Irritation flares in my gut. “I was six.”
“What about that chick in high school? I told you to bring her, and you never did.”
“Dad.” I huff. “There was no way her parents were going to let her hop on a plane to Hawaii with her seventeen-year-old boyfriend.”
Fuck, the man doesn’t have the first clue how to be a parent, clearly.
“It’s okay. No need to lie. People like you and me don’t need an ole ball and chain.”
“I’m not?—”
“We can teach your new brother how it’s done.”
I don’t even bother to ask what he means by that. He’s delusional if he thinks I’ll let him bring a fifteen-year-old kid to a bar like he used to do with me. History willnotrepeat itself.
Refusing to add fuel to the fire, I take slow, deep breaths to regulate myself.
“Fine, I’ll bring her.”
After I’ve ended the call, Cam asks, “What the hell was that?”
My chest pinches painfully. “I panicked, man. I can’t standthe idea of him thinking I’m anything like him. It fucking pisses me off.”
“Buta wife?” His eyes bulge. “You couldn’t have said girlfriend instead?”
“I told you, I panicked. You know he makes me lose it sometimes.”
Sighing, he nods once. “What are you going to do?”
“Fuck if I know.”
Where am I going to find a wife?
6
Millie
“IWISHyou’d told me the tour ended early. I would have come home sooner,” Joey says the instant she bursts into our apartment.Myapartment, I suppose, now that she’s been traveling—and writing another book—while her fiancé photographs some of the most elite destinations in the world.
I pull her in for a tight embrace, relishing the connection. “You were busy. It’s no big deal.”
“Why’d it end early anyway?” She kicks off her sandals by the door.
“Hey.” I frown. “Are those my Birks?”
Joey scrunches her face. “No?”
“You thief.” I laugh. “I’ve been looking for them everywhere.”
Winking, she plops onto the sofa and tucks her feet under. “So… the show?”
Damn. I was hoping I could avoid this conversation. I should have known better. “Um.” I gulp. The showdidend early. Kinda. But I’m not ready to open up about the real reason I came home, so I say, “Something about the budget? Idon’t really know.”
Though she eyes me a beat, she doesn’t push. “I’m happy to see you. What have you been up to for the past month?”
I curl up next to her on the sofa. There’s no way she hasn’t noticed how much weight I’ve gained, even if I’m hiding beneath an oversized shirt. Why hasn’t she said anything?
“I’ve been working for LULU a lot.”
