Page 17 of Badd Love
"I hear you," I said. "I really, really do. I just happen to disagree."
"You disagree with what I need?"
"I disagree that that's what you need."
"But—but—"
“You can refuse to give me word one of an explanation for what happened, my fault or not. That's your right. It's my right to feel like I should getsomething. If you never want to see me again, that can be arranged.Afteryou let me in."
"You do realizeyou’rethe reason I ran away? Not because of what happened—that's not your fault. You didn't do anything wrong. But this—what you're doing right now.Thisis why I ran away. I don't know how to give you the answers you want, even if you do deserve them."
"Then we're at an impasse." I took pity on her and turned off the playlist, trading it for the Canary album from a few years ago that won all those Grammys.
"Oh, now that's just mean," Lindsey groaned. "Busting out Canary? Really?"
"It's a good album!" I said.
"No shit it is," she mutters. "It won like six Grammys. That's not the point."
"Then what, pray tell,isthe point?"
"Pray tell? Okay, Shakespeare."
“The point is," she grumbles, "I listened to this album on repeat every day for a month. It got me through a seriously hard time in my life."
"Wait, really?"
"Yeah. A breakup."
"Oh, shit. It was supposed to be funny. They're my aunt and uncle."
Silence, then: "Funny, Dane. Good one."
"Um, I'm not kidding?"
"You're not?"
"That's a weird thing to make up, isn't it?"
“Well, yeah. But have you met you?"
I laughed. "Good point, but Canary really is my aunt and uncle. Canaan and Aerie—Canary."
"So? Everyone knows where the name came from."
"What, I need to prove who my relations are?"
"Yeah. I mean, what's next? More famous relatives?"
I laughed uncomfortably. "Well…?"
"Shut the fuck up." A pause. "Who?"
"Harlow Grace is my aunt, and her husband is my uncle, Xavier Badd."
A heavy sigh. "Oh, come on. Really?"
"Rune didn't tell you? Dunc got Uncle Xavier and Aunt Low to let Raquel and Hamish sleep on their yacht before my other uncle flew them to Anchorage for the wedding."
