Page 36 of Mending Fate

She lifted her chin, a stubborn set to her jaw, but I didn’t get the chance to hear her answer because, at that moment, Evanne came running down the stairs, calling for me.

“Daddy! Where are you? I’m a cheetah princess!” She came into the hall at a run, nearly bowling Lumen over. “Ms. Browne!”

“Hey, kiddo.” Lumen’s smile was strained, but her affection for Evanne was genuine. “I like your costume.”

“She’s ready to go, Alec. We just…” Keli’s voice trailed off as soon as she saw Lumen. “Ms. Browne. This is a surprise.”

The words were polite, which I appreciated, but they didn’t fool me. Keli was not happy at all about Lumen’s presence, and she was more than a little suspicious of me regarding this surprise as well.

“Look at me! I’m a cheetah princess!” Evanne did a charming little pose that I would’ve found even more adorable if the current situation hadn’t been so awkward.

“That you are.” Lumen tapped Evanne’s glittery tiara. “You make a lovely cheetah princess.”

“We really should get going,” Keli said, her voice as frozen as her expression. “The weather’s only supposed to be good for a few hours.”

“Why don’t you and Evanne get her candy bag?” I gave Keli a look that I hoped she could read.

“Sure thing. Come on, sweetie.”

“Bye, Lumen!” Evanne hugged Lumen one more time before skipping after her mother.

“I’ll be going too,” Lumen said with a tight smile. “Once you give me what I came for.”

“He’s not here,” I said bluntly. “And I won’t be giving you personal information about my brother without his knowledge.”

For a moment, I thought she’d argue with me, and I almost hoped for it. This wasn’t like her. The being stubborn was, but the lack of passion in her voice was something new. I would rather have her angry and yelling at me than this flat affect.

“Fine. I’ll ask Hob for help.” With that, she shoved past me and walked out into the cool October evening.

“Things between you two aren’t going well, are they?” Keli’s tone was sympathetic. She put a hand on my arm. “Let her go. Without her, maybe things can be different with us.”

I picked up Keli’s hand and removed it from my arm. “Lumen isn’t the reason you and I aren’t going to be together. You’re Evanne’s mother, and I think we can be friends at some point, but that’s all we’ll ever be. We’re not right together, and when you finally admit that, then you can move on too.”

I didn’t add that, sometimes, moving on wasn’t all it was reported to be.

Twenty

Lumen

I didn’t knowwhat I was thinking, going to Alec’s house to ask for him to put me in contact with his brother. The last two times Alec and I had been together, we’d fought, and we hadn’t resolved any of the issues that had gotten us to that point in the first place. Why had I thought for even a moment that he’d put that aside to help me, or that he’d even care why I was asking, I didn’t know. I knew how the world worked, how people really were. The only emotion he’d displayed had been jealousy, and I was willing to bet that was more due to wounded pride than anything else.

No matter how much I wished things were different.

He’d told me things with Keli were over, but she’d been there, looking as if she belonged within those walls. Sure, maybe she was just there so they could take Evanne trick-or-treating together, but I didn’t have much in the way of trust at the moment, not when it came to him.

The two people sitting on the sofa when I came into my apartment, however, I trusted completely. One look at my face, and Mai was up and coming toward me with arms wide.

“What happened?” she asked as she hugged me. “You left me a voicemail saying Soleil was at the hospital, and you’d tell me everything when you got home.”

“She tried to kill herself,” I said bluntly. “And she had a damn good reason.”

Hob was on his feet. “Let me get you something to drink before you get into it.” He headed toward the kitchen. “You want water or something stronger?”

“I think we could all use something stronger,” I said, my shoulders slumping. “Trust me when I say you’ll want it for what I have to tell you.”

Hob just nodded and went to the fridge. Mai and I moved to the sofa, and when Hob joined us, we each took a long pull from the bottles in our hands. Mai and Hob didn’t know yet what I knew, but Mai and I had been friends long enough that she was taking me seriously.

“Soleil’s mom’s bastard boyfriend groomed and raped her for more than a year. When she went missing earlier this week, she went to him because she thought he loved her. He used her, then gave her to some friends.”