Page 115 of Freefall

After everything that happened a couple of weeks ago, it’s nice to have a moment of normalcy. Not that I would call everything normal—not even close.

No matter how hard I try, I can’t stop replaying it all in my head. The look on Jace’s face when I told him I was done. His fight with Nate. The awful words he said to me. I knew the moment that Jace mentioned bringing another man home that Nate would eventually have questions, but he hasn’t brought it up yet.

Nate answered when my dad knocked while I was sobbing into my pillow that afternoon. He had apparently heard part of the fight and was about to call the police when he saw Jace leave. Needless to say, he had questions about the man in my house—the one Daisy referred to as her dad. I was left with no choice but to introduce Nate to my parents, and then the five of us sat down for the world’s most awkward lunch at their house.

My mom looked like she had seen a ghost. To my surprise, she didn’t ask many questions, just sat there worrying her bottom lip and getting up every few minutes to “check on something” in the kitchen. My dad spent the entire time staring Nate down.

None of us have heard from Jace since that day. At first, I blamed myself. I’ve never gone off on him like that before, but after he showed up at my house high for the second time—this time in front of Daisy—something inside me finally broke. Years of anger poured out of me all at once. Still, that didn't stop me from calling him. Or stopping by his apartment. Or hoping he would answer.

Meanwhile, Nate has been steady through all of this. He comes over almost every day to spend time with Daisy. He stays for dinner, helps put her to bed, and then, once she's asleep… he helps me forget everything else.

When I’m with him, I feel weightless. I don’t have to take care of anyone or make decisions. For once, someone takes care of me. Sometimes he’s rough, teasing me relentlessly, tying me to the bedpost and leaving possessive marks on my body where only I can see them. Other times, he’s so gentle that it feels less like being fucked and more like being loved. Regardless of the version of him I get, he always stays after. He holds me until my breathing evens out and waits until I’m asleep before sneaking out so Daisy doesn’t know.

She started calling him ‘Daddy’ and has been asking more questions, like where Nate was while we were in Colorado and why she never met him before. That one was a doozy to answer. I stuttered for almost a full minute before Nate stepped in and told her a version of the truth that made sense to an eight-year-old. We had lost touch, and it took a while to find each other again. I know we’ll have to tell her about us eventually, but I want to figure out what us actually means first.

“Anywhere else you want to hit up before we head back to your grandparents’?” Nate asks as Daisy swings her unicorn bucket, now filled to the brim with candy.

“Ummm…” She thinks for a moment. “No, I think I have enough. Besides, I need to save room for Grandma’s special candy apple lollipops.”

“Sounds like a good plan,” Nate says easily as we make our way toward my parents’ house.

My mom offered to watch Daisy overnight again so Nate and I can go to a Halloween party his friend Declan is throwing. She even told me I didn't have to come home afterward this time. She followed that with a wink.

As weird as she was at first, she seems to be slowly coming around to the idea of Nate being in our lives. My dad? Not so much. The second we set foot on the front porch, Daisy throws open the door without bothering to knock. “Grandma! Grandpa!” she shouts. “I’m here!”

Dad walks out of the kitchen wearing a green shirt, blue overalls, and a cap with a giant “L” on the front. He scoops Daisy into a hug, kisses me on the cheek, and shoots Nate an unimpressed glare.

“Luigi?” I guess.

“Your mother insisted,” he says flatly.

On cue, Mom appears wearing a red shirt, blue overalls, and a cap with an “M” on it. “Look at my beautiful girls,” she gushes. “Best Sallys I’ve ever seen!”

“Hi, Mrs. Daniels,” Nate says politely. No matter how many times she’s told him to call her Laura, he still refuses.

“You’re not a bad Jack either,” she says, pulling him into a quick hug. “Now, you two should get going so you’re not late.”

“Late for what?” Dad asks.

“I told you, Graham.” Mom sighs. “Harper and Nate are going to a Halloween party, and Daisy is spending the night with us.”

He grumbles like a caricature of a grumpy old man.

“Can we watch The Nightmare Before Christmas again?” Daisy asks as she dumps all her candy out on the kitchen table.

I crouch down in front of her. “Sure, but only a few pieces of candy tonight, okay? We’ll save the rest.”

She nods enthusiastically.

I turn to my mom. “No more than five,” I say.

“We’ll see,” she says with a vague smile. Then she gently turns me toward the door. “Have fun and don’t worry about us.”

Declan and Skylar live in one of the wealthier neighborhoods in Emberfield, where the houses are giant, and the lawns cost more to maintain than I make in a month. Theirs is probably the biggest house on their street. It's all decked out in chic Halloween decorations. Shimmering spiderwebs stretch across the porch, glittering skeletons hang from the awnings, and oversized Cinderella pumpkins line the stone walkway leading to the massive front door.

We can hear the music pulsing from inside before we even reach the entrance, but when I ring the bell, no one answers. Nate gives me a conspiratorial look before turning the handle and pushing the door open.

The house is dimly lit, every inch decorated in a similar style to the outside. Flickering candles line the white walls while people decked out in elaborate costumes flood the entryway and living room.