Broken but Breathing (Jinx Tattoos 2)

“I love it,” Jocelyn exclaimed as she hurried to the bed and ran her hand over the turquoise and white bed spread.

“We’re glad. We want you to feel comfortable here, Joc. It’s as much your home as it is ours,” Snake said.

Joc turned to him, confused. “Why?”

This is it.

“I have something to tell you.” Snake walked to the bed, and patted the area beside him. “Come and sit with me.”

“O-okay,” she said, fiddling with the bottom of her T-shirt.

Once she was seated, Snake took a deep breath. “I know your parents told you that you were adopted.”

Joc nodded.

“Did they tell you anything about your parents?”

“That they weren’t able to take care of me, because they had a lot of problems,” Joc whispered.

“Well, the truth is, you were taken away from your parents.”

“What?” Joc said, jerking away.

“There was a fire at your home. Your mother died, your father almost died, and everyone assumed you were dead, too.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You were always wanted, Jocelyn. I recently had someone look into the fire and we discovered you were still alive. I was ecstatic. It was like winning the lottery. But it was also the most painful thing I’d been through since losing your mother. I’d lost so many years with you.”

“You?”

“Yes, Joc, I’m your father.”

She shook her head back and forth.

“Yes,” he said, holding one of her small hands in his massive one.

“You always wanted me?” Her voice wavered.

Es took it as her sign to leave the two alone and slowly backed from the room, holding her tears at bay until she made it out into the hall. He needed this time to mourn the loss of what could’ve been, and forge a new bond with Joc as his daughter.

§

“How’s she doing?” Es asked, placing her book on the night stand when Snake walked into their bedroom.

“She’s a bundle of emotions. I finally got her to stop crying. She wants to know what’ll happen to her. I couldn’t lie. I told her eventually she’d come to live with us. She asked if she’d get to see her parents again, and I told her maybe occasionally. I refuse to lie to her. I want to get all the bad out of the way now so we can move on.”

“I can understand that,” she said.

“Do you think I was wrong?” he asked.

The vulnerability he showed ripped her heart in two.

“There are no right or wrong answers in this situation. It’s tough for everyone. You’re establishing a foundation with her. You want it to be built on trust. I agree with getting everything out there so you can both heal and move forward. It’s a lot for a young child to take in. Don’t get discouraged if she pulls away, rebels, or acts out of character. Stay firm with your rules and love, and weather the storm.”

“What if she hates me after this? I came in and took her away from a life most people would kill for. What can I give her that the Miles family couldn’t, huh?” He bent down and rested his elbows on his thighs. “Maybe I did all of this for the wrong reasons.”

Es crawled onto her knees and took his face in her hand. “You are her father. You give her everything they couldn’t. They may love Jocelyn in their own way, but it’s cold and removed. They demand so much from her.” Es shook her head. “No, don’t let the money they have blind you from the truth. She’ll be happier here with you in the long run. She’ll know where she came from, and who she takes after. You won’t discourage her creativity because you want her to fit in some mold. I see the two of you together and I know she was meant to be with you, in this house, with the family you’ve created for her.”