The Youngest Mathers

Chapter 17

"Becca, I failed you kid," Marshall said softly.
"No Marshall. You lived your life. I am all right," she sniffed.
"I should have protected you. It was my job to keep you safe and I didn't do it. I fucked up, Becs."

Becca sat with her head against her brother's shoulder. He kissed her forehead.

"You will always be my lil Becs," he said.

She rolled her eyes but laughed. He sighed heavily.

"I should have known better than to ever get with Kim," he said.
"Not getting with her would have meant no Hailie, Alaina, or Whitney though," she replied.
"I know. There is good with the bad I guess."
"And me being screwed up the way I was got me Chloe and Axel."
"There is the good in the storm."

She laughed. He smiled. She hugged her brother tightly.

"I love you Marshall. Thank you for everything you have done for me and the kids," she said.
"I love you too Becca. I always got your back, kid," he replied.
"I know you do."

She sighed.

"Ready to get back out there?" he asked.
"Yeah I guess," she said.
"Come on."

He stood up and helped her up off the floor. Nathan was gone from the main room. Kim was sitting in a chair like she was waiting on something. The girls were huddled in the corner together like they didn't know what to do. Royce walked over seeing Marshall re-enter the room with Becca. She went to find Nathan.

"Nate," she said softly when she found him.
"It's ok Becca. I am fine," he said.
"Are you sure? I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have spouted all of your shit out there,"
"No it's all right. She just pissed me off trying to call you a liar."

Marshall walked into the room where the two siblings were just in time to see them embrace one another. Nathan kissed his sister's cheek. Ashley shifted Axel as she stood behind Marshall.

"What a day huh?" she asked.
"No kidding," he replied.
"They will be all right. But will you?"
"I don't know. I feel like I failed them both as well as the girls."
"Don't think that."
"Why not?"
"Because they are who they are because of the things that they went thru. Nate is a damn good dad to our kids because he had you to look up to. He always makes sure we are taken care. I have you to thank for helping him become that man."

Marshall nodded. He didn't see it that way especially after what had just been dropped on him. Nathan spotted them and pointed them out to Becca. She smiled sadly as she looked at them. The brother and sister walked toward Ashley and Marshall. Nathan slid an arm around his wife's waist.

"You ok?" Ashley asked.
"Surprisingly yeah, I am good. Its like a huge weight off my chest that I didn't know was there," he said.
"Becca, are you ok?"
"Yeah, I am. I just wanted the truth out there."

Ashley nodded. She looked at the party they had just walked away from. Denaun came out with Chloe in his arms. She spotted them and squirmed to get down. He let her down and she ran to them. Marshall scooped her up in his arms.

"We will get thru this as a family," he said to his siblings. "I just can't believe I ever trusted her with y'all."
"It's in the past," Becca said.

He nodded. They headed home that night with the three girls not far behind. They wanted an explanation and weren't going to get one from their mother. At least not the truth about it all. Hailie was the most distraught about it all. Becca had doted on all three girls as they grew up as long as she was around. Marshall had never kept his siblings from his kids but Kim had. She had thrown Becca's drug usage in her face and told her she couldn't see the girls.

Becca sighed heavily as they sat in the living room. She wasn't exactly prepared for this conversation with the girls.

"She really used to beat on you?" Alaina asked.
"Yes, she would wait until Marshall and my mother were gone before she would do it. Mostly for me getting any attention from my brother. I really don't like talking about this with you girls," Becca sighed.
"Too bad, we aren't babies anymore. We want to know what happened."
"I remember one time I asked Marshall to tie my shoes and the minute he left for work and my mother left for Bingo, I caught a hand across the face. She told me that she would make Marshall leave Nate and I behind."

The girls listened intently to the stories of the past that she had. Becca hesitated with any of the stories. She glanced at Marshall. He just nodded. There was no use hiding any of it anymore. He sat listening to everything his sister said.

"When I was about five or so, grandma's little nightly conquest decided to come in my room. I used to go to your dad for comfort. But with her there, I went to Nate. I couldn't even bring myself to tell Marshall what happened. He drove Nate and I to school the next day and all I could do was cry. I couldn't tell him and I couldn't sit for a week after he went to work. She called me a spoiled brat that just wanted everyone's sympathy," Becca sighed.

Marshall remembered that day clearly as she talked. He remembered making the decision to keep her home from school with him. He remembered Kim being mad that they couldn't return home and have sex because of Becca. It hadn't mattered to him that Kim wasn't getting his time. He had clearly seen that Becca was hurting and he had to fix it.