Loren looks around the table at her family. Her parents sit next to each other like they always have and Melissa is on her left and Rory sits at her right. In front of Rory is a batman cake, his current obsession, with a total of five candles on it. He bites his lip and stares at the cake, his dark brown eyes wide with excitement.
"Blow out your candles," Nora smiles at the little boy.
"Don't forget to make a wish though," Trent grins.
"What do I wish for?" Rory asks seriously, his left eyebrow raising.
"Whatever you want," Melissa ruffles Rory's messy brown fohawk.
"I don't want anything."
"There has to be something you wanna wish for," Loren puts her elbow on the table and rests her cheek against her wrist, her eyes focused on the child.
"Nope," he gazes at her then looks back at his cake.
"Make a wish punk," Melissa shoves him lightly, "We already sang to you so you have to make a wish, it's the rule."
"I don't like that rule," Rory frowns at her.
"Well it's the rule so make that wish already. It can be anything, you can wish for rain if you want."
"I want snow," he smirks and blows out the candles.
"You're not supposed to tell us your wish, silly," Trent chuckles.
"Why?" Rory snaps his head in Trent's direction, completely confused.
"It won't come true."
"Why?"
"He's just pulling your leg," Melissa says.
"He's not pulling my leg, he's all the way over there," Rory points at Trent, "He can't touch my leg from there."
"Auntie means that Papa is just kidding," Loren reassures Rory that his wish wasn't wasted cause he said it out loud.
"So it'll come true?"
"Maybe, I don't know."
"Why don't you know?"
"Cause I don't get to choose which wishes come true and which ones don't."
"Why?"
"Because."
"Cause why?"
"Cause I said so."
"Why do you say so?"
"Rory Alexander," Loren warns.
"Fine," he rolls his eyes.
"Want me to cut that cake now?" Nora stands up from the table.
"Please," Rory says without a smile.
"Want to help?"
"Um, I think yes," Rory says and gets off of his chair to follow Nora into the kitchen.
"He's so weird," Melissa whispers to Loren, "Is his dad weird?"
"I thought you dropped that conversation years ago, Mel," Loren says in a hushed voice, making sure none of her family members can hear her current conversation.
"You know I'm always going to be curious."
"And you know I'm never gonna give you any information."
"Has he ever asked you about him?"
"Once or twice."
"What'd you tell him?"
YOU ARE READING
Reckless Past
RomanceLoren promised she wouldn't tell anyone and that it was his decision if he wanted to be involved at all. "I can't be a dad," Eddie says, mostly to himself. "No one is asking you to be one. We've already had this conversation, remember?"
