You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive

Six

"You WHAT?!" Ava shouted at her daughter. 

"I want Raylan to have 50/50 custody of me and I want to change my last name." Jaycee spoke clearly. Shed thought this over all night. She knew what she wanted and she had no hesitation. "I can get a part time job in Lexington, or even as an intern in Raylans office." She nodded. 

Ava let out a sigh and placed her hands over her face. Raylan took a drink of the orange juice Ava had served him only a few minutes ago. "Raylan, talk some sense into her!" Ava looked to him. Raylan hadnt spoken a word since Jaycee had broken the news to Ava. 

His eyes looked to his daughter. "Im on board. I need to get a house and settle down anyways." He said. "As for my last name, its nothing but a few papers at the courthouse." He shrugged. Avas eyes widened. "You arent fit to be a father, Raylan! " Ava leaned forward. Raylan raised an eyebrow at her. 

"Im not fit? Ava, I work a full time job, I can get a house or an apartment. I can provide for her. Dont you think ive missed enough of her life?" 

Jaycee sat back, watching her mother argue with Raylan. 

Ava scoffed at his words. "Well if you had stuck around, things might have been different!" Raylan frowned at her, shaking his head. Jaycee took a deep breath sitting back up and taking  a drink. "This isnt my fault Ava. You didnt tell me about her. I would have stuck around if youd said something." He stated, motioning to Jaycee. 

"Mom, this is what I want. I want Raylan to be my dad." She said. "Please, just this once, let me make this decision." She looked to her mother. "Let him have the chance to be my father."  Ava sat back down, looking to her daughter. Her arms crossed over her chest, showing her displeasure with her daughters decision. "Im gonna spend time with him regardless, might as well let him have custody." 

Ava let out a sigh, looking to Raylan. "I'll think about this. When you get a house, we can talk about this again, understand?" Jaycee smiled, knowing shed won.  Raylan looked to Jaycee, giving her a wink. 

Her life had taken a turn since Raylan had shown up, but shed never felt like shed belonged more. It had never made sense that she was related to any of the Crowders. She never looked like them, never acted like they had, never understood them. 

Now Raylan? That made sense to her.  She gave him a smile, noticing that the two adults were now bickering about something completely new. Jaycee leaned forward and began to eat her food, watching them with curious eyes. Is this what it would have been like if they had been a family?  

Hopefully.