Page 42 of Mending Fate

Brie wasn’t back yet, but the kids were all home from school. I heard Diana yell her friend’s name as Josalyn and I walked up the stairs to the front door. By the time I stepped inside, Diana had Soleil in a bear hug, and Lakeith was patting Soleil’s shoulder as if he wasn’t entirely sure how to show her that he was glad she was back.

“Hey, kiddo.” Soleil’s voice was hoarse. “I’m so sorry you had to see that. I didn’t mean…I’m just sorry.”

“I’m glad you’re okay.” Diana bounced back. “But don’t do it again, okay? It was scary.”

“Okay. I promise.”

That appeared to be enough for Diana because she switched from Soleil to me. “Lumen!”

I hugged Diana even as I watched Soleil climb the stairs, one painful step at a time. I almost excused myself to go after her, but then I saw Kaitlyn following her. Kaitlyn Parsons was the last person I would’ve thought of as helpful, but a glimpse of her face as she went made me think that I might have misjudged her.

I’d stay until Brie arrived, just in case Soleil needed me, but I wouldn’t push. If Kaitlyn could get Soleil talking, all the better. Having a friend her age to support her would be a good thing. And that left me free to deal with Clyde and his bastard friends.

* * *

I’d forgottenwhat a great cook Brie was. With such a large group to feed, it would’ve been easier to use mass-produced processed foods. Hell, it was what most people ate anyway. Brie, however, made sure she always had at least one part of the meal made from scratch, and usually more than one.

Tonight’s dinner had been one of her best. Spaghetti with her special sauce, meatballs from an old family recipe, garlic bread, and peach cobbler for dessert. Judging by the look on Soleil’s face, it was her favorite meal.

The kids had been good with her when she’d come down for dinner. I’d been a little worried since teenagers weren’t exactly known for being kind or tactful, but they’d done well. No one had treated her any differently than they had any other time I’d seen them all together. Dinner was a raucous affair, filled with laughter and yelling, the sort of normal that would do Soleil’s spirit as much good as the food would do her body.

I was actually in decent spirits as I left, confident that Brie and the kids could take care of Soleil while I worked on my plan to take down every person who’d hurt her.

Possibilities were still running through my head when I stepped onto my floor and saw someone sitting outside my door.

Again.

Except this time, it wasn’t a scared and beaten teenage girl.

It was Alec.

Twenty-Four

Alec

The moment I saw Lumen,I scrambled to my feet. I’d been sitting in the hallway long enough that my ass was numb, but that didn’t matter even a fraction as much as setting things right.

“What are you doing here?”

Under any other circumstances, that question would’ve been rude, but she sounded so tired that it only made me feel worse about how I’d behaved. I would do things differently this time…if she let me. The fear that she might just tell me to leave was very real.

“I was a right bastard to you, and I am sorrier for that than I can ever say.” The words came out without thought, and I realized that it was probably a good thing. When I thought too much, I fucked things up.

She sighed, such a weary sound that I automatically took a step forward before realizing that my touch might be unwanted.

“May I take your bag?” I held out my hand.

She handed it over and then dug into her purse for her keys. When she didn’t take her bag back from me or shut the door behind her, I followed her inside. Neither of us said anything as we took off our shoes and coats, the atmosphere filled with the sort of tension that would explode with the slightest spark. Whether it would be for good or for bad still remained to be seen.

“I need a drink,” she said. “Want one? It’s not top shelf or anything, but it’s beer, and it’s cold.”

“That would be great, thank you.” I stayed standing, unsure and off-balance for the first time in my life. I didn’t know where to go or what to do. This wasn’t a problem I could solve through sheer willpower.

When she came back with two bottles of beer, she held one out to me and pointed to a chair. “Sit. I’ve been on my feet most of the day.”

She sat on the couch, so I opted for the chair, not wanting her to think I was simply here for sex. I desperately wanted to touch her, but I wanted more than her body. Falling back on the physical chemistry between us would only make things worse.

“I understand if you never want to see me again,” I started, “but I owe you an apology. More than one. Perhaps some groveling as well.”