Page 18 of Lovely Darkness

It’s not gonna take five years to figure this out, either. It’s not even gonna take five days.

Because Merc is here to let loose a shitstorm.

He’s here to make things happen.

Maggie and I are both quiet as we walk through the woods towards the house. “What are you thinkin’ about, peachface?” I ask.

“I think we should go on vacation.”

Not what I was expecting, but not a bad switch in topic. “Oh, yeah? Why’s that?”

“I think that’s what families do when they get stressed out.”

“Who’s stressed out?”

She shoots me a look. And that look says, The fuck you think you’re talkin’ to? But then she breathes through her annoyance and continues. “They go on vacation, and sit on a beach, and drink fancy drinks with umbrellas in them. They swim and eat a lot. And they buy stuff they don’t need, or really want, and then they lug it all home. And when they get home, they’re happy to be there again.”

I get what she’s saying. She wants us all to be happy. And I do too. I wouldn’t mind all of us going on some kind of family vacation. It would be nice to be… carefree like that.

But there’s so much going on. And a week on the beach can’t fix it.

“We can’t go on vacation, Mags. Donovan is sick.” She sighs, and I sigh, and it feels like the entire fucking swamp sighs. “But when he gets better—”

“Yeah, yeah. Forget it.”

I hate it when she’s mad at me. And then I hate that I hate that she’s mad at me. Because I’m the parent here and kids are supposed to be mad at their parents. If they’re not, you’re not a parent.

This is logic to me and this is how I got here:

I wasn’t around for Indie. I wasn’t present. I wasn’t there for the day-to-day. She doesn’t see me as a father. McKay was there, he did all that shit, and she doesn’t even see him as a father. She sees us as friends. Lovers, at times. But we are not in charge of anything when it comes to Indie. We did it wrong, I guess. We didn’t set it up the right way. I should’ve been someone she looked up to. If I had been that guy then maybe she would come to me with her problems, and she doesn’t. I have never been someone she depended on. In fact, I’m starting to think I was the one depending on her. I’m starting to think that Indie has been in charge of us since that very first night I saw her in that cage.

I’m starting to think she always knew this too.

And here’s the real problem… I’m starting to think that buying Indie Anna Accorsi and bringing her home with me wasn’t my idea or even Donovan’s idea.

It was Carter’s idea.

It was Carter who talked me in to this.

He was the one at the auction that night. I’m sure of it.

The path in the woods narrows down as we get closer to the house so Maggie takes the lead. And then, before I can say anything else and fix this mood between us, we’re there, on the pool deck. And then, just seconds later, we’re walking through the French doors and into the kitchen.

McKay is making breakfast. Shirtless. Whistling. And this lifts my bad mood in an instant.

He looks over his shoulder at us and grins. “Indie is pissed.”

Maggie drops her fish on the counter, which makes McKay freak out. He grabs them quick and drops them into the sink. “No fish on the counter, missy.”

“I’m going to bed,” Maggie huffs. Then she disappears up the back staircase.

“Where is Indie?” I ask McKay.

“I think they’re out front.”

“How mad is she?”

“Pretty mad.” McKay plops some pancakes down on a plate and even though I already ate pancakes once this morning, I pick one up and shove it in my mouth. “You gotta stop doin’ this to her, Adam. I’m not gonna take her side, but I’m on her side. She’s right. You need to ask permission to take Maggie out of the house. Even if you don’t mean it, ask anyway.”