Page 79 of Puck You Very Much

Dax nodded thoughtfully, pulled her hand out of his hair, and placed it on his chest. He gently stroked her ring with his index finger. “What about you? Were you different too? With your mom?”

Lucy blinked and glanced up in surprise. She had never thought about it before. “I don’t know,” she finally replied. “Maybe. I often tried to impress her.”

“Yeah? Why?”

“She was such a strong woman, I wanted to show her I was strong too. She was self-employed. A real estate agent. Always dressed smartly and so proud of what she had achieved. She usually took Rachel to work with her and showed her everything. Because she was the oldest. And also kind of her favorite daughter. Maddie and I stayed home with Dad. We didn’t have that many opportunities to…prove ourselves to her.” She swallowed and closed her eyes. “I loved her. I admired her. She was there for me. But…sometimes I feel like there wasn’t enough time to get to know her, because you only truly get to know parents when you’re an adult and realize that they’re just people too. Do you understand?”

He nodded and turned the ring on her finger.

“I wish…she’d had more time to get to know me,” she continued softly. “To see how successful I am now. How good I am at my job.”

“She’d be proud of you,” he murmured.

She smiled wearily. “You can’t know that.”

“Of course I can. Anyone would be proud of you.” He said the words so earnestly and soberly that she didn’t doubt them for a second, which caused her eyes to burn uncontrollably.

“Anyway…” she replied hoarsely and looked away. “It hurt when she died. But you know what’s ridiculous? That it hurts more to see Dad so…weak and unhappy now,” she whispered. It was a secret she was revealing. “I know, it’s terrible, but…”

“It’s not terrible," Dax contradicted firmly. “You can feel whatever you want. There is no right or wrong in this area.”

Inhaling deeply, she hoped he was right. She truly wanted to believe him.

“How is your dad doing right now, Lucy?” Dax asked hesitantly after a few seconds of silence. “Have you spoken to him since we were there?”

That was a topic she didn’t want to talk about at all. “Your phone is ringing,” she mumbled and rolled off him. “You should answer it.”

He snorted but glanced at his nightstand, where the screen of his phone was flashing wildly. “Who’s manipulating who here?” he asked quietly, straightening up and reaching for the smartphone.

“Hello?” he said. “Hey…Anna, it’s not a good time right now, can I…” He fell silent and his lips immediately turned into a thin line. “I know. My brain is still intact. Thank you. I still think it’s a stupid idea…” He fell silent again. “Good God, it’s fine. See you later.”

He hung up, groaned, and sank back onto the mattress, pressing a pillow to his face.

“What’s going on?” Lucy asked.

“My sister. She reminded me that it’s my birthday next week and she’s expecting me for a family dinner. Jack will be there too. She invited him.”

“Oh. Don’t you want him there?” Lucy asked, surprised.

Dax snorted loudly and pulled the pillow away from his face. “Fuck no. But Anna doesn’t care. She doesn’t like being bossed around by me and thinks it’s time to forget our enmity.”

“Wow. I like your sister.”

He looked at her sourly. “You don’t know her.”

“It doesn’t matter. Everything I’ve heard about her so far sounds fantastic.”

He snorted. “Of course you’d be plotting against me before you’ve even met.”

She grinned. “I don’t feel bad about that. So, you’re actually celebrating your birthday?”

“I have no choice, do I?” he said tensely. “God, I hate that day.”

Yes, Lucy remembered it well. “Why?” she asked anyway.

Sighing, Dax rubbed his eyes. “Do you honestly want to know?”

“Of course,” she said, surprised.

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