Etching Our Way (Broken Tracks Series Book 1) by Abigail Davies, Danielle Dickson (23)

I smile as I sit in the board meeting, thinking about the last couple of weeks. After Harmony received the painting, she was adamant that she couldn’t have it. But I saw the way she got lost in it at the art show.

The last few weeks have cemented everything in my mind. She wants me just as much as I want her, and there’s nothing and nobody standing in our way this time.

Since the art show, things are so good that it almost feels like I’m dreaming half of the time. Life is good: the kids are happier than they’ve ever been, and Clay is sleeping through the night without any night terrors.

I can’t remember a time when things have been this peaceful; not only at home, but at work too.

Things are better than they have ever been with Harmony. Sometimes your mind plays tricks on you, telling you that the grass is always greener on the other side. Only, she was always meant to be the side that I was on. She’s the one person that has always understood me like no other.

We laugh hard, smile hard, and argue hard. But the making up? It was always beyond this world. There hasn’t been a day that has gone by since the art show that we haven’t talked, and there were only two days that we haven’t seen each other. Those two days were the hardest two days; not being able to see her face or hear her voice.

We’ve been to shows, to dinner, taken the kids out to the park, and to the movies. Life is good… no… it’s great.

But there’s still that little voice in the back of my mind telling me that the other shoe is sure to drop at some point—especially when I tell her why I left her a decade ago: why I walked away from her and didn’t look back. Or so she thinks.

I cringe when I think about the things that I said to her, the words that have swirled around in my mind for the last ten years on repeat.

“Mr. Carter?” I snap my head up, my eyes widening at all of the board members that sit around the large table. When I don’t answer, Catiya repeats. “Oliver?”

I clear my throat. “Yes.” I shuffle forward, pulling the cuffs of my suit jacket down. “He’s coming in for a meeting.” I look around the table, capturing all of their eyes and trying to drive home how big of a deal this is. “He used our Pearl software at the last art show he did, and he wants us to make him specific software, tailored to him.”

“Can we do that?” one of them asks.

“Of course we can,” I assure them, trying not to roll my eyes. “But this sets a precedent; we need to branch out, we need to look at new and different ways that we can expand.”

They murmur between themselves and I stand, doing the button up on my navy suit jacket before shoving my hands in my pockets and walking around the table, staring out of the windows.

“Let me put it into perspective for you,” I say, stopping when I get to the middle window. “Oliver himself can bring us in over thirty million with this one deal. Not to mention the advertisement it brings with it.”

I turn to face them all, catching Catiya’s gaze as she smiles.

“This is the start of getting our name out there without putting all of our eggs in one basket. Our name won’t only be in the software world, it’ll be in the arts too. Oliver is a trendsetter, whatever he does, people follow like sheep.”

“What are you saying, Tristan? That we’ll sell his software?” one of the board members asks.

“No.” I shake my head, my eyes flitting over to where I was sitting when my cell vibrates. “Like I said, we tailor the software to fit his needs. If we get it right? Imagine all of the other clients we could bring in. We could double or even triple our profits by making different kinds of software we can take to the open market.”

I walk back around the table, seeing Harmony’s name flicker on my screen.

“I’m going to run with it.” I pick my cell up, smiling and shaking my head, seeing that she’s changed the chat colors again. “I’m meeting with Oliver now.”

“What will the outgoing costs be?” another board member asks.

I lean against the table, crossing my arms. “Ten percent of the profits.”

A few gasps go around the room and I capture lots of cynical faces. “The software will take minimal work. We’ll need to put a specific team on it, but I already have a few people in mind. And if they work their magic—like I know that they will—then we’re all set.”

“Sir?” Catiya catches my attention and I turn to where she’s standing at the door. “Mr. Hunt is here.”

I nod and face the board. “Let’s discuss this further tomorrow.”

“We still haven’t discussed Pete.”

My nostrils flare at the sound of his name and I turn back around slowly, grinding my teeth together before saying, “There’s nothing more to talk about.” I pause. “He’s been trying to drag my name through the mud, but does it look like his desperate attempts are working?”

I raise a brow, waiting for an answer, but when I don’t get one, I shake my head and leave the room before unlocking my cell as I walk and send Harmony a message, telling her that she’s color bipolar before pushing through to my office.

