“What am I supposed to do?” Rose asks me. Her deep red feather headband makes her look even fiercer. “Kick and scream and cry?” She rolls her eyes. “I have to choose my battles and honestly, this is a trivial one. If they want to believe that I have a flock of assistants raising my child, then so be it.”
My brows furrow. “Is this like the sex tapes then?” I know she chose to let the lawsuit go to use the publicity to their advantage, but with more and more tapes being revealed, it doesn’t ever seem worth it.
She shoots me a withering glare and I shrink back. Whoa. I feel the icy burn, and it’s not so pleasant.
“I don’t want to talk about the sex tapes,” she says, a hint of pain behind her words.
Oh. I didn’t realize how much they’d been affecting her. She puts on a good front.
“Let’s talk about something else then,” Daisy suggests, crossing her legs. She braids a fringe pillow, her bowl of mac and cheese already empty. “I read a tabloid yesterday that said you looked thin.”
“That’s the magic of black peplum dresses,” Rose says in a wistful voice. “I still need to lose about fifteen pounds before I go back to my original size, but I’m sure my love handles are here to stay.” She glares at the house behind Daisy. “Connor is obsessed with them.”
I instantly smile. It ticks Rose off that Connor adores her curvy hips and butt. But secretly she loves him for it. Yep. After years, I’m beginning to understand these flirty fights a bit better.
I tug at my red Marvel onesie that’s snug around my abdomen. I’m only twenty pounds heavier right now, if that. And my belly is still pooched, but I figure once I have sex again, I’ll burn some calories. “Are you working out?” I ask Rose. My eyes widen at the idea of Rose running miles down the street.
“Just from videos in the privacy of my bedroom.” Meaning she does not allow anyone to watch her. Message received. “And I’m doing this for me, not for Connor.” She eats some popcorn from a bowl between us. “How much have you gained?” Her question is directed to Daisy.
“Since when?” she asks.
“Since your lowest weight,” Rose asks, curiosity in her eyes. Ever since Daisy quit modeling, she hasn’t been as hesitant to eat the foods she likes.
“Fifteen pounds,” Daisy says, tucking her platinum blonde hair behind her ear.
“You look beautiful,” Rose tells her in the nicest voice she has.
I nod in agreement. She’s healthier than I’ve seen her in a long time.
“Thanks,” Daisy smiles. “I definitely don’t feel as bony. Ryke says that I have more muscle in my legs again.”
Ryke is a good one. In a lot of ways, he brought Daisy back from a really dark place. I wish that we could’ve been there for her, but Rose and I were dealing with our pregnancies. And my addiction. I had no idea…
“Don’t cry,” Daisy says sweetly, scooching closer and wrapping her arm around my shoulder.
“I’m just happy,” I whisper to her, rubbing my eyes with the back of my hand.
Rose’s phone suddenly dings and glows bright blue, not a texting sound.
“What’s that?” I ask.
“I have alerts for whenever there’s an article about Jane.”
I gape. This changes everything. “I cannot be faulted for checking the media now.” If Rose is doing it, it has to be sane. Lo may disagree with that logic, but it seems sound to me.
Rose ignores my statement, her eyes skimming the article, and I watch them slowly narrow.
Oh no. “What?” I ask, fear invading my voice.
“Those little shits posted the photos.” She shakes her head in disbelief and passes Daisy her cellphone. I think I already know where this is going.
Yesterday, Rose and I brought our babies on a walk down the neighborhood street. Since it’s gated, we thought it was safe to use strollers without any blankets covering the top. About five minutes in and the prankster teenagers sprung out of their passing Range Rover, snapping photos of Jane and Maximoff.
A part of me thought maybe they were just joking and wouldn’t sell them to the press. Not so. I peek over Daisy’s shoulder. I am staring right at a picture of both Jane and Moffy in their strollers, small tiny babies who were wide-awake and began wailing after the sudden commotion.
Sure, the pics are a little blurry, but that obviously doesn’t matter to the media.
The caption: First baby photos of Jane Cobalt and Maximoff Hale! So adorable!