Rose walked into the kitchen, yawning as she reached for the coffee pot. It took her a moment to realize the usual welcoming aroma, and warmth wasn’t there to greet her fuzzy morning brain. Grunting, she replaced the empty coffee pot as her parents came into the kitchen. “There’s no coffee,” she said in a tone that was almost an accusation.
“Sorry,” Kade said,his smile fading “I overslept.”
“Don’t apologize,” Grant said, “she’s an adult. She can make her own coffee.”
“I know,” Kade sighed, moving to get the coffee from the cabinet.
Grant watched him with a disapproving gaze before turning that gaze upon his daughter. “You should do more around the house.”
Rose felt her mouth drop “I do plenty.”
Grant’s eyes stared stonily back at her, daring her to disagree with him.
His silence and his steady gaze was worse than if he had listed everything she should be doing and wasn’t. She moved towards the toaster and took the toast from it and munched on it absently.
“That was for your father,” Kade said in a low voice even though he was replacing the bread in the toaster.
“Looks like he could learn to do more around the house too,” she snapped without thinking.
Kade handed her a cup of steaming coffee “I think you need this before you say anything else.”
Almost meekly she took her half eaten toast and coffee to the table and sat down. She tried to ignore the angry glare her father was giving her. The steam coming from his ears was a match to the steam from her coffee but less enjoyable.
Grant sat across from her, stirring cream into his coffee. “How old are you?”
“Why?” She demanded scowling at him.
“Just answer the question,” he said, his voice devoid of emotion.
Rolling her eyes “twenty-two.”
“So you’d consider yourself an adult,” he said in an even, firm tone.
“I hate it when you do this,” she mumbled, ripping off a piece of bread with the teeth.
“What am I doing?” he asked.
“Trying to trap me,” she said, catching her father’s eye. “I’m not a dumb teenager anymore.”
“No you’re not,” he agreed “which means I shouldn’t have to tell you this because you are an adult of twenty-two.”
Rose groaned knowing she had once again walked into a trap of her own making.
“Your dad and I were married at your age…”
“I’ve heard this all before,” she said, cutting him off. Glancing at the clock on the wall, “I’m going to be late.” She started to get up when a stern voice stopped her.”
“Sit down,” Kade snapped as he joined them at the table. “The shelter can wait.”
“But they’re expecting me,” her voice faded as she looked into Kade’s eyes. She might have continued on her way if it had been Grant but she’d never been able to defy Kade who in most cases had been the more lenient of her two dads. “Fine,” she plopped back into her chair, crossing her arms. “What’s so important that it can’t wait until I’m done feeding the homeless.”
“That’s enough of that attitude,” Grant snapped. “While your dad and I are proud of you for volunteering at the shelter, that doesn’t mean you can just sit around the rest of the time and do nothing.”
“I don’t sit around and do nothing,” she objected.
“Shopping doesn’t count,” Grant said “you need to get a job.”
“A job,” she cried, looking as if someone had ripped the rug out from beneath her.
“You need to learn to take care of yourself,” he continued. “You’re dad and I might not always be here and we feel it is time you learn some life skills.”
“This is so unfair,” she cried before pushing away from the table and stomping off muttering to herself.
“Well that could have gone better,” Kade sighed.
“I’m sorry,” Grant sighed. “I let her get under my skin. Why can’t she be more like Brooks?”
“She’s her own person like Brooks is his own person. It’s unfair for you to expect them to be alike,” Kade pointed out.
“I know,” Grant reached across the table for Kade’s hand. “I wish they were still little.”
“Me too,” Kade agreed, squeezing his husband’s hand “but they’re both old enough to make their own decisions. We just have to figure out how to support them.”
Grant grunted “why do I have the feeling it’s going to be easier to accept Brooks transition than it will be to motivate Rose into getting a job.”
“Because we know our kids,” Kade said simply.
Rose was scrolling through her phone when someone knocked on her bedroom door. She froze, half a mind to ignore whoever was on the other side of the door. “What?” she demanded, her voice, brittle as ice shards.
Kade poked his head into her room almost as if he half expected to have to duck flying objects. “Can we talk?”
Shrugging she stared at her phone “whatever,” she mumbled.
“Is what we’re asking such an awful thing?” he asked, sitting on the edge of her bed.
She made a face at her phone “why now?”
Kade puffed out a breath of air before reaching over and taking her phone from her hands. “It’s not like we haven’t asked you before.”
She glanced out her window instead of looking at her dad. “But this time you mean it.”
“We meant it before too,” Kade pointed out; although he knew she had a point.
“Why now?” She asked, turning to meet his gaze “Aren’t I doing enough helping out at the shelter?”
“It’s a good thing you want to help others but don’t you think it’s time you helped yourself too? Maybe that’s why this feels different to you,” Kade gently took her hands “honey this isn’t a punishment.”
“It feels like one,” she cried, pulling her hands away as she got to her feet.
“Call it an early anniversary present to me and your father,” Kade said.
“Your what,” she gave him a puzzled look.
“Your father and I have been married for twenty-five years,” Kade said “it’d be nice to know we haven’t been failures as parents.”
“You’re not failures,” she protested.
“What would you call it when one daughter decides they’re a boy and the other is so spoiled she doesn’t see the reason she needs to learn to take care of herself?”
“Brooks wanting to be a boy has nothing to do with you,” she said.
“That’s what the therapist said but,” he sighed, shaking his head “it just feels like I failed in some fundamental way.”
“Well I think you’re both wonderful parents,” Rose said “and to prove it I’m going to throw you and dad the best anniversary party ever.”
“We don’t need a party,” it was Kade who was doing the protesting now.
“Of course you do,” she cried, “twenty-five years is something to celebrate.”
“Grant and I will just go out for dinner,” Kade said, “you need to save your money.”
“You go out to eat every year,” she said, dismissing his idea. “You need something special. Just leave it to me.”
“Rose, your father wasn’t joking about you finding a job…”
Waving her hand, she said “he’ll understand. I can’t get a job now, not when I need to organize your anniversary party.” Standing she picked up her phone “there’s so much to do and only a few weeks to get it all done.” Looking up she gave her dad a brilliant smile “leave all to me. You’ll love it I promise.”
Kade left his daughter’s room wondering how he was going to explain this turn of events to his husband. He had gone in there to explain why she needed to grow up instead he was leaving with her planning their anniversary party.
