Chapter 6
"Isabella is… I don't know, kiddo. Things have got kinda crazy all of a sudden." At that point I'm truly tired of having this rift between my daughter and me. Before the divorce she was daddy's girl. Then all of a sudden every sentence she says to me is colored with anger.
"Well at least she has somewhere to go for Christmas! I'm the one who has to stay at my dorm like an orphan on the holidays."
I took a deep, calming breath. "Sweetie, you told us you were going home with a friend. When did you decide to change your plans?"
Lauren broke into the conversation with a loud snore. Well, she definitely hadn't changed in that area. Her snoring was legendary in our house.
Sniffling, Rosalie said, "Plans changed a few days ago. I told mom I was going to come home after all."
I knew that in that moment, I had a chance to be a good dad. Of course I wanted my baby home for Christmas. The last two and a half years notwithstanding, Rosalie and I had always been very close. She used to be Daddy's Girl, always by my side no matter what. We read Charlotte's Web snuggled out on the front porch when she was little. She and I built a house in the old oak tree in the back yard. When she had her first kiss she didn't run to Lauren to gush about it. Instead, she told me.
I wanted Rose home for the holidays. I felt an obligation to take care of Lauren, the woman who took care of me for so many years. There was no sense of obligation where Rosalie was concerned; I was crushed when Lauren told me three weeks ago that Rose wasn't coming home.
But what was I going to tell Isabella?