Broken Lives

by Brenda Kennedy

  “Thank you, as you all know today we find out the gender of my grandchildren.” His wife clears her throat. Bruce looks over his shoulder and laughs. “Excuse me, I mean our grandchildren.” Standing behind him are his wife and Angel’s aunt and uncle. “As long as the babies are healthy, that’s all that matters, but to know their gender is an added bonus.” He looks around the room and smiles. “We are told the cake will reveal the gender of the twins, a blue cake for twin boys, a pink cake for twin girls, and blue cake on one side and a pink cake on the other side for a twin boy and a twin girl. Are you ready to see the babies’ gender?”

  “Cut the cake already,” Brea shouts and everyone laughs.

  Mason and Angel stand there, laughing, each holding a cake knife.

  “Are you ready, Beauty?” Mason asks.

  “I can’t look,” she says, closing her eyes tightly.

  “Beauty, cut here,” he says, placing her knife above the cake. Her eyes are still closed and she is smiling. “I’ll cut the other end of the cake.” He bends down and kisses her before he places his knife on the other corner of the cake.

  “Are you ready?” Bruce yells. “Angel wants to know the gender, but she doesn’t want to look. This should be interesting,” he says, laughing.

  Everyone yells, “Yes,” and Mason and Angel cut the cake. Mason cuts his piece and also helps Angel cut her piece of cake. With Angel’s eyes still closed, they each lift their piece of cake and the room stays quiet. “Well, Beauty, we got what we wanted.” Mason beams.

  Everyone smiles, but no one says anything.

  “A son? Are we are having boys?” she asks, with her eyes still closed.

  “If you want you know, you have to look.” Mason bends down and kisses her.

  She opens her eyes and begins to cry. “Oh, Mason, we are having a boy,” she says, as she looks at her blue piece of cake.

  “And a girl,” he adds, lifting his piece of pink cake for her to see.

  The room erupts with cheers. We take turns walking up to congratulate them as they serve the pink and blue cake. They are laughing, smiling, and hugging each other and everyone else.

  The photographer has been snapping pictures non-stop. I used to notice him, but now he has just kind of faded in with all the other guests.

  “Momma, is Angel having a boy?” James asks.

  I kneel down next to him so I can see him. “She is having a boy and a girl.”

  “She is having two babies?”

  “Yes, they are twins. That’s when the momma has two babies born together.”

  I stand up, and James and Raelynn walk up to Angel. I watch the interaction she has with both kids and I smile.

  “You look pretty happy,” Alec says to me.

  I rest the back of my head on Alec’s chest. “I am.”

  “Does this have to do with Mason and Angel?”

  I look back at him. “That, and we are in a really good place in our relationship, the kids are happy, and they get along very well.”

  “I couldn’t agree more. Vincent and Brea are finishing up their family pictures; do you want to try to get a portrait taken of our family?”

  “I would love to.”

  After the photo shoot with the kids, Alec walks over to Donovan, Vincent, and Mason, who are all standing at the bar. I go with Angel, who is showing the girls the babies’ nursery. The room is spacious and bare. She tells us that she’ll be having a painting and decorating party in a few weeks so make sure we are available. She also adds they’ll keep the babies in the same room for awhile.

  When we get back into the family room, I see James holding his belly.

  “What’s wrong, James?” I ask, as I run my fingers through his soft hair.

  “I don’t feel good,” he moans. “My belly hurts.”

  “You don’t have a fever. Raelynn, would you please ask your daddy if he is about ready to go. James isn’t feeling well.”

  “Ok, Emma.” She looks at James and says, “Don’t throw up, Bubby, I’m getting daddy, and he’ll make you all better.”

  I watch as she skips through the very large open room until she gets to Alec. He looks over at us and Mason downs his drink. Great, he probably thinks that James is going to throw up all over his house. Alec shakes hands with his friends and walks over to us.

  He kneels downs and ruffles James’ hair. “What the matter, buddy?”

