**
After tucking the girls in, and making sure the house was clear of any more surprises, I went back downstairs..
I spent the next two hours working on the same project, jumping when I heard the lock click on the front door.. I relaxed when Harry walked in, quietly shutting it and locking it back behind him.
He turned around, jumping when he saw me. "Jesus, Brynn. I wasn't expecting you to still be up. You scared the hell out of me." He said quietly, and I laughed. "Sorry. Just wanted to finish this project before bed." I replied, and he nodded, going into the kitchen..
"Hey, Brynn?" He asked, his tone laced with concern. "Yeah?" I replied, still typing out some code. I looked up when he didn't say anything. He was standing in the dining area, holding the gun.
He had it pinched between two fingers, holding it at arms length away from him. "What the hell is this doing in our kitchen?" He questioned, and I sighed. I saved the project, shutting my laptop and setting it down on the coffee table..
I walked over to him, taking the gun from him. "That's um.. A long story." I said, and he raised his eyebrows. "We have a child, Brynn. I don't know if you forgot that, or what. But you can't have weapons in the house. We've talked about this." He commented, and I sent him a look..
"It's not loaded, and the safety is on. See?" I asked, demonstrating it. He took a step back, sending me another look. "Brynn, just.. Put the gun down." He commented, and I rolled my eyes. I did as he said, setting it down on the table and turning to face him..
"Just.. Let me explain this to you." I said, running a hand through my hair. I glanced over at the front door, seeing it was still locked...
***
After explaining everything to him, he went and sat down on the couch, staring at the floor. He had his elbows set on his knees, and his head in his palms. "Did you call the police?" He asked, and I shook my head. "No." I said, hearing him let out a frustrated breath. "We've talked about this, Brynn. If anything like that happens, you call the police. Ok? That's what they're there for. To help. You never call them, why?" He asked, his tone changing.
I wasn't sure why he was being like this. "What's wrong with you?" I questioned. "What's wrong with me?" He asked, and I shrugged. "Well. You, for starters. I leave for one night, leaving you to care for our child, and her friend. And something from your past puts her in danger, again. It's like you dont care about her or something. And then you bring that gun in here, and act like it isn't dangerous." He commented. I laughed, lacing it with sarcasm.
"You're drunk." I stated, seeing it all over his face. I wasn't sure how I didn't notice it when he first walked in. He's not very good at hiding it.. "That has nothing to do with this." He said, standing up and walking over. I took a few steps back, hitting the table behind me.. He stopped in front of me. "You've put our daughter in danger, not just once, but many times since your return." He commented, his eyes on me..
I kept my eyes on the wall off to the side, not wanting to look at him. I hated when he got drunk. It brought back a lot of bad memories of not only him, but of Ryan and my father as well.
"And then you act like you don't care. That you're putting her in danger. You just, keep doing it." He said, slurring a few of his words.. I took a deep breath. "We can talk about this tomorrow." I commented quietly, and he scoffed. "No. We're talking about it right now. Why wait?" He stated. I could smell the alcohol coming from his breath, and wondered if he'd driven himself home..
I sighed, trying to relax, but feeling my anger issues surfacing anyway. "You're drunk, Harry. That's why. I don't want to talk to you when you're drunk." I said, finally looking at him. "Ah, well that's not much of an excuse. So, let's talk about it. Let's talk about all the times you put Grace in danger and how you never do anything to try and stop it." He commented, and I rolled my eyes. "Really? Ok. I mean, I guess I wouldn't mind winning an argument.." I trailed off, taking a step towards him, forcing him to move away from me..
"Alright, where should I start? Oh, right. How about the fact that every time she's been put in danger, I'm the one that prevents her from actually getting hurt? Yes, I'm well aware that the only reason she's in danger, is because of my lifestyle choices. But there's nothing I can do about that now. It's in the past. Do I regret it? No. I don't. Because they made me stronger." I stated, and he scoffed.
"So you're telling me that your relationship with Ryan helped you? It made you 'stronger'?" He questioned. I shrugged. "In some ways, yes." I replied. He nodded. "Ok. And you're also saying that you're the one that prevents her from getting hurt. Are you saying that I don't do anything?" He asked.
I sighed. "Harry.. I'm not.." I ran a hand through my hair. "I don't want to argue with you. Ok? Neither of us is right. You're in the wrong for saying those things to me, and I'm in the wrong for the past decisions I've made that bring danger to our front door." I commented. He shook his head, pacing to the door and back. He stopped right in front of me.
"I'm not in the wrong, Brynn. It's just you." He stated, going upstairs without saying another word...
