Chapter 3
The kitchen doors slammed closed behind him again but this time, the sounds didn’t echo.
“Dad. Can you talk to mom about the trip? Please.”
Annie immediately turns to the stunned Billy and Billy sees the aforementioned puppy-dog-eyes. In this dream, Annie was his daughter. So, he’ll have to treat her like it. Like Julia.
“Your mother said no.”
“But that’s because she thinks I’m gonna have sex with a twenty year old rockstar and do lines off a unpaid hooker ass.”
Jesus. The kids mouth was crude. What the hell kinda trip was she trying to take anyways?
“I mean, this is JULIA we’re talking about. She’s the most responsible person I’ve ever met and she would never let me do lines off a unpaid hooker ass. She’d make sure the hooker had good minimum wage.”
Annie gives him a smirk at her joke but he can barley focus on anything else. Julia? Julia was in this dream but not as his daughter?
“Julia?”
Annie looks confused before nodding.
“Yea, my best friend. Remember? Camila and Eddie’s daughter.”
His name made a surge of anger go through Billys body. Eddie? Eddie and Camila? They were married? They had a daughter? They had Julia?
“She’s really counting on me to support her the entire time but mom doesn’t even want me going for a second. I don’t get why she’s being so insane. Camila is completely letting Julia off the hook.”
“That’s because Julia’s proven she can be trusted.”
Daisys voice comes from the other kitchen doorway and Annie rolls her eyes. God, she’s just like her mother.
“I sneak out one time..”
Daisy drops her coffee mug into the sink and turns to Annie, crossing her arms.
“One time? More like fifteen! That we even know of. Not to mention your older guy friends from The Strip that only have one intention with you.”
“Why do you always say that? Why do you assume that because I’m a girl and I happen to hang out with guys, I’m some passed around whore! Trust me, I’m not YOU!”
The room goes quiet and Billy can hear Daisy sigh. Annie’s face goes red and her mouth starts moving to form an apology but Daisy puts up a hand.
“Tell Julia you’ll see her after the press tour. Right now, your ass is grounded. Go to your room.”
Daisys voice isn’t loud or angry like it used to be. Sometimes when Billy would hear a creak in a door or a paper rip, he’d remember all their screaming matches. But this Daisy was calm and collected. Far from the real one. Annie shoots him a sad look and rushes past him and out the kitchen.
Daisy tunes back to the sink and leans against it. Her hands grip the edge and her knuckles are white. She’s shaking. When Julia was a teen and him and Camilla would get into arguments like this, Billy would be shaking afterwards. His thoughts would be running at a hundred miles per hour. About how stupid and mean he was being. About how horrible of a father he was. About how Julia deserved better. And in those times, Camilla would always hold him. Wether he was sitting up or standing down, she’d hold him.
Billy is snapped out of his daydream when he hears a sniffle and choked sob coming from Daisy. He immediately runs over to her, his arms holding her tight to him. He could feel her body go slack the more and more she cried. He was the only thing stopping her from falling to the floor. He was holding her the way Camilla held him.
“She’s right.”
Daisy turns to Billy and leans back against the sink.
“Everyones always right about that. Everyone knows about me. About the men I’ve been with and the things I’ve done. I knew sooner or later she would find out but…”
Daisys face is hot with tears and her words are half spoken and half cried.
“Stop. Stop Daisy.”
Billy takes her face into his hands and his thumb wipes away her tears. She leans into him and sniffles as he continues to wipe away falling tears. It takes him back to tour. All the tears she shed over him. Now she was crying because of THEIR daughter, and Billy, her HUSBAND, was picking up the pieces.
“I’m just scared Billy. I don’t want her to go through even a second of what I did. I know what it’s like out there. I know that fifteen year olds know shit but not when it comes to this. It’s too dangerous for her but she’s not understanding me. I just want her to understand me.”
Daisy wipes her own eyes now but Billys hands continue to hold her face. Maybe this was how he ended the dream. Maybe he just had to resolve the argument and then he’d wake up. It sounded perfect.
“She wants the same.”
Daisy stops sniffling and looks up at him. The puppy-dog-eyes had to be genetic because she looked absolutely adorable like that. No, he couldn’t think that. He just had to focus on getting out of here
“She wants to go with Julia because she IS you Daisy. Our kids are a sort of extended version of us. We do everything we can to make is so they don’t go through what we did but sometimes it’s what they crave. It’s what they know. But we as parents have to make sure to remember what if felt like to be them. Remember why they think they’re right and we’re wrong. Remember that we can’t let fear stop our kids from living but we have to be ready to pick up the pieces of what could possibly happen.”
Daisy was listening now. Her head was slightly nodding and she still had her puppy-dog-eyes on.
“I know you think it’s a bad idea but, maybe you should let her go.”
Daisys face drops and she pushes Billy away. Shit. Attempt failed. Maybe he could try and get Annie to apologize? Or maybe her just have to talk to Julia himself and-
“Fine.”
Daisy turns back to him. Her arms are crossed again and her voice is steady.
Bingo.
“She can go. But not until YOU talk to her about it. I just need a moment right now.”
“Of course. I’ll go. Just relax for a second.”
Billy instinctively pulls her close and kisses her head. But he knows that randomly stopping would seem off so he continues his movement. Daisy shoots him a small smile and he takes the cue to run off and up the staircase to his daughters room.