Page 66 of Roll With The Punches
“You don’t owe me an apology,” she said. “And Jeff and Stuart had it under control.”
They spent the weekend together as a family, going over to Myakka River State Park for canoeing and hiking, trying to think about anything but what had happened on Wednesday.
Ed was working on it on his end, and had been assured by Tracey’s mortified attorney that he hadn’t been aware of what was going on, and he would talk to her and tell her—and Pat—to knock it the hell off.
The four of them had just sat down to eat dinner Monday night when the doorbell rang. Brandon was certain the confusion on everyone else’s faces likely matched his own as he got up to answer it.
He peeked through the viewfinder to see Tracey standing there.
Just Tracey.
Inwardly groaning, he opened the door, but not the screen door. “Yes?”
“Hi.” She glanced down, then up again, but no red flush in her cheeks. “Can I come in for a minute?”
“Why? Give me a reason I shouldn’t slam the door in your face.”
She took a deep breath. When she spoke, her voice sounded quiet, sad. “I just left my lawyer’s office. I’m filing for divorce tomorrow.”
He opened the screen door for her, aware of Emma now standing in the doorway to the dining room.
“What isshedoing here?” He hated hearing the blatant venom in his daughter’s voice, but Tracey deserved it.
“Hear her out, honey.” He closed the front door behind her.
“I wanted to tell you that I’m divorcing Pat.”
Emma crossed her arms over her chest. “Uh huh. Sure.”
“Em,” Brandon said. “Be polite.”
“Why should I, Dad? After what happened? The shit tried to get me arrested, him and Corey both. That could have screwed up me getting a scholarship. Why, because he’s a stupid, insecure jerk? She brought those two assholes into my life and they’re determined to ruin it. Thank god Jeff and Stuart were there, and Stuart thought about checking the security camera footage.”
“That’s why I’m finally standing up to him,” Tracey said, not moving from where she stood by the front door. “I realized I’ve made excuses for him for too long. I can’t look at myself in the mirror any longer and stay married to him. Not when he’s damaged my relationship with you.”
Emma snorted but didn’t reply.
Jeff and Stuart appeared in the dining room doorway, flanking Emma.
Tracey clasped her hands together. “The lease on the house comes due next month. I already called the landlord and told him I’m not renewing. I’m on the lease, not Pat. If Pat wants to stay there, that’s up to him, but I know he can’t afford the house on his own. I’ll be moving out. I’m going to rent a room from a friend of mine from work for now, Ruth. Her daughter just left for college out of state, and she said I can stay with her at least a year. She could use the extra help with her budget, and it’s not a bad house. Closer to work now.”
“Does Pat know any of this?” Brandon asked.
“He will when he gets served papers at work tomorrow. Well, not the moving part. When he comes home from work tomorrow, he’ll find out about that, because my stuff will be gone. I’ve got several friends coming over to help me move in the morning. If he stays in the house, he’ll need to buy new furniture, because pretty much everything is mine.”
Jeff laughed. “That’s savage as fuck,” he said.
“I know it’s petty,” Tracey said, “but after everything he’s done, I don’t care.”
“So why are you herenow?” Emma asked.
“I know an apology isn’t enough, but I’m really sorry for everything that happened. I don’t have any excuse except I was scared I couldn’t make it on my own. That’s not a good excuse, though, and I know it. I hope one day you can forgive me and let me be a part of your life again. I know you’re angry right now, and I don’t expect that to change anytime soon. I deserve it.”
Brandon didn’t speak, letting the tension build between mother and daughter. It’d have to be Emma or Tracey who made the next move. He couldn’t do this for them. Not after he’d encouraged Emma to give Tracey a chance and it had backfired in a horrendous way.
He was done being a buffer. Tracey would have to step up to be the mother Emma needed. Emma wasn’t a child, and he couldn’t protect her from her mother’s bad decisions.
It was his job as a responsible father to teach Emma to protect herself.
