#Chapter77

The Birthday Girl

The ticking of the Grandfather clock synced up perfectly to the tapping of Jasper’s shoe against the black-and-white checkered floor until he finally shifted his eyes to the stairs. “Hurry up, Sugar!”

After he tousled the dark curls on his head in the mirror, his eyes dropped to Teddy’s reflection. “Will you go drag your sister down here, please? She’s going to be late for her own goddamn birthday party.”

From the warm, burgundy wall he leaned on, Teddy pulled his hand from his pocket and pointed his finger gun at his father. “Don’t you worry about a thing, Daddy; I’m on it.”

The ting of...