5. Daughter

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~ ~ ~ O L I V I A ~ ~ ~

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"Mommy, Mommy!" My angel ran towards me. "I told all my friends you will get me a Daddy for Christmas!"

I mentally face-palmed.

Why did I think that was a good idea?

I smiled at her nevertheless. "Did you, now?"

"Yes!" She fell into my arms and I picked her up.

"Maybe you should have kept it a secret.  As a surprise."

What was the use of telling her that now?

My darling thought for a moment. "Oh, I should have!"

I patted her head as I walked to the car. "That's okay. No need to fret over it now."

"Okay. Mommy, will you get me ice cream today?" She asked as I buckled her into her car seat.

"Hmm..." I pretended to think about it. This was my chance. "Do you want ice cream now or Daddy in two weeks? You can only choose one."

I waited for Kelsey to choose the former. Come on, it was such an easy choice. Who would choose Daddy over ice cream?

"Daddy!" She threw her hands up in the air.

Apparently, my daughter would choose Daddy over ice cream.

Sigh.

I was hopeless.

"Okay, good answer," I told her as I closed the car door and got into the driver's seat.

"Do I still get ice cream?" She asked after a while. "Pleeeease?"

I looked at the rearview mirror and sighed. "Of course."

I really sucked at this parenting business.

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After ice cream, Kelsey wanted to feed the ducks at the park. She threw a tantrum when there were no ducks because it was freezing out here.

And then she wanted to play on the slides. She threw a tantrum because her butt got cold.

And then she wanted me to join her on the seesaw. She threw a tantrum when I told her it wouldn't lift if I sat on the other side.

By six in the evening, I was exhausted and my headache was not the only pain I felt in my body.

Maybe I should go ahead with that Daddy for rent idea.

I yawned as I let my hyper monster out of the car and picked up her bag.

I turned on my heels and froze.

"Who are you, mister?" Kelsey asked Jackson. "And why are you looking at me funny? And why do you have red paint on your nose?"

I hurried to her side and caught her by the arm. "What have I told you about talking to strangers, monkey?" I asked her as I glared up at Jackson.

"I am not a stranger." Jackson croaked out. If I didn't know any better, I would think he was about to burst out in tears.

"To her, you are." I hissed.

"Mommy, do you know this mister?" Kelsey tugged at the hem of my coat.

"He is a stranger I used to know," I told her, not taking my eyes off of him.

Kelsey let out a giggle. The most beautiful sound on the planet. And apparently, I was not the only one of that opinion because Jackson's Adam's apple bobbed up and down as she giggled.

"You are funny, Mommy. He is not a stranger if you know him."

For a four-year-old, my daughter was extremely smart. I just hoped her smartness didn't catch up with the biggest and the worst truth of her life.

"You are very smart, aren't you?" Jackson sat down on his haunches in front of my daughter.

I immediately pulled her back and shielded her with my frame. But my monkey peeped at her biological father through the side.

"I thought I asked you to not appear in my life again?" I gritted out.

"You said your life. What about my d-"

"Don't say it!" I yelled before he could say the word, daughter. He didn't have the right to say the word. Not when he used words like bastard and it and what-not in the past.

"Say what?" Kelsey asked.

"Monkey, this man is a stranger and I forbid you to talk to him!" I picked her up.

"What's forbid?" Kelsey asked as she squirmed in my arms to look back at Jackson.

"Not allowed to." I clarified, letting out a sigh as I walked to the elevator.

"Bye, stranger!" Kelsey waved at him.

I let out another sigh.

She is his daughter, after all.

And Jackson, the asshole, was grinning as he waved back.

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Something told me the asshole would be lurking in the parking lot still so I dropped my daughter at my neighbor's apartment - Miss Jenkins was a sweetheart and adored Kelsey. And I made my way back downstairs.

"What do you want?" I asked as I approached him, poking him in his chest.

"I just want to meet my daughter." He said it like he had all the rights to do so in the world.

I let out a humorless chuckle. "I am sorry, whose daughter?"

Jackson's eyes searched mine, desperation etched in every line of his face. "Liv, I know I hurt you. I know I've made mistakes, but I want to be a part of her life."

My eyes trained in on the nose that was barely bruised. No gold star for me. I should work out more.

"No," I said blankly. "You don't get to be part of her life."

"Please, Liv. Give me a chance. I've changed. I can be a good father to her." The oh-so-great Jackson Reign was actually begging.

I bit my lips and shook my head. "You had your chance. Five years ago. Do I need to help you recollect what you had done back then?"

"I know," he said hoarsely, "and I'm sorry. I've regretted it every day since."

I laughed out loud at the blatant lie. "Oh really? So why didn't you come looking for us sooner?"

Jackson swallowed hard. "I... I didn't know what to do, or how to approach you. I didn't know you would keep the baby."

My eyes narrowed. "What did you think I would do? Get an abortion?"

Jackson took a step back, his expression stricken. "No, no, I didn't mean it like that. I just... I didn't expect you to actually go through with it."

"Well, surprise, surprise," I spat out. "I did. And I've been raising her all by myself, with no help from you. And I am pretty good at it too, so we don't need you!"

Jackson's shoulders slumped. "I know I don't deserve it, but can I just meet her? Once?"

"You already did." I snapped.

"Please, I just want to talk to her. Won't you do that much for me? If not for me, for her?" I knew exactly what he was doing. He was being Jackson Reign. He was making sure he got what he wanted. I was not about to let him have his way with me again.

But what about my monkey? Didn't she deserve to meet her failure of a father at least once in her life? Who was I to take that away from her?

"Once." I breathed out. "But you won't tell her who you are to her. Because honestly, you are nothing to her."

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