The MC President's Forsaken Wife (Zara and Knox) novel Chapter 113

Chapter 68-4

Mayhem snorts. “You’ve met Willow.”

Dad frowns. “What does that mean?”

“She lives in a commune.”

“That doesn’t mean she doesn’t understand money.”

“She arrived in a half-dead blue Beetle wearing eight bracelets and talking about tarot cards.”

“Seven,” I say. “Seven silver bracelets.”

Mayhem turns to me. “You counted?”

“I gave them a good look,” I admit. “One had little unicorns dangling off it.”

Dad rubs his eyes. “Can we stay on the goddamn subject?”

“We are,” Mayhem says. “The subject is that your newly discovered vegan daughter probably wants everyone to abandon capitalism and pay for things with handmade soap.”

I laugh into my coffee, while Dad tries to look severe and utterly fails.

“You don’t know that about her,” he says.

“I’m willing to bet twenty bucks,” Mayhem retorts. “And I’ll throw in a round of beer.”

“Capitalist,” I tell him.

“Goddamn right, and exactly my point.”

Dad shakes his head, but he’s smiling now, though it fades after a moment. “What if she does care about the money?”

“We don’t know her yet,” Mayhem says. “Maybe she’s great, maybe she’s a nightmare. Maybe she’s after money, maybe she genuinely wants a family.”

“Maybe some combination of all four,” I add.

Dad nods slowly. “That’s possible.”

“The point is,” Mayhem says. “We don’t punish her for something she hasn’t even done. You know?”

I stare at him, and he notices.

“What?” he says.

“That was a very mature thing to say.”

“Shut up.”

“No, I’m impressed.”

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Chapter 68-4-

+can be mature.”

“When?”

“I’m being mature right now,

“You called her a capitalist soap merchant ten seconds ago.”

“I contain multitudes.”

Dad laughs, a proper laugh this time. It softens something in all of us, and I look at him.

“What do you want, Dad?”

His laughter fades. “What?”

Clam

“Not what you think you should do,” I clarify. “Not what the paperwork says. What do you actually want?”

“I want to know her.” The words come out rough. “I want to know what she was like as a kid, if she was anything like you two. What she studied, if she’s happy. I want to know if she looks like Denise when she’s angry. I want to hear about the life that I missed.”

The ache in his voice hits me hard, and even Mayhem looks down.

Dad continues. “And I want…” He swallows. “I want her to know that she wasn’t unwanted.”

My chest tightens at my indestructible father being vulnerable. I put my coffee down and get to my feet. Dad barely has time to look alarmed before I move around the desk and wrap my arms around him. He goes stiff for half a second, then he hugs me back.

Mayhem sighs. “Here we fucking go.”

“Get over here,” I tell him.

“No.”

Dad looks at him over my shoulder. “Get over here, dickhead.”

Mayhem mutters something under his breath, then he stands up and joins us.

To be honest, it’s super awkward. Dad is half trapped behind his desk, Mayhem elbows me in the chest, I step on his boot. He huffs and puffs and complains… but none of us lets go.

“We’ll figure it out, Dad,” I say, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “That’s what we Callahans always do, right?”

“Well, fine.” Mayhem grimaces as though physically pained. “I suppose I can give my hippie vegan half-sister a chance.”

I smile. “That sounds difficult for you.”

“It is.”

“You’re being very brave.”

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Chapter 68-4-.

“know.”-

t lean back just enough to look at him. “Why the change of heart?”

Mayhem looks at me, then at Dad, then heaves a massive sigh.

“Well…” he says. “Zarabug’s a royal pain in the ass, and I love her.”

I gasp. “That’s uncalled for!”

Ciam

Mayhem gives me a smug smile. “So clearly being irritating doesn’t disqualify someone from being my sister.”

“You are unbelievably rude.”

“And yet you love me.”

“Under protest.”

“Still counts.”

Dad looks between us, between his children. There are three of us now, even if we barely know her, and the shape of this family has changed overnight.

“I’m going to call her,” Dad says, picking up his cell. “Right now, with you both here.”

Without any suggestion on my part, Mayhem takes my hand, and I take Dad’s. His thumb hovers over Willow’s number, and when he finally presses call, the three of us wait together for our newest family member to answer.

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