Page 67 of Remember Me
Kayla rolls her eyes before shooting Finn a look of innocence. “Whoops. Just a little slip up.”
Finn’s eyes power into her. “A little slip up? Are you fricking kidding me, Kayla? Maddie could have a major asthma attack from inhaling particles of smoke. Don’t you know it’s a major irritant?”
Just then, a bright little voice fills the room.
“Daddy!”
Maddie! I pray she won’t break into a coughing fit. She doesn’t.
Clutching Kangy, she gallops up to her father. As if the ugly conversation between Kayla and him never happened, his face lights up as he lifts her into his arms. My own rage dissipates at the sight of them. Joy fills my heart. Her limbs curled around him, he affectionately tugs at one of her braids.
“Hi, sunshine! Tell me something good!”
“Scarlet and I drew pictures yesterday while you were away. Coloring!”
“You did?”
Maddie bobs her head. “Uh-huh. Wanna see what we made?”
“Of course!” He lowers our twinkly-eyed daughter to her feet, and she scampers over to the kitchen counter to fetch our two drawings. She prances back to us with our creations dangling from her hand.
“Daddy, look at what I made. A family!” She shows him the threesome she drew—Finn, her, and me.
Finn breaks into a dazzling smile. “That’s awesome, baby girl!”
Maddie beams at her father’s compliment while Kayla screws up her face.
“That doesn’t look a bit like me!”
Maddie butts in. “It’snotyou. It’s Scarlet.”
Kayla’s jaw drops to the floor. Her eyes smolder.
“You know what, Finn? I came all the way over here to discuss your upcoming exhibition at Jaime Zander’s gallery. An exhibition that can makeusmillions. But you seem to be more interested in this totally amateur, juvenile piece of trash.”
Finn’s smile falls off his face. Rage burning in his eyes, he meets her fiery gaze. His voice rises. “Kayla, I’ve told you.Nothingcomes before my daughter.”
His words resonate deep inside me. Remorse settles in the pit of my stomach. If only I had felt this way before. I suddenly hate every story I broke after she was born. Every minute that took me away from my beautiful girl. The last one, whatever it was, literally and figuratively.
With an angry scowl scrawled on her face, Kayla hops off the stool, slamming her flute on the counter. She narrows her eyes at Finn.
“Darling, when you come to your senses, call me. And don’t forget that tomorrow we have a meeting with Jaime at his gallery.”
Grabbing her bag, she stalks out of the kitchen.
From the corner of my eye, I see Maddie poke her tongue at her.
A smile crawls across my face.
My darling sassy daughter.
She’s a spitfire.
I love her so much.
I’ve begun my fight for her father.
And I have her on my side.