"Macy!"
Had it been Opie or Jax following her, Macy would have sped out of the lot but it Clay. She watched in her rearview as he jogged toward the car and around to the passenger side.
"Can you give me a lift?" He asked jokingly.
"You paying for lunch?" She asked, putting her foot on the gas again.
"I'll even fill the gas tank," he said.
Macy looked at Clay and smiled sweetly. "Thank you, Daddy."
Clay sighed and nodded, pointing ahead of them, "Watch the road. You pick where we're really going for lunch."
"Hanna's?" She glanced over at him quickly. "Like old times."
"Perfect," Clay said, actually feeling nervous for the first time in a long time.
The brief drive to Hanna's was quiet, Clay trying to find the words to explain what Shane was forcing him to, but he really didn't know how he could say it.
"Mace," he said as she parked on Main. "Before we go, I want to talk to you."
"What?" She asked, snapping her head toward him. "What is it?"
"You're not my blood," he said plainly. "Me and your mom, we took you in after JT died. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I forget half the time."
"JT?" She asked, wide-eyed. "I'm a Teller?"
"You're a Morrow," Clay said earnestly. "You're my daughter."
Macy shook her head. "Why didn't she tell me?"
"When JT died," Clay started slowly, "It was a really nasty time for everybody. Once you were old enough Gemma didn't want to relive it, she didn't want to relive JT."
"Oh," she scoffed. "That's it, right? That's why she fucking hates me?"
Clay shook his head, more upset over that one question than anything else that had been said. "She doesn't hate you."
"No, but come on, Dad, you know what I mean," Macy shrugged. "I've always just been, there, there's always been resentment, she's not shy about how much she hates girls, always wanted to have sons, lots of sons."
All those years, Clay never realized how Gemma's comments, played off as jokes, deeply affected Macy. "I'm sorry, sweetheart."
"Why did she even have me?" Macy asked angrily. "To hear her tell it as soon as Tommy got sick she and JT were already over."
Clay took a deep breath. "It's not that simple."
"Dad," she said with a dark look.
"Gemma isn't your mother, not biologically," he said with a low grumble. "JT had an affair and when your mother died you were sent here. By the time Gemma found out JT was cheating, he was checked out and we already started sneaking around."
"Oh my god," she gasped.
"It wasn't my place, still isn't, Gemma is gonna have my ass for even telling you this," Clay admitted. "Before JT died, it was like he knew, like he suspected because he made your mom promise to take care of you. Between that and how much Jax loved you what could she do?"
Macy's brows furrowed. "Wait, she questioned it?"
That wasn't his goal but in trying to smooth it all over, Clay had inadvertently revealed a truth that destroyed it all.
"That's not what I meant," Clay muttered.
"Then what did you mean?" She asked boldly. "Look, Dad, there's no love lost between me and Gemma, honestly this validates every nasty thought I ever had about her and proves I'm not fucking crazy. Just tell me so I can fucking know the truth."
"Your birth mom was dead, JT was dead," Clay sighed. "Your mom debated adoption but, like I said, with Jax, the promise she made and my promise to raise you as my own she decided to do the right thing."
Macy nodded slowly. "Can you get us a table? I'll be right in."
"Sweetheart," Clay sighed. "I'm so sorry."
"No, please," she shook her head. "Thank you for choosing to be my dad, for being there. If it wasn't for you and Jax I'd probably be," Macy stopped. "Thank you, Daddy."
Clay grimaced, trying to keep from crying, and kissed her cheek before getting out of the car. He was sure she was going to speed off in a rage but she stayed parked, her hands gripping the wheel, and began to cry.
Wanting to give her whatever privacy he could, Clay took the club's usual booth, ordered a coffee for himself and a chocolate milkshake for Macy.
It was only a short burst of emotion, two minutes, but Macy felt lighter after although her chest ached from the sobs. The information hasn't truly sunk in, she knew she was in for many more realizations but she knew Clay was the hero and Jax, even when he messed up, always loved his baby sister.
With red cheeks and watery eyes, Macy joined Clay, sitting in the back facing the door and windows as always, as if nothing had happened.
"Sorry," she sniffled.
"You okay?" He asked quietly.
"Peachy," she assured him. "Thank you for telling me but doesn't change anything with us."
"Good," Clay said as the waitress brought their drinks. "Forget about it?"
"Yeah," she smiled. "It's done. Let's just have our lunch."
It was a wonderful meal. Macy and Clay talked as if nothing had changed because for them nothing had. With a promise to visit the next day with the baby, Macy returned home to find a giddy Shane.
"So?" He asked eagerly.
"How did you know?" Macy asked casually, baby Shane on her hip. "How did you know about JT and Maureen?"
"Something I came across before I left town," he said casually. "They all knew, Mace. For years they all knew that lie."
"I don't even care," she scoffed. "Makes sense with Gemma, now I know I can finally openly dislike her. I can't blame them for keeping my dad's secret and I can't blame him either. Gemma is a psycho and it doesn't even matter. Clay is my dad. Treated me as his own. How can I be mad?"
Shane's upper lip curled a bit. "You don't care that your whole life is a lie?"
