“Could’ve fooled me,” she yells over her shoulder before exiting the kitchen and slamming the door behind her.
“You just had to go there.” Eva shakes her head, setting a plate down in front of me.
“It needs to be repeated until she sees sense.” I load waffles and fruit onto my plate.
“She’s a hormonal teenager. She’s not going to see sense.”
“Not helping,” I growl before swallowing a mouthful of juice. “Why couldn’t she stay young and sweet and innocent forever?”
Eva’s features soften as she wraps her arms around me. “We can’t stop her from growing up or from dating, but we do need to set some ground rules.”
“He’s too old. It’s not happening.”
“I agree, but the more we deny her, the harder she’ll rebel. We need to get creative.”
“So, what?” My fork clangs on the marble countertop as it drops from my hand. “We just let her date that little perv and say nothing when he steals her virtue and breaks her heart?”
Eva rolls her eyes as she climbs onto the stool alongside me. “I swear to God, Kade. You and your brothers have such a flair for the dramatic.”
“If you grew up in my house, you’d be a bit of a drama queen too.”
“What the what?” Matthew says, strolling into the kitchen with a puckered brow. He’s only wearing pajama bottoms and a sleepy smile. His dark hair is sticking up in all directions and he’s yawning like he hasn’t just slept nine hours straight. “Did you just call yourself a drama queen?” he asks, grabbing a waffle and taking a large bite out of it.
“Your father was giving your sister a run for her money just now.”
“You can’t let her date Justin.” He walks to the refrigerator and removes the jug of juice. “He only wants one thing.”
“Thank you.” I slam my hands down on the counter and level a look at Eva.
“I didn’t say you were wrong,” Eva says, slanting me with a look of her own. “Only that your current reaction is not helping. All you are doing is encouraging her to dig her heels in and date him behind our backs. Then we have no way of knowing what she is doing or where she is going.”
“Mom’s right, Dad,” Matthew says, hopping up onto the stool across from me.
“I thought you were on my side.”
“I am, but you know how stubborn Milly is. I’m not even sure she likes him that much. You’re making this into a challenge.”
“So, what should we do?”
“Tell her she can go on a date with him, but you have to approve the location. Give her an early curfew, and say he has to pick her up from the house. Scare the shit out of him, Dad, so he’s afraid to lay a finger on her. Ask Hewson and his buddies to go wherever they are and watch from a distance. That way, if Justin tries anything, Hewson can get involved. Milly knows you’ll be tracking her on the app, so she won’t lie.”
Eva and I stare at our son with our mouths hanging open in shocked awe. It’s so hard to believe he’s thirteen sometimes. Cathal may be a savant, but our son is wise and intelligent, and he makes me so fucking proud.
“That’s a pretty impressive plan. Do you think it’ll work?” I ask.
“Milly thinks she’s more grown up than she is, but she’s smart, and she’s not reckless. You need to trust her. She’s not going to let Justin take something she’s not prepared to give him. I’m guessing either she’ll grow sick of him pretty quick, or he’ll give up when she doesn’t give it up.”
“Jesus.” I almost choke on my tongue. I can’t bear thinking about my little girl having sex. I feel ill thinking it.
This parenting lark is not easy, and raising teenagers is a freaking minefield.
“Thanks for the suggestion. We’ll consider it,” Eva says, ever the voice of reason.
“You need to look out for your sister,” I add.
“Duh, Dad. Of course. I know you don’t want to hear this, but Milly gets a lot of attention from the boys at school. It’s not surprising. She’s gorgeous, just like Mom.”
“That is true.” I slide my arm around Eva’s waist, pulling her in for a quick kiss. “It’s all your fault for passing such stunning genes to our little girl,” I tease though it’s no lie. Milly is Eva’s mini-me, in the same way Matthew is mine.
