Valentines and Valkyries by Amanda A Allen

Author:Amanda A Allen [Allen, Amanda A]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-04-29T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

Lex’s phone rang and his jaw went from ticking to grinding. Scarlett took the phone from him and saw ‘Mom’ on the screen. Her gaze went back to the road, but she clutched his hand tighter, somehow trying to convey that it would be ok. The drive from Mystic Cove to Portland took three hours. During that time, Lex’s mom called four times. Lex didn’t answer, and Scarlett didn’t prompt him to. It would be better to hear it in person. They drove in silence for the first half of the drive and Scarlett tried to keep her gaze on the road rather than on him.

She didn’t want him to feel pressured or analyzed. She just wanted him to know he wasn’t alone.

“He was a terrible Dad,” Lex said suddenly. “I can’t count the number of times I heard him or saw him beat my mother.”

Scarlett bit her lip to keep herself from saying anything. She wanted him to feel like he could purge his feelings without judgement. So she rubbed her thumb over the back of his hand and kept her mouth shut.

“But he’s been sober for years. For longer than Amelie has been alive, and I never let them get to know her. I didn’t trust them. Now the chance is gone.”

Scarlett looked over and then back to the road. His jaw was ticking again, and she wanted to rub her thumb over that instead. But, she simply held him.

“I don’t know if I regret that. Should I?”

Scarlett pressed her lips together for moment, ignoring the trees on either side of the road and keeping an eye out for wildlife. She considered before she said, “I don’t know, Lex. You did what you thought was right for Amelie.”

“Did I though? Because I hated him. He was my dad, and I hated him. I hate her too. For never leaving. For letting that be my childhood. She wants to love Amelie, and I won’t let her.”

Scarlett had no idea what to say or what to do. She wanted to make it better, wanted to whisper that it would be ok, that there was a way to know you were doing the right thing, but life wasn’t that easy. Nothing was clear cut like that.

She hadn’t met his parents because Lex had let her believe they were dead until Christmas. Even then, he’d only told her about them because he wanted the girls to be safe. The druid who had messed with Gus and laid the fertility charm on their apartment had driven Lex to the point of reconciling with his parents just to keep the girls safe. But they hadn’t acted on it. Scarlett hadn’t been willing to send their daughters away despite what was happening to them.

Did he blame her? If she’d let him send the girls to his parents, he’d have talked to them before his dad died. Maybe Lex would have been talking to his parents about whatever caused his dad’s death. Maybe Lex would have been able to help his dad before he had been killed.

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