“There is. Isn’t there, Rayne?”
“Yes, there is, Justine. But, I only want to tell this story once. Gather the girls and meet me in the living room in ten minutes.”
“Okay,” she says quietly as she gets up and starts heading out of my room. “But, Rayne, whatever it is, we’ve got your back. Always.”
“As I’ll always have your threes, Justine.” She nods her head at my declaration and saunters out the door. I can hear her calling out Billie and Sibley’s names as she makes her way through the living room area.
Those three sisters of mine, they have always been full of vivacious thunder.
They don’t speak in normal tones.
They yell.
I’ve spent the last hour in the living area with my three little sisters. I laid everything out on the coffee table and they’ve examined it all several times. I know how they’re feeling, I did the same exact thing.
“I don’t understand, why wouldn’t she tell us?” Sibley asks me with tears misting in her eyes.
“I wish I had the answer to that, Sibley,” I respond in a somber tone.
“Her name is Hadley? That’s so cool,” Justine gushes as she holds a picture of my daughter in her hands. “The report says Jacey owns her own company. A party planning one at that. I can picture it.” The fact of the matter is, I can too. She’d always been great at organizing events for the band all while keeping us in line with the process. It’s a talent of hers that I always admired. It’s pathetic that I wish she wasn’t, that way, she would’ve run home to her parents and I’d have known through the grapevine, if not from her own lips, that I’m a father.
“I’m gonna kick her ass,” Billie seethes as she looks up at me. Eyes, so much like my own, stare back at me with a feeling of betrayal shining through them.
“The only thing that’d accomplish, Billie, is our niece forever hating us. Do you not want a relationship with Hadley?” Sibley’s sharp tongue admonishes her as she presents this as a question instead of the accusation it actually is.
“The bitch needs to pay one way or another,” Billie hisses back at Sibley. “Not only did she abandon us, and break our brother’s heart in the process, she withheld family from us! Our blood. Our niece.”
“Hold back the catty bitch for a second, Billie. I have something else to share with you all.” I end up laying out every dirty detail for them. I flay myself while putting it all out in the open of how Jacey and I actually ended things. Us. Now, it’s my turn to get an evil glare from the three of them. The looks they’re sending my way slay me, and I hate that I’ve hurt and disappointed them.
“But she could’ve said goodbye to us,” Sibley cries. “Why didn’t she?”
“Because she was an emotional wreck,” I try to explain. I tell them about how she tried to bargain with me to stay onboard but I basically shut her down. I started this entire ordeal, and I’ll take the blame for the part I played, but she has some answers I need to the questions whirling around in my head.
4
Rayne
The day has finally come.
Our last concert of the season is finished, and I’m ready to confront my ex and meet my daughter in person. I plan on spoiling her rotten and couldn’t care less if Jacey is onboard with that plan or not. I have two years to make up for. It irks me that I missed our child growing inside of Jacey, missed all of Hadley’s milestones, and have never seen a sonogram or any pictures of my girl until the present time, and that’s only because my private investigator took some photos and shared them with me. I keep one folded up in my pocket so I can see her when the mood strikes.
“So, what are your plans, Daddy-o? Are you gonna go to her house and knock on her front door? Or do you plan to go to her office and force her to tell you the God’s honest truth?” Sibley asks me.
“I plan on doing this charity concert first, then I’ll figure out the way I want to approach her,” I answer, since I don’t have the first clue how I want this to play out. We’re on the tour bus taking us to Jacey’s town. I look out the window and watch the scenery pass us by. “What would you do if you were in my shoes, Sib?”
“If it were me, big brother, I’d show up at her front door, where she has no other choice than to introduce you to y’alls daughter. Don’t give her any time whatsoever to make other plans for Hadley not to be home. She has a lot to answer for, but first and foremost, you deserve to see your daughter in real life as opposed to just photographs. Your daughter needs to be top priority, then you and Jacey can hash everything else out.”
“That’s good advice, squirt,” I state, using her childhood nickname, which earns me a roll of her eyes. “Should I take Hadley a doll or something?”
“Might be a good way to break the ice between you two. Rayne, you’re nothing more than a mere stranger to her. You’ll need something to entice her with. A doll is a good place to start.”
“And Jacey? Should I take her flowers or something?”
“You could start off with black, dead roses and insert some weeds,” Billie states, as she takes a seat next to us.
“That’s wrong, Billie. Don’t wish death upon our niece’s mom. Just because she’s hurt us doesn’t mean Hadley deserves a life without Jacey,” Sibley admonishes our sister. “It makes me sad that you’d wish death upon someone who grew up with us like a sister. She’s made a mistake, but let’s fix it now and move on.”
“Move on? You expect us to move on, just like that?” Billie asks, snapping her fingers. “It’s because she grew up with us the way she did that I find her actions inexcusable. We’re supposed to be family! She discarded us, then threw us all away like one does their overfilled trash can into the curbside garbage. I hate her for that.”
The way Jacey hurt me was bad enough, but she obliterated my sisters, and for that, there’s no excuse she can give me that’ll be understandable. Nor will it be forgiven and forgotten easily. She’s not only robbed me of the opportunity to be a father to my daughter, she’s stolen the opportunity from my siblings and parents to be a part of my daughter’s life as well. They’ve never done her wrong, and from my understanding, her parents aren’t even aware of Hadley’s existence.
What the fuck was she thinking?
Jacey
I tossed and turned all night long.
Today is doomsday.
It’s Stephanie’s wedding day, and I’m nervous for her. She has the soon-to-be in-laws from hell. That’s H.E. double hockey sticks bad. I feel deeply for her and worry over how hard her life is going to be.
I’m working on my second pot of coffee, yet my eyes still feel heavy lidded. It’s as if someone rubbed them raw with sandpaper overnight.
“Momma! I can’t fines my dolly Annabelle anywheres. Do you know where she is?” Hadley asks accusingly as she marches into the kitchen.
“She needed a bath, so I gave her one. She’s sitting on top of the dryer. Give me a second to finish this cup, then I’ll get her for you, Hadley.”