Chapter 31

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

ARTHUR

Relief slammed into me hard, and I cuddled Sophie close, tears pricking behind my eyes. "I'd really appreciate that."

She rolled her eyes. She never liked it when I cried. "Well, she shouldn't be rewarded for running away, so I think we should discuss it later. Sophie?"

I didn't want to let her go, but Val had a point. I didn't want Sophie to think she could do dangerous things like this just to get her way. I set her on her feet, squatting down in front of her so we were eye to eye. Squeezing her hands, I lifted my eyebrows at her.

"Your mom is right. Running away was not okay. I understand being upset and I promise we'll be together soon. But for now, you need to go home with your mom and Lee."

"But–"

"You are the light of my life, Sofía Grace. If something had happened to you, I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself. You gave me and your mom a heart attack. So go home and cuddle your mom. Let her see that you're safe and sound. She loves you just as much as I do, sweetheart. You need to give her time to settle."

Sophie's frown was deep and uncertain, but when she glanced back at Val and saw the hurt on her face, she nodded. "Okay, daddy. But you'll get me after school on Friday, right?"

I held up my pinky, linking it with hers. "I promise. And you can call me whenever you want if you're unsure."

"Just no more stealing my phone," Lee added, though his voice held no actual anger to it. He mostly looked amused. "If you asked, I would've let you call him anyway."

When I frowned, he shook his head. "It's nothing. Come on, Sophie. Let's get your stuff. I'm sure your mom and dad want to talk for a minute."

He held out his hand to her with calm patience. She gripped me in one last soul squeezing hug, and after an encouraging nod from me, she took Lee's hand and went to gather her things from the playground.

Pushing to my feet, I watched her go before turning back to Val. She was watching too, her lips pressed into a flat line.

"I was always jealous of you. She loves you so much more than me. How long until she refuses to come back home?"

"She doesn't love me more, Val. She loves you just as much. But you need to let up a little. She's just a kid and you hound her too much about studying. Of course she wants to come with me more. I let her play and breathe for a few days. If you want to be closer with her, then play with her. Hug her. You used to all the time when she was little."

Her face tightened as she watched Lee help Sophie into the car. "I know. But then I noticed how smart she is. I want her to succeed. She's going to do something great. Everyone sees that. Even your friend said so."

She wrinkled her nose at the word friend, ignoring who he actually was to me, but didn't mention her feelings on the matter again. I was glad for that. I had some serious apologies to make to Hendrix. He offered to leave to help me. When in truth, I needed to help myself. I shouldn't have let him walk away. Even after I hurt him, he showed up for Sophie. And he kept me in the loop, even though we hadn't spoken in a few days. He was a good man. I shouldn't have to give him up just to appease Val.

"He's… not a bad man. Your… friend." She grimaced again before continuing. "He didn't have to call me. He could've brought her to you and let me suffer for chasing her away. But he said he'd never do that. And he said…" She frowned at me. "He said he was staying away from you just so you could have Sophie back."

Crossing my arms, I glared at her. "He was. I intend to change that. You don't get to dictate who I spend time with anymore. Hendrix is a good man. He makes me happy. And he's good with Sophie. You should get to know him before judging him."

With the way she wrinkled her nose, I could tell she had no interest in doing that. But she didn't argue about it anymore.

"I'm good. As long as Sophie's grades stay up and she's not in any danger, you can be with who you want. I just… I just want her to be happy."

There was a tinge of sadness in her tone and I could tell she regretted letting it get this far. For Sophie's sake, I put my anger aside, putting my hand on Val's arm.

"I know that. And so does she. You should spend time with her this week. No studying. Just being together. I'm sure she misses the way things used to be."

Val sighed and nodded. She looked like she was going to walk away without another word, but she turned back to me, a deep frown on her face.

"Were you always…"

She gestured to me, but didn't finish her sentence. I wanted to roll my eyes at her refusal to say the words, but I pushed past that and answered her honestly.

"Probably. I was curious for a long time. But then I married you and I was content with what we had. I wouldn't take back our relationship. It got us Sophie."

Her expression softened a little, and she nodded, walking away without another word. I didn't feel like Val was going to accept my sexuality any time soon, but at least she was willing to talk openly about it. I had to take baby steps with her.

Letting out a long breath, I watched them drive away. The past few days had been a roller coaster, and I still felt the strain on my system. Things were on the mend with Val and I would see Sophie soon. But there was one person I hurt that I still had to apologize to.

It didn't feel right to talk to him over the phone, and since we'd only ever teleported to his place, I wasn't entirely sure where he lived. I asked Henry at work the following day, but he was just as stumped as I was. He thought I should invite him out over the phone, but it still felt wrong. I figured the best time to approach him would be after his show. It sucked to wait, but I wanted to look him in the eye when I apologized to him.

