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Chapter Forty-One

FALLON

We were sitting in the living room the next day, feeling stuffed after Thanksgiving. Brandon was sitting on the chair’s arm my mom was sitting in, and I was sitting on the couch next to them.

Caleb had kidnapped Mackenzie, and they were in the middle of the floor, playing with a train set.

“Okay, so the train goes this way, not this way.” Caleb was giving Mackenzie strict instructions on how to play trains, and I just sat there smiling, watching them play together.

The two of them had been going at it for at least a few hours, and I was still in awe of how she was powering through. The longest my ex played with him was maybe thirty minutes, then she would make an excuse to leave the room until he got distracted with something else.

“Got it. Which train is your favorite? I don’t want to take the wrong one,” she replied.

“This red one is mine, but you can have it. I’ll take the blue one.” He smiled and handed her the train.

My mom nudged my arm and I looked over to her. “It seems you might have competition over there.”

I smiled sweetly. I couldn’t have been more content than I was in that moment, watching two of the most important people in my life spend time together and thoroughly enjoy themselves. “For which one? Caleb or Mackenzie?”

Brandon laughed. “For both, it looks like. Caleb has been stuck to her side all day, and she hasn’t shown signs of wanting to escape. She’s a natural. I bet you can’t wait until you have your own little troublemakers running around.”

“Dad! It’s way too soon to talk about that!” I laughed, but I could already picture it. “But I know, I kind of feel left behind today.”

As if she heard me, Mackenzie looked up at me and smiled. I returned her smile, even when Caleb caught her attention before they went back to playing.

“She’s pretty great, I guess,” I said. She was more than great.

“You really like her don’t you? I’m happy for you, baby, I really am. You deserve to be happy.”

I cleared my throat, trying to force down the tears that threatened to surface. “Yeah, Mom. She’s amazing. I’m so glad I found her.”

She rubbed my arms, sending warmth through me. It had been too long since I felt the comfort only a mother’s touch could provide. “She seems really good for you, sweetie. I can see it in the way you two look at each other. Hold on to that feeling, there’s nothing in the world like it. You know she’s welcome here anytime, with or without you.” Brandon laughed when I rolled my eyes.

I didn’t know what it was about my mom’s house, but something about it always made me feel completely at ease. I sat there for a few moments staring at Mackenzie, thinking of what our future would look like.

I hoped it would somewhat mirror what my mom had with Brandon. What man takes in a woman with a child, not to mention, heavy baggage from a previous marriage, raises them as his own, and loves those two women with his whole heart?

I quickly blinked away the tears that were beginning to form in my eyes. I loved Brandon as if he were my biological father, and I was thankful to have him in my life.

“Fallon, honey, are you alright? You seemed to be a bit lost in thought,” my mom asked.

“Oh, sorry, Mom. Yeah, I’m alright. I was just really comfortable. I think I was in the middle of a food coma,” I said, trying to play it off.

“Come help me in the kitchen. Let’s catch up while Mackenzie’s playing with Caleb.” I looked over at Mackenzie, who shot me a wink.

As I walked into the kitchen, I noticed the pile of dishes in the sink and the dirty pots and pans all over the counters. “Oh my God, Mom! Did a tornado pass through here?” I joked.

“Fallon, don’t act surprised. You know how hectic it gets in here. Stop yapping and start on those dishes while I pack the leftovers,” she said in the most loving way possible.

After an hour of washing dishes and cleaning the counters, we left the kitchen looking spotless. “That was a workout!” I stretched my aching arms.

“How about some wine for your poor, delicate arms? I hear it works wonders,” she chuckled.

We had a few glasses of sparkling pink moscato and talked about work, friends, and life. It felt good to spend this time with her.

Maybe it was the wine, but there was a burning question I’d never had the chance to ask. “Mom, I hope this doesn’t bring back bad memories, but… Did Dad ever try to contact you after the divorce? I know this is coming out of nowhere, but my nightmares are coming back, and it made me think about it.”

