Page 92 of Karma
“Fifteen,” Lex says. “The last party ever thrown.”
“That cake hit the wall so fucking fast,” Diesel says. “Zane wasn’t in here more than thirty seconds before he tossed it. I don’t know which was worse. The splattered cake with her face on it, or the devastation on her real face.”
VP shakes his head, adamant this isn’t the same memory. “No, that wasn’t it. We opened presents. I remember you got a… some type of handheld video game toy. You were so excited that you were jumping around with glee.
I don’t know why I’m even surprised.“That was Zane’s fifteenth birthday,” Lex says, her heart sinking.
“No, I remember you jumping around—”
“Because I’d saved up all my birthday and Christmas money to buy it for him. I knew how much he wanted it, and he was happy. Until he learned I’d gifted it to him. He smashed it and stomped on it.”
The doctor gasps and looks at Zane. “Is this true?”
“I was a dick to Lex. I don’t remember it specifically, but it sounds like something I did,” Zane admits.
She has to give him credit for honesty in front of his new girlfriend, but VP still stares dumbfounded. “How could I get that mixed up?”
“Because he was the kid worth throwing parties for, remember? I wasn’t.”
“You are,” Emma says. “Zane did this for you, baby.”
Scanning the room, she gets a good look at the gift table. There must be at least fifty presents on there. “Good God for presents.”
“Those are just the ones from Zane. We all hid the ones we brought in case he lost his mind again,” Diesel says. “We’re still working on trust issues with him.”
“What?”
“I got a gift for every Christmas and birthday I ever ruined. And then a birthday gift for every year from sixteen to now,” Zane says.
I’m not normally one to be bought, but if they’re good presents, I might forgive him.
“I helped him pick some of them out,” Margaret says. “You’re going to love them!”
The pride in the little girl as she walks over to stand with her dad and his girlfriend solidifies how much Zane needed to move on. He’s no good alone, and they look happy together. A family.
“I’m sure I will,” Lex says. “Just, please tell me the cake doesn’t have my face on it. It’s one of the few things I actually agree with VP on. It’s kind of awkward having people cut into your face before eating it.”
“Oh, it has your face on it,” Zane says with a shit-eating grin. “A lot of your faces on it.”
“Oh, God,” she says, getting up to look at the cake. She bursts into laughter when she sees the stalker wallpaper from Phillip’s shop. “Okay, this is kind of worth it.”
Laughing, Zane nods. “I thought you’d get a kick out of it.”
“I’m okay cutting into my many faces now.”
“Can we give Mom her present now?” Lucas asks as he bounces on the balls of his feet.
Her eyebrows lift as she looks at them. “Oh, so you knew this was going on?”
Hands in the air again, Colt gives her a naughty smirk. He wants to be punished in the bedroom again. “Hey, he asked if he could do it, and I said it would be a bad idea. But I also said yes, and he did all this.”
Rolling her eyes, she sighs. “Which gift is from you?”
“It’s not in here. It wouldn’t fit,” Lucas says. “You have to come outside.”
Her eyes widen as he runs outside with Noah and Calla behind him. “I was joking when I said I wanted a highland cow. Please don’t tell me you got me a cow.”
“Come on, birthday girl,” Colt says with a wink.