"It's not," she drew her head back. "My DNA isn't what I thought but Clay is my dad and Jax is my brother. It literally changes nothing."
"Jesus," he laughed darkly. "They really got you."
"Oh my god, no one has me," she rolled her eyes. "That's the thing, you had me and Opie had me and Jax had but I see you all now. I see how it really is, how you all really are."
"And?" He glared at her. "What do you see now?" He gestured to himself.
Macy shook her head. "Not the man I married. Jax lied, he hurt our family but you, I don't know you."
"It's me, baby," he said with a sadness that lacked sincerity.
"Please, don't," she pulled away when he reached out to her.
"Goddamn it!" He roared, throwing one monitor to the floor, stomping it repeatedly until falling on one of the pieces. "I knew it. I knew I was going to lose you all because of your brother."
"This is because of you," she gasped, stepping back. "Shane, I wasn't saying, I was saying not now," she stammered. "If you keep acting this way you'll be the one deciding never."
"Don't Mace," he warned her. "They never wanted me around from the start. Let's give Jax and Gemma and the rest of them what they want. We can leave, the three of us, we can be happy."
"You're not happy," she said anxiously. "Why don't we talk about this later? You're upset, I'm tired and I don't think Shane should see this."
"Fuckin' excuses," he seethed. "I want my wife and I want my son."
"I want time," she said, turning her body away from Shane to keep the baby as far as possible. "Maybe clean up, get your job back, be a normal human instead of some crazy IRA serial killer skulking in my kitchen."
"What did you say?" He asked, his face twisted with rage as he stared at her.
Macy opened her mouth but she didn't know how she could walk the comment back. "I'm sorry."
"What are people saying about me? Who is filling that pretty little head with lies?"
Rather than continue to, possibly literally, dig her own grave, Macy grabbed her purse and bolted from the house.
"Macy!" Shane shouted after her.
She fumbled to buckle the baby in before speeding down the street. Sobbing, she drove on autopilot and ended up at Opie's which was only a surprise to her. Macy ran up the path, still sobbing, and knocked obsessively.
"He's not home," the older woman across the street hollered out her door. "You okay, honey?"
"No," Macy said heading back to her car. "Thank you."
"Honey, I'm going to call 911."
"No," Macy snapped. "Please. Don't. It'll be worse. Trust me."
The neighbor nodded, assuming it was club related and refusing to involve herself. "Take care. Be safe."
"I'm trying," Macy said, slamming the door and driving away.
She chanted to herself, "Please be at the clubhouse," The entire way from Opie's to the lot. She saw a row of bikes by this time it was already too dark to differentiate. She was just relieved to see so many Sons were there.
"I'm sorry," Macy whispered to a sleeping baby Shane as he pulled him from his car seat. "I'm sorry, honey, I'm gonna get you in bed soon...Somewhere."
"Macy?" Chibs asked, seeing her first out of the others. "You okay, love?"
"No," she whimpered. "Is my dad here? Jax or Opie?"
"All of em'," he said, taking her under his arm and walking her into the clubhouse. "Need me to call your mom?"
"No," she said forcefully. "I don't need Gem. Thanks."
"What happened?" Clay asked with Jax and Opie flanking him. "Did he hurt you?"
"He went off the fucking deep end," Macy whimpered. "I didn't know where else to go. I fucked up. I said shit I shouldn't have, Dad. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
"We'll figure it out," Clay assured her. "Sack, change the sheets in the apartment. Clean it up for Macy."
"She can stay with me," Opie offered. "I got the space."
Macy shook her head. "No, thank you, the clubhouse is fine."
"Hey," Jax huffed both Macy and his nephew. "I'm sorry, Mace."
"You don't have to apologize, thank you though, think I owe you, Clay, for not being sent to a group home."
Jax frowned but nodded. "Anything for my baby sister." He kissed her cheek before slipping away with Clay for some strategy discussion leaving Macy with Opie.
"It's nothing against you," she said out of the blue. "I'm just super conflicted and upset and I feel guilty but I don't even know why," she began to cry as she spoke.
"Don't cry, please," Opie begged, collecting her in his arms.
"Guess you were right," she said.
"No I wasn't, this shit, I didn't see this shit. I was just jealous, Mace."
She laughed and looked up at him. "Wow. Thank you for that honesty."
"I got more for you," he said with a smile.
"Shoot, Ope," she relaxed a bit with their casual conversation.
"I love you."
"Yeah," she smirked. "I love you too, Ope."
"You don't hate me for not telling you?"
"I've hated you before but not for something like that," she admitted. "Christ it literally took five minutes of being here for me to calm down. I've never felt safer than I do here."
"The clubhouse?"
Macy nodded. "Never felt more at home than I do here, even at my dad's house."
"I can build an addition for you," he joked.
"Ope," she turned serious. "I do want this. I just want to see how this clears up, you know? It's always been you."
"Don't have to tell me," he whispered. Opie leaned down and kissed her, dwarfing her tiny frame as he held her tighter. "Come on, let's get you in bed, huh?"
They were on alert, for sure, but no one noticed Shane across the street staring creepily at the clubhouse. It was confirmation of his worst fear and it flicked a dangerous switch in his head.