Page 76 of Healed
“Are you going to be a good daddy?” Carson asked.
Brandt smiled as he finished preparing his meal and sat down next to Daisy. “I pray every day that I’m as good a daddy as my dad was.”
“Respect,” Carson said, with a firm nod of his head.
“What?” Brandt asked.
“That’s what Mr. Bane said. The kids causing everybody all the problems haven’t ever been taught respect,” Carson said. “And accountability.”
“How do you know a word like accountability?” Brandt asked.
“I know lots of words,” Carson said.
“I’m telling you, the kid’s a genius,” Havoc said.
“I see that,” Brandt said. “Want to come over to my house and help me with my baby?”
“Or mine,” Barron said. He looked up when there was no reply from anybody.
Everybody kind of looked at each other, not sure if they should admit they already knew Emmalyn was pregnant.
“Oh, come on. Like there’s even one of you who didn’t already know,” Barron said.
Everybody laughed.
“Does Emmalyn want us to know yet?” Havoc asked.
“I don’t know. Sometimes she does, and other times she doesn’t. Take a shot, either way you got a fifty/fifty chance of getting her on a good day,” Barron said.
“Is she happy about it?” Lucien asked.
“Yeah. I think she was just stunned at first, and now she’s really scared because she’s so sick all the time. Well, that and she’s afraid she’ll get one like herself.”
Havoc laughed heartily. “Please, Lord, give her one just like her,” he said, still snickering while he looked up at the sky and pressed his hands together.
“It’s a Gator. Gators make the mothers so sick they can barely function,” Lucien teased.
“If it’s a Gator, you and me are going to have a long, serious talk,” Barron threatened.
Lucien chuckled.
“Just gotta stir it, don’t you?” Hellen asked.
“It’s expected. It’s my place in the dynamics of things,” Lucien said, leaning over and kissing her. “But you know it’s impossible. I love you, cher. Only you.”
“Mmhmm. You’re okay, I guess,” Hellen said.
Brandt looked across Daisy to the unknown male, who must be her boyfriend. “Hi. I’m Brandt.”
“Brandt, it’s good to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Charlie. Carson is my son,” he said, gesturing toward Carson.
Brandt nodded and sliced off a piece of steak, stuffing it in his mouth. He chewed for a few seconds, then swallowed. He mixed around all the topping on his potato and took a bite. Without looking up he spoke directly to Charlie. “So, what makes you worthy of dating my sister?”
“Brandt!” Daisy admonished.
Charlie’s brows rose a little and he looked at Brandt, who totally ignored him as he waited for the human to answer. Charlie made eye-contact with Daisy briefly. “Daisy, forgive me for this, but apparently, it needs to be said.” He refocused on Brandt. “I’m not going anywhere, Brandt. I’ve walked through my life on auto pilot lately, nothing much ever changed. Then Imet Daisy, and every damn thing in my life has color now. This is where I’m meant to be. This is where my boy, who usually doesn’t talk to anyone very much but talks to everyone in this family like he’s known them all his life, is meant to be. You are welcome to think of me what you will, or not think of me at all. I really don’t care, but I will not be going anywhere unless Daisy insists that I do, and if you try to make Daisy feel badly for wanting to spend time with me, I feel I should warn you now; I will not stand for it. Nobody’s going to harm her, nobody’s gonna hurt her in any way. Nobody’s even going to make her even momentarily sad on my watch. Not even you. She’s had enough crap from the rest of the world, and I’ll now be standing between the rest of the world and her.”
Daisy’s mouth fell open in surprise.
