"Yeah?"
"Yeah… I still had to yell at her about that. About not doing her homework, about quitting her soccer league and her dance classes. It was a hard transition, going from her brother—the guy who got to side with her against our parents—to her de facto dad. I didn't handle it well. None of us did."
"They seem happy, healthy."
He nods. "Yeah, I figured it out eventually. Ethan got his GED, Piper kept studying. Ethan and I didn't talk for a while. But once we started playing together again… I can't explain it. But that just fixes everything."
"I get it. No matter how shitty my day is, when I pick up my camera, I feel like the world makes sense."
"And without the sob story."
"I could go on about my mom's bullshit… but I'd rather hear about you."
He cocks a brow. Go on.
No, I don't want to think about that right now. I'm too lost in how perfect today is. I let my lips curl into a smile. "Your sob story ends with you a talented, successful millionaire."
"True." His eyes turn down. "I resisted touring for a long time. I should have waited longer. It hurt Piper, us leaving for months at a time. I always made sure we were home at least half the year. That we visited or sent her a ticket to visit all the time. I called her every fucking day. I didn't want her to think another person was abandoning her, but I know, deep down, she did."
"Trust me, the way you three interact, you did a great job. You should see me and my parents. It's not even close."
His eyes meet mine. He's searching my expression, deciding if he should push it.
I need to cut him off at the pass. "Your parents, did they always have money?"
"Yeah. They used to be teachers at UCI, before they started research, but Dad started off in biotech. He sold some patent for millions. He got out because he wasn't crazy about the ethics—all Michael Crichton shit, scientists going too far."
"Don't tell me you're anti Michael Crichton."
"He's fine."
"He's amazing."
"Amazing? Really?"
"Okay, maybe he isn't amazing, but his stories are top-tier entertainment."
Mal chuckles. "Top tier is pretty high."
"You have to admit that Jurassic Park is a perfect film."
He shrugs. "It's fine."
"Fine? It's fine. Listen, I'm not Dawson Leery—"
"What?"
"Dawson's Creek?"
"The teen soap from the 90s with the whiny blond guy?"
"You could call it that, yes. It was a great addition to the Hulu streaming catalog." My hands go to my hips reflexively. "But that's irrelevant. Dawson is a filmmaker. The whole show is about how he's a filmmaker and also about how Joey is totally in love with him and he can't see it because he's an idiot."
He chuckles. His eyes light up. All that heaviness of talking about his parents is fading away. "I'm sure Piper knows it."
"Smart woman."
"She is."