It was the night before their regular show and I was trying to figure out the best way to apologize when I got a phone call from a number I didn't recognize. I answered it hesitantly, trying to hear the speaker over the noise on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Artie, thank god. We need you."

An uneasy feeling settled in my stomach. "Laz? What's wrong?"

"It's Hen. I'm not sure what happened to him, but he's wrecked. We've got an important gig tomorrow, and he's fucking hammered. He's saying he doesn't want to sing anymore. He's not normally like this. I don't know what the fuck to do!"

"Okay, okay. Calm down. Where are you?"

"Envy. He's been glued to the barstool since they opened. Not even his friends can get him to move."

"I'm on my way. I'll be there soon."

Guilt slammed into me in every direction as I raced out of the house. This was my fault. I broke his heart because I was terrified of losing my daughter. I shouldn't have waited so long to apologize. No time was going to be perfect. I should've just sucked it up and called him.

Worried he'd keep drinking if I didn't call him, I plugged the phone into my car and dialed his number while pulling out of my driveway. It went to voicemail the first time, but I kept trying, and he finally answered the third time around.

"Hold on, Artie. Callum is wrestling a beer from him right now," Maya ground out. "Hendrix! It's Artie. Don't you want to talk to him?"

"Huh?"

"Come on, give up the bottle. Talk to Artie instead."

There was some noise, and Hendrix sounded suspicious as his voice got closer. "You're lying. He doesn't want to talk to me. I ruined his life."

I thunked my head against the headrest, pain coursing through me like lightning. Gripping the steering wheel tightly, I tried to yell loud enough for him to hear me. "No! Hendrix, no, you didn't!"

He sucked in a breath, his voice getting clearer, like he'd finally put the phone to his ear. "Art?"

"You didn't ruin anything. I promise. Please don't say that."

"But your ex–"

"Admitted she was wrong. Or at least her boyfriend did. You didn't ruin my life."

His words were slurred, and he'd obviously been drinking for a while. I wasn't sure if he was actually hearing what I was saying or not. The noise on the phone muffled a little and Hendrix got louder, whispering into the phone.

"I miss the heck outta you. You're my mate. Did you know that? I figured it out after you left. Feels like you took my soul with you. I'll never find someone better. I wish I didn't have to stay away."

"You don't! You don't, Hendrix! I– Shit, I really didn't want to do this over the phone."

"That's fine. I get it. I'm gonna go now. I didn't finish my drink. I hope you get Sophie back. I want you to be happy."

"Hendrix, wait–"

He hung up before I could get through to him. He was really too drunk to be having this conversation. I sped through a yellow light, wishing I could teleport like he could so this wouldn't take so long. I wasn't really sure what he meant by mate, but I had the same painful hole in my chest that he did. I couldn't stomach the thought of him feeling that way.

I got caught in my seatbelt trying to get out of the car in a hurry, and bypassed the line without an ounce of guilt to get to the front. Laz was waiting for me by the door and he gripped the back of my neck, shouting over the noise of the club.

"What the hell happened?"

I shook my head. "It doesn't matter. I'm going to fix it. Where is he?"

"In your seat. He's a mess, Artie."

I couldn't see him at first. There were too many bodies in the club. It was crowded for a Wednesday night, but there were signs about some kind of party on the walls. I didn't pay any attention to it, weaving my way through the crowd to my favorite spot on the other side of the bar. The band and Hendrix's friends from the wedding all stood around him, watching him as he argued with Maya about having another drink. He looked wrecked, and I wasn't sure what I could say to get through to him in that state. Didn't mean I wasn't going to try.

"Hendrix."

His brow furrowed, and he looked confused, spinning around in his seat. He nearly toppled and his friend Callum had to right him on the stool again. A slow smile spread across Hendrix's face and he leaned back against his friend, looking up at him.

"Maybe you're right. I've had a lot. Does alcohol make you hallucinate? I thought only drugs did that."

"Not a hallucination, my friend," Felix called from close by. He looked worried, which was unusual for him. "Your mate is right there. So put down the bottle and let us take you home."

Hendrix snorted, showing no interest in leaving right now. I stepped closer, between his knees, and when my hands cupped his face, he frowned at me.

"Really realistic hallucination," he murmured.

"I'm right here, Hendrix. I'm sorry for what happened. I shouldn't have let you take the fall. I promise, it's gonna be okay."

He leaned heavily into my hands, humming softly. "Mm. ‘m tired, Art. Can't sleep without you anymore."

"Then come home with me. I won't leave your side."