t be here for this. This is for you and Brandon to handle, not me,” Jason interrupted.

“I don’t know if I can do this by myself.”

“You won’t be by yourself. Brandon’s here. Now get back around there, and tell your daughter who her father is. Like you’ve always said she deserves to know who her father is,” Jason said and gave her a hug. “It’ll be okay, and if you need me I’m just a phone call away.”

“Okay,” Ann said, “Thanks. I’ll see you later.”

“See you later,” Jason said as he got into his truck. He sat there until Ann had walked back around the house. “Good luck little orphan Annie,” he said aloud as he pulled off.

 

When Ann turned the corner she saw Brandon running around the yard with an elated Mac on his shoulders. “Maybe this will all work out,” Ann said aloud to herself. “Hey, guys why don’t we sit down for a minute.”

“Mom,” Mackenzie said in her pained voice as though Ann had recommended torture.

“I think your mom’s right,” Brandon said as he took Kenzie off his shoulders. “Let’s go sit on the porch and talk some more.”

“Okay,” Mackenzie said knowing she wouldn’t be able to get her way with both adults against her.

They all sat down on the porch. Ann took a deep steadying breath and said, “You remember asking me about your father?”

“Yeah, so?” Mackenzie said.

“Well, I think it’s time to I told you who he is.”

“Okay, what’s his name?”

“Brandon, Brandon Cooper,” Ann said and pointed to him.

“Wait, you’re my dad?” Mackenzie asked Brandon.

“Yes,” Brandon said nervous all of a sudden.

“Where have you been?”

“Here and there mostly Texas.”

“Why did you never call me or come to visit me?”

“I didn’t know there was a you. I left town right after my parents died. I didn’t know your mom was pregnant. She didn’t even know she was pregnant at the time.”

“So, you didn’t know about me? But Momma why didn’t you tell him when you knew?”

“I couldn’t find him, sweetie. I’ve been trying for years, but he didn’t want to be found. I think he just needed to get away. He was hurting too bad to stay after his parents died,” Ann said.

“Oh,” Mackenzie said and everyone was silent for a few minutes.

Brandon picked Mackenzie up and asked, “Are you okay, Kenzie? Is it alright with you if I want to be in your life? May I be your father now, like I should have been all these years?”

“Yeah! I just can’t believe I finally have a dad,” Mackenzie said with a big grin on her face. “Can I call you dad or