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“He’s coming home late today. Don’t you work with him at the same office?”
“Yeah…I was just trying to start a conversation.”
She grins. “You’re bad at the social game, huh?”
I hang my head. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. You understood the assignment.”
“What assignment?”
She grabs a cupcake that she brought and laughs. “It’s just a saying, Aspen. Like when someone does something right or in a way that everyone likes, we say they understood the assignment. So you, like, understood the assignment, because society isn’t really that useful. Dad says it’s only to be used, which is wrong, by the way, because Dad is evil sometimes.”
“Only sometimes?”
“Yeah, only sometimes. Don’t believe everything the media says about him. They’re assholes and like to paint him as the devil.”
“Does that mean you’re back on good terms with him?”
“Well, he still wants me to apologize and I refuse.” She pouts, looking absolutely adorable.
“Why do you refuse? I thought you wanted him to forgive you.”
“He…he doesn’t spoil me anymore and…well, I guess he’s still mad at me, and I’m scared he’ll hurt me again if I do apologize.”
“He won’t.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“He just won’t. Next time you see him, apologize. Okay?”
She gives a small nod. “I hate not being his angel, but it’s okay. He’ll always be my dad. Savage Devil, slightly evil, and everything in between.”
The lucky bastard.
Instead of acting bitter and showing my reaction, I ask Gwen about school. She tells me all about the exams and her friends, then joins me in the living room.
She says she misses Caroline and that she wants to go out with her because she’s like the fun auntie.
And I’m equally jealous and glad that I can even share these conversations with her.
We put on a movie—horror, per Gwen’s choice—and she tells me how she had problems falling asleep and usually watched horror movies to be able to do that.
I have a long way to go to learn all about her, but we’ll take it one day at a time.
As long as she lets me, I’m willing to do anything.
Soon after, her head falls on my shoulder with her eyes closed.
I hesitate before I glide my fingers through her ginger hair. I’ve wanted to do this ever since I found out she was alive and not actually buried in a nameless grave.
Gwen sighs in the middle of the horrified screams coming from the movie.
But then they disappear.
I lift my head to find Kingsley standing there, holding the remote.
He’s all dressed up, his expression closed off as he watches us.
