“Knock it off,” he warns. “Are you kids heading out tonight?”
“Yeah,” I say, dropping down to the floor and crawling around to scrounge up Aria’s chicken nuggets while holding my tongue and choosing not to say anything about the fact that a healthy salad would have been a better option for dinner. I mean, when I’m not here to enforce our new rules, he can be a little lax, but for the most part, he’s doing alright.
Noah gets in a workout wherever he can and for the past few days, dad has been joining him. Watching dad groan and grunt as he tries to keep up with Noah is the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. I caught dad ‘practicing’ his exercises yesterday and while he’ll never admit it, I think it’s so he can impress Noah when they workout next. I could be wrong here, but my gut is telling me that dad has a bit of a man crush on my boyfriend. Either that or he’s extremely impressed with Noah’s dedication while working out and that keeps him motivated.
“There’s a party in Broken Hill that we thought we’d check out. It should be fun. It’s at the lake and I’m assuming Kaylah will be there. Maybe Jackson too.”
“Broken Hill?” dad questions, warily. “Are you sure you should be hanging out with those kids? They seem like trouble.”
“Trouble?” I scoff. “If anyone is trouble; it’s the kids from Haven Falls. Trust me, we can handle the Broken Hill guys. They’re like angels compared to the shit we grew up with.”
“You better not be trouble,” dad warns. “I didn’t raise you like that.”
I roll my eyes before grinning wickedly at the old man who I seem to be very fond of. “What can I say?” I shrug. “It’s in my DNA.”
“Bullshit,” Dad laughs. “You have DNA to die for. Top of the line. People would pay big coin for that stuff. I can assure you, if you have trouble in your DNA, then I want a refund. I didn’t bargain for trouble.”
I can’t help but laugh while I try not to consider the fact that I share my mother’s DNA, and well, she’s the definition of trouble. “It seems you didn’t bargain for anything,” I remind him. “I showed up on your doorstep, so really, you’re damn lucky to have me, screwed up DNA and all.”
“Please,” he scoffs. “You’re the one who’s lucky.”
Shit. Ain’t that the truth? I know he’s teasing right now, trying to talk himself up and all that, but I don’t think he realizes just how right he is. I hit the jackpot when my birth mother gave me up and despite the feeling of abandonment that pulses through me every time I think about it; I can’t help but feel grateful.
I turn to take in Noah who’s still trying to get through the door with Aria attached to his leg. “Come on, Ari. Leave Noah alone and come finish your dinner. “
“But I don’t want to.”
I grin back at the miniature she-devil. “I’ll get you a treat if you eat it all up.”
Her eyes go big and she instantly releases Noah’s leg to race for her dinner, diving in and popping a nugget into her mouth before her ass has even hit the chair.
Dad leans forward. “What do you mean ‘treat’?” he questions, studying me closely. “I thought you got rid all of the bad shit around here? I’ve been eating rabbit food for the past few days and I’m already sick of it.”
I look at dad as I walk through the living room and towards the hallway, smugness pouring out of me in waves. “You really think I’d get rid of all the good stuff? It’s still here, just somewhere that you’ll never find it.” He looks at me like I’m some kind of stranger as I make my way down to my bedroom, chuckling as I go. “Besides,” I call back over my shoulder, “shouldn’t you be eating healthy?”
“Shouldn’t you be leaving?” he throws right back at me.
I roll my eyes and push into my room. I instantly grab a few painkillers and throw them down the hatch, hating how my skin seems to burn from the tattoo but Tiny assured me that will ease overnight. I hope she’s right because I’m not keen on this feeling. Maybe I’m being a baby and should toughen the hell up. After all, I’m supposed to be the Queen of Haven Falls. What kind of Queen shows weakness?
Noah hangs out with dad and Aria while they watch the game and I laugh to myself as Noah pretends to get into it for dad’s sake. He couldn’t give a shit about football. He’s more of an extreme sports kind of guy, and if they don’t include a motor then he’s not particularly interested.