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

daddy or papa or pop or father?”

“Whichever one you want to?” Brandon said with a huge smile on his face and tears in his eyes.

“I like dad. Daddy makes me sound like a little baby, and father is just so proper, and papa or pop just don’t sound right.”

“So dad it is,” he said hugging his daughter for the first time.

Ann stood up and walked around the house. They deserved their moment just the two of them. When Ann got to the front yard she just sat in the grass and cried. She was happy for them, but she felt as though she had just put her daughter in a bear trap. She couldn’t help but think that he was going to hurt her baby girl. He just wasn’t going to stick. He wasn’t the type to stick. She still remembered him telling her that he was planning on leaving even before his parents died, that there was nothing here for him, that he had to get of this small town, that it was killing him. It wouldn’t take long and he would be saying that again, and this time it wouldn’t just be her heart, it would be Mackenzie’s too.

“Hey,” Brandon said from behind Ann. She didn’t turn around. She just took a deep breath to compose herself and asked, “Where’s Mac?”

“She had to use the bathroom. Why did you leave?”

“I just thought I’d let y’all have your moment.”

“You didn’t want to be a part of that?”

“I wasn’t supposed to be. I’ve had my moments. This one was yours.”

“Okay. Ann why want you look at me?”

“I’m enjoying the view here.”

“Yeah right, come on Ann just look at me.”

“Fine,” she said as she turned around not bothering to stand up.

“Oh baby, don’t cry,” Brandon said and sat down beside her. Ann hopped and moved a few feet away. “I’m not your baby, and I don’t want your comfort. You lost that right a long time ago. You’re Mackenzie’s father, and I have no problem letting you be that, but you are nothing to me,” Ann said. She wiped her tears off her face and headed into the house.

Ann found Mackenzie in the living room looking at pictures. She was staring at a picture of Mr. and Mrs. Cooper. “Are they my grandparents?” Mac asked as Ann walked into the living room. “Yeah, they were great people. Mrs. Cooper was a like a mom to me after my mom died, and Mr. Cooper was like an extra father. He was always there to scold me if he caught me doing something I shouldn’t.”

“Why don’t I have any grandparents?”

“They all died way to young sweetie. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. Will you tell me a story about them tonight? I like when my bed time story is about someone I know, or should know.”

“Yeah I will,” Ann said giving her daughter a hug. “Come on its getting late we need to head home.”

“Why doesn’t Kenzie stay with me tonight?” Brandon asked from the door way.

“She doesn’t have any clothes here,” Ann replied.

“Oh okay, well how about tomorrow night?”

“Tomorrow’s Sunday and she has school Monday.”

“I can take her to school.”

“I’ll think about.”

“Please Mommy, can I stay tomorrow?”

“I said I’ll think about it sweetie. Now go tell…your dad good night.”

“Yes ma’am,” Mackenzie said and walked over to Brandon. “Night Dad. Will you come see me tomorrow?”

“Yeah, I will. Good night sweetheart. I love you,” Brandon said and gave her a hug and kiss.

“Bye Brandon,” Ann said heading toward the door.

“Good night Ann. We’ll talk later.”

“Yeah, later,” Ann said, “Come on Mac.”

“Dad will you tote me out to the truck?”

“Yeah, I will,” Brandon said picking her up.

Brandon followed Ann out of the house and to her truck. Ann opened the back door and walked around to the driver’s side and got in. Brandon buckled Mackenzie into her safety seat. “Night sweetie, I love you,” Brandon said and gave her a kiss on her head.

“Good night Dad, I love you too. See ya tomorrow.”

“See ya tomorrow. Good night Ann.” Ann just nodded and cranked the truck. Brandon shut the door and stood back. He stood there and watched them drive away.

 

Chapter Four

 

It had been a week since Brandon walked back into Ann’s life, and surprisingly, to her, he appeared to want to stay. For Mackenzie of course, but that was all Ann wanted. She wanted her daughter to have her father. ‘Maybe he’ll stay and be the kind of father she deserves,’ Ann thought looking up from the papers she was grading at her desk at the school, to look at her little angel sitting at a desk eating her apple slices and watching her favorite movie, Beauty and the Beast.

‘Brandon should be here soon,’ Ann thought looking at the clock. Mackenzie was spending the weekend with him. Ann still felt it was a little early for that, but Mackenzie really wanted to, and Jason talked her into it.

 

Jason entered the school with no idea where to go. He had forgot to ask Ann where her classroom was. All he knew was that that was where he would find Kenzie. As he walked down the halls looking into the rooms he spotted a petite brunette coming down the hall toward him. “Ma’am I’m hoping you can help,” Brandon said stopping her. “Can you tell me where Miss Mackenzie’s classroom is?”

“Yeah, if you can tell me why you need to know,” Jasmine Betts said.

“Umm, yeah, I’m looking for my daughter, Mackenzie Cooper. Ann told me that she would be in her classroom.”