  “It’s my belly, it hurts.”

  “How many pieces of cake did you eat?”

  “Three,” he moans.

  “James, you ate three pieces of cake?” I ask — I can’t believe I heard him correctly.

  “Yes, momma, it was good.”

  Alec picks him up and says, “Come on, buddy, you’ll feel better in the morning.”

  Mason and Angel see us and walks with us to the door.

  “Thank you both, and congratulations on your son and your daughter.” I watch as Mason runs his hands through his hair and Angel looks over at him.

  “Thank you both for coming and, Alec, we are still on for the shooting range for Wednesday, right?”

  I am surprised to hear this.

  “Sounds like a plan, I’ll meet you guys there at 6:00, Wednesday night. We need to go; James ate a little too much cake tonight.”

  Angel leans in and kisses James, and then she hugs Alec and me before she kneels down to hug Raelynn goodbye.

  “If you ever need a sitter,” Angel says, smiling and looking over at Mason, “we would love to. I think we could use the practice.”

  “I’ll remember that; thank you and have a good night,” I say as I walk out the door with my family.

  Alec

  Once we get home and James throws up, he begins to feel better. We get the kids in bed, and Emma and I have a drink on the lanai.

  “Do you own a gun?” Emma looks up at me over her wine glass.

  “I actually own three guns.”

  “Really? Are they here?” she asks, with concern in her voice.

  “No, Emma. They are in a lock box at my parents’ house. My dad, brothers, and I are gun enthusiasts, as are Mason, Donovan, and Vincent.”

  “Going to the gun range, was that your idea?”

  “No, it was Mason’s idea. I think the news of him having a daughter, or even kids for that matter, is finally sinking in. He is already thinking about teaching his children to shoot when they are old enough. He says that the police are only minutes away when seconds count and he says that a restraining order is nothing but a piece of paper. Of course, we know to practice gun safety and especially to keep the guns away from kids.”

  “I used to keep the guns at the house, until Molly … well, I just couldn’t trust her not to sell them, pawn them, or even trade them,” I sadly admit.

  “If you want to keep them here, you can. I still have Max’s military weapons that he purchased; they are stored safely in a locked gun cabinet in a closet on the top shelf, out of reach of the kids.” She takes another sip of her drink.

  “Thank you, maybe I’ll do that.”

  Emma and I are into a good routine with the kids, thanks to Brooke for helping out with childcare on the days that we both work dayshift. Swing shift at the hospital isn’t all bad. It gives me the flexibility I need at times.

  We go to taekwondo on Tuesday and Friday, and everyone is advancing as they should. Emma takes it more seriously than Brooke does. Brice and I hang out on occasion, and I invited him to go to the shooting range with me on Wednesday. It’s summertime and extremely hot in Florida. With Brice in the air-conditioning business, he tells me he doubts he’ll be off in time to go with us.

  I walk into the house and Emma already has the kids bathed and they are at the table having cookies and milk before bed. I ruffle James’ hair, kiss Raelynn, and then I kiss Emma. “Is there a certain place you want me to keep this?” I ask, holding up my backpack that is holding my weapons.

  “Oh, yeah, I’ll show you.”

  I follow her down the hallway and i
nto the bedroom. She opens up the closet, and I am surprised by all the boxes that have “Max” written on them. I still keep my things in the guest bedroom. I have never looked inside this closet before. She points to the large locked gun cabinet and says, “You can keep them in there.”

  “Do you have the key?” I ask as I remove the safety box, which holds the guns, from the backpack.

  She laughs and returns with the key. “This might help.” She smiles and hands me the small key for the locked cabinet.

  “Thank you,” I say, as I secure my weapons in the large gun cabinet.

  “Did you have a good time?”

  “I did; it’s been awhile since I have been there.”

  I shower before Emma and I do our nightly bedtime routine with the kids.

  Emma and I lie in bed and I hold her close to me. “I close on the house tomorrow.”

  “How do you feel about that?”