“Mr. Hunt is waiting.” Catiya’s voice comes through the speaker on my desk and I walk forward, pocketing my cell and clicking the button to reply.

“Send him in.”

I lean against the front of my desk, my hands cupping the edge while I wait for the door to open and the flamboyant man to enter.

He’s dressed in a pair of black coveralls, fluorescent paint splattered all over them. His face has a pink diagonal splatter across it, running across his nose and into his brown hair.

“Mr. Carter.” He holds his hand out, shaking mine and then whistling as he looks out of the windows. “Some view you have here.” He stares at it in the same way that Harmony does when she’s working all of the colors and shapes out; almost depicting how he would paint it.

“Would you like a drink?” I ask.

“Oh! No, thanks, I can’t stay long. I’m in the zone.”

“The zone?” I ask, lifting up off the desk and walking over to him.

“Yeah,” he says slowly, moving his gaze to mine. “The zone.” He brings his hands out, trying to tell me something that I don’t understand. “It’s when your ideas are flowing and you can’t stop.”

“Oh.”

“I’ve been working for thirty-six hours straight. I need to get back ASAP.”

“Okay, we’ll make this as brief as possible then.” I clear my throat, turning away and sitting down, waving my hand to a seat opposite me but he shakes his head, declining the offer. “So you want new software for an up-and-coming show?”

“I do.” He looks out of the window and back at me again. “I want your best tech guys on it. They need to be able to bring to life what I’m envisioning.”

“Done.”

“Send them to my studio in three days at six a.m. I think I’ll be ready for them by then.”

I stand up as he walks away, but I frown, baffled that the meeting has been so short. We could’ve done this over the phone.

“Do you have a budget?”

“Nope,” he says, pulling the door open and turning back to me. “I’ll pay as much as it takes. This show is gonna be big, Carter. Real fucking big.” He grins before he walks out, leaving me standing in the middle of my office, completely confused but excited about the new venture.

Now all I need to do is get my best guys on it.

HARMONY: Blue, yellow, or pink?

I stand in the fancy dress shop, staring at all of the different assortment and styles on the racks in front of me. Who knew there’d be so many choices for an adult princess dress?

I blow out a breath and scan them all: Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel... Elsa? Who the frig is Elsa?

TRISTAN: Well, that completely depends on what I’m picking. I’m partial to pink myself.

My raucous laughter ignites a strange look from the shop assistant and I stifle it with my hand as I type out a reply to him.

HARMONY: I’ll bear that in mind, Mr. Carter.

HARMONY: I’m out of my comfort zone, staring at princess dresses for Izzie’s party in a sketchy, fancy dress shop... Who is Elsa?

I smile as I click send on the second message and scan the dresses again, deciding to try a few on before I buy one.

I pick up the three I’m leaning toward and take them into the fitting room, pulling off my summer dress and squeezing into the first puffy, itchy number. I turn to face the mirror and laugh out loud.

I look completely ridiculous and like a puffy marshmallow, but it doesn’t matter because I’d do anything to make Izzie happy; she has after all requested that we all dress up as princesses and princes. I chuckle, wondering what Tristan will be wearing. I can’t wait to see.

My cellphone pings again and I fight through all of the layers of tulle to get it out of my purse.

TRISTAN: I’ve always loved you in yellow.

My head snaps to the side and I pull the curtain back as I scan the inside of the shop, convinced he can see me. After not seeing anyone else in the shop, I shut the curtain again and gaze down at the bright yellow dress I have on and shrug; yellow it is.

TRISTAN: And Elsa is the newest princess on the block… she shoots ice out of her hands. Kind of like Spiderman with his webs.

I frown down at my cellphone; ice? They’re really struggling for new princess concepts, aren’t they?

I struggle to pull the dress off over my head and lose my balance, falling into the wall and causing a loud crash.

“Everything alright in there?” a voice calls through the curtain.

I scramble to get the material out of my mouth, my arms flapping wildly as I huff out a breath. “Yep, just stuck in a layer of ruffle hell.”

She chuckles. “Do you want some help?”

As she asks, I find my way out of the dress and pop my head out of the curtain, hiding the rest of my body. “I’m free now, thanks, but could you ring this up and I’ll be out in a minute.” She nods and I hand the dress over to her . “Oh, and do you have any of those long gloves and a tiara?”

