Page 89 of Play With Me

When I woke up, Sophie’s head was resting on my lap. I brushed my finger through her chopped hair, wondering how her mother would react. A few more trims on the sides, though, and she’d have a pretty funky hair cut. That was when I realized that Brook was the one who was probably married to Evie, and they now shared a daughter. I had so many questions, yet at the same time, I wasn’t ready for answers.

Sophie’s eyes moved under her eyelids, and then she frowned. Patterns of dried tears streaked her cheeks. She’d agreed to leave Boo and Xavier’s lynx behind with Kate, who said she knew the perfect home for the animals. The tears of goodbye didn’t stop until Brook physically dragged her into the jeep.

Just before we crossed the last state line, Brook’s phone rang. Mary Madden’s screams could be heard all the way in the back.

“Mom, it’s okay. Sophie’s with me. I’ve got her.”

He listened some more, then frowned. “That doesn’t sound like Evie. Mom, I know her. She wouldn’t have been worried if there was no need. Something’s up.”

“Daddy?” Sophie opened her eyes.

“I gotta go, Mom. Sophie’s up.”

He paused again.

“I promise. I will.” After setting the phone aside, Brook’s attention turned to Sophie. He glanced between the rear-view mirror and the road. “What’s the matter?”

“I miss Boo.”

Sophie’s eyes welled up. If Brook were a smart father, he could have avoided so many problems if he bought that girl a pet. Didn’t he see the connection she had with animals? But then what else could I expect from a father who’d kept his daughter’s existence a secret?

I tasted bitterness in my mouth. Hell, yes, I was bitter.Hemade me fall in love withher, and now he was taking her away because we obviously couldn’t be together. There was no way Sophie could be in my life because how could I ever trust him again?

“I promised Kate that we’d visit for Christmas. You’ll see the cub soon again. Except he’ll look more like a bear.”

“The whole family’s going to the cabin?” Sophie asked, her spirit returning as she sat higher in her seat. “Lola too?”

“Yeah, looks that way,” Brook confirmed, without waiting for my reply, though I heard a note of doubt in his voice.

I watched as he checked the rear-view mirror, trying to catch my attention. A few weeks ago, maybe even days, I thought I’d be included in those plans. Maybe I still was, but at this moment, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be. Christmas was hard. It meant two weeks until the anniversary. And now with everything that had happened in the past forty-eight hours, I needed time to think. Maybe life was trying to send me a message.

“Boo will be a good bear but I miss everyone together. I miss home.”

“We’re almost there.”

As soon as Brook mentioned being nearby, I noticed that we took a wrong turn.

“Wait – you were supposed to drop me off at my place,” I said. “This isn’t the way to my place.”

“Sorry, change of plans. I promised my mother that she’d be the first one to see her granddaughter.”

His reasoning was difficult to argue with. I didn’t want to keep Sophie away from her family any more than she already had been, and judging by the smile on her face, she was looking forward to reuniting with them.

“I’m dropping off Sophie until Evie returns from whatever vacation she’s gone on, and we have work to do.”

“Brook, can you just drive me home? All I want to do is sleep. My head hurts.”

What work was he talking about? We were done with work. Xavier was home, and Kate was safe at the cabin. Whatever else was left, I hoped it could wait until I’d slept for a few days. After surviving those forests, the bear, the moonshiners, the shooting, and a broken heart, I was pretty sure that we all deserved a break. At least,Ideserved a break. Any break.

“Just lie back, Lola, and for once trust me and let me take care of things.”

“Take care of—”

“Lola?” Sophie interrupted, fixing me with her big brown eyes. They looked so much like Brook’s. In fact, their resemblance was so uncanny that I wondered how I’d missed it before. In my defense, the Madden brothers did look alike.

“Yes?” I asked, yawning. It felt like I’d slept most of my way here, yet still as if I hadn’t closed my eyes at all.

“I think you should listen to him. Lie back and let him take care of things. He can do that because he knows things. He always says that he knows things, and in all of my life that I have known him, he’s always been right.”

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