Chapter 6
“ D ad, wake up.” I shove his shoulder. He cracks open his eyes, which look as tired as mine did when I first woke. “Everyone’s already up.” Everyone meaning I saw Bo go downstairs with his parents.
Harmony pops up from where she was sleeping between our parents on their bed. “Present time!” she yells, slapping Dad and Mom at the same time.
“Okay. Okay,” Dad grumbles, throwing back the covers. “Give me some room.” He pops a brow as he focuses on me. “I gotta take a piss.”
“Dad, ewww.” I wrinkle my nose. He can be such a boy. As he shuffles into the en suite, Mom gets out of bed and puts on a robe.
“Let’s go.” Mom stretches out her hand to me and I take it. “Did you sleep okay?” she asks me as Harmony takes her other hand.
“Yes.” I glance down at my feet. I slept okay once I finally crawled into my bed a few hours ago.
“Hmm.” Mom makes a displeased sound as we head toward the stairs together. She’s suspicious, or she knows something. Mom did her fair share of sneaking around when she was a kid. Her father was as strict as Dad is with me and Harmony.
When we step off the last stair, Harmony releases Mom’s hand and sprints into the living room where everyone has gathered. Feeling shy, I hold back.
“Wanna help me get the cinnamon rolls in the oven for everyone while I make coffee?” Mom asks me.
“Sure.” I turn on the oven and head to the fridge where the tray of homemade dough is. I slide it out, then place it on the center island.
With her back to me, Mom asks, “So you seem to have made friends with Bo?”
“Yes,” I say softly. “He’s nice to me.”
“I’m glad.” She turns around, her long blond braid settling over one shoulder. The coffee percolates quietly behind her. “He should be nice to you.”
“Not everyone is.” Ashamed, I drop my chin to my chest.
“Peace, baby.” Her familiar fragrance wraps around me before her arms do. “I’m sorry you’ve been having a difficult time with the other kids at school.”
“That’s okay.” I force out the lie. I like learning, and I love my English classes, but that doesn’t make up for all the teasing I endure at school.
When my dad appears, my mom moves toward him, and I slip away. I pause just outside the edge of the living room. Everyone is in the same places that they were the day before, except this morning, Bo’s parents are on either side of him on the couch by the window.
“Let’s open presents.” Dizzy glances at his wife, April. “There’s a little something under there from both April and me for all the kids.” He exchanges a look with his wife that gives me pause. It’s obvious they’re deeply in love like my parents, but I don’t understand why they both suddenly look so sad.
I drift toward the tree. Harmony beats me there. Dropping to her knees, she starts reading nametags and passing out presents.
“Hey, PJ.” I get all fluttery as Bo walks toward me. “Did you sleep any?”
“Some.” As his warm breath tickles my ear, chill bumps scatter up my arms.
“Let’s hang out today.”
“Okay.” My lips spread into a wide smile. We agreed to be friends before finally going to bed, but I’m glad to see nothing has changed this morning. “I’ve never had a nickname before,” I tell him, my voice low. I’ve never had a real friend outside my uncle Alex and Harmony either.
“This one is for you.” Harmony inserts herself between Bo and me. Handing him a present, she frowns at me. “Here’s yours from Dad.” She shoves a card and a box wrapped in red Santa paper at me.
“Thanks,” I mumble.
“Where were you last night?” She grabs my arm and pulls me over by the tree.
“Nowhere.” I glance at Bo, but he’s busy opening his present.
“Were you with Bo?” Her eyes widen as she follows the direction of my gaze.
I nod to confirm.
“Whoa.” Her voice rings with surprise.
“Can we talk about this later?” I ask, noticing our parents entering the living room. Our mom is sporting a new silver necklace and a bright smile. Longing rises within me. Someday, I wish a man would love me the way our dad loves our mom.
Refocusing myself—because of course that’s not going to happen to me—I glance around the living room. It’s chaotic like registration day at school.
All my dad’s bandmates are perched on different pieces of furniture with their wives close by. Wrapping paper is strewn everywhere. Hope, Harmony, and Bo are standing nearby. Hope has a new phone in her hands, and Bo is wearing earphones.
“Go ahead and open the rest,” Dad orders, and Harmony tears into another box, a bigger one. Getting it unwrapped, she holds up the designer outfit she has been begging to have for months. Spinning in a circle, she squeals and then flounces over to our parents like she’s modeling on a catwalk.
“Thank you, Mom.” Harmony kisses her cheek. “Thank you, Dad.” Her kiss lands on his whiskery chin.
“You’re welcome, baby.” Beaming, he kisses my sister’s head. He loves her unconditionally. Tears prick my eyes. I glance down at my feet, knowing he’ll never love me like that. Warmth suddenly hits my side, so I lift my head.
“Whatcha got?” Bo asks, gesturing at my present.
“Don’t know.” I open the box. “An audio subscription, a book-reading one from my mom and my dad.”
“You gonna read the card?” He bumps my shoulder.
“Of course.” I put the box down on a side table and rip open the envelope. Tears gather as I read out loud what my dad wrote.
“I love you, Peace,” Bo repeats the words that I only whispered. “Just the way you are.”
I lift my gaze, finding my dad. Like me, his eyes are shimmering with emotion. He gives me an approving nod. I’m a recluse and a miscast member inside my outgoing family. Those words are the affirmation from him that I have longed for. Receiving them, I’m as elated as my mom was when she got her Oscar.
“I didn’t get a note,” Harmony complains.
“You already know I love you,” Dad tells her while looking at me. “I just wanted to make sure Peace does.”
Hesitantly, I approach him. He grabs me as soon as I get close and pulls me into his arms.
“Love you, baby.” He kisses the top of my head, and the happy tears balanced in my eyes spill over.
“Love you, Daddy.” I give him a quick glance. “Thank you for my presents.” I smile at my mother. “Thanks, Mom.”
“You’re welcome.” My mother looks as emotional as I feel.
In moments like these, I feel like maybe I can belong in my family. But they happen too infrequently. I don’t quite trust them.
“Hey, PJ,” Bo says, and I swipe the tears from my cheeks.
“Yeah?” I move toward him.
“Come over here and listen to this song with me.” He crooks a finger.
“Okay.” I nod.
Harmony joins us. “Why are you calling her PJ?” she asks him.
“Peace Jinkins.” Bo gives her a duh look.
“Ah.” Light dawns for Harmony.
“Plus,” Bo says and points at me, “she was wearing those PJs last night when she read to me.”
Bryan’s head snaps up. My sister scowls at me. I don’t usually keep anything from her and planned to tell her later, but she’s obviously mad.
“When and where,” Bryan asks, his gaze on his son, “did this reading take place?”
My cheeks blaze, and I’m certain they’re as red as the candy-cane stripes on my pajamas.
“There, Dad.” Bo points to the cushion by the window. “Peace reads really well.”
“That’s good, I guess.” Bryan raises one brow, giving my dad a look.
Dad shrugs. I guess my dad isn’t as disapproving of my friendship with Bo as my sister seems to be. Maybe he knows how badly I need a friend outside the family. He and his mom didn’t get along, and he was once an outcast at his school. His only friend at Southside High was Bo’s dad until he started the band. I tilt my head, considering my dad in a new light. Maybe he might understand me more than I previously thought.