Contessa (22 page)

“
And now, today, as you turn sixteen and walk that fine line between child and adult, I can
’
t wait to see what else I
’
ll have a chance to witness simply because you
’
re a part of my life. As much as I never wanted you to grow up, I cannot wait to see what you become. I am so immensely proud of you, Contessa. And I
’
m so grateful to you. Happy birthday, Princess. Your mother and I love you more than we can ever fully express.

“
I hope that you never forget that, no matter how old you are, or how far away from us your life takes you.
”

“
I love you, too, Daddy,
”
I cry quietly. He smiles and leans down to give me a hug. He holds on to me tightly, which is just fine with me. I desperately needed to hear these things.
“
And now for the gifts,
”
he says as he lets go of me. He pulls out two small boxes, handing them to me. I open the one wrapped in pink floral paper first. It
’
s a cell phone, a gift I had been expecting. It went hand-in-hand with dating. Sixteen was a pivotal birthday for me.

“
Just because it has an unlimited plan doesn
’
t mean you can spend all your time on it,
”
he warns me. Up until now, I
’
ve had an emergency-only phone that has hindered me from having a social life like all of my friends do. Camille takes the phone from me and starts programming her number.

I open the other box, this one wrapped in thick, dark grey paper with a simple red strip of ribbon around it. Inside the box is an Audi smart key. My jaw drops as I look up at my dad.

“
Really?!
”
I ask him, shocked. All my life, he
’
s purchased practical and safe cars; nothing flashy, nothing exorbitant. I
’
d wanted an Audi A5 since my uncle Matty first took me in his when we visited in California a few years ago. Even with all the money he has, I never thought Dad would buy me one.

“
Happy birthday, Livvy. I hope I don
’
t regret this,
”
he says with a laugh and another hug.
“
It
’
s waiting for you at home.
”

“
I promise promise
promise
you will
not
regret it. Thank you so much!
”
I run over to my mom and give her a hug, too.

“
Daddy said he
’
d take you out tomorrow morning and teach you the ropes.
”
I squeeze her tightly once more before returning to my table to finish eating. After dinner, my dad
’
s side of the family returns to our house for cake.

In the driveway sits the most perfect dark grey car I
’
d ever seen. A man steps out of it and waves.

“
Matty!
”
I exclaim, barely waiting for my dad to stop the car before getting out.

“
Little Liv! Oh, my, you
’
re so grown up! Look at you!
”
It had been two years since I last saw my uncle. He
’
s still able to pick me up and spin me around, which
is
our trademark greeting.

“
What are you doing here?
”

“
We
’
ve got a two week break,
”
he says.
“
What better way to spend it than in your guest room
?
”

“
You
’
re staying here?
”

“
I sure am. You
’
ll be so sick of me!
”

“
Never!
”
I tell him. There was no one cooler than my Uncle Matty.

“
Come check out this car,
”
he says finally as my mom and dad come up to greet my uncle. My mom gets into the passenger seat as Dad helps me adjust the mirrors and seat on the driver
’
s side.

“
It seems so small, Jacks,
”
Mom says as she inspects the backseat.
“
Are you sure this is a safe car?
”

“
Yes, Poppet. Do you really think I
’
d buy this for her if it wasn
’
t?
”

Mom smiles. Dad squats next to me as he points out things on the dashboard and console. He shows me how to operate the
hands-free
setup so I don
’
t have to touch the phone to call people. He tells me at least three times that I
’
m not allowed to use my two birthday gifts at the same time.

“
Got it, Dad,
”
I tell him.

“
Let
’
s go have some cake, Tessa. We
’
ll take her for a spin in the morning.
”

“
It
’
s a
he
,
”
I tell him.

“
Right, whatever.
”

“
Livvy, Jacks, look at me and smile.
”
My mom is poised with a camera and snaps a picture of us in front of the coupe. When we all go inside, Camille, Finn and I go off to my room for a few minutes. The rest of the kids filter into the game room and start playing pool.

