“No, it does,” I exclaimed and practically vibrated with excitement. “Of course it does. It’s just not something I’m used to. I don’t know many people from my background who have parents say things like that.”
“I want to make up for the time I’ve been away. I will set up a trust account for you to access for your personal spending, but anything over ten thousand, please talk to me first,” he said and then knitted his brows together. “Wait, is that acceptable? Or do you feel too impeded?”
“No, that’s more than enough,” I said, breathless at the amount he suggested. I couldn’t even fathom what it would be like to have that kind of money at my fingertips. “I think my biggest purchase will be a new school backpack.”
“What about a car?” he asked. “I could buy you anything.”
“I don’t have my license, so there’s no point,” I replied. “I don’t know what I’d do with it other than sit inside of it.”
“You don’t know how to drive?” he asked in absolute shock. He looked over at Amara, shooting her daggers. “How have you not at least started her on the basics? She needs to know how to drive!”
“I just assumed she had her license at her age,” Amara said, and even from where I was sitting I could see that she had messed up. Her face was screwed up with guilt and her eyes were hooded. “How could I know?”
“I don’t know, did you think to ask?” Ivan barked, and Amara jumped.
“It’s okay, it’s fine,” I said, leaning across towards him. We were on the couch together while the guys set up a new VR video game system. The fire crackled and the windows reflected the scene back at us, against the darkness outside. It was just like any other family celebrating the holidays, if you were looking from the outside looking in.
But of course it wasn’t. We weren’t. We were a twisted version of a Christmas classic. A girl and her four boyfriends, her dad and his business partner...not really a family at all, and yet more bonded than any I’d known.
“We’ll teach her,” Ryker offered from across the room where they were still setting up.
“I don’t mind, I owe her for helping me with math,” Valen said.
“And I just owe her because she’s amazing,” Archer said, flashing me a smile and a wink. I blushed and hoped my dad didn’t catch on. To his credit, he didn’t react. He acted like everything between me and the guys was normal, like it was an everyday ordinary occurrence.
I appreciated it. I was stressed out as it was, trying to think of a way to let people know. Not having to directly address it with him made things infinitely better.
“I would love to take her for lessons,” Kingston added. “I’ve known Evie since she first got to Oakville, and I should have been here to teach her when she was ready.”
“There you have it,” I said. “No need to panic, I can still learn to drive like a pro.”
“You’ll need it, you know,” he said again, seemingly still agitated that there was this glaring gap in my education towards self-sufficiency. “My sister was taken on her way to university. Her driver wasn’t trained in the fine art of outrunning their enemies. The Organization boxed the SUV in and dragged her from it after killing the driver. She could have escaped if she’d known how to push the driver out of the way and get behind the wheel.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said quietly.
“You were just three months old at the time,” he said. “You would have loved your aunt. Moreover, she would have loved you. She would have absolutely adored you. She only met you one time at the hospital after your birth and had planned to spoil you like crazy.”
He smiled then, remembering his sister. My father, it seemed, was a complicated man. Quick to anger, but quick to calm. And never outwardly expressing it towards me. He might be upset about something, but he never unleashed it or used it as an excuse for bad behavior. I admired that about him.
“Then it’s settled. Let’s get me a car and I’ll learn how to drive my own damned self,” I smiled at him.
“Yes, let’s,” he said. “But not before we get you a house. Amara! Get me a local realtor, we’re going to buy my daughter whatever she wants.”
It still felt like a dream as I watched Amara jump to her feet and start looking for exactly what Ivan needed despite it being after midnight at that point. He was hell bent on pleasing me, and that was unlike anything I’d ever experienced in my family.
It was surreal, but I couldn’t lie.
I could get used to it.
* * *
“Of course I love it,how could I not love it?” I exclaimed as we walked around the interior of the mansion. It was literally the only unoccupied mansion in all of Oakville, and it was literally perfect.
It sat on a five acre lot of manicured grounds. It had a pool, a pond, its own theatre room, a rec room to end all rec rooms, and a master bedroom with a wide balcony that overlooked the back of the estate.
It was stunning, and it was going to belong to me if I wanted it.
“Okay, let’s do it,” Ivan said, turning to the realtor. “All cash, wired by tonight at midnight if we can get the keys tomorrow. Also, we’ll need the name of a good decorator and furniture store. Let my daughter get anything she wants.”