“Oh, so you’re the jackass who left Ann pregnant,” Jasmine said, “Hi, I’m Jasmine Betts, Mackenzie teacher.”

“Okay, please tell me you don’t say things like that about me in front of my daughter,” Brandon said getting a little pissed that this woman who didn’t even know him would say that about him.

“No, I don’t, and I don’t know for sure if you are a jackass. Some people say you are and some say you’re a decent guy. I’ll wait to find out for myself,” Jasmine replied, “Anyway you’re on the wrong hall. This is kindergarten. Ann teaches second grade. Go back to,”

“I know where the second grade hall is, thanks. I went here when I was a kid.”

“Her room is 203. Oh, and by the way, you should know that Mackenzie is already attached to you. She accepted you pretty quick. For show and tell this week she brought in a bear you got her at the fair, and told everyone how she now had a dad. Don’t screw it up. That little girl loves you,” Jasmine said.

“I won’t,” Brandon said and headed to Ann’s classroom.

He found her sitting at her desk grading papers and Mackenzie watching TV. “Hey ladies,” he said entering the room. “Dad,” Mackenzie said jumping up and running to him. “I got all gold stars this week on my work. Miss Betts says I’m one of the smartest kids at school. She said she thinks I’m smarter than some of the big kids.”

“Miss Betts is right. You are the smartest kid I have ever met,” Brandon said picking her up for a hug and kiss.

“We’re going to have so much fun this weekend. I can’t wait.”

“Well, the weekend has started, so let the fun start too,” Brandon said and began tickling her.

“The weekend doesn’t start until I leave the school,” Mackenzie said laughing.

“Oh, well in that case you have a few more minutes,” Brandon said and set Mackenzie’s back on her feet.

Ann just sat there and watched the father daughter exchange. It shocked her how well Brandon had taken to fatherhood, but he had always been good at surprising her. “Hey Brandon,” Ann said when he turned his attention to her.

“Hey, long day?” he asked, “You look a little ragged, no offense.”

“None taken. Second graders can get a little rowdy on Fridays. I spend most of the day reminding them that school is not out yet, and it’s still not out for me. I have a long evening of grading papers and working on next week’s lesson plan,” Ann replied. She would usually have all of this done, but between Brandon coming over every day this week, and Mackenzie asking her a ton of questions about him and his parents when he wasn’t there, she hadn’t had the time to do it.

“Sorry,” Brandon said actually sounding sincere.

“No problem, I’ll get it done and then relax for a while. I might actual go to bed early tonight.”

“Okay,” Brandon said laughing at the thought of Ann going to bed early. His Annie had never gone to bed before midnight. She had always been a night owl. “Well, I guess we’ll head out. Where’s her stuff?”

“In the truck,” Ann said getting up to go out with them.

“Mommy, are you going to be okay without me this weekend. I mean I know we usual spend the weekend together, and we were planning on going to the book fair in Montgomery,” Mackenzie said worrying her lip as they walked down the hall. Ann stopped and squatted down to eye level with Mackenzie. “I’ll be fine. You just enjoy your weekend with your dad.”

“But I’ve never stayed with anyone longer than one night. Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. I’ll be fine, and you’ll be having such a great time you won’t even think about me,” Ann said smiling.

“Okay.”

“Come on let’s go get your stuff.”

Brandon listened to exchange and felt a little bad. It was obvious that Mackenzie and Ann didn’t spend that much time apart, and that weekends were their special time. When they got the chance to do all the fun mother daughter stuff that they didn’t get to do during the week. ‘But it’s my turn,’ Brandon thought, ‘I haven’t gotten to spend a lot of time with her. Ann has had five years. All I’m asking for is a weekend.’

When they got to the truck Ann grabbed Mackenzie’s safety seat and handed it to Brandon. She grabbed Mackenzie’s bag and walked over to Brandon’s car. “I see you got seat belts put in the back,” she said watching him buckle Mackenzie in. “Yeah, I figured it’d be a good idea,” he replied.

He stepped back from the car so Ann could tell Mackenzie good bye. “Bye baby,” Ann said leaning into the car and giving her a kiss. “Bye Mommy, I’ll see you Sunday,” Makenzie said smiling.

Ann stepped back and shut the door. “Okay, I know y’all are having movie night, don’t let her watch Alice in Wonderland before bed. She’ll have nightmares, no matter what she tells you. You’ll be up all night trying to calm her down,” Ann said. “No cokes before bed. She’ll be up all during the night wondering through the house. Too much caffeine, she’ll be able to sleep for about five minutes at a time, but that’s it. She’s allergic to mushrooms, so if you get pizza remember no mushrooms. She likes a bed time story, but she likes for you to make one up. She prefers for you tell her a story about yourself or someone she knows or her grandparents. I think that’s everything.”

“You sure?” Brandon said grinning. Ann looked so nervous. He could tell she just wanted to nix this whole thing in the bud.