“Baby, I’m so sorry,” he pleads, as I see the tears streaming down his cheeks, more than the night we sat out on my porch.
I’m now stunned into silence, my voice no longer working. I look up to him and just nod.
I feel a small hand take mine and I look down to it.
Ellie.
Fuck, howhave I forgotten my daughter in all of this?
“Mama, what’s going on?” she asks and with all my might, I do what I do best, I take a deep breath, wipe my tears from my eyes and put on a brave face forher.
“Nothing to worry yourself with, some silly adult stuff,” I say to her bending down to her level.
“Why are you crying?” she asks me, wiping a tear away from my cheek, which forces the sob out of the throat.
Before I try and answer her, my mama leans down beside us. “Come on, angel, let’s go get some ice-cream,” she says, trying to take hold of my daughters hand to move her away from the situation.
“I can’t, Mamaw,” my daughter starts as she keeps her eyes firmly locked on mine. “Mama’s crying.” She finishes, as I wipe my whole face to urge the tears away.
“No, I’m all good, sweet pea,” I say, as I do my best to muster up a smile to give her some reassurance, even though my body feels like its shutting down. “Now, have as many scoops as you want-” I start, but Iris leans down instead, embracing Ellie in a tight hug. “My treat, girlie,” she smiles as she squeezes harder against her.
I nod at her with appreciation.
It’s all I can do.
“Mr Maverick?” Ellie questions him, but all that leaves me is a choked sob, the realisation hitting me that her heart could be about to break, alongside mine at the unbelievably public revelation.
Maverick stands to attention at my daughter asking for him, leans down to her level and looks at her with wonder through his tear-stained eyes. “Yeah, Ellie?” he manages out.
“Will you look after my mama whilst I’m gone?” she asks and I pull my head down into my chest, feeling the lump forming once again in my throat and the water running down my nose.
I don’t look up, but I hear him.
“Of course I will, Ellie-Belly. Now be a good girl and go with Mamaw, I bet that ice-cream’s really yummy,” I bring my hand up to my mouth to try and keep myself quiet, trying not to hurt my daughter any more than she already will be.
I look up, watching my mom walk my daughter away from the shit storm that’s forming between us all.
As soon as Ellie is out of hearing range, I look towards Rhett, the man who stroked my hair as I cried into hisshoulder many times throughout the years.
“How could you not tell me?” I whisper out, trying to catch his gaze, but he holds it tight, looking at his son.
“Mabel, honey, it wasn’t like that,” he says, now looking over to my own father and then back to his son.
“It wasn’t, baby,” Maverick confirms, once again reaching for my hand but I pull it away, same as I did before.
“What do you mean?” I ask coldly, the hurt slowly turning to anger at the two men stood before me.
Maverick looks to Rhett, who nods at him before turning and walking away, Kay looking between me, her son and her husband. “Well, I for one would love to know,” she says, crossing her arms, attitude firmly in place, hip cocked to the side.
My gaze firmly locked on Maverick, ignoring whoever still remained to learn more of the truth.
Maverick brings his hand up to his hairline and grips tightly onto the back of his neck, as if steadying himself, ready for the war that’s about to happen.
“I didn’t speak to anyone, for weeks-”
Remember to breathe Mabel.
“Before I knew it, a month had gone by and I finally answered Jake’s insistent texting,” Maverick looks over at his brother, whose head in still bowed to the floor.
