A Broken Soul(36)

"Uh huh. But Ms. Lilly sang me a special song that her daddy sang to her to keep the scary thoughts away."

That knot of guilt in my stomach grew even tighter. "Yeah?" I croaked. "Did it work?"

"Yeah. It was a pretty song."

Just when I thought I couldn't possibly feel any worse about myself, I was proven wrong. Shifting topic, I asked. "You want some breakfast?"

She nodded against my shoulder and mumbled, "Pancakes."

I gave a little chuckle at her standard answer. One day I was going to have to write Bisquick a thank-you letter for their ready-made mix. Those damn bottles made me look like a culinary genius as far as Sophia was concerned.





"KNOCK, KNOCK."

I had to restrain myself from rolling my eyes as my mom and dad came traipsing through my front door. Stopping by unexpectedly at least twice a week was turning into a nasty habit. When Soph and I first moved back, it was only once or twice a month. Now it was like they thought they had free rein over my private space. It wasn't unusual for me to come home after a shift and find that Mom let herself in to clean and do laundry. Hell, the woman had even gone as far as stripping my bed and washing the sheets once a week.

And Dad was no better. Keeping beer stocked in my fridge was impossible. Apparently my house was his sanctuary when it came to watching any sporting event. The man used my cable like it was his own. I could have sworn I hadn't signed myself up for the NFL package. Normally their spontaneous visit wouldn't annoy me too badly, but my foul mood from my early morning fight with Lilly hadn't gotten any better. I'd been wracking my brain all day, trying to think of what I could say to get her to forgive me for my behavior, but the best I'd come up with was I'm sorry. And something told me that wasn't going to cut it.

"Hi sweetie," Mom chirped, as she walked into the living room and leaned down to give me a kiss on the cheek. Several seconds later, Dad walked in behind her and, sure enough, there was a freshly opened beer in his hand.

He took a big swig and collapsed in my recliner with a loud ahhhh. "Oh good, you've got the game on."

"Meemaw! Papaw!" Sophia came barreling out of her room at the speed of a freight train, like she hadn't seen her grandparents in years as opposed to just a day or two.

Mom scooped her up and peppered her cheeks and neck with kisses that made her squeal happily before putting her back on the ground so my dad could do the same.

My gaze bounced back and forth between my folks. I picked up the remote and muted the commercial currently playing on the TV and I finally asked in a deadpan voice, "To what do I owe the pleasure?" 

"I thought I'd take Sophia to spend the gift cards she got for her birthday." Sophia shouted excitedly, throwing her fist in the air. "We can have a girls' day," Mom told her. "Shopping and lunch, no boys allowed."

"Yeah! I'll go put my shoes on! No boys allowed! No boys allowed!" she chanted as she headed back for her bedroom. I was just about to get up and get my own beer when the sound of Sophia singing from her bedroom froze every single cell in my body. I couldn't breathe as those familiar words came echoing down the hallway. Hell, even my parents were still with shock.

Two minutes later she came back out wearing those ballet slippers that didn't go with the outfit at all, not that she'd care.

"Hey, Angel?" I squatted down in front of Sophia and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Where'd you hear that song, baby?"

"That's the song Ms. Lilly sang to me to chase my bad dream away," she answered innocently. "Her daddy sang it to her when she was little and had bad dreams too."

Christ, what were the odds that the special song Lilly sang for my daughter the night before just so happened to be my wife's favorite, the very song she walked around singing all the time. Did coincidences like that really happen?

Mom gave me a look that told me no, coincidences like that certainly didn't happen. She'd always been a firm believer that everything happened for a reason, and I knew she'd take this and run with it. I ignored her look and helped Soph put her jacket on.

Kisses were exchanged and the two of them left for their girls' day, leaving me and my old man to relax in front of the TV without interruption for the rest of the day. At least I could count on some peace and quiet.

Or so I thought …

It was halftime in the game, Dad had just come back from the kitchen with his second beer, and my eyes were growing heavy as I leaned back on the couch, my feet propped on the coffee table. I had started contemplating a nap when Dad spoke up, effectively killing any hopes I had of catching some much-needed sleep.

"What's going on with you and that pretty dance teacher?"