“Sure, what color gloves?”

I shrug. “It honestly doesn’t matter, I’m going to a six-year-old’s birthday party and this is at her request.”

She chuckles. “Gotcha. I’ll go and find your accessories.”

I smile wide at her and close the curtain fully, pulling on my summer dress and scooping my hair back into a messy bun. Placing my sunglasses on the top of my head, I walk out of the fitting room and over to the counter.

“I picked white gloves and this tiara,” the shop assistant says, holding up the items and showing me.

I nod. “Perfect, thank you.”

I pay up and walk out into the sunshine, flipping my sunglasses down to cover my eyes as I pull out my cellphone and reply to Tristan.

HARMONY: Well, then I’ll get blue. ;) :P And that princess sounds stupid.

I giggle to myself before looking up and seeing the one—or two—people I really could do without seeing. Why is he here? Although, it’s not that unusual considering his parents still live in the area, but I haven’t seen or heard from him since the night he turned up at my studio. I guess seeing me with Tristan was enough to warn him off, or maybe it was the fact that I told him I’d call the cops if I ever saw him again?

They haven’t seen me yet so I could hide, but I don’t. I won’t let them dictate how I act, so I straighten my shoulders and continue walking with my head up, pretending that I haven’t seen them.

“Harmony?” Dammit.

I try to act surprised as my eyes meet his. “Oh, Gerry.”

My gaze flits over to the girl I unashamedly nearly mauled when she was sitting at my dining table in her underwear, but instead of feeling rage like I did back then, I feel… nothing. And it makes me smile.

He settles his confused gaze on my happy expression and clears his throat. “How have you been?”

My cellphone pings in my hand and I grin as Tristan’s name flashes across the screen. “You know, I’ve been really good.” I gesture toward the girl. “Are you… together now?”

She has the sense to look down at the ground and he stammers out, “I… I…”

“Gerry, it’s okay, we’re not together anymore.”

He sighs. “Yes. This is Maria.”

Her head snaps up at the sound of her name and she gives me a hesitant, small wave. “Hi.”

The bitter feeling I once felt rolls through me for a split second before it gives way for a bigger, more powerful emotion: acceptance.

“Hi, Maria.” I face Gerry again and he gives me a thankful smile, showing me the man that he once was before he turned resentful.

“I… I’ve been meaning to call and apologize for how I acted a few weeks ago.” He grabs the back of his neck, obviously uncomfortable. “I shouldn’t have turned up at your studio the way that I did. What you do with your life now is none of my business.”

I nod but don’t acknowledge his apology any more than that. “You’re happy?” I ask him.

He looks over my shoulder before looking me in the eyes and saying, “I am.”

“I’m glad that you’re happy with your decisions,” I reply.

He hesitates before saying, “And you? You’re looking... happier.”

I nod, smiling down at my phone again. “Very.” A wave of closure crashes down over me and I know it’s time to leave instead of dragging this out. “I have somewhere that I need to be, but take care, Gerry.” I finish my sentence by looking up at him and smiling. “It was surprisingly cathartic seeing you again.”

His face falls for a split second before he regains his composure. “Yeah, you too, Harmony. And for what it’s worth? I am sorry about how things turned out.”

I stare at him for a split second before nodding, no more needs to be said. I give them both a small smile and wave as I turn around and walk down the sidewalk, ready to move on with the next stage of my life as I stare down at the messages from Tristan.

TRISTAN: Blue’s good, and you’re telling me. Try listening to the infamous “Let It Go” song for hours on end.

TRISTAN: Harm, I have something I want to ask you.

HARMONY: ?

TRISTAN: Would you do me the honor of accompanying me to the theater tonight?

A grin lifts up my lips and I type out a resounding “yes,” as a swarm of butterflies invade my stomach. I catch my reflection in my car window; Gerry is right, I do look happier.

To say that I’m nervous that Harmony is coming to my house would be a giant understatement. Sure, she’s been here before when she dropped Izzie off a few weeks ago, but it’s not like she stayed long. This will be different, she’ll be here for a lot longer; not only that but there will be other people here too.

