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“I don’t want fifty more girls,” I replied, twisting back to find her still watching me. “I just want that girl.”
Stop. Don’t go. Something’s wrong. Turn back. This is all wrong.
“Yep. Eight years with the nuns. Can’t you see my halo shining?” “Oh yeah, it’s blinding.”
“Is that your way of telling me that you don’t have a boyfriend?” “No, it’s my way of telling you that I will have a boyfriend once you ask me.” “Jesus.” My heart rate sped up. “You’re not backwards about anything, are you?” She winked and slid her schoolbag off her shoulder. “Where’s the fun in that?”
“There’s a full box of Coco Pops in the kitchen with my name on it that I’m willing to share with you.” “I’m not coming…” My words broke off when my brain registered what she had said. “Coco Pops?” She nodded. “The good kind.” Well, shit. Rubbing the back of my neck, I heard myself ask, “Is there milk in the fridge?” “Always.”
“Well, if it’s any consolation, he won’t be talking about you again.” “Because you set him straight, right?” I joked. Joey didn’t laugh. “Oh my god.” Awareness crashed down on me. “You set him straight, didn’t you?” I whispered, feeling my heart rate spike, as I thought back to their fight the other day. “That’s why you hit him, isn’t it?” “Someone had to.” “And that someone was you, right?”
He bent down and retrieved the shoe I’d lost earlier.“Nice shoes,” he said in a soft voice, putting it back on my foot. “You were right. They were worth hounding your father for.”
“You’re just like him. In every way.” What was the point in fighting my DNA? This was who I was, and I had a horrible feeling that I couldn’t be fixed or put back together again. I couldn’t reset my life. I was paralyzed and trapped in a body that resembled the person I despised most of all.
“My Joseph. My brave, brave boy. Terrible burdens. A cursed cross to carry. But always rising from the ashes. Always getting back up. Always the…protector.”
I couldn’t decide what was worse: the fact that I couldn’t hide the bruises or the fact that I couldn’t stop him from putting them there.
“Excuse my flanker,” he told us as he led the blond lad back toward the lounge. “He’s like a bleeding Labrador. Completely harmless, with zero awareness of social cues and etiquette.”
“First.” He eyed me carefully and asked, “Do you love my daughter?” Heart thumping violently in my chest, I felt myself nod. “Entirely.” And
Resting against the velvet padding interior was a tiny silver locket with the date 30.08.99 on the front. “That date…” I blew out a shaky breath. “It’s—” “The first day of first year,” he explained quietly. “The first time I laid eyes on you, and the first time I understood what it meant to have my heart beating for someone outside of my family.”
“He has me.”
“Because you might not love yourself, but I do. I love you enough for the both of us,”
“Exactly. I’m not replacing you, Molloy.” I couldn’t. “I’m trying to fix me.” For you.
