Page 53 of Hoax and Kisses
I bring her into my chest and hold her tightly, brushing her hair back. “You’re okay. I’m here.”
She buries her face deeper, looping her arms around my waist.
“Didn’t you get my texts?” Lola pants.
“What? No.” I fish out my phone with one hand, the other still cradling Daph snug against me. Already, her overstimulated body softens in my arms.
Sure enough, my screen is filled with close to a dozen messages from Lola.
Lola
Daphne wants to see you. Is the movie almost over?
I don’t know if it’s a good idea, but she’s being really insistent.
I think she’s about to have a meltdown. Can you pick up?
We’re on our way. Hope you see these before we arrive.
Just parked. Can you let me know where you guys are?
I scrub a hand over my face, panic settling deep into my bones. “Lols, I’m so sorry. My phone must have been on silent.”
She peers over my shoulder. “It’s okay. We’re fine. It’s not the first time, and it won’t be the last.” She nods to Daph, who’s still clinging to me. “She’s okay.”
I release a breath that shatters into the air. Yeah, she’s okay.
But.
She needed me and I wasn’t there.
That’s what happens when I get sucked in.
One night. That’s all it took for my focus to slip.
Fuck.
Daphne is my priority. She always will be. What if she’d been hurt and I had no idea because I was too busy pretending to be infatuated with someone I barely know?
I won’t make the same mistake twice. I have to show up when my sister needs me. I’ll just have to make time for Zoey when—
Shit. Zoey.
Hands braced on my sister’s arms, I crouch down and meet her eyes. “Wait for me at the car with Lola. I’ll be there in two minutes.”
“Sorry,” Lola whispers, glancing nervously behind me.
“It’s okay, Lols. You did good bringing her here.”
I wait until Lola and Daphne are several yards away before I jog over to Zoey. “I’m sorry. I have to go. Something came up.”
Her brows shoot up so high they nearly disappear into her hairline. “What do you mean you have to go? What about the movie?”
I drop my head and sigh. “I have to take care of something. I’m sorry to leave you like this, but I don’t have a choice.”
She peers around the park. “You’re… not driving me home?”
A few people nearby turn in our direction at the sound of her voice.
