Page 118 of Restless
“Ella will feed you soon,” she promised, regretting turning down Lolly’s invitation to visit Aunt Meggie.
She had been going with Maman until three days ago. It didn’t feel right going without her. Luckily, Aunt Meggie understood. Today, for the first time in days’ Aunt Meggie called Mattie to check on her. If Daddy had been home, it would’ve been one of the best days of her life. Hopefully, it meant Aunt Meggie would be released from the hospital soon.
A high-pitched scream startled Mattie and Blade. She bolted up; Blade wailed.
Hurrying to her feet, she swept Blade into her arms and ran to the nursery.
Ella was in the middle of the room, ringing her hands. “What’s happened, Mattie?”
“I don’t know,” she said, kissing Blade again and handing him to Ella, though he was screaming at the top of his lungs now.
“Want, Mat, El,” he howled.
“I’ll be back,” Mattie promised, scared that something had happened to their father and her mother had just found out. Her heart racing and her pulse pounding, she ran out of the room. Downstairs, she followed the sound of her mother’s sobs.
In the kitchen, Mattie skidded to a halt. “Daddy,” she breathed.
He had his arms wrapped around Maman, while he whispered to her. His jaw was swollen and his left eye blackened. Other than that, he was alive and well.
And he was home.
“Dad?” JJ said from behind her. He burst into tears and flew past Mattie in a blur, flinging an arm around their father and another around their mother. “I was so scared.”
Rory walked into the kitchen from the opposite side, coming in through the door that led to the dining room. Relief swept across his face, then he clenched his jaw and glowered.
Maman lifted her head, kissed Daddy, then leaned and kissed JJ’s cheek. “Where’ve you been, Johnnie?” she sobbed. “What happened to you? You were in a fight.” She leaned her head against Daddy’s chest. “What happened to you? Why did you leave?”
“I don’t want to talk about it, Kendall.”
“But—”
“It’s club business, gorgeous.” Taking her face between his hands, he kissed her tenderly on the mouth. “I’m fine.”
Snorting, Rory glared at Daddy, turned on his heel and stormed out.
“I’ve been so worried,” Maman reiterated.
“I’m back, Kendall.”
Mattie rocked on her heels. It sounded suspiciously like Daddy intended to ignore the pain and suffering he caused. What did that mean?
He was unyielding, unforgiving, and sometimes unbearable. However, in Mattie’s memory, she’d never known him to be so callous with her mother’s feelings. Usually, he went out of his way to keep her calm. There were exceptions, though never to this extreme.
“We’re going to Brooks and Charlotte for dinner,” Daddy announced, disentangling from Maman and JJ. “We need to make haste.”
“I don’t feel like going anywhere,” Maman said.
“I have to talk to Brooks and we need to eat. We’re going.” Daddy’s gaze fell on Mattie. He opened his arms. “Aren’t you going to greet your father, Matilda?”
Swallowing, Mattie walked to him and stepped into his embrace. For some reason, she burst into tears, so relieved her father was alive and well she could do nothing else.
She ignored her hollowness and how very anticlimactic his return was. He was back. Life could finally get back to their normal.
Chapter Twenty-One
“So, yesterday, Dad waltzes back in the house like he hasn’t been MIA for almost four fucking days.” Rory snorted in disgust. “No explanation to any of us. You don’t want to tell us? Fine. But Mom’s been a fucking wreck. At the least, he owed her more than an ‘I don’t want to talk about it’.”
“I agree,” CJ said, distracted.
