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She flinches at my reprimand. But, just for a couple of seconds.
That’s my little princess through and through. She don’t back down when she’s real riled up about something. Not even to me.
“I can’t believe you’re still doing this, Dad!” she fumes.
I’m surprised I don’t see steam coming from her ears.
“I was sending the girl away.”
“This time, maybe. But you still do this sort of thing.” She makes a gagging sound.
“I get it. Loud and clear, Roxana. You ain’t down with it.”
She shifts her weight, her eyes softening a bit. Then she comes to me and takes my hand. Her big, blue eyes look up at me imploringly, as she says, “Don’t you think it’s time to settle down?”
“Did settle down, princess,” I tell her, giving her hand a squeeze. “You’re the product of that.”
An uncomfortable sadness hangs in the air between us at my words.
“I meant with someone else.”
“Roxana—”
“Mom might be gone, but it doesn’t mean you have to be alone forever. You can find someone else, someone you’d be happy with, someone to love and go home to.”
If she only knew that someone exists. But that someone’s out of my reach. Has been for a long while.
Pulling my hand back, I fold my arms, needing some sort of physical barrier like a shield against her real cutting comments. Nobody can get to me like my little girl can.
“What you doing up here anyway?”
“Neil said the boys were throwing you a party. I came to surprise you with a birthday cake.”
That has me smiling. “Is that right?”
“Yes. But now I’m not sure you deserve it,” she says, joking now.
“It being my birthday qualifies me as deserving right off the bat, princess.” Fifty-seven now, Jesus.
A hand lands on my shoulder. “Always got an answer for everything don’t you, Dealer?”
I crane my neck to see Ax standing there. “Always.”
He laughs and joins Roxana, wrapping his arm around his wife.
She grunts, though, and shrugs out of his grip.
“This pussy party is one time in a long while, Rox. It’s for Dealer, the boys. They’ve been needing a release,” he tells her.
“You didn’t warn me before I walked in here.”
“You came up without me knowing in advance. And you knowing about it would’ve made it worse anyway.”
“So, what I don’t know, won’t hurt you.”
“In this case, absolutely.”
“So, where’s my cake?” I cut in, hoping to shatter their argument.