I dial Granna quickly.
“
Happy birthday, Livvy,
”
she greets me cheerily.
“
Shouldn
’
t you be celebrating with your parents?
”

“
I am, I just wanted to call you and ask you a question.
”

“
Anything, dear, of course.
”

“
Do you have Jon
’
s phone number?
”

She stalls obviously.
“
Is that okay with your dad?
”

“
Yes, Granna, they gave me a cell phone. I would hope they
’
d allow me to use the thing,
”
I joke with her.

“
Alright.
”
I hear her shuffling though some papers before she gives me the number. I say it aloud so Camille can make note of it for me.

“
Is that his cell phone?
”

“
That
’
s what it says here on the roster.
”

“
Thanks, Granna.
”

“
You
’
re welcome. Have a great evening, sweetie. Don
’
t spend the night on the phone with Jon. Get in some quality family time.
”

“
I will,
”
I assure her before telling her goodbye.
“
Should I call him now?
”
I ask my friends.

“
Call who?
”
my uncle peeks his head into my room as chaos ensues in the media area with all of the younger kids. I see his suitcases are open and spread out on the guest bed across the basement.

“
My boyfriend.
”

“
What?
”
he asks, grinning.
“
When did this happen?
”

“
Recently.
”

“
Very recently,
”
Finn adds.
“
They
’
re going on their first date tomorrow night.
”

“
What are you wearing? Where are you going?
”
Matty asks.

“
I
’
m not sure. He says he
’
s taking me somewhere nice. I can
’
t decide what to wear.
”

“
Show me your options,
”
he says as he breezes past us into my room and goes quickly toward the closet. He rummages through my clothes quickly.
“
Where are your dresses?
”

“
I hate dresses,
”
I tell him. I
think I look
like a little girl in dresses and stopped wearing them a few years ago.

He turns around, stunned.
“
Does that mean you don
’
t have any?
”

“
That might be what that means,
”
I tell him, nervous as I see his mind calculating.

“
This won
’
t work,
”
he says.
“
Why do you take after your dad so much?
”

“
Yeah, I know Dad hates wearing dresses, too,
”
I yell at him as he leaves my room and makes a beeline to the stairs.
“
We can
’
t all be like you, Matty!
”

“
Hey,
”
he says with a smile, stopping on the second step.
“
Your
mother
should know better. We
’
re going shopping tomorrow, Livvy. If this boy
’
s taking you somewhere nice, you
’
re going to look somewhat nice for him.
”

“
I have pants and... and nice tops. Matty, no!
”
I plead.
“
I can
’
t wear a dress.
”

“
You can,
”
he says.
“
And you will. I promise, we
’
ll find something cute.
”

“
I don
’
t want to look cute,
”
I tell him seriously. He looks surprised, and then nods in understanding.

“
We
’
ll find something
sexy
, then.
”
He waggles his eyebrows and I
’
m sure my face has turned the color of a beet.

“
Don
’
t tell my dad that!
”
I yell back at him, watching him ascend the steps, on a mission.

“
Your uncle is awesome,
”
Camille says.

“
I know. You should have met his ex, Lucas. He was even crazier. They were a pair.
”
When they broke up, the rest of the family lost all contact with Matty
’
s ex-partner. He
’
d become a part of our family, so it was difficult on all of us, but we all knew it was hardest on Matty, and we had to respect his decision. We knew it was a decision he didn
’
t take lightly, and as far as we knew, he hadn
’
t been in love since.

The next morning, my dad takes me out of the city to practice driving my new car. I can
’
t drive it alone until I get my license officially in December, but he promises to take me out a few times a week to practice, and says we can run errands in it when I need to. More than once, he
’
s cautioned me to slow down as his knuckles wrap around the handle in the door.

With Dad
’
s permission, my uncle, mom and I take the Audi to go shopping for a dress that afternoon. We end up on a street with a few designer boutiques, and my Aunt Anna meets us there, at my mother
’
s request.

“
This is ridiculous,
”
I mutter to the adults.

“
We all have a purpose,
”
Mom explains.
“
Anna wants to make sure it
’
s fashionable. Matty won
’
t shut up about how sexy you
’
re going to look,
”
she grumbles.
“
I just want you to be comfortable. I also know what your Dad will absolutely not tolerate.
”
She glares at Matty.