Pick me, Choose me, Love me

(2). "it's usually not 'nothing'"

A/N
I'm really trying to update more and try and do better in description and grammar..bear with me please.

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***Jake's POV***

"Ugh just shut up already I don't wanna hear your shitty excuses again Andrea..it's your night to take her" I would be the only one in her life if it was up to me but no she insisted on shared custody over Jenny and even though I have the money and the resources to fight her I don't want to be the reason why Jenny doesn't have a mom in her life. Once again she makes me regret allowing her in our daughter's life because once again she let her down on her birthday." Andrea, it's her birthday for christ's sake how could you let her down like this..again"

"Jake I'm sorry I'm just busy remember I still have to live somewhere and pay rent" and with that, she hung up.

Jenny is turning five tomorrow and she has been looking forward to going out with her mom and I was happy for it..that finally she would step up and play her role as a mother, that she had finally learned to love our daughter.

"Jenn it's time to come inside sweetie" I love this little bundle of chaos to my core I can't imagine a world without her from the moment she was born

"Coming daddy" I hear her little feet storming my way "is mommy coming to pick me up for my birthday?" she looked at me with such pleading eyes as if knowing the answer to her question but still hoping it wasn't true.

"No sweetie, but guess what we are gonna do tomorrow" I'm just trying to make it up to her I wonder if she still likes going to the park with her old man
"As a matter of fact go put on your coat ..I'm gonna carry you to the park and then we can get icecream"

"Yaay!!" She went rushing up the stairs

"Be careful"

*

As we are walking through the park I get sympathetic stares from women in the neighborhood you know the gossip ones
..at me with my daughter..they make single dads look so alienated like it's so absurd for a man to stick with his child even when the mom is out of the picture.

I watch as Jenny ran to the slides to play with the little kids and her little smile appears as she looks so carefree playing..she looks like her mom..my eyes dart down to my feet with sadness. It wasn't always like this with Andrea but after the drug use while she was pregnant with my baby girl, I will never forgive her for almost killing Jenny.

I look up after a few minutes of me completely staring at my feet ..where's jenny..where is she I look around the park with panic as I just looked away for just a minute where is she.

"JENNY!! "..great now the moms here are looking at me with their judgemental eyes instead of helping me find my daughter "Jenny!!" I run around frantic as I see here Dora coat that my mom made her ..she is with this lady with red hair .. I take long strides in their direction so as to get Jenny from this stranger that I have not seen around before.

"Jenny you nearly gave me a heart attack," I say stooping down to her level as if that will make her understand better
"I'm sorry daddy," she says with her eyes melting all my frustration with just her eyes...as the red-haired woman looks up at me and our eyes connect it was like they were sucking me in ... I broke contact and said "umm I'm so sorry where are my manners...I'm Jake and this is my daughter Jenny which ran off a while ago giving me a little scare thank you for keeping her company"

She stands extending her arm to me "it's ok Jenny is a sweet girl" she says with excitement in her eyes as she says my daughter's name "my name is Renesme but people call me Ren for short, nice to meet you" I reach and shook her hand ..she stoops to jenny and gives her a hug

"Don't give your dad a heart attack again sweetie..ok" as she hugs jenny the side of her shirt lifts up at the hem when Jenny's hand brush over it I could see a purple bruise and her body got tense...

"Are you ok?" I ask her with concern for her safety while staring in the direction of what seem like a purple bruise.....

She follows where my eyes are looking and pulls down the white t-shirt... I could see that it hurt, might even be recent. "Yeah, I'm alright it's nothing have a nice day" she rushes her sentence while beginning to walk away ...

"When you feel the need to hide something it's usually not 'nothing'..but thanks again..hope I see you around again maybe we can talk more" she just nodded and left