Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 130307 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 652(@200wpm)___ 521(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130307 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 652(@200wpm)___ 521(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
As it stood, Chloe and I had an understanding. We both agreed what we were and what we were not, what we never would be.
If I could stick to that, we would all be okay.
So, I vowed to remind myself of that fact every chance I got.
I could have her in this small way, but I had to keep my head on straight. I had to protect my daughter, protect Chloe, protect myself.
This was a house of matches that was one wrong move from going up in flames.
I was only half-focused on the television as Ken Jennings read the four-hundred-dollar answer in the category the contestant had chosen. He said something about a right-wing group from the 40s named after the first Cold War victim, and I mumbled, “What is the John Birch Society?” at the same time as the contestant.
There was no joy when Ken confirmed the contestant and I were both right. I just blew my nose and let the tissue fall to the ground beside me, my nose so raw now I wanted to die every time I touched it.
I was ready to climb into bed, but wanted to make sure Ava got down okay before I did. Chloe had gone upstairs more than an hour ago to get her settled.
Another ten minutes of the show went by. I was fast-forwarding through a commercial break when suddenly, music thumped from a speaker upstairs.
It was a Mia Love song, loud and obnoxious as ever. I frowned, ready to grump for them to turn it down, that it was too late for this shit. But the music grew louder and louder, like the speaker was moving toward me.
And indeed, it was.
I looked up at the top of the stairs just in time to find Chloe and Ava strutting down in matching costumes — which consisted of dresses made with more pink sequins than should have ever existed in the whole world, let alone this house. They even had matching shoes, which were god-awful turquoise house slippers in the shape of a… narwhal?
Ava barely contained her giggles as they danced down the steps in sync, hopping down two steps before they’d wiggle their hips and back up one step, then repeat. Chloe held onto the speaker while Ava held onto the railing.
They both about lost it when they saw my face.
But the show continued, and as much as I wanted to keep my scowl in place, it was impossible to do when I saw my daughter like that. How long had I wished for a lightness in her, for her to be a fucking kid?
Chloe had released that side of her in mere weeks.
When they made it to the living room, Chloe set the speaker on the coffee table before hurriedly running back to her place next to Ava. It was just in time for the bridge, and they looked at each other, nodding their head as if counting down the beat.
As soon as the chorus began, they broke out in a synchronized dance.
It started with them hopping up into the air and crossing their feet. When they landed, they used their new position to do a swivel turn and wink at me over their shoulders. The chorus was something about being a woman in a man’s world, about being unapologetic and loud and weird. Chloe and Ava hit some new move with every word, including a twisted-up version of the hand jive along to the lyrics kick some ass. When that final word sounded, they both covered their mouths with wide eyes instead of lip-synching it.
At this point, the TV remote lay abandoned by my side, the episode fast-forwarded all the way to the end on the television. I watched with amusement bubbling through me as the two weirdos continued dancing, each move more bizarre than the last.
Chloe stood behind Ava, both of them straight as a board, and then they broke out into opposite waves, thumbs over their shoulders and goofy grins on their faces.
When they hopped up only to somersault in opposite directions, the music grew to a crescendo, and the finale came with Chloe encouraging Ava to run at her. My daughter leapt with a mix of fear and unfaltering trust in her little eyes, and Chloe grabbed her wrists, swinging her up and onto her shoulders in a feat that made my jaw drop. It was like an acrobatic circus move or a swing dance — maybe a combo of the two.
They threw their hands up in victory as the song ended, and then there they were, both of them panting in the middle of the living room with their final poses held strong.
It lasted only a second before Chloe was helping Ava off her shoulders, and they were high-fiving each other and squealing over how they’d done it, they’d pulled it off, they’d even nailed the landing. Chloe held onto Ava’s hands as she bounced excitedly around her, eyes wide as she replayed the whole routine like it hadn’t just happened.