Mom, Edward, Nate, and Amelia, and of course a couple of Izzie’s friends from school. Izzie was adamant that we all had to dress up as either princes or princesses for her birthday party. So here I am, dressed as the prince of the castle as I prep the burgers for the grill.

Every time I hear the doorbell ring, nerves bat around my stomach like a ping pong ball being hit back and forth across a table. But the last two times that Amelia answered it, it wasn’t Harmony.

I know she’ll be here any second now because she messaged me as she was leaving her mom’s house.

For some reason, having her here for Izzie’s birthday with my family feels like our relationship is moving up a level.

We’ve been having fun these last few weeks, nothing too serious. I took her to see a show at the theater last week, we laughed so hard that we both had tears streaming down our faces.

It’s different between us; every single thing about us and the way we’re acting is different, but how I feel hasn’t changed in the slightest. If anything, my feelings have only grown stronger.

She was always that one person that made me feel like I was in control when I was around her; she made me feel like me. The complete version of me and not only the small parts that I allowed people to see. She saw me for who I really was.

The doorbell ringing has my head snapping up and I walk over to the sink, washing my hands.

As I’m drying them, I hear a loud squeal and Izzie shout, “Miss J!”

I chuckle and shake my head as I walk out of the kitchen; it doesn’t matter how many times Harmony tells her to call her by her first name, she still insists on calling her Miss J.

My lips curve up into a smile when I see Izzie clutched inside Harmony’s arms. I rub at my chest as a pain shoots through it at the sight of them: both of their faces full of joy.

I move forward, my feet feeling like lead as I watch them, my heart thumping wildly in my chest.

“Hey, birthday girl. I have a surprise for you,” Harmony tells Izzie.

“You do?” Izzie gasps, jumping up and down on the spot.

I walk closer as Harmony places Izzie down, smiling at something Izzie whispers before she turns toward me.

“Hey,” I say, clearing my throat when it comes out more of a croak than a word. Harmony’s gaze moves from Izzie to me, pure happiness shining bright in her eyes. “I see that you adhered to the dress code.”

She twirls around, the yellow princess dress swirling around her, all of the glitter sparkling off the sunlight that streams through the windows that are on either side of the front door. “This old thing? It was sitting in the back of my closet not doing anything, so I dusted it off.” She looks down at Izzie, smiling. “Couldn’t let the birthday girl down.”

I shake my head and chuckle at her sarcasm as she straightens the tiara on the top of her head and pulls up the white gloves that cover her hands and arms, stopping before they get to her elbows.

“Can I see my surprise now?” Izzie asks, the excitement spilling over.

“Izzie,” I warn. “You know the drill, presents are opened when everyone is here and we’ve eaten.” She pouts and looks down at the floor before her head snaps back up to Harmony.

“Come on! I want to show you my room!” Izzie shouts, grabbing Harmony’s hand and pulling her toward the stairs.

Harmony’s eyes meet mine, silently asking permission and I nod before hooking my thumb over my shoulder. “I’ll be out back.”

“Catch,” she says, throwing me her car keys. “Her present is hard to miss.” She chuckles as I catch them and carries on letting Izzie drag her up the stairs, no doubt wanting to show her the tea party set that she has.

“Don’t stay up there too long, Izzie,” I tell her, knowing that she’d stay up there for hours playing with her tea set if she could.

“Okay, Daddy!” she shouts back, already disappearing down the hallway toward her room.

I push Harmony’s car keys into the front pocket of my suit pants and walk back into the kitchen so that I can start on the potato salad. But when I get back in there, Amelia is standing stirring the mayonnaise into the bowl, staring off into space.

“A?” I ask, concerned when she jumps at the sound of one of the girls squealing in the backyard. “You okay?”

“Huh? Yeah.” She plasters a smile on her face and shakes her head. “I’m fine, thought that I’d make this for you.”

I study her for a couple of seconds, my head tilting to the side. The last few weeks she’s become jumpy and paranoid. She may think that I haven’t noticed, but I’m not blind. She’s on edge, worse than she had been when I asked Nate to see if he could find out what was going on with her.

I’ve been so caught up in Harmony, the kids and myself these last few weeks that I haven’t even thought to ask Nate if he’d found out what was going on with her.

