White Space Season 2

Emma’s face, her expression melted from happy and confident to clearly nervous. Like she felt stupid. Maybe scared. As if stuck on thin ice, too slow for crossing.
    They traded more minutes of uncomfortable small talk, not many, then Jon set his hand on Emma’s shoulder and said, a bit loud, “You ready to go, Honey? Aunt Cassidy is probably waiting, and we still have a long night ahead of us.”
    “Sure,” Emma said, clearly relieved.
    They all left the sitting room in a huddle and headed toward the front door together. Blake’s phone buzzed in the foyer a few feet from the door. He pulled out his cell, looked at the glass, excused himself by saying he had to take the call, silenced it with a swipe to the screen, then fell to his knee and told Emma it was wonderful to meet her, and that he hoped to see her again soon.
    Then he disappeared, as did Melinda.
    Warren walked Jon and Emma the rest of the way out. Emma climbed into the Blacklander’s backseat, and Jon shut the door. Warren suddenly grabbed Jon tightly around the arm and spun him into more of his spittle.
    “That’s some clever shit you pulled in there. Your daughter’s quite the actress.”
    “What in the hell are you talking about?” Jon shrugged from Warren’s grip, annoyed that his brother would have something negative to say about Emma.
    “This, this little act you’ve got going. You think I don’t know what you’re up to?”
    “Well, I’d love it if you told me,” Jon said, his voice swelling louder than he wanted.
    “Don’t play stupid. I know this is some ploy to get your bastard child into Father’s will!”
    Jon stared, shocked by Warren’s audacity. It was one thing to talk shit about Jon, or even Cassidy — she was an adult, but to trash a child?
    To trash my daughter?
    Jon swung, slamming Warren hard in the jaw and sending him to the cobblestones. Jon wanted to hit him again, hell, he wanted to kick him like a locked door. But aware that he’d drawn Emma’s full attention — he could feel her staring through the Blacklander windows — Jon resisted the urge to kick Warren’s ass. Instead, he leaned to meet Warren’s red and angry eyes. His brother was clutching his jaw, not yet ready to stand. Jon said, in a low, steady growl, “If you ever talk about my daughter like that again, I will put you on the short list for a prosthetic jaw. Are we clear?”
    Warren said nothing, just glared up at his brother.
    Jon kicked him in the crotch. “I asked you a question, asshole. Are we clear?”
    “Yes,” Warren gasped, red-faced and holding his nuts.
    “Good,” Jon said, tipping an imaginary hat at Melinda, watching from the window, before circling the Blacklander and climbing in.
    Heart pounding, knuckles throbbing, and adrenaline racing, Jon painted his face with a brush of calm before turning to Emma in the backseat.
    Her smile beamed, and her eyes lit with a reflection of her daddy as hero. “Thank you!” she said, reaching up past the console and hugging Jon tight.
    He wasn’t sure why Emma was thanking him — if she had heard his threat, or if she was maybe thanking him because Warren made her feel like shit earlier. Either way, Jon felt an odd sense of nobility in defending his daughter against his asshole brother. Jon softened into Emma’s warm embrace, and felt a deep bond echoing out from his violent act — a bond that swore Jon would do anything to anyone who dared try and hurt his little girl.
    “Thank you, Daddy,” she said.
    Tears stung Jon’s eyes as the love for a daughter he never knew, rooted inside him one month before, finally blossomed fully .

    * * * *

CHAPTER 8 — Cassidy Hughes

    “You should’ve seen it!” Emma squealed after they got home from The Gardens. “Daddy punched Uncle Warren right in his face. Then he kicked him in the privates!”
    “So,” Cassidy said grinning, “I guess dinner went well?”
    Jon laughed, “Oh, yeah, a typical Conway dinner. But no, before you ask, we didn’t get to talk about you know what.”
    “What?” Emma asked.
    “Nothing, nosey, go get your bags, we’ve gotta get going,” Cassidy said pinching the tip of Emma’s nose.
    As she ran upstairs, Emma saw Houser coming down, “Houser!” she screamed, giving him a giant hug. “Are you OK?”
    It was the first she’d seen him since he was escorted from the house in cuffs by Paladin officers.
    “Yeah,” he said. “Just a big mistake. Everything’s fine. I’ll tell you all about it