Better late than never. Right?

I’ve not done a Scenario Wednesday update in weeks. Shame, shame, shame on me. The lovely authors Koko Brown, Serenity King and Shara Azod all have presented great excerpts for you. So I’d be remiss if I didn’t follow their lead.

This weeks scenario is inspired by that ‘heroic’ male lead in our stories. And guess who comes to mind? Liam Flannigan. It’s no secret how happy I am over the release of Before Sunrise. I guess because the character Liam is unlike the bad boy’s I’ve written lately. A Navy Seal with a tender heart for the woman he loves. I find his courage and strength heroic. I think he’s flawed, and imperfect in the ways most heroes are. Though Liam’s return throws his lady’s life into an upheaval his baby girl see’s him as a gift from God. When you read Before Sunrise, you will understand Liam’s pain over his little sister’s death and his redemption in the second chance at being a hero to his little girl Mackenzie. The excerpt I’ve provided shows what heroes, are made of. A little girls happiness over the joyful reunion with her daddy.

Excerpt: Liam approached the fence. His actions immediately drew the attention of the teacher. She walked over.

“Can I help you?”

“I need to see Mackenzie Flanagan,” Liam said, watching his daughter as she ran over to the swings. She got behind her friend and gave her a push, then belly-laughed once her friend soared through the air.

The teacher looked him up and down. “I’m sorry, but—”

Vasquez came up behind him on the sidewalk. “Hi, Margaret.”

“Captain Vasquez! I didn’t know you were back.” Ms. Christopher smiled politely.

“Yeah, home for a few days now. How have you been?”

“Fine, and you?” she asked.

Liam glared incredulously at both of them. “Can you bring her to the gate? Please.”

Ms. Christopher flinched at his abrupt manner. Somewhere underneath, Liam knew it would be a bad idea to do it this way, but he just couldn’t help himself. No one was going to keep him from his kid. No one.

“It’s okay, Margaret. He’s a friend, “ said Vasquez.

Ms. Christopher nodded. She stepped away from the chain-link fence and approached the swings. Reaching down, she took hold of little Mackenzie’s hand. Liam watched as his daughter fixed her eyes on him.

He smiled at her. He clenched his teeth against the pain and leaned down as Mackenzie approached the fence. “Hello, Mac.”

Mackenzie frowned at first. Then her beautiful eyes stretched wide with surprise. “Daddy?” she gushed. “You came!”

Liam stunned into silence, froze. All of them were. He swallowed the ball of emotion lodged in his throat. When he spoke, his voice came shaky and hoarse. “What did you call me?”

“Daddy. Santa Claus bring you?” She stuck her fingers through the holes in the fence.

Liam, overcome with emotion, stared in disbelief at his own hand, reaching for her little one. The surge of happiness that moved through him proved to be a foreign feeling. My baby girl knows me. How was that even possible? Tears welled in his eyes. He knelt the best he could, having to extend his bum leg. He balanced his weight with the cane, and squeezed Mackenzie’s fingers. “Yes, baby girl, I came from heaven just to meet you.”

“I knew it! Mommy said if you pray, Jesus hears you. And I prayed to him, too. I knew you would come. I knew it!” She giggled. “I want you to come for Christmas. It’s my birthday, too. That’s why you here, huh Daddy? To go to my party?”

“Is that what your mommy told you? That I’d come for Christmas?”

“She said you knew it was going to be my birthday.”

Liam found himself unable to speak. Mackenzie fixed her eyes on him conspiratorially. “Don’t tell nobody but we gonna have a Christmas clown at my party!”

“That’s wonderful,” Liam said.

She nodded, making her curls bounce.

“You can come see him. Mommy don’t know, it’s a secret.” Mackenzie looked over at Vasquez. “Can the twins come, Uncle Tony?”

Vasquez winked at her. “They wouldn’t miss it, Mac.”

Liam ran his finger across her tiny knuckles gripping the gate. “Mac…can you do something for me, sweetie?”

“Yes, daddy.”

“For now, can this just be our secret?”

Mackenzie frowned. “What’s a secret?”

“Something we keep to ourselves. Just until I can come to your house and tell mommy. Okay?”

Mackenzie nodded. “ Okay…we can keep it secret.”

Liam studied her face up close. The wind blew her ponytail forward and some of the soft curls came through the links of the gate. He had to touch them, rub them between his fingers. She was shockingly beautiful.

Vasquez winked at Ms. Christopher. “Margaret, as you can see this is complicated. I’m taking him to see Kennedy and Phil shortly, so if you don’t mind keeping this between us, just for the day?”

Margaret nodded. “Okay, um, sure. Come on, Mac.”

Mackenzie then stuck her entire arm through the opening in the gate to touch Liam’s face. “I can’t wait to show you my fishie. Be good, Daddy.”

Liam kissed the palm of her little hand. “I can’t wait to meet your fishie.”

Reluctantly, he let her go. He stood with the help of his cane and watched her run off to the other kids. She obviously forgot the meaning of the word ‘secret’ and immediately pointed out her hero father. A few kids stared and waved their hands. Liam had to turn away. It was too much.

He and Vasquez walked back to the car in silence.

Before he crossed the front of the vehicle for the passenger door he looked back at Mackenzie and waved goodbye. She waved, grinning, and then dismissed him for the slide once again. Once inside the car he felt the air return to his lungs. He dropped his head back and sat there, utterly depleted.

Vasquez shook his head in disapproval. “Don’t misunderstand what I’m about to say.”

“She’s my kid. I can see her anytime I want,” Liam snapped.

“Of course you can—”

“She knew me…can you fucking believe that?” he asked. Tears pricked his eyes even as a slow-moving smile spread across his face.

“Kennedy and Sally kept you very much alive for Mac. She brags about her hero daddy, according to Angelina.”

Liam frowned. “Why hero?”

“I had one of the sergeants go to the school for the preschoolers. I told him to mention you being a hero…it’s the way Mac sees you.”

“I’m nobody’s hero,” he mumbled.

“To that little girl you are.” Vasquez started the car.

“She’s the best thing me and Kennedy ever did. The only thing of Kennedy that I have all to myself,” he said under his breath.

Be Sure to visit my writing friends for scenario Wednesday:

Koko Brown

Serenity King

Shara Azod