My head hangs for a split second before I turn to face her.
“No, Ken. You know Megan is coming.”
My daughter stands on the other side of the room. Her hands are pulled into the sleeves of a sweatshirt that’s three sizes too big for her, and she gives me a look like I’m the dopiest person on the planet.
This is going to be fun.I grip the counter behind me and steady myself for battle.
“From what I understand, she’ll be here for twenty-nine more days, right?” she asks, her dark hair swishing across her shoulders as she speaks. “Pretty sure we can get to know each other tomorrow.”
“Can we not do this?”
“I just want to go to Neve’s.”
“You were there last night.”
“And you made me come home.”
Because I don’t trust that Neve’s mom will make sure she stays home all night.I scratch the top of my head and give another thought to jumping down the drain.
“This is going to ruin my life, isn’t it?” she asks, crossing her arms over her stomach. “This whole Gram being gone and Megan thing will ruin everything.”
“No—”
“Idon’t need a babysitter, you know.Youneed me to have one because you don’t trust me.”
I drop my hand and stand tall.
Usually, Kennedy has the sense to back up when I don’t relent. She might sneak out later or skip school, but she doesn’t typically go toe-to-toe with me.
Perfect time to level up your teenage drama, child. I’m irritated anyway.
“Yeah, you’re right,” I say, holding her gaze. “I don’t trust you.”
Her jaw falls to the floor.
“I’ve told you a million times. Give me a reason to trust you, and I will.”
“What do you mean?” she asks, her voice shrill. “I always give you reasons, but you won’t see them. You don’twantto see them. You want to lock me up in this house like a little kid and never let me out.”
I steal a glance at the clock. “You have to earn trust, Kennedy.”
“I just want to go to Neve’s.”
“And I just wanted you not to call me from a cornfield last month?—”
She rolls her eyes. “Here we go again.”
“—because you were in the car with some boy you weren’t allowed to be with in the first place, and hehydroplaned off the road and almost killed you.”
My stomach bottoms in response to the memory of Kennedy’s voice on the phone.“Daddy? I need you.”
In the period it took her to utter those three little words, my life stopped. Everything paused. Nothing mattered but getting to my kid and making sure she was safe.
And then grounding her for three weeks for lying to me and flouting the rules.
“Fine.” She narrows her eyes. “I won’t call you next time.”
My jaw clenches as I attempt to avoid losing my cool with my child.