“Just gonna go and get Izzie’s present from Harmony’s car,” I tell her, not getting a reply before I push back through the house, across the marble floor and out the front door.

Heading toward Harmony’s car, I grimace. The metallic blue paint is peeling in places; rust showing around the tire arches. It takes me several attempts to open the door and I wince at the squeak it emanates.

This thing can’t be safe for her to drive, surely? My protective instincts have me wanting to buy her a brand new one. Only I know that wouldn’t go down well at all.

She’s always paved her own way, not willing to let anyone buy her things or help her out. There were so many times in college where she’d end up pissed at me for paying the food bill, and nothing has changed. She’s still as stubborn as she was back then, if not more so now.

“Sup!”

I turn my head as I’m pulling the present out of the car. “Hey.”

Nate shuts his car door, his eyes widening at Harmony’s as I lock it. “What is that thing?”

I chuckle. “Harmony.”

“Ahhhh.” He nods his head, her name explaining so many things as he walks toward me. He’s dressed in a dark red robe that covers his white t-shirt and light blue board shorts, the white Converse he’s wearing completing his mismatched outfit.

“You were meant to be a prince, not a king,” I berate him, looking up at the giant crown on his head that is full of fake jewels.

“I am a prince.” He rolls his eyes as he opens the front door but I stop him with a hand to his arm as my eyes look inside.

“I forgot to ask you.” I move the present—which I suspect from its size and shape is a canvas—under my other arm. “Did you ever find out what was going on with Amelia?”

He looks away, his jaw clenching as he shoves his hands inside the pockets of his shorts. “I… she told me something.”

I frown, thinking I heard him wrong at first. “What?”

His shoulders droop as he looks inside the house in the same way that I just did. “She thinks she’s fooled me, but I could tell that she was lying.” He huffs out a breath. “But I’m working on it.”

I’m about to demand that he tell me what she said—even if it is a lie—when Harmony and Izzie catch my attention as they skip across the entryway together. Now isn’t the time or place, but that doesn’t mean that he won’t be telling me what she told him. Now that I’m sure there is something going on, I’m determined to find out exactly what it is.

I don’t say anything else as I walk past him and through the house, into the backyard where I place the present with Izzie’s other presents on the table off to the side.

Mom is sitting next to Harmony, both of them talking with a smile on their faces as Clay jumps up and runs at Nate, colliding with him.

“Ooft!”

I smirk before stepping toward the grill and pulling the top up, placing the burgers on there with some corn.

The chatter continues around me, the laughter louder than it has been in a long time and I can’t help but think about how much Natalia would have loved to have seen Izzie turn six.

Today is a day of joy: of fun and laughter, but it’s also a day of sadness, of grief. It doesn’t matter how many times I try not to think about it, or how many times I try not to look at the clock. I still do. As soon as the clock strikes 9 p.m. and the kids are in bed—asleep after they’ve run around and exhausted themselves out—I’ll be heading to the place that I only visit once a year.

For the last six years, I’ve made sure that I’ve been there at the same time that she passed. I don’t know why I do it; why I only go at that time, but it’s always felt like the right thing to do.

“Tris?” I snap my head to the side, my eyes catching Mom’s where she stands beside me. “You okay?” she asks, her eyes filled with understanding. Things have been easier between us lately, and I think that it’s mainly because I’ve let things go. Being around Harmony again has opened my eyes to how I was acting and how I was treating people.

I give her a sad smile. “Yeah.”

She lays her hand on my arm, squeezing lightly. “It’s a hard day. It always will be, and you’re allowed to mourn her. But you also need to celebrate her life. She wouldn’t want you to mope around.”

I bite my bottom lip as her words roll around my head. It doesn’t matter how many times she tells me this, I never feel right celebrating her life. It was cut short, she wasn’t even thirty and she left behind a toddler and newborn baby. There’s nothing there to celebrate and hearing her say those words only serve to annoy me.

“Dad! I’m starvvving!”

“Burgers are nearly ready,” I announce, winking at Clay where he’s sitting with a bun on his plate, open and ready for his burger while he stares at the grill as I open it up.

“Tris—”

“Not now, Mom,” I warn her.

