Page 77 of The Last Thing
She smirks at me, and I roll my eyes. I’m an only child, but I get the feeling Frannie is going to show me what it’s like to have a sister. In the most frustrating of ways.
“She’s so annoying when she smirks like that, right?” Hallie teases.
Frannie sticks her tongue out, making Sophia giggle.
“I want a sister someday.”
I swallow hard and try to keep a calm, steady face. She’s going to go nuts when she finds out about the baby.
Frannie comes to the rescue, giving her a gentle smile. “Maybe you will.”
“Right, well, we should get going.” I resist the urge to hug Sophia a fourth time. She’s already hugged Hallie twice too.
“Okay. Have fun!”
Hallie chuckles at Soph’s blasé attitude.
“I know when I’m not wanted.”
“Daddy… I love you.” From across the room, her sweet smile melts my heart. One day I’m supposed to let her leave and go to college? I don’t know how I’m going to handle that.
“I love you too, kiddo. Be safe.”
“Love you, Miss Hallie.”
Hallie pauses by the door and turns to look at Sophia, a warm smile on her lips.
“I love you too, sweetheart.”
Damn.
I never thought I’d be jealous of my daughter, but I can’t help but hope one day Hallie will say those words to me.
The secondwe pull onto the highway Hallie connects her phone to the car’s console and starts scrolling.
“What are you doing?”
“Putting on music. That’s the passenger’s job.”
I glance at her, and her brows raise.
“Oh no. Are you a music snob? Because I might have to rescind your invitation on this trip if you are.”
“No. I—I like music and I’m not an asshole about it. But I have an eight-year-old daughter. Most of the time, the music in my life is Glee, Kids Bop, Katy Perry, or Taylor Swift. And no shade to Taylor, but I’m tired of it.”
Hallie just laughs. “While I love Taylor and all her angsty goodness, it’s not the first thing I reach for. Especially for a road trip. Trust me, okay?”
Reluctantly, I nod, and she laughs to herself as she scrolls for another few seconds. Then she sets her phone down and turns up the volume.
The opening notes ofWelcome Homefrom Coheed and Cambria flow from the speakers, and I quickly look over at her.
“Not what you were expecting, Mr. Decker?”
I flex my hands on the steering wheel. “Hallie…”
Again, she laughs. “It’s not a road trip without some Coheed. I was feeling a playlist though, so you’re going to have to suffer through some Taking Back Sunday, Audioslave, Yellowcard, MCR, and Dashboard Confessional. Oh, and there’s a bunch of Foo Fighters on here too.”
Though I want to look at her again, I keep my eyes on the road. “Solid choices.”