She hesitated for a moment and set her glass down on the counter. “He sent me a letter a few years ago to apologize for all the things he ever did to us. I didn’t respond back, but his letter indicated he found the help he needed.”

Her response left me speechless. I honestly thought he would’ve been in prison or possibly worse by now.

“You know, I never told you the story of how I really convinced him to sign the divorce papers. After the incident when he… hurt you.” Her voice cracked. “He was terrified that I had gone to the police, and maybe I should’ve, but he agreed to meet with me and talk about it. I waited until you were in school to meet him, and I told the neighbors to call the police if I didn’t return in an hour. I brought the divorce papers with me and agreed to meet him at a coffee shop near the house. He thought I was ready to take him back. I served him the papers and threatened to go to the police if he ever came near us again. He didn’t believe me, but I looked him dead in the eyes and said, ‘If you ever come near us again, I will make sure you spend the rest of your miserable days in prison. You will never hurt her again.’ Fallon, you have no idea how afraid I was. I didn’t have a backup plan if he called my bluff.” Her eyes filled with tears, and I wished I could’ve taken that pain away for her.

That part of her story was hard to hear. I never realized how brave my mom really was until now.

“Thank you for telling me that, Mom. For the longest time, I’ve lived in fear that he’d try to get revenge on us, and I think that’s where the nightmares come from. Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about that night. Knowing he found help does bring some closure, but it doesn’t change the fact that I don’t want him to be part of my life.”

“I understand, Fallon, and no one is asking you to do that. Brandon has shown me what unconditional love looks like, and he’s helped me heal in so many ways. I’m sorry your nightmares have returned. Mine still come back from time to time. I truly hope Mackenzie can help heal your heart. I can see in her eyes how much she loves and cares for you.”

“Thanks, Mom. You always know what to say. I’ve missed this so much.” I put my glass down and hugged her as tears streamed down both our faces.

After wiping away our tears and finishing the wine, we made our way back to the living room.

I was relieved that my family seemed to approve of Mackenzie, because I wasn’t planning on letting her go anytime soon. I was about to tell her I was heading to bed when I heard Caleb speak a little louder than usual, as if he was excited about something.

“Hey, Kenzie?” Caleb asked, setting down his train and turning to face her.

“Yeah, buddy?” Mackenzie stopped what she was doing and gave him her full attention, and it warmed my heart to see.

“Do you love my sissy?” I sat up a little and glanced at my mom and Brandon, who both shrugged, looking just as confused as I did.

If Mackenzie knew I was listening, she didn’t show it. She kept her focus entirely on Caleb. I already knew the answer, but waiting to hear her say it out loud still made me nervous.

“Can you keep a secret?” He nodded excitedly, and she smiled at him. “Don’t tell anyone, but yes, I do. I love your sissy very, very much. Is that okay?”

I was seconds away from crying. Hearing how sweet she was being with my little brother, and being so honest with him, was doing terrible things to my heartstrings.

He didn’t answer for a second, and I worried about what his response would be. He looked over to me, and I smiled sweetly, mirroring his own smile. Finally, he turned back to Mackenzie. “Please don’t hurt her feelings, okay? I love her so much. I want her to stay here. Can you guys stay here? I’ll share my room with you.”

She smiled softly at him. “I promise. I’ll never hurt her feelings. I wish we could stay; I’d love to share a room with you, but we live somewhere else, and we have to go back so I can love her more. But we can visit, okay?” He frowned but nodded.

She put a hand on his arm. “Hey.” He looked up at her. “Your sissy loves you—way more than she loves me. She’ll always come back to see you, okay?”

“I don’t know. Momma told Daddy that she’s head over… heels for you. Whatever that means.”

I glared at my mom, whose smile was anything but innocent.

I spent the rest of the night with my family, falling even deeper in love with Mackenzie.