"how can you just sit here and make such a big decision kelsey," zach started, staring at her small figure leaning against the couch, she was scared, "you're 19 kelsey and beyond indecisive and make plenty of mistakes that I have to save your ass from" he mumbled still looking at her
"you don't get it zach" she began,
"you're not taking my daughter away from me kelsey, not again." he spoke now raising his voice even more
"ZACH? you're on the road almost 24/7 fucking lord knows who so don't bring my 'mistakes' into this" she screamed matching his tone, "I know you got with Kay back in New York, but i didn't say shit, zach. You wanna know why? Because i loved you and had hope for you to be a good dad. I know you fucked Gabbie in Hawaii, but i kept my mouth shut, even to jack!" Zach stayed quiet, not meeting her gaze
"How do you think he would feel if he knew his bestfriend got with his daughters mom? you're just as bad as i am, zach, if not worse and im not doing this anymore" kelsey spoke, her voice now lower and tears burning down her cheeks
"kels-" zach began softly,
"no, don't 'kels' me, zach, there's been enough of that" she spoke grabbing her bags and her now sobbing toddler, "You call me Kelsey from now on. I'm moving out tomorrow and don't touch my things" she said sternly, starring at him with the child on her hip
And with that, she was gone. Zach was left alone sitting quietly on their cold apartment floor trying to piece together where things had gone so wrong. The cheating the, the lying, the screaming. It was no environment to raise a child.
He was on the road 24/7 and during his hiatus, he was too busy with music to spend time with the love of his life and his daughter, but he deserved it. He deserved all of it. His world began to cave in around him, and all he could do was sit on that wood floor and imagine the "What If's". The fans hated him when they found out the truth, his friends hated him , his family hated him, and he was all alone. He regretted all of it.
Zach never got to see Avery again, or not nearly as much as he wanted to. Life went on and she continued to grow up with a deep hatred for her father. And how he loved music far more than he'd ever love her. She never called him dad. Just Zach.
Avery grew up with a big farm in North Carolina, bouncing between there and California with her parents, soaking up natures bare beauty. Fearless. She grew up surrounded by her family and cousins, Malakai and Skylnn, learning life through a beautiful lense that the city could never teach her. And watch the way her parents, Hayes and Kelsey, had this unndying love for eachother and she knew she wanted the same thing.
