Page 16 of Property of Indiana

“She’s not mad, Icer,” I contend. “She’s worried. She wants Elodie to love you for who you are not for what you can give her. She knows that Elodie is just as special to you as you are to her. Y’all’s heart is what matters, Icer, not what’s in your wallet.”

“You know I don’t have a heart, man,” Icer decrees.

“Bullshit. If you didn’t have a heart beating in your chest, you wouldn’t have come to make sure that little girl and her mother were protected from a potential attack from the Onyx Dragons. You can lie to me all day long, Icer, but don’t lie to yourself, brother.”

“That’s different,” he rebuts.

“No, it’s really not, brother,” I tell him as we head into the garage. When I see how full the truck still is despite him carrying in a bunch of bags, I realize that I might need Riptide here to slip Icer a little something-something because Zoey’s going to lose her mind.

“I just made sure Elodie had her school supplies too, Indiana,” Icer informs me as he moves to the back of the truck. “Let’s get this bitch inside so I can set it up. El and I have movies to watch!”

Shaking my head, I help him carry in the television while ignoring Zoey’s squeak of shock when she sees the size of the box. “But wait, there’s more,” I whisper in a game show voice as I walk by her. “Just go with it, babe. He’sneverdone anything like this in his entire life.”

She sighs in defeat. “Fine. Just, whatever mess y’all make you’re responsible for cleaning up. I’m going to go cook something.”

I can’t help chuckling as I ask, “What are you gonna make?”

“I have no fucking clue, but it’ll keep me out of this current scene!”

CHAPTER

EIGHT

ZOEY

I tryto keep my distance from the spectacular disaster that is happening in my spare room. We didn’t need four bedrooms but this house called to my soul, and now, I’m happy that I had this additional space for my daughter.

When I peek in for what must be the thousandth time since they started carrying empty boxes out, I roll my eyes because not only did they hit the Harley store where Icer bought my daughter her own mini trike bike, but they hit the Disney store and grabbed posters and a tent that has all of the princesses printed on it.

Another box is carried out of the room and set in her bedroom. “What’s that?” I ask Harrison as he drops it and begins scooting it across the floor.

“Her new bed,” he answers with a blank face.

“Her new what?” I ask, my eyes bugging out of my head. “She has a new bed, I bought it for her when we moved here.”

“Well… now she has a spare,” Harrison says, as his pace quickens to where he’s no longer in slapping range.

“Hang on a dang second! What five year old needs a spare bed, Harrison? I’m an adult and only have one! One body equals one bed. Get back here, mister,” I hiss, following him into her room where I shut the door behind me so he can’t make a fast getaway.

“Listen, Zoey.”

“No, you listen, Harrison,” I state, stomping my foot. “What was wrong with her other bed? This is getting ridiculous.”

“Well, you see what happened was that they saw this canopy one, and Elodie’s eyes apparently did this dreamy thing and she sighed.”

“She dreamily sighed? That’s the excuse we’re going with, Harrison? Seriously?”

“Hey, I was with you! How am I getting blamed for this, Zoey?”

“He’s your brother, not mine!” I screech, jamming my finger into his chest. “That makes you responsible for him and his actions.” The only reason she got a new bed when we moved back to Canton was because she’d outgrown her toddler bed. In this household, Elodie has to earn her things by being respectful, minding, and working hard whether that’s done by cleaning up after herself or brushing her teeth without pitching a fit because she knows that means it's bedtime.

“Trust me, Icer does what Icer wants without fear of repercussions or consequences,” he says.

At least he’s not smirking or chuckling right now. I think if he was I’d grab the closest thing and smack it upside his damn head. Just because my daughter, who’s only recently begun fullycogitating, looked at a bed with goo-goo eyes, Icer decided she had to have it? Pure insanity as far as I’m concerned. From the look of things, the man dropped thousands of dollars today as if it was nothing. While I’ve given Elodie a good life, she’s never had anything like this happen to her. My grandparents, when they were alive, gave gifts, of course, but they were more practical than anything. A new outfit, or a pair of shoes. Sometimes a book, or a winter coat. She has a game system, but it’s not the latest and greatest by any means, although from what one of the boxes had on the outside, I think that’s about to change as well.

“She’s going to get spoiled,” I grumble to Harrison, my hands now balled into fists.

“He won’t do this all the time,” Harrison chides.

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