Page 15 of A Very Addicted Christmas

“Kinney Hale,” Lo scolds.

Lily jumps in. "The transitions weresogood!"

The girls don't seem to care about that positive. Winona looks at us. "Obviously not good enough."

Audrey is gutted, heavier tears falling. “I hate you.” Her voice squeaks. She says the tear-stricken words to me. But I know they’ve impaled her mother, too.

Winona looks wounded just seeing Audrey and Kinney this upset. She whirls towards us. “You can’t try…” She trails off, maybe seeing her dad unbending. She sighs out a hot breath that tries to boil to the surface. “We’ll be in our room as protest to this decision.” She catches their hands, and the three of them march out of the door in an angered huff.

“They’re going to lock themselves in there,” Ryke says, knowing his daughter and nieces.

“Yep,” Lo says.

We’re supposed to be leaving for Philly this afternoon. The timing is important and scheduled so that paparazzi can follow our trail once we’re in the city, and it’ll hopefully give the tour bus some time to get on the road without press following.

“We’ll deal with it later,” Rose says. “Let’s just get everything and everyone else ready to go.”

I glance at my watch. “We’re on schedule.”

Daisy rocks on her feet. “But before we leave…how’s everything going, Rose? You okay?”

“Stupendous,” Rose says dryly. “My eldest daughter won’t talk to me. And my youngest daughter now hates me.”

“Technically, she hates me, darling. It wasn’t directed at you.”

Rose rolls her eyes, but she doesn’t combat. Instead, she says, “She’s a smart girl.” Her eyes flit to me. “Stopsmiling, Richard. That was an insult towards you.”

“I’ll treasure it forever.”

Lo gags. “Can you two flirt somewhere out of earshot? K. Thanks.”

Rose ignores him and looks to Daisy, who still wears concern for her sister. “I’ll be fine, Daisy.” She stiffens. “Please stop looking at me like that.” She looks to Lily and grimaces. “You, too. Your worry and concern are noted, appreciated, now wipe it from your faces.”

Daisy makes a windshield wiping motion over Lily’s face. They both laugh, and Rose eases.

“And you?” Lo asks me. “You doing okay?”

I slowly nod, words failing me like they did this morning.

I know Maximoff is talking to his parents. He hasn’t iced them out like our daughter has us.She needs time. It’s what she told us. But I want to fix things myself without the help of Time.

Yet, I can’t.

All I can do to avoid making things worse is abide by her wishes.

The three thousand word essay will be the hardest paper I’ve ever written. This one can’t come from my head. It has to be from my heart. And it took me years to believe I’m capable of love. That my heart was more than an organ made to pump blood and keep me alive.

I can write it. For Jane, I’ll do anything.

Elle est mon coeur.

She is my heart.

THREE

TROUBLEMAKERS FIRESIDE CHAT

DECEMBER 2037

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