Page 126 of Red Hot Harmony

“Mom, you think we can get a new phone today?” Ally whined from the back for the hundredth time.

“If the store is open, Bug.”

“Can I get the latest iPhone?”

“I don’t know—” I prepared for my argument.

“Maybe.” Dante caught her gaze in the rearview mirror.

“Really?” Ally squealed.

“You can’t just spoil my daughter rotten without checking in with me first.” I gaped at him.

“Mom, come on!” she protested.

I turned to look at her, wondering if she remembered anything from the other night. If she remembered Dante punching Braden or being carried down the stairs. If she remembered the things she’d said, if she remembered throwing up. But most of all, I wondered if this stunt she’d pulled would come back and torture her later in life. I also wondered if I’d made the right decision not to legally punish the boy.

Not a boy, I had to remind myself.A man.

My doubts suddenly felt real and true.

I directed my stare at Dante, who was trying to hide his smile. Oh, yes, he was smug. I had to give him that.

But he was also human. I’d glimpsed at some of his humanity yesterday and god, for once, I loved seeing him without the walls he’d erected around himself to protect his real identity. I loved seeing him being just like everyone else, without the glamour of fame. I loved that he dedicated so much time to Ally. I loved that he listened to me. I loved that he paid attention. I loved that he was here regardless of how we’d parted right before things had gone straight to hell.

I loved…

The thought knifed through me, nearly cutting my mind in half. I didn’t believe in the possibility that I could have that...what Cassy and Frank or what my parents had.

And because I’d lost all faith in the fairytale, however distorted it was in my case, I didn’t see it until it was pretty much shoved in my face.

My own tattooed Prince Charming.

“So? What do you think?” Dante’s voice pulled me out of my reverie.

He was smiling, and at that moment, I realized, he was perfect, with his hair mussed and his eyes full of mischief.

I gently jabbed him in the shoulder. “This is not how a relationship works.”

“Okay, I’m sorry.” He threw me a quick sideways glance. “Can I please buy Ally an expensive, top-of-the-line phone?”

“I’ll have to think about it.”

“Will it help you decide faster if I buy you one too?”

“I don’t need a phone. I already have one.”

“Also”—he caught Ally’s gaze in the rearview mirror—“every single gift will come with conditions.”

“If the condition is to forfeit my right to date until I’m eighteen, I’m asking Harper to adopt me,” she announced.

And so it went on and on.

We continued bickering all the way to Calabasas, and in a way, this trivial banter served as a great distraction from the heavy reality. There were serious things to discuss, but in light of everything that had happened at Frank’s and prior to that, we all needed a little break.

When the Jaguar finally pulled into the parking lot, it took me a moment to absorb the surroundings.

The entire shopping center was leached of color. The ground, the buildings, the trees, even the light poles.

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