Page 53 of Finding Redemption

Cupping her face, I pressed my forehead to hers, praying Icouldfix it.

“Baby, I need you to tell me what happened.”My voice came out hoarse, a plea darkening each word.“Everything she said.How she said it.Don’t leave anything out.”

She flattened her hands against my chest, pushing me back.I gave her a few inches but didn’t release her.She narrowed her eyes on me just like she did to Bella when she wanted her to behave, but I only tightened my fingers on her.

Sighing, she rolled her eyes.“I don’t know what the big deal is about that awful woman.Sorry, Riah.I know she’s your mom, but she is a terrible human.How did she create you?Do you take after your dad or something?”

I choked at Brooke’s question, but when I looked into her eyes, she was genuinely curious.

“You don’t know,” I rasped, unsure if I was relieved or worried that Jannel had chosen to leave that part out of whatever bullshit she was trying to stir up.“She didn’t tell you.”

Brooke’s green eyes turned hard.“She told me plenty.Do we have to do this here?Bella is tired.She’s had a very hard, emotional day.No one in this room seems to care about that.Your child is upset, Paxton.”

“I don’t care about all of that!”Bella yelled, causing us all to look down at her in surprise.“I don’t care about anything except going home.How many times do I have to say it?It doesn’t matter.Nothing matters.Not Jannel.Not that Sariah is my mom.Or that my daddy isn’t my daddy.I don’t care because none of them care.”

Her voice broke, and I felt her pain all the way down into the cracks in my soul.Her words hurt.Fuck, they hurt.

Falling to my knees in front of her, I bundled her against me, letting my tears fall.“From the moment you came screaming into this world, I have been your daddy, Bella.I don’t know what I’m doing most of the time.I mess up every other day, but I love you.No one in this world will ever love you as much as me.”

“But you’re not,” she sobbed, hitting her fist against my chest.It was the first time she’d ever exploded like that, overwhelmed to the point that she couldn’t control her emotions any longer.“You aren’t my dad.You aren’t.And it makes my heart hurt.No one cares but Brooke.She’s the only one who loves me.She doesn’t lie or pretend.”

I trapped her arms against her sides, afraid she might hurt herself.“No one is pretending, Bella.Iamyour daddy.”

“No, you aren’t!You’re Riah’s daddy, not mine.”

“Wait,” Brooke gasped.“What?”

“Jesus Christ,” Luck groaned.“Bella, what the hell did Jannel tell you when she would take you for ice cream?Tell us all of it this time.”

“E-everything,” she hiccupped brokenly.“She s-said my real daddy w-will steal me if I-I’m n-not g-good.Sh-she said n-no one wants m-me.No-nobody loves me.”

Jannel had a death wish.One I would gladly fulfill for her.For coming near my girls.For daring to speak to them, let alone filling my precious daughter’s head full of fears and lies.

“I will never let anyone take you from me.You’re mine.I love you.”I tried to wipe up all her tears, wanting to fix her broken heart, heal the pain I had been blind to.“I love you so much, and I will never let you go.”

“But Jannel said!”

“She lied to you,” Sariah grated out, her voice hard, louder than I’d ever heard her speak.She grasped Bella’s arms and spun her around to face her.“Bella, listen to me carefully.The man who is the other biological half of you, he won’t take you from your daddy.Yes,yourdaddy.Yours and only yours.That man Jannel threatened you with won’t take you away because he can’t.”

“Riah,” I warned, knowing it would send her to a dark place to talk about that fucking monster.It always did.I’d nearly lost her to the darkness too many times to count because of him.

“Siren, don’t,” Luck urged.

“Shut up!”she hissed at us, never taking her eyes off Bella.“Three years ago, he died.Did Jannel tell you that?He’s dead.”

“N-no,” Bella hiccupped, shaking her head.

“Of course she didn’t,” she laughed dryly, her eyes turning manic for a moment, thinking of her mother.“That’s because she wanted you to be scared.Fear makes it easier to control people.Jannel used to scare me every day.That’s why when I found out I was pregnant with you, I ran away.I found Paxton.He helped me, Bella.Up until that day, he didn’t even know who I was, but he loved me as soon as we met.”

She wiped away the tears that ran down Bella’s face, smiling tenderly, giving me hope that she wouldn’t let her stepfather win this time.That motherfucker might have been rotting in the ground now, but I still had to live with the fear of his ghost taking away Sariah’s will to live.“But then you were born, and Paxton loved you more than he loved anyone.He loved you so much, and I was glad.I couldn’t give you a mom, but I found you a dad who would give his life for you.”

“R-really?”Bella whispered with so much hope in her voice, my heart felt like it was bleeding.

“Really,” she whispered back.“He adopted you.That means he is your daddy.Not biologically, but that’s just science.In all the ways that count, you belong to Paxton.”

“Promise?”

“Is there like a Jedi oath you want me to take?”Sariah teased.“Yes, Bella-Boo.I promise.”

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