Page 129 of Kings & Chaos

“You’re welcome.”

“Now you,” Rock said.

I opened my present from Oscar first, a black-and-white photograph of me in his bed, clearly sex-sated and naked, although the sheet covered all my lady bits. He’d set it in a simple wood frame, and it looked like something that belonged on a gallery wall, not because of me, but because of the talent that was so obvious in all his work.

I climbed onto his lap to kiss him and say thank you, then turned my attention to Rock, who ordered me to close my eyes because my present was in the other room.

When I opened them, he was holding a tray of penne.

I knew exactly what it was when I saw the walnuts, and I burst into tears like a fucking idiot.

It was the one dish my dad had cooked for us, the dish he made when he was happy, whistling in the kitchen while Emma and I sat on the counters, something our mom never let us do. He would bustle around and chop sun-dried tomatoes and walnuts to add to the Gorgonzola cheese he used to make the creamy pasta.

“You remembered?” I asked.

He set the tray down and pulled me into his arms. “Of course I remembered, kitten. I just hope I got it right.”

He pulled back and handed me a fork and I dug into the pasta and closed my eyes as tears streamed down my face.

“It’s okay if it’s not right,” Rock said. “I can keep working on it. Just tell me—”

“It’s perfect,” I said.

“You’re not just saying that?” he asked.

I shook my head. “I can almost…” I had to catch my breath around the emotion that clogged my throat, not just because my dad had made the food, but because it reminded me of the time before.

Before he’d left us.

Before my mom had changed.

Before Emma disappeared.

“I can almost hear him whistling in the kitchen,” I said, when I’d gotten my emotions under control.

He smiled. “Well, now we can make it anytime you want. And I printed and laminated the recipe so you’ll have it wherever you go.”

Okay, that just made me sad. I didn’t want to think bit going anywhere the Kings weren’t.

Not yet.

I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, kitten.”

Neo stood nervously and handed me a box that was dwarfed by his giant hand. “It’s not… it’s nothing big.”

I took it from him and sat on the sofa next to Oscar while Neo looked down at me.

The box had been neatly wrapped in pink glittery Christmas paper, a black satin bow tied around it.

I untied the bow and set it aside, feeling nervous in a way I hadn’t with Rock’s and Oscar’s gifts. There was tissue paper inside, and I parted it to reveal a delicate gold bracelet with a single charm.

A unicorn.

For the second time that morning, tears stung my eyes, but this time I blinked them back, not wanting to freak him out.

I lifted the bracelet out of the box and studied it before looking at him. “It’s beautiful.”

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