  “I feel good about it. Madison said she thinks I should look at a house that she found.”

  Emma looks up at me and asks, “Are you thinking about moving out?”

  “I was thinking something long term. Maybe a house to accommodate a larger family.” I stop talking and let what I just said have time to sink in.

  “You want more children?” she asks. She has her game face on, and I can’t tell what she is thinking.

  “With you, yes. In a few years, I would love nothing more than to have a baby with you.”

  “Good; me, too. Three is a good number. Two boys and a girl or two girls and a boy. Either way, it would be perfect.” She snuggles into me and I dream of big houses, lots of kids, and a beautiful blond-haired wife.

  The next day I take the kids to school and I meet Madison, so I can close on the house that Molly and I once shared. It is bittersweet. It is Raelynn’s only home she ever lived in, other than Emma’s, but it is also the home we lived in when Molly destroyed our family.

  “Alec, are you all right?” Madison asks.

  I blink a few times and give her a sad smile. “I’m fine.” I stand tall, square my shoulders, and ask, “Where do I sign?” Once everything is signed and taken care of, I start to leave.

  “Alec?”

  I turn around and look at Madison, standing there, “Yes, did I forget something?”

  She walks over to me and says, “No, you didn’t forget anything. I’m meeting Mason for lunch, if you would like to come, and I have the keys to that other property if you want to take a look at it.”

  I look at my watch like I have some place to be, although I have no other plans for the day. I look up at Madison and smile. “I would love to, thank you.”

  “Great, meet us at the Bonefish Grill. I have to make a few phone calls, but I’ll be right behind you. The reservation is under Myles.” She reaches into her briefcase and pulls out a brochure. “Here’s a picture and description of the house, although the picture doesn’t do it justice.”

  Walking the short distance, I take the brochure from her. “Thank you and I’ll meet you there.”

  I pull into the already packed parking lot and read over the brochure while I wait for Mason and Madison to show up. I look at the brochure of the home, which is spectacular. It’s on a lake and has four large bedrooms and a privacy fence with a gated entryway. I look up when someone taps on my window. Mason is standing there, wearing a pair of green scrubs.

  I get out of the car and lock it.

  “Madison called and said you would be joining us. Congratulations on the closing of your house,” Mason says, as we walk towards the restaurant.

  “Thank you, it feels good to let go of the past.”

  “Is that the house she wants you to see?” Mason asks, gesturing at the brochure as he opens the door to the restaurant.

  “It is.”

  I hand him the brochure and he smiles and says, “It’s very nice.”

  “Mason, I want to ask you a personal question.”

  He stops and looks at me. “Go ahead, you can ask me anything.”

  “How did you deal with Angel’s abuse? You know, trying to keep her safe.”

  “Alec, you have seen our home. It’s like trying to get into Fort Knox. Those gates and that fence weren’t there before. I added those after Angel’s attack. Unless we have a party like the other day, our house is locked up very tight.” He laughs and I know he is trying to make light of a serious conversation. “It’s the best way to keep her safe. I can’t control her or stop her from doing things, or going places, and I can’t control who she comes in contact with, but when she’s home, I can at least protect her while she’s there.”

  I say, “I want to protect Emma.”

  “Who do you want to protect Emma from?”

  “From Molly, from the world.”

  “Well, this house looks like it’ll help you with your fears,” he says, handing me the brochure back. He looks at the hostess and says, “Myles, and I believe my sister is already here.”

  “Right this way.”

  After we eat, I ride with Madison to see the house on the lake and I remember what Mason said. “It’s the best way to keep her safe. I can’t control her or stop her from doing things, or going places, and I can’t control who she comes in contact with, but when she’s home, I can at least protect her while she’s there.”

  We drive out of the city, towards the country. I notice the curvy winding roads and the wild boars in the fields. The ride is relaxing. No traffic, no stoplights, and very few stop signs.

