I don’t understand. It’s not that bad.
I skim down and read the article by Wendy Collins.
Inside sources, close to the Calloway family, tell us that not one but both Calloway sisters went for the formula option to feed their babies. The sources say, “Lily and Rose would rather have assistants and their grandmother look after their babies. They don’t want the responsibility. It’s a big reason why they chose formula. Rose and Lily aren’t prepared for motherhood and they know it.”
I stop reading there. None of us even have nannies. It’s too hard to trust someone with something so precious when we’ve been burned before. We all thought it was safer to raise our children without them.
“That’s complete trash,” Lo declares. “Who’s this so-called inside source anyway? Samantha Calloway?”
Daisy and I exchange a look, trying to gauge whether our mom could even do that. No…my mom isn’t that self-serving. “What would she get out of it?” Daisy asks.
“Right here…” Lo points at the phone. “Especially from the grandmother. Who do you think that is? Connor’s mom is dead. And my mom is five-hundred miles away, not caring about me or any of this shit.” His harsh tone is like acid, scorching my ears.
It’s been so long since he’s even mentioned his mom. Years, probably. Emily Moore might as well be a figment, a ghost. I haven’t even met her, but when I do think about her, my stomach starts to roil. It’s not a pleasant feeling, and I imagine, for Lo, the sensations are a million times more harrowing.
But maybe he’s buried it so deep down that he doesn’t feel anything anymore. Shut it out and said goodbye. I know when he met her, he closed the door on that part of his life for good.
“If we know anything,” Ryke says, handing Daisy back her cell, “it’s that Connor probably has a million fucking lawyers on this. They basically called his wife a bad mom.”
“Yeah, but they always call me a bad mom,” I say. “So the one time they blatantly call Rose a bad mom, everyone is going to throw a tantrum?” My heart sinks.
Ryke extends his arms. “I didn’t say it was right. I’m just saying prepare yourself for that double-edged sword, Calloway. It fucking hurts.” He rocks back like someone is going to punch his arm, but I don’t care about swear words anymore. It seems unimportant.
I appreciate Ryke’s warning, I do. It’s nice being back to these conversations without feeling weird around him, but it’s days like these where I wish none of us were in the spotlight at all. It’s where I wonder how life will be like for Maximoff, famous since birth.
We all lived our adolescence out of the public eye. They’re going to be raised right in it.
{ 37 }
LILY CALLOWAY
Rose’s version of camping is unlike any I have ever known. She hired a person to put up a teepee in the backyard, with a fuzzy rug laid out over the grass, complete with plush pillows and a small table for sliders and macaroni and cheese—takeout from a five-star restaurant. Lamps are staked in the ground and Rose has sprayed something that might be magical. Not one mosquito or bug has ventured into our territory.
It’s the perfect setting for our girl’s campout, and I already love it. Being pampered in the outdoors is much better than swatting flies. However, Ryke called it “fake camping” and “over the top” but he shut up when he saw Daisy’s face. She smiled like Rose recreated a scene out of Hook for her.
Good thing too, since this is all for Daisy tonight.
She wants to try and sleep away from Ryke, battle her insomnia out here, with us. I’m only two weeks post-pregnancy, so I try to take it easy and lounge into the soft pillows. Rose and I have our baby monitors by our side and all the guys are indoors with Jane and Moffy. I can go one night without hovering.
I think.
I situate my headband that has two purple feathers poking out. I feel like Tiger Lily. All I need is a drum and a cool tribal dance. The headbands were Daisy’s contributions to the girls’ night. I realize that I only brought myself. Which is not really a contribution at all, but oh well.
I wash a bite of mac and cheese down with Fizz Life. “So you’re not going to do anything?” I ask Rose, trying to ingest this bit of information. I’m still stuck on the fact that she has surrendered to the journalists over the baby formula comments.
I should be grateful that there’s no double-edged sword like Ryke mentioned, but I just don’t understand. My sister usually goes on the offensive.