She holds her hands up, backing away and going to sit back at the table next to Harmony as I flip the burgers and watch the coal burn, becoming fascinated by the way that the color changes. Everything fades away as I stare at them, stuck inside my own head and working on autopilot as I plate the burgers up and place them in the middle of the table.

Amelia gathers all of the kids, sitting them down and helping them plate up the food while I go back to the grill, cooking more food than necessary. I need a moment to gather myself before Izzie has finished her burger and is demanding to open her presents.

I drop my head, taking a deep breath before turning back around and pasting a smile on my face as I walk over to the table and sit next to Izzie, seeing that she’s already demolished half of her burger.

“Presents?” she asks, grinning and spreading ketchup up her cheek.

“After you’ve eaten, pumpkin.”

She nods and draws her brows down, sheer determination on her face as she picks up the rest of her burger, taking two huge bites and chewing as fast as she can before standing up and walking over to the table the presents are on.

“Open mine first, Izzie!” Nate shouts, bouncing up and down in his seat. His crown wobbles on the top of his head but he doesn’t even notice until it’s falling off and landing on the table, causing his drink to splatter all over him. “Oh sh—sugar!” He jumps up, pulling his t-shirt away from his chest.

Everyone’s silent for point two seconds before Clay snorts, laughter bursting out of him as he throws his head back.

“Uncle Nate!” Izzie reprimands him, her hands on her hips as she stands in front of all of her presents. “You need to be more careful!”

“Yes, Princess Izzie,” he says, his head down in mock shame, but I see the smirk on his face.

“Just because of that, I’ll be opening yours last.”

“Awww, come on!” Nate throws his hands up in the air, slipping down in his seat and pouting.

Amelia leans forward, a smirk on her face. “The pouting prince.” She pats his hand.

“That’s it!” Nate stands up, his chair flipping back as he runs around the table toward Izzie, picking her up before running around the backyard as he shouts, “If you don’t open mine, then I’m going to take you prisoner!”

“Miss J! Save me!”

My gaze flicks over to Harmony as she places her drink down gently on the table and slowly stands up. “Nathan Cole, put the birthday girl down and let her open her presents, or I’ll show everyone the picture of your long flowing princess hair from college.” She puts her hands on her hips and smirks.

“You wouldn’t,” he gasps, standing still with a squirming Izzie in his arms.

“Hellllp!”

Harmony takes a step toward him and Nate watches her carefully as I stand, creeping around the edge of the grass; Harmony’s gaze flicks to me and I point at Nate. Her lips quirk up before she walks toward Nate again, keeping his attention focused on her as I get closer.

I lift my finger to my lips as Izzie sees me and she tries to wink at me but fails, instead it looks like she is closing both eyes and squeezing them shut before opening them again. It nearly has me bursting out with laughter but I manage to keep my composure before diving at Nate and taking Izzie out of his arms.

“I saved the princess!” I announce, holding her up in the air like a trophy.

I set her down when she squirms and she runs back over to the presents.

“You’re such a spoil sport,” Nate says, shaking his head.

I shrug. “Nah, you’re just a sore loser.”

He humphs and walks back over to the table to join everyone else, leaving Harmony and me standing in the middle of the grass.

“Hey,” I say tentatively, stepping closer to her. “I feel like I haven’t see you at all today.”

“You’ve been hosting, it’s fine. Your mom and the kids have kept me plenty busy. It’s… I guess it’ll take time getting used to her being so…”

“Nice?” I chuckle, watching her carefully.

“I guess that’s another word you could use.” She shuffles on the spot. “Anyway, I can see Izzie dancing around her presents so you better go over there before she explodes.”

I look over at the table of presents, seeing Izzie doing just that. “Yeah.” I grin and walk over there. “Let’s get these presents opened!” I rub my hands together.

“Finally!” she exclaims.

Everyone laughs before she dives in and opens two presents in quick succession. She looks over each one and places them in a new pile before coming to her main present from me.

“This one says… ‘To Izzie, Happy Birfday, love, Daddy.’” She rips the pink paper off the top and jumps up and down as soon as she sees the handlebars with colorful tassels on the end complete with a stuffed unicorn sitting in the little carry case behind the seat.

“Can I have a ride?” She looks up at me, her eyes sparkling at having her very first bike.

“Let’s finish opening the rest first, okay?”

