“Right in the heart,” he said.
That was when she saw that her bullet had gone right into the middle of the torso. It was an odd thing to be excited about—killing this representation of a person—but she felt elated to have Steve’s approval. It had been a lucky shot; she didn’t tell him, but she’d closed her eyes as she pulled the trigger that first time. But she decided she could be good at this, if she tried. She decided she would make him proud.
Shooting in Swakane Canyon became a weekly outing for them. They told Britt’s mom they were going out for ice cream and then ventured out together for a couple of hours. Every time, Steve imparted some kind of wisdom—often about guns, sometimes about life.
Britt had been living in Steve’s house, with her very own room, for nearly a year when he told her, during one of their shooting trips, that he was thinking of proposing to Britt’s mom.
“Oh wow,” Britt said.
In all honesty, she thought Steve was too good for her mom. Granted, her mom had cleaned up her act since meeting Steve. After witnessing a bout of The Darkness, he’d taken Britt’s mom to the doctor. Britt didn’t know what was prescribed, but whatever it was helped. Steve doled out the pills every night at dinner, and her mother took them without a fight. She didn’t drink as much—a beer or wine cooler a few times a week. She didn’t have as many wild outbursts. Still, Britt didn’t trust it. She’d never known one of these good stretches to last long.
“I suppose I’m asking your permission,” Steve said.
Britt raised her eyebrows at him. “Mypermission?”
She was just a kid. Since when did he need her approval?
“Well, yeah,” he said with a laugh.
She was flattered, had to bite the insides of her cheeks to keep from smiling too big. It felt too vulnerable, too scary, to let him see how happy he made her.
“You have my permission,” she said with a nod.
She wanted to ask if his marrying her mom would mean he would be her dad. Would he adopt her, make it official? Just thinking about it, she bit the insides of her cheeks again.
“Thank you, my dear,” he said with a playful bow.
“When are you going to do it?”
“As soon as I get the ring. Put a down payment on it last week. Paying the rest next week.”
“Wow,” she said again.
They took a few shots—he with the 1911, she with the Steyr AUG.
“Not every woman has to get married, you know,” he said. “But I think your mother is better off with me around.”
“Oh, she definitely is,” Britt said.
“I’m quite sure you will do just fine in life with or without a man by your side.”
Britt hadn’t thought much about her future at that point, hadn’t considered marriage. She took note of what he was saying, though.
“Just look at you with the guns. You’re a quick study,” he said. “You’re smart. You can do anything you want in this life. I’m not sure of much, but I’m sure of that.”
She thought back to first grade, when she’d said she wanted to be famous. She shook her head at her younger self. But secretly, she still felt she was destined for something special, something she couldn’t quite conceive of yet. Steve seemed to see it too.
“I hope you’re right,” she said.
“Just wait,” he said. “You’re going to do big things, and I’ll be applauding on the sidelines.”
Chapter 8
Sasha
The week before Daphne’s due date, Sasha texted her to check in, not knowing those would be the last texts she would ever exchange with her sister.
Sasha: I’m gonna need a photo of the current bump situation
