Rewind

Chapter 33

"Macy!"

Had it been Opie or Jax following her, Macy would have sped out of the lot but it Clay. She watched in her rearview as he jogged toward the car and around to the passenger side.

"Can you give me a lift?" He asked jokingly.

"You paying for lunch?" She asked, putting her foot on the gas again.

"I'll even fill the gas tank," he said.

Macy looked at Clay and smiled sweetly. "Thank you, Daddy."

Clay sighed and nodded, pointing ahead of them, "Watch the road. You pick where we're really going for lunch."

"Hanna's?" She glanced over at him really quick. "Like old times."

"Perfect," Clay said, actually feeling nervous for the first time in a long time.

The brief drive to Hanna's was quiet, Clay trying to find the words to explain what Shane was forcing him to, but he really didn't know how he could say it.

"Mace," he said as she parked on Main. "Before we go, I want to talk to you."

"What?" She asked, snapping her head toward him. "What is it?"

"You're not my blood," he said plainly. "Me and your mom, we took you in after JT died. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I forget half the time."

"JT?" She asked, wide-eyed. "I'm a Teller?"

"You're a Morrow," Clay said earnestly. "You're my daughter."

Macy shook her head. "Why didn't she tell me?"

"When JT died," Clay started slowly, "It was a really nasty time for everybody. Once you were old enough Gemma didn't want to relive it, she didn't want to relive JT."

"Oh," she scoffed. "That's it, right? That's why she fucking hates me?"

Clay shook his head, more upset over that one question than anything else that had been said. "She doesn't hate you."

"No, but come on, Dad, you know what I mean," Macy shrugged. "I've always just been, there, there's always been resentment, she's not shy about how much she hates girls, always wanted to have sons, lots of sons."

All those years, Clay never realized how Gemma's comments, played off as jokes, deeply affected Macy. "I'm sorry, sweetheart."

"Why did she even have me?" Macy asked angrily. "To hear her tell it as soon as Tommy got sick she and JT were already over."

Clay took a deep breath. "It's not that simple."

"Dad," she said with a dark look.

"Gemma isn't your mother, not biologically," he said with a low grumble. "JT had an affair and when your mother died you were sent here. By the time Gemma found out JT was cheating, he was checked out and we already started sneaking around."

"Oh my god," she gasped.

"It wasn't my place, still isn't, Gemma is gonna have my ass for even telling you this," Clay admitted. "Before JT died, it was like he knew, like he suspected because he made your mom promise to take care of you. Between that and how much Jax loved you what could she do?"

Macy's brows furrowed. "Wait, she questioned it?"

That wasn't his goal but in trying to smooth it all over, Clay had inadvertently revealed a truth that destroyed it all.

"That's not what I meant," Clay muttered.

"Then what did you mean?" She asked boldly. "Look, Dad, there's no love lost between me and Gemma, honestly this validates every nasty thought I ever had about her and proves I'm not fucking crazy. Just tell me so I can fucking know the truth."