She pouts for all of two seconds before her eyes flit behind me. “Miss J! Why are you standing all the way over there?”

My head swirls around to meet Harmony’s confused gaze. “I… I’m watching you open your presents, sweetie.”

Izzie stands up and walks over to the table, taking hold of her hand and dragging her over, placing her next to me. “You can stand here.”

Her statement is so final that Harmony chuckles and flicks her gaze over everyone. “Okay, whatever you want, birthday girl.”

Izzie smiles and points to the giant, pink wrapped square Harmony had me bring in from the car and her eyes widen. “I want to open that one.”

Harmony chuckles and walks toward the table, picking it up and placing it in front of Izzie.

“This one’s from me,” she says, kneeling down beside her, an apprehensive look on her face.

Izzie bounces up and down as she rips the paper off what we can all see is a canvas, but she’s standing in such a way that I’m the only one who can’t see what is on it.

I hear my mom gasp as Izzie stares at the painting with a confused expression on her face, but it changes to wonderment and she wraps her arms around Harmony’s shoulders before pulling away and stroking her fingers over the surface of the canvas. “Look, Daddy, it’s me and Mommy.”

Everyone is deathly silent as my breath catches in my throat, standing as still as a statue as I take in what she said. “W-what?” I can’t look at Harmony, afraid that I may say something that I’d later regret.

Izzie turns the canvas around to face me and I stumble back. It’s a painting of Natalia and what Izzie looks like now. Natalia is crouching behind Izzie, her arms wrapped around her as they both smile as they look at each other.

Seeing something look so real has my heart thumping in my chest and my vision blurring.

“I…” Hearing Harmony’s voice has my head snapping toward her. “I thought Izzie would want something…”

I spot Clay out of the corner of my eye as he steps toward Izzie, and I watch as they both stare in awe at the realistic painting. I squeeze my eyes closed, trying to gather myself but it’s no use, because as soon as I open them back up, Clayton and Izzie are sitting off to the side, both watching the painting like it’s one of their favorite movies.

My eyes meet Harmony’s, but nothing is registering properly because I’m spiraling. I watch her for several seconds, trying to decipher what to say or do, but my temper gets the better of me as I take two steps toward her.

“That wasn’t your place,” I thunder, my voice low as I point at the canvas.

“I’m sorry, I should’ve talked to you about it first. I didn’t think, I—”

“No!” I shout, cutting her off. “You didn’t think!”

“Come on, kids, let’s go inside and play some games.” No one argues with my mom as she ushers everyone inside the house with Amelia trailing behind her.

“Tris?” Nate steps toward me, but I don’t look away from Harmony as her eyes mist over with unshed tears. “Come on, man, you’re upsetting her.”

“I’m upsetting her?” I laugh, deep and loud before swinging my gaze to Nate. “You don’t think she’s upset me by doing that?”

I turn back toward Harmony, seeing her lips tremble as she wraps her arms around her waist, closing herself off. “I said I was sorry, I thought it’d be nice for Izzie to have.”

I see red and my fists clench and unclench.

“Tris.” Amelia’s soft voice has me turning back to the door as she closes it softly. “Don’t do this, not today.”

“It wasn’t her place, A.” My voice catches on the last word, and all I can think about is the painting of Natalia and how good of a mother she would have been to Izzie.

Amelia walks forward, past Nate and Harmony before she pulls me aside.

“I know you’re upset, but don’t do this here, not in front of the kids.”

My eyes swing over to where Nate is consoling Harmony, and as much as I hate seeing him doing that, I can’t see past anything as I hear her apologize over and over again to him.

“I… I can’t do this,” I whisper.

Amelia clasps my forearm but I jump back, not wanting to be touched before spinning around and taking two steps away from them all.

“Tristan.” Harmony’s desperate voice wraps itself around my heart and squeezes it tightly, making me stop in my tracks, but I don’t turn around. “Please don’t shut me out. I’m so sorry.”

Her pleading has me turning around slowly. Her honey eyes beg me not to walk away, but right now, I know that if I stay around her, I’ll say something that I’ll regret.

“Go home, Harmony.” I sigh, running my hands over my face as I dip my head. “I’ll call you later. I… I need a minute to digest it all.”

I hear her small voice as she says, “Okay,” and I walk into the house, not looking back.