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Daph slips under the covers, allowing me to tuck her in. Crouching down beside the bed, I pull an unopened water bottle from the pocket of my sweatpants, along with her cell, and place them both on the nightstand.
“Thank you for tonight.”
I snort, shaking my head at her. “Let’s not make it a routine, all right?”
“Deal.” She yawns, pulling the comforter up under her chin.
“I’m not fucking around, Daph.” My tone turns serious. “I need you to promise me no more drugs. I can’t have you doing this shit. Especially not if you’re around Baby J.”
She frowns, a tear slipping from the corner of her eye. “Please don’t take her from me.”
“Promise. Me.”
“I promise.” A few more tears slip free. “Never again, Nicky. I swear.”
“Good.” I relax a bit, rocking back onto my heels. “What were you even doing there, Daph?”
“Some people invited me. Said we could celebrate my birthday.”
“We celebrated your birthday last week, remember? Us, your family. That’s all the celebrating you need.”
She nods her agreement, swiping away any remaining moisture on her cheeks, and I decide to move on. No reason to beat a dead horse. Daph promised she’s done with this shit, and though she’s many things, she’s not a liar.
“Hey.” I switch gears. “Speaking of birthdays, what was your unicorn wish this year?”
“My unicorn wish?” Tiny creases form between her brows.
“Yeah, do you not do that anymore?”
“No, I definitely do.” Her cheeks tinge pink with embarrassment. “How do you know about that, though?”
“You told me once, remember? At Mom’s funeral.”
“I… I can’t believe you remember that.”
“It was kind of a weird statement.” I laugh. “Makes it a bit hard to forget. So? Let’s hear it.”
“I can’t tell you.” She giggles. “It won’t come true!”
“All right, fine. How about the runner-up wishes that didn’t make the cut? Can I have one of those?”
Her eyes narrow, lips pursing as she feigns annoyance. “I suppose.”
“Nice.” I drop my chin atop my folded arms.
“Sometimes I wish I would have been born to your parents—”
The tightening sensation in my chest returns, and I realize that even with my mom’s death, I am incredibly fortunate. I was lucky enough to get two awesome moms in my lifetime. Daph couldn’t even get one.
“But then,” she continues, “I remember I’d be related to you, so I pick something else.”
“Wow, demon!” I chuckle, poking her in her side. “I’m that bad, huh?”
“No.” Daph shakes her head, her doe eyes morphing to hold a hint of sadness. “You’re not. That’s the problem.”
I feel my brow twist in confusion. I’m just about to ask her what she means when another long yawn interrupts our conversation. She’s gotta be exhausted. Time to wrap this up. Rising to my feet, I tap the water bottle beside me.
“Remember, hydrate. I’ll check on you in an hour.”
