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“I don’t know! Fuck! I knew it would be hard, but I didn’t think it would be this hard.” He runs his hands through his hair and tugs on the ends.
Grabbing a business card out of my wallet, I hold it out to Mr. Hayes. Macy’s going to be back soon, and I want him gone before she gets here.
“Take this. You can call me sometime tomorrow and we can discuss things. I’ll see if I can convince Macy to talk to you, but I make no promises. She was just starting to get her life back together. I don’t think she can handle this right now.”
“What do you mean? What happened to her?” He takes a step closer and carefully pulls the card from between my fingers. He stares down at it like it’s the most precious thing in the world.
“Yeah, I'm not giving you any information on her unless she’s ok with it.” Gripping the back of my neck, I rub at the tense muscles. Charlie’s going to yell at me tomorrow when she does my weekly massage.
“You’re Cord Powell?” Mr. Hayes blinks at my card before staring at me in surprise and maybe a little bit of awe.
“Yeah, but I don’t know what that matters.” I scowl.
“You can take care of her and give her the life she deserves.”
“I’d love to.”
“You love her, don’t you?”
“With all my heart, but I'm not sure it’s enough.”
“What do you mean?”
“Thanks to you and your wife, she doesn’t trust people and doesn’t believe she can be loved. I've been fighting that battle for years. I just hope one day I win it and can prove to her how amazing she is.”
His gaze flickers to the apartment building before he turns his attention back to me. He nods his head and takes a step back.
“I'm going, but I’ll be calling you tomorrow. Please, help me get my daughter back. I just found out I'm a grandpa and my grandkids know nothing about me.” The sadness in his gaze reminds me so much of his daughter. “I don’t want to miss Macy getting married and starting a family of her own. I want to be a dad to her. I know it’s too late, but isn't late better than nothing?”
“I'm not sure it is, but I’ll do whatever is best for Mace. She’s all that matters to me.”
“You seem like a good man, Cord. I hope my daughter gives you a chance to give her a good life. The life I failed to give her.”
“You can't come back here. Not unless she gives you permission to. I understand you want your family back, but you can't demand that on your terms, you need to give her time.”
He nods his head slowly, letting my words sink in. I don’t miss the devastation in his expression, but I can't help him more than I already am. He spins on his heels and starts walking in the other direction. I watch him go until I hear the apartment door open and slam shut. I turn to find Macy slowly descending the stairs with her arms wrapped tightly around her waist. She’s hurting so much and I don’t know how to help her.
“C’mon, baby. Let’s go home.” I hold my arms open and breathe in her familiar scent as she throws herself into my arms and lets out another sob.
I’ll hold her for as long as she wants. I’ll do whatever I have to do to help her through this. Whatever she needs.
Chapter 23
Macy
I burrow a little deeper under the covers and curl into Cord’s side. I haven’t been able to stop crying since I saw my father standing on my apartment’s doorstep.
I'm not sure why it’s affecting me so much. Maybe because I'm already feeling incredibly raw. Maybe because I never expected to see him again. How do you go so long without any contact, then just show up on my doorstep?
“Talk to me, baby. I need to know where your head is at,” Cord murmurs.
He’s been so sweet and caring through all of this. He made sure to protect me and keep me away from my father. He didn’t even know what was going on, but he knew to keep me away from the situation. When I came out of my apartment, I was terrified he would still be there, but Cord took care of it. He made sure I felt safe.
When we got home, he practically carried me inside and drew me a hot bath. He helped me strip out of my clothes and climbed inside the tub with me. He held me until the water turned cold and my teeth started chattering, then he dried me off and helped me slip one of his shirts over my head. I’ve been cocooned in his blankets since.
“I just… I don’t know why he showed up?” I whisper.
“He said he wants to talk to you. He wants to repair your relationship.”
