Page 56 of The Game
“Shut up.” Jace mutters but even I smile.
“You’re only doing it to yourself by playing dirty. You know the rules. You know what you did… and paybacks a bitch.”
I point to Hunter to come over to me, but she shakes his head. I asked him where his mom is, and she is still at some retreat. Then I asked when his dad was here, as feel like I have been living here for the past two weeks and I haven’t seen his dad once in that time. He didn’t answer me and I know there’s more to it. But he’s avoiding me.
I’ll let it slide for now. But later… he’s gonna need to answer me.
I enter the living room, and Asher looks up at me. Roman had cuddles earlier and at the moment… that’s pretty much all Asher gets from me. Until we can work out how to approach the parentals about the situation, I don’t want us to do more than kiss… cuddle and maybe a little bit of touching.
I look down at the bandage still wrapper around Asher’s hand.
He told his mom it was an accident in the kitchen, but it got infected. And more than that, when we ask Roman about the knife and if he disinfected it. He just looked at us and said, “it’s a knife and I washed it.” Like that’s the answer to that.
But turns out he didn’t know that after it was buried there for four years, it had rusted a little. He just washed it off in the pool. Yeah, the pool then cut Asher’s hand with it.
We had to explain how that’s not the proper way to prepare a knife to cut something.
“How’s your hand?”
“Needs kisses.” I giggle and kiss him. It’s been his line for the past week and it's cute. He’s cute and mine.
His phone rings, and I realise that we're late home. We're picking out a Christmas tree today.
As a family.
* * *
Ilove the smell of pine. It reminds me of Christmas. while I was living with mom; we didn't really celebrate Christmas the traditional way. She was more interested in socialite parties than a Christmas tree. If it wasn't for Malcolm, I wouldn't have had a Christmas at all in New York.
That’s one thing he’s good about at. I'm making sure that Malcolm junior and I had gifts. Even if they were bought by his secretary. He still at least thought about me will stop, not like my mother, who’s never bought me a Christmas gift.
“Let's go pick out the perfect tree,” Kate claps her hands after we all pile out the car.
I see a weird and ugly tree all by itself in the lot.
“Oh, my God, Kate, there it is.” I point and run to it. Oh, the poor thing, it has a broken branch, and it’s got a slight kink in the trunk.
Kate turns and gives me a puzzled look.
“Oh, no. Mila. We can afford the regular trees. We don’t need the damaged one.” Dad's phone rings and he looks at me before answering it. I pause a moment before I explain to Kate.
“It’s notdamaged, it just needs some TLC and it will be good for us. It needs a home for Christmas.”
Kate looks to Asher, who shrugs. Then to Madison, who hasn’t said much today. She’s been really quiet and I want to ask her why, but when Kate and dad aren’t around.
“Mila, it’s an ugly tree.” Madison screws her nose up at it. And I smile.
“I know. Isn’t he perfect?”
Dad comes over and smiles at me and my tree.
“It’s the perfect tree, Mila. But we are choosing as a family. And everyone has to agree.”
Well, I know where I can get a vote for this tree.
“Asher? Do you like the tree?” I can see by the way he pauses, he doesn’t want to answer. “Dad?”
Now everyone’s shaking their heads and I don’t know why. It’s a tree. It’s not the best, but it needs love.
