Page 20 of Night By Night

“Fuck, I’ve missed you,” Maddox said, unwilling to release him yet.

He could’ve sworn Hank’s breath hitched. “I missed you, too, man.”

“You got bigger than me, dude.”

“Yeah.” Still, Hank didn’t release him. Maddox held him, happy to have him in his arms, even if only in this way. “My turn to kick ass and take names, I guess.”

“Nah. I’ll always have your back, buddy. Always.”

That’s when Hank softly sobbed, clutching at the back of Maddox’s shirt. “No one’s ever had my back the way you did. God, I’m so fucking exhausted and lonely and scared and…” He devolved into tears.

Maddox held him, leaning back against his car and not saying anything.

There really wasn’t anythingtosay.

After a moment, Hank released him and stepped back, sniffling and wiping at his eyes, tearfully laughing. “Sorry, dude.”

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m sorry I wasn’t around for you.”

Hank’s blue gaze met his, a little red and bloodshot from crying, and Maddox absolutely knew he was as lost now as he’d been at nineteen when he’d last seen him. Hank took a deep breath, looking down and toeing a small crack in the driveway’s concrete.

“I should’ve reached out to you,” Hank said. “It’s not your fault.”

* * * *

Hank toed at the crack again. He’d already talked to the landlord about the driveway. The man had mentioned it to Hank during the walkthrough yesterday morning. There were a couple of cracks in it that looked fairly fresh to Hank, so he’d wanted to make sure to point them out, but the man knew about it and already had it on his maintenance list. There was also one in the floor of the garage, but the landlord told him it’d been there for years and wasn’t an uncommon occurrence in homes in that area.

Still, he’d wanted it out there. Last thing he needed was getting blamed for stuff he didn’t do.

“Are you all right?” Dox gently asked, and the care and concern in his voice nearly started Hank crying again.

He finally met Dox’s gaze. “I…don’t know. I’m…exhausted. I’ve been so alone since Lois was murdered. I didn’t know who I could trust. I had to fight the fucker’s family for custody of JJ, and…” He let Dox pull him in for another hug.

“I’m so sorry, buddy,” he said. “What can I do to help you right now?”

“You’re here. That’s all I need.” He laughed. “Unless you want to wrangle JJ for me while I grab a shower. I need one.”

“Sure, absolutely.”

He helped Dox carry in the groceries and barely managed to not cry over that, too, when he saw everything Dox had bought for them.

JJ came running from her room. “Is this your friend, Daddy?”

He scooped her up and managed a genuine smile for her. “Yes, sweetheart. This is Uncle Dox. He’s my best friend. Maddox, this is Jaylene Joyce, but she prefers JJ.”

She smiled at him. “Nice to meet you, Uncle Dox.” Despite being in Hank’s arms, she reached out for a hug from Dox.

It warmed Hank’s heart that Maddox leaned in to hug her back.

“Nice to meet you, too, JJ. I heard you like fish sticks and tater tots. I happened to come bearing fish sticks and tater tots.”

Her eyes widened, and Hank knew Dox had just made a friend for life. “Yay! Thank you, Uncle Dox!”

“You want to help me cook dinner while your dad takes a shower?” Dox asked.

“Yes!” She reached for Dox and he took her from Hank.

“I’ll be out in a few,” Hank said.