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And I am miles away from being that man.
But I want to become him. For her. For Lucy.
For me.
Ares and Lucy were best friends once, and I wasn’t the only one she lost when the band started. I don’t know what happened back then. I just know that they haven’t spoken since.
And I have no idea how he will take the news that she and I have a daughter that I knew nothing about. He might be happy, or he might be angry. But he should know that he’s an uncle.
“I saw Lucy today.”
His head swivels my way.
I nod. “She was keeping a secret from me. From us, I guess.”
“What are you talking about?”
It’s not as easy to say the words as I thought it would be. “I… well, she… see, there was this cute little girl there.”
His eyes bug out. “She’s got a kid?”
Nodding, I can’t help but smile. “She’s got my kid.”
“Your kid? Like she and you had a baby? And you didn’t know? Like ever? Are you shitting me, bro?”
“I am not shitting you, Ares. I am a father, and you are an uncle. We have a family we didn’t know a thing about.” And I’m not sure how I feel about it.
“I’m an uncle?” His smile is so big.
I can’t remember the last time he smiled that big. And that crushes me all over again.
Suddenly, his excitement fades, and he sits back. “She didn’t tell you, Lo. She didn’t tell either of us. Maybe she doesn’t want us in her life or her kid’s life.” With tears shimmering in his eyes, he looks away from me. “Maybe we should stay away.”
“I have a daughter I knew nothing about. But I want to know everything about her. So, I’m not staying away. I want to be a part of my kid’s life.”
My throat starts clogging and my eyes start prickling. “We lost our parents and look how hard our lives were. That girl is the only family we have left. She is a blessing, and I need her just as bad as she needs her father.”
His eyes squint to a slit as he looks back at me. Laughing, he shakes his head. “You’re a nightmare, Lo. Always drunk and causing trouble. She doesn’t need that or you. All you would be is a pain in Lucy’s ass. She obviously thought she needed to protect her daughter from you. She’s not wrong either.”
“I can change.” I think. “I can be a good father.” Maybe.
“Come on, Lo! Even if you could change, there’s the problem with your checkered past. It will always haunt you. You don’t want to drag Lucy and this kid down with you. Just do yourself and them a favor and forget about them.”
His attitude aggravates me. “I will not just forget about them. I thought, as her uncle, you might want to get to know this little girl.”
“What’s her name?”
“Aurora.” It damn near broke my heart when that beautiful little girl told me her name.
“She named her after our favorite grandmother,” he muses, seemingly as baffled as I am about it. “That’s odd. She doesn’t tell us about her but gives her one of our family names. Like, she wanted her to have a part of us even though she would never have us in her life.”
“After that, Lucy shut the door in my face.” I still can’t get over how pissed I was over that.
“So, she shut you out. She doesn’t want you. Maybe that’s for the best. I mean, look at the lives we live. We can’t put down roots.” Ares points out. “I know how much you loved Lucy, hell, so did I, but that was years ago. We gave her up to be with the band. If she didn’t tell us, she had her reasons, and if she is doing fine with the little girl, maybe you should leave it that way.”
My brother has gone mad. “You would have me just walk away from my own flesh and blood? After all we’ve lost, you would want me to ignore my own daughter? We had no family, Ares. But now we do. Our blood, the blood of our parents, flows within that little girl. My little girl. We’re not alone anymore. Even if you want nothing to do with her, I’ll do my best to have her in my life and be part of hers.”
“Dude, we are still alone. We can’t drag that poor kid into our lives. Lucy made her decision, and we have to respect it.”
