Miss Jackson 3: The Urie Family

Chapter Thirty

"Mom-mom, slow down." I hear Delilah say. Oh no, she's crying. I feel so bad. I fucked up.

"You're not evil mom." Delilah says. I hate that I caused them to break up. That wasn't my intention. I just wanted him to be aware of what happened. Veronica hasn't really be with anyone since Christopher died...and that barely counts considering who he was as a person. Maybe if I can just sit down with my dad and explain that she isn't the same person she was before and we've all moved passed it, maybe he'll give her a second chance.

"Do you want me to come over?" She asks. There's a long pause after that and then she just says okay. I hear footsteps getting closer to the door so I step back and go to the counter to look like I wasn't just eavesdropping.

"My mom is...heartbroken." She sighs and sets her phone down on the counter.

"Delilah I am so sorry-for everything. I shouldn't have brought it up." I hang my head low, I'm not sure what else to say.

"No, it was good he found out. My mom even said so, it just hurts to know that it had to end. He said she was evil." She looks up up at me. "She's not evil." Her eyes gloss over as if she's about to cry and my heart sinks further.

"No, of course she isn't D." I grab her hand and pull her closer to me, embracing her for a moment.

"What's wrong?" I hear Graysons voice ask. Delilah steps away from me and sniffs, wiping a tear away. She replaces her sadness with the best smile she can muster.

"Nothing sweetie." She walks over to him. "Nothing at all." I know I should feel bad for Veronica, for my dad breaking up with her but I feel worse for Delilah and I don't know why. She seems so torn up about this. I pull my phone from my pocket and find my dads name before going outside to talk to him.

"Dad." I say when he answers. "Just listen, don't say anything..." I pause before mustering up every ounce of energy I have. "What Veronica did...what happened, well it was almost 15 years ago. It's accent history. She went to prison for her mistake and she's spent the last decade making up for it. If we didn't trust her, if I didn't-she wouldn't be allowed near the kids. I never wanted it to end, you two were happy together...you shouldn't let this get in the way of your happiness. Veronica is a good mother and grandmother. She made some mistakes in her past but they've been forgiven." I finish. There's nothing said for a minute but then he clears his throat and speaks.

"It's not about what's forgiven son, it's about who she chose to be. What she chose to do to her own daughter...and you. Delilah may have forgiven her, you may have too but I can't imagine furthering a relationship with a woman who would choose a man over her own child. Who would choose to harm her own child for a man." He explains.

"It's not like that dad, not anymore."

"I don't care Brendon. Veronica was once a woman who abused and neglected her own daughter. I won't be the man who ends up with a woman like that. There's nothing you can say or do to convince me to date her again. I'm glad you pushed her to tell me about this...but the baggage is too much for me, I'm sorry-I gotta go." He says and hangs up. I huff and and shove my phone back in my pocket. At least I tried. Veronica will find a man who can accept her past, one day.
I open the door, and find Delilah and all 3 kids sitting on the couch rolling around and laughing. It's good, their distracting her from all of this.

"Dad! Come here!" Violet calls. I come over and sit down and she holds her phone up in front of me and laughs as cartoon deer ears and antlers cover my face. She laughs and takes the picture and I laugh too.

"Oh that's funny?" I ask and she nods, still laughing. "That's funny?" I ask again and pull her on my lap while tickling her. She laughs a bunch, catching Delilah's attention and she pulls Asher off her lap to come help me.

"M-o-om!" Violet cries through her laughs as Delilah tickles her feet. She kicks a little and then Delilah stops and stands up.

"Okay, Brendon. Enough." Delilah laughs and pulls my hands away from her. Violet falls off my lap and on to the floor, catching her breath.

"Not! Funny Dad!" She says angrily and I just laugh at her because it so was. I stick my tongue out at her and she slaps my arm then stands up.

"Ooh. I'm hungry." Delilah says wearily, grabbing her stomach, she looks very tired.

"Are you okay?" I ask her and stand up. She shakes her head and then her eyes snap shut and she falls back but I catch her. "Did you eat today?" I ask and she shakes her head again. I place her back down on the chair that was behind her before going to the kitchen to heat up some leftover soup my mom made her.

"Mommy are you okay?" Asher asks as I come back in with the warm soup.

"She's okay, she's just a little hungry." I assure him. "Violet can you take the boys to your room to play please?" I ask and she nods. She tells the boys to follow her and they head upstairs.

"I've been so busy." Delilah says as she sits up. "I hadn't even thought about eating today."

"It's okay. Here." I place the soup in her hands and she takes the spoon from my other hand. No more words are spoken as she begins to eat the soup down like it's her last meal. Now that I know she's eating, I go back to the kitchen to make her some toast and a glass of orange juice. I wanna make sure she okay before she does anything else today.