Page 47

“I– What– Where–”

“We’re at the park on Magnolia and Hudson, by the playground. Do you know it?”

“Yes. I’ll be right there.”

After she hung up, I pulled out my phone and dialed Art. It didn’t surprise me that he didn’t answer, so I left him a message letting him know what happened. Hopefully, he’d check it at the very least. I didn’t want him to be left unaware of what happened.

We were quiet while waiting for Val to show up. I recognized the area, we were close to Art’s house, but I didn't know where Val lived or how long it would take for her to get here. Sophieshivered next to me, so I pulled off my leather jacket, wrapping her in it to keep her warm.

“Hey, Sophie. Why’d you call me?”

It was driving me nuts. Sophie and I had only spent a few days together, and I liked it, but I never really thought we were that close. Not close enough that she’d feel comfortable calling me in an emergency. I wasn’t unhappy about it, but I still had to ask.

“I tried calling Daddy first. He didn’t answer. And… I was hoping you wouldn’t call my mom.”

Ouch. I could see why she thought that, but it never crossed my mind to keep Val out of this. She was Sophie’s mom. She deserved to know where her daughter was and if she was safe.

“You can’t ask him to do that, sugar. If you want Henny to be part of your life, he can’t dismiss your mama. It’ll only make her double down on not lettin’ him near you,” Dad pointed out.

When Sophie looked up at me for confirmation, I nodded. “He’s right. I love that you called me and I’ll always come when you need me, but I’ll never hide what happened from your parents. Either of them. They love you so much, Sophie. They deserve to know you’re okay.”

“But… My mom is gonna take me away from my dad…”

I sighed. “I can’t say much about that. I don’t know how human laws work with that. But you should talk to your mom. She loves you. She only wants what's best for you.”

I could tell she didn't believe me, but she didn’t argue anymore. And when Val showed up in a panic a few minutes later, she handed me my jacket back and went willingly into her mother’s arms.

“You did the same thing when you were little,” Dad murmured.

Glancing at him, I frowned. I didn’t remember that. “When?”

He pursed his lips thoughtfully. “About a year after the divorce? I was still gettin’ my feet back under me. Drinkin’ too much to take care of a little kid. Me and your mom agreed to give us some time apart so I could get a grip. You didn’t like that. You ran away from her and flapped your wings home to me. It elated me that you loved me that much, but also pissed me off that you ran away. Couldn’t really blame you for that, though. I just called your mom and told you I’d see you soon. I thought you’d hate me for that, but you came around eventually.”

Looking over at Sophie, my chest ached. It wasn’t the same situation. Art was a good dad. He didn't drink or put Sophie in unsafe situations. He loved his daughter. It wasn’t fair that Val was taking her away.

After a minute, Val came uneasily closer. She still looked terrified of me, and her eyes moved between my dad and me like she was waiting for us to pounce. I purposely stayed where I sat, keeping all my movements to a minimum so I didn't freak her out.

“Why are you here? Did you tell her to come to you?”

“No. She called me because she couldn’t get ahold of Art. I wasn’t even aware she had my phone number.”

Val’s eyes narrowed, studying me like she was looking for a lie. I wanted to be annoyed that she immediately saw me as a monster, but I couldn’t begrudge a mother being protective over her kid.

“Why did she call you?”

Shifting my gaze to Sophie, I raised my eyebrows at her. “You wanna tell her, or should I?”

Sophie winced, ducking her head, her voice trembling. “I thought…” She swallowed hard. “I thought if I called Hendrix, he wouldn’t tell you. I just want my daddy.”

Val’s fierce scowl wavered and hurt flashed across her face. I got the feeling there was a lot left unsaid about Val’s thoughtson Sophie and her dad. I hoped one day that she’d be able to talk to Sophie about it because I worried about their relationship otherwise.

Val stared down at her daughter for a minute before giving her attention back to me. Her expression was less angry now, more resigned and hurt.

“Why did you call me? You could have done what she wanted. Art always does.”

“You’re her mother. It would be wrong to not let you know.”

“And if your mama ever found out you’d kept something like that from the lady, she’d tan your hide,” Dad added.