  Madison enters a security code and the large black iron gates open. I can’t see the house from the street. As we drive down the winding driveway, a big two-story stone house comes into view. I can see the large lake from the car. “Come on, you haven’t seen anything yet,” Madison says as she puts the car in park.

  I get out and look at the large front yard with the large mossy tree. Perfect to climb in, I think to myself. I see a large three-car attached garage. We walk up the six steps leading to the large wrap-a-round porch and the large double-doors.

  “Do you want to enter through the front or the back door?”

  “Let’s walk around the porch to the back.” I motion with my hand for her to lead the way.

  The windows are large bay windows so you always have a view of the lake from within the house. The backyard is just as big as the front yard with a gazebo down near the water. A small boathouse is at the end of the pier.

  Madison opens up the back door and inside is a large eat-in kitchen with an island, a double oven, and a large six-burner stove. This kitchen was made with a chef in mind. The dark hardwood floor and tan granite counters are beautiful. The living room has a large wood-burning fireplace that is shared on the adjoining wall of the formal dining room. A full bath, a den, and a family room are also on the first floor. The second floor has three bedrooms, two full baths, and a master suite. Large bay windows and white plantation shutters are throughout the entire house.

  I walk over to the large bay window and look out at the calm lake. The sun is high in the sky and is reflecting off the water. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Madison asks as she walks over to me.

  “It is beautiful; it is everything you said it was,” I say honestly. “It feels and looks like a country home, although you are only a few miles from the city. This house is a very rare find in Florida.”

  “Yes, it is, but do you need some time to think about it?”

  “I do; when do you show the house again?”

  “I don’t show this house again until Sunday.”

  “That gives me a few days. I’ll be in touch with you before Sunday. I have a few things I need to do first.”

  Molly

  I drive by the house that Alec and I shared with Raelynn, and I see that a SOLD sign has replaced the FOR SALE sign in the yard. I knew it would sell sooner or later, but I didn’t think it would sell so soon. A tear slides down my cheek, and I wipe it away. Why does this bother me so much? He has moved on; I am trying to move on. It’s ju
st a house. I don’t stop and I don’t look behind me.

  Bobby has been on an alcohol/drug high since he went to the cemetery, and I don’t know how to help him. I can’t even help myself. He hasn’t said anything about it or who he went to see, and I don’t ask. We are friends, but we also have boundaries.

  It’s Thursday so I drive by the church that is having the Addicts Anonymous program. I have been really trying to get clean. I have vowed to stay away from Emma. Even I can admit she is a good role model for Raelynn. I was stupid to make those threats to go to her son’s school.

  The church has a lot of cars in the parking lot, so I park in the back of the lot. I watch as a guy and a girl walk in. I wait a few minutes after 6:00 before I go in. I don’t want to have to stand up and tell them about myself.

  Just like last week, the back door is left open and I can hear talking. I quietly walk in and sit at a chair in the back of the room. I look up at the podium and a girl is standing on stage, saying, “Hi, I’m…”

  “Hi, Molly, I missed you last week,” someone says as they sit in the chair beside me.

  I look over and smile at Adam McDaniel, who is sitting beside me. He is wearing a pair of holey designer jeans, flip flops, and a salmon color tee shirt with ‘Hollister’ written across it. His blond hair is spikey, and I just want to touch it to see if it will stick me.

  “Hi, I was busy last week, sorry,” I say.

  “Did you have to work?” he asks, as he stares directly into my eyes.

  I blink and look at the floor. “No, I didn’t have to work.” I turn my attention and look at the girl standing at the podium.

  “You took my business card when you left; I was hoping you would call me.”

  I look at him and his white, toothy smile. “I guess I didn’t need you,” I say, and I look back up at the podium.

  Tonight they have several guest speakers, and I watch and listen to their very personal stories.

  The girl sits down and an older man stands up and talks.

  “You know, you can just call anytime to talk about anything you want.”

  I look over at him and he smiles at me. “Adam, I’m sorry, I think I should go.”