Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 59120 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59120 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
I huff again. “She’d probably shiv me if she thought she could get away with it.”
Chief actually laughs, a quiet huff that squeezes the gravel out of his voice. “I think you might be surprised if you gave her the chance. She probably just wants a sister.”
That one gets to me. “You’re not gonna ask her to apologize to me?”
He grins. “Yeah, baby. I’m goin’ to ask her, too.”
I pout.
He puts a hand on my chin, holding it just enough to keep my focus on him. “Do this for me, yeah?”
“Because it’s your birthday?”
“Because it’s my birthday. And maybe because she deserves a chance to get it right, even if she fucks it up the first hundred times.”
I exhale. But he’s right.
I have to at least give it a try.
“Fine,” I say. “I’ll try.”
He pulls me in for a hug. “That’s my girl.”
Well, this should be fun.
I find Jasmine out back, sitting with her legs crossed on a wooden bench with an almost-finished bottle of vodka in her hand. She is staring at nothing and doesn’t even turn when I approach. I sit down, waiting for her to tell me to fuck off, but she doesn’t say anything. I can see the bottom of her shirt is wet, and I know right away it is from wiping tears. Now I feel bad.
“Why do you hate me so much?” I ask, breaking the ice with the only question that comes to mind.
She flinches but doesn’t tell me to leave.
“It isn’t you,” she mutters. “I was raised to be a bitch, to be unkind and awful. Not to mention, I’m fucking bitter. Bitter that I found out about Chief when I did, and I thought I would hate him, truly I did...but I don’t, Violet. I love him. He is the dad I always wanted and this life you have...it is all I ever needed. But it feels like there is no place for me here. He already has you, his Mischief. I guess sometimes I am just desperate for his attention and furious that you were first in his heart.”
Well, fuck.
How can I argue with that?
She is being incredibly open and honest with me right now. I owe it to her to at least give that back.
“I was jealous of you too, you know. I was heartbroken when you showed up. But I didn’t hate you until you made me feel like I didn’t matter or that you didn’t even want to try and get to know me.”
She sighs and sets the bottle down. “Yeah, I get that.”
“So why don’t you try and just get to know me?” I ask.
She snorts. “I could ask you the same.”
“Fair. I guess I really don’t know anything about you, and maybe I should ask...now is a good time?”
She thrusts the bottle at me, glancing at me from the corner of her eye. “One question, one drink,” she says.
I take it. “Fair rule.” I lift the bottle to my lips and swallow the burning liquid down, before handing it back to her. “Do you miss your mom?”
She closes her eyes before she answers. “Every damned day. She was a mess, that woman, but she was still my mom, you know?” She takes her drink now. “Do you think Chief loved her?”
I hesitate, but she has been honest with me, so I owe it to her to be honest back. “No, I don’t think he did. That isn’t your fault, or anyone’s, I just think he did something to get back at Demon and he didn’t think there would be consequences.”
She stares at the ground. “Yeah, I figured.”
I take the bottle, another sip. “What about Demon? He raised you to be his child, surely it hurt knowing he isn’t your father?”
She snorts. “No. Not at all. There are only very few moments in my childhood I remember him being anything close to a father. He liked the control, liked that he owned something, but I don’t think he loved me.”
“Then why all the hate towards Chief?”
She shrugs. “I think it’s pride. It has nothing to do with me. He doesn’t care that I’m not in his life anymore, he just cares that Chief has the upper hand on something.”
That’s fucked. But it makes sense.
We both take another sip.
The bench creaks as she scoots a little closer. “Do you love Travis?”
I smile. “Yeah, I do. But it hasn’t been an easy road, believe me.”
“He loves you,” she says, turning to look at me. “I have watched him over the last two years, and since you have been back, there is a light in his eyes I haven’t seen before. I hope one day someone’s eyes light up like that for me.”
I nod, smiling at her. “I know there will be someone out there for you who will look at you just like that.”