“Then I guess we’re in the same club. I think I turned out pretty good without a mom, so I’m not worried about y’all. Especially since you have Theo, Leon, and Dominic looking out for you.”
She nodded fiercely. “Theo protects us. He’ll protect you, too.”
I took both of her hands that had finally relaxed.
“You know, I can protect you, too. If you ever need anything, I’ll be here.”
She grinned suddenly. “You don’t have muscles like Theo. He could pick up a car. Or probably a house.”
Her hero worship warmed me from head to toe. I saw that Ollie and Lee were circling Dad like a couple of baby sharks so I stood up and flexed my muscles.
“Hey! Charlie doesn’t think I have muscles like Theo. Who wants to test them? I bet I can pick up any of you!”
The morning quickly devolved into fits of giggles as I picked them up and flexed my muscles all over the place. We even took turns play wrestling in the grass while Dad acted as referee. It didn’t take very long for the youngest two to turn their attention on Dad. I watched closely, probably too closely, as they climbed on Dad. I was terrified he was doing too much and would have an attack but he seemed to be taking to the fresh air.
It didn’t take me long to realize I had to be careful around Charlie with my actions and reactions. One wince from me when Ollie’s knee dug into Dad’s side had Charlie shouting at him. Her protective streak was a mile wide and I could only imagine the anxiety she felt in her little body. She’d taken on the weight of the world with almost zero control to fix the things she deemed broken.
My teacher brain was already thinking of little projects we could work on together that might help. I was also already drafting my argument to Theo that he should consider using some of their fortune to hire a very private therapist who’d work off-the-books with Charlie.
*
“They’re sweet kids.” Dad looked up from his pasta and watched me. “Especially the younger two. The older one’s special, isn’t she?”
I pushed my half-eaten plate away and relaxed in the stiff-backed chair, as much as possible.
“She’s seen some tough things, I think. She’s fiercely protective.”
“You’ll be good for them, Sutton.” Dad grinned. “Or should I start calling you Button?”
I groaned. “Don’t you dare.”
“If I’m going to be Coco, you can be Button.” He looked out the window behind me and suddenly frowned. “Are you going to mention the lack of play space for them? All this land and not a single swing. It’s pitiful.”
I nodded. “I already had a note jotted down.”
“So.” Dad cleared his throat. “A sex club, huh?”
I choked on the water I’d just sipped and my eyes watered as I patted my chest and coughed. Dad’s body seemed not want to be left out because once he laughed his lungs seized and he went into his own coughing fit. Mine ended a lot faster than his andI got his nebulizer set up before he put his hand over mine and spoke through a scratchy voice.
“Stop, Sutton. I’m fine. Sit down.”
I parked myself on the seat closest to his and kept a close eye on him.
“There’s nothing wrong with using the treatments, Dad.”
“Get back to explaining to me the sex club next door.” He took a long gulp of water and ignored the way his hand shook as he put the glass back down.
It wasn’t like Dad and I hadn’t had the sex talk. Mom had been too busy living her own version ofSex and the Cityto talk to me,so it’d been Dad’s job. That didn’t make me feel any less awkward about talking to him about a sex club. I was bright red and wanted to sprint out of his new house.
“It has nothing to do with me, Dad.”
“I was just curious about why you didn’t mention it. It’s a pretty significant detail.” He caught my eye and wagged his eyebrows. “Are you going to explore the club?”
I stood up so fast that my chair toppled over. I corrected it and took a giant step away from the table.
“No! No. Dad, I…I’ve gotta go. I love you! Call me if you need anything! Do your treatment! No more whiskey!”
I could hear him laughing at me even after I shut the front door. I speed walked to the main house and took the back stairs up to my suite. I was still in a tizzy about the idea of telling my dad I’d agreed to tour the sex club, of admitting that I was becoming a deviant, just like my mom. It wasn’t just the typical embarrassment of talking to him about sex that’d sent me running. It was the shame of having him look at me like he’d looked at her.
