27 Lies by MJ Fields

Author:MJ Fields [Fields, MJ]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Self-Published
Published: 2016-09-04T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

You just don’t understand him like me. - C. Puckett

AVA

Relief washes over me. He’s away from the place of death. The relief is interrupted by Hope’s mouth on my chin and my phone ringing.

I walk over to see Dad’s face on the screen and hit the accept request for Facetime.

“Hi, Dad,” I mumble as Hope continues using my jaw as her own personal pacifier.

“Wow, you should feed her, Ava.” He smiles, but it’s not the same smile it used to be. It’s put on.

I attempt a smile as Hope grips my hair harder. “Teething.”

“You do know there’s all sorts of items in one of the lower cabinets for that, right?”

I nod. “She prefers the chin.”

“You look good, Ava.”

“You, too,” I say, because he does. He always does. Also, what else can we talk about?

“I’m thinking about coming in tomorrow.”

“No,” I snap, which makes Hope startle. “Oh, sweetie, it’s okay,” I coo to her.

“She wants to see me,” Dad says, trying to make it a joke.

“She will...soon. You said I looked good, Daddy. I’m doing good. We’re doing good. Please let me do what I need to do.”

His lips form a line. “You didn’t make any football games.” He’s using the brother card.

“I’m sure Logan understands.”

Dad runs his hand through his hair in frustration. “You’re both driving me nuts right now.”

“I’m sure we’ll get it back.” I kiss Chance’s head. “Two fold.”

“You’ll be home for Christmas.” It’s a demand, not a question.

“I don’t know, Dad. I’d like them to spend their first Christmas here.” And the next twenty.

“No,” Dad rejects that comment.

“No?”

“Ava, I draw the line at Christmas.”

I give him back the same stern look he is giving me. “I’m an adult.”

“No. Just...no.”

Hope takes this time to start getting upset. Perfect timing.

“She’s teething,” I mention again since he didn’t seem to get what I was saying before.

As I hoped, realization dawns. “She’s getting a tooth? Ava, how could you not tell me that? That’s important stuff.”

“It’s a tooth, Dad. Plus, it may take a month or more to come in. It’s just bothering her.” I laugh. “She’s going to get lots more. So is Chance.”

“Ava, those are newsworthy events. I mean, seriously, all the other grand—people I know share that shit on social media.”

“Well, I haven’t felt all that social.”

He sighs in frustration. “Ava, you either come home for Christmas, or I’m going to be there every day until then.”

“Lucas,” Tessa scolds in the background.

I can’t help almost smirking when she comes to my rescue.

“Dammit, Ava,” he snaps.

“That’s enough, Lucas Links,” Tessa says, and his face distorts.

“She’s enjoying this.” He points at the screen.

At this point, I have to hide my face.

“She’s laughing at my pain, baby. Laughing!”

She turns the screen so I can see her face. “You need him, he’s there.” Then she mouths, “Please.”

“Next weekend, okay? Next weekend, you can come.”

“How come that Casey chick gets to be with them?” Dad asks in a childish manner.

“She’s not here. She won’t be back for another five days,” I inform him.

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