Page 65 of That Time in Venice
“Then what do you call what I just heard? Youtoldher—”
“I don’t know what you think you heard, but I was telling my granddaughter how much wemissher.”
“And coaching her on how to throw tantrums and bedisruptive?”
“Iwasnot!”
“Don’t deny it! Now everything makes sense. Every time she gets off the phone with you she’s completely different. Then the next day she throws a goddamn tantrum, and now Iknowwhy.”
“Watch your language with me,youngman.”
“Save me the respect-your-elders bullshit, Nanette. You’ve been creating problems for me on purpose. Why? Because you don’t think I’m good enough to raise your granddaughter? Because you think you could do abetterjob?”
“A pack of wolves could do a better job,” Nanette seethed, disgust dripping from hervoice.
He’d suspected Nanette didn’t care for him, but the disgust coming through the phone line—the utter vitriol that dripped from her voice had unmasked the true depth of hercontempt.
“Brielle is mine.Myflesh and blood, and I am going to raise her here, in Atlanta. I don’t give a damn if you like itornot.”
Nanette laughed. “Oh, I know. You don’t give a damn about anything, do you? Youneverhave.”
“That isnottrue.”
“After my daughter died, you swooped in here on your white horse to save the day, as if you had a clue how to raise thatchild.”
“You’ve had a problem with me from the beginning. I’m sorry I’m not what you wanted, butI am her father, and I have a right to raise my daughter the way I see fit. And I see fit to raise her in Atlanta, with myfamily.”
“You see fit?” Nanette’s laughter came out as a derisive cackle this time. It lasted so long, Reed wondered if she’d ever stop. “You’re right. I never wanted you anywhere near my daughter. But you see, I didn’t have a choice. I thought Layla was making a mistake when she dated you. I knew it the minute I met you. I know your type. The irresponsible manwhore, only out for a good time. And I was right! You took advantage of her. You got her pregnant and then youdisappeared.”
“That’s not what happened.” He and Layla had had an understanding. They lived in different cities and were pursuing their individual career paths. A long distance relationship wasperfect.
“I was the one who had to watch my daughter crying over a man who didn’t deserve hertears.”
Reed winced guiltily and ran rough fingers through his hair. “I cared aboutLayla.”
“You cared about yourself. Where were you when she went intolabor?”
“I was in New York. Youknowthat.”
“You should have been here! You knew when her delivery date was, and she was in delivery for tenhours.”
“I had to catch a flight.” He’d hopped on the first plane hecould.
“I held her hand in the delivery room, and you showed up two hours late. And two days later, you were gone. I helped raise that baby. For four years—four years we seldom saw you. You weren’t her father. You were a stranger. The only thing you did consistently was send a check. I helped Layla raised that little girl. I stayed up nights so she could get some rest, and when she went back to work, Brielle stayed with me.Every day. I was her momma. I was her daddy. I was her nanny. I was her best friend. And then Layla died, and all of a sudden you want to be a full-time daddy? And you came, and you took my little girl.” Tears thickened her voice now. “She’s all I have left of my Layla, and you took her away from us. From me.” Her voice cracked, and she was openly weeping now. “I can’t see her anymore. I’m the stranger. She’s all I have left of my daughter. My one and only. And you took her. You justtookher!”
Reed closed his eyes. The sorrow in Nanette’s voice ripped him apart and drained him of anger. She was still grieving the loss of her daughter and, in her own way, trying to hold on to the child she loved asherown.
He’d stepped up to be responsible and give his daughter love, and the security that he believed she needed from him. He’d wanted to be a better father than his had been. Yet he’d inflicted deep hurt on Brielle’s family—an unintended consequence of trying to be agoodman.
“Nanette, I’m sorry Layla’s gone, and I’m sorry that you had to suffer the loss of your onlychild.”
Shesniffled.
“But what you’ve been doing is wrong. You’re hurting Brielle and confusing her. I’m not going to give you any details about my relationship with Layla. That was private and between us, but I can assure you that I cared about herdeeply.”
Nanette must have started influencing Brielle’s behavior after he bought the house. She recognized that he was not giving up and was setting down roots. He had no doubt she’d also unintentionally created the fear of monsters in Brielle. His daughter’s anxiety over the conversations had manifested into monsters in the closet and underthebed.
“I admit, I wasn’t the best father at first, but I love Brielle with all my heart. She changed me. I’m different because of her. I’m trying my damndest to be a good dad, and I’m getting there. Because of her, I’m a better person. I don’t want to keep you two apart. She loves you, but what you’re doing is hurting her so much that I had to convince her to call you. She didn’twantto.”
