noncommittally, toying with one of the decorative pillows she'd picked up from the carpeted floor.
"Is everything all right?" Nicholas quietly asked, his features , as per usual, revealed very little of what he what he was thinking.
"I don't know . I haven't heard from him yet. He—he has a friend who lives around here, something happened with his girlfriend, so Andrew had to hightail it over there. It's no big deal." Right?
She did not utter the last word, though with it suspended in the air between them, it was as if she had.
"We didn't say it was sweetheart, we're just hoping everything's all right. Isn't that right, Nicky?"
"Hmm." He accepted the spoonful of ice cream Ellie offered before turning his attention back to his daughter. "Do you want me to make a few calls—"
"No calls. No informants. No bodyguards. Just—just let me handle it, OK?" She smiled to take the edge off her words, but all the same, they sounded strained.
"Exactly what is there to handle, Soph?" Nicholas pressed and received a pinch on his thigh from his diminutive wife.
"What your father's trying to say is …is there something you'd like to tell us? You know, are things all right with you and Andrew?"
She wasn't particularly good at telling lies and when faced with both parents, it was nearly impossible not to come right out and spill her guts, but Sophie refused to seek their help. This was her fight, her struggle. She would deal with Andrew in her own way, even if that meant breaking it off with him when they got back to Buxom. "Things are fine.” She came to her feet and set the pillow on the loveseat . "And no, I don't have anything to tell you. You both worry way too much. I'm going to wait up for him, and then I'll go to bed. Night."
"Sophie," Ellie called.
Sophie halted at the threshold and turned to face them. "Yeah, Mom?"
"You know you can talk to us, right?"
"Of course, Mom, I know. Night." She was gone before they could utter another word, her footsteps shuffling up the stairs penetrated the encompassing silence.
Her hasty retreat didn’t settle right with Ellie and she turned to Nicholas . "She's keeping something from us,” she said, depositing her ice cream cup on the coffee table. "There's something going on, Nicky, and she's not telling us."
"She’ll come to us when she's ready, Elle, we can't push her."
“I know, but Sophie’s never kept anything from me and for her to start now means that there's something seriously wrong. And did you notice the faint bruise on her cheek? I wasn't going to say anything, but now that I think about it…"
Nicholas’s brow furrowed quick in reading his wife’s mind. "You're not implying…?"
"I don't know. She worried her bottom lip. "I hope it's not what we're thinking, but then again…"
Nicholas’s jaw tightened and he stood abruptly. Three strides out the living room and Ellie was after him, having figured out his intentions, she caught his arm seconds out the door. Ellie was on the receiving end of that infamous scowl, the very one that made grown men quiver with fear. Unfazed, she reached out to smooth over the crease between his brows.
"I know you're angry," Ellie began evenly, "but we can't go storming in her bedroom demanding answers. You even just said that we shouldn't push her."
"That was before I knew the bastard hit her."
"We're assuming that he did, Nicky. We don't know and we won't know until Sophie tells us."
"And if she doesn't?"
"Then we'll go to her, but only then and not before. Meanwhile, I think we should just watch them carefully and not do anything reckless until we have the facts. All right?" The full weight of his gaze landed on her and in that gaze she received the brunt of his anger. But, all too well, Ellie understood where the anger stemmed from—fear, after all, was a crippling emotion and Nicholas didn't do fear very well, especially when it came to her or the kids.
"You have to promise me you won't go all mob boss on me again,
"Is everything all right?" Nicholas quietly asked, his features , as per usual, revealed very little of what he what he was thinking.
"I don't know . I haven't heard from him yet. He—he has a friend who lives around here, something happened with his girlfriend, so Andrew had to hightail it over there. It's no big deal." Right?
She did not utter the last word, though with it suspended in the air between them, it was as if she had.
"We didn't say it was sweetheart, we're just hoping everything's all right. Isn't that right, Nicky?"
"Hmm." He accepted the spoonful of ice cream Ellie offered before turning his attention back to his daughter. "Do you want me to make a few calls—"
"No calls. No informants. No bodyguards. Just—just let me handle it, OK?" She smiled to take the edge off her words, but all the same, they sounded strained.
"Exactly what is there to handle, Soph?" Nicholas pressed and received a pinch on his thigh from his diminutive wife.
"What your father's trying to say is …is there something you'd like to tell us? You know, are things all right with you and Andrew?"
She wasn't particularly good at telling lies and when faced with both parents, it was nearly impossible not to come right out and spill her guts, but Sophie refused to seek their help. This was her fight, her struggle. She would deal with Andrew in her own way, even if that meant breaking it off with him when they got back to Buxom. "Things are fine.” She came to her feet and set the pillow on the loveseat . "And no, I don't have anything to tell you. You both worry way too much. I'm going to wait up for him, and then I'll go to bed. Night."
"Sophie," Ellie called.
Sophie halted at the threshold and turned to face them. "Yeah, Mom?"
"You know you can talk to us, right?"
"Of course, Mom, I know. Night." She was gone before they could utter another word, her footsteps shuffling up the stairs penetrated the encompassing silence.
Her hasty retreat didn’t settle right with Ellie and she turned to Nicholas . "She's keeping something from us,” she said, depositing her ice cream cup on the coffee table. "There's something going on, Nicky, and she's not telling us."
"She’ll come to us when she's ready, Elle, we can't push her."
“I know, but Sophie’s never kept anything from me and for her to start now means that there's something seriously wrong. And did you notice the faint bruise on her cheek? I wasn't going to say anything, but now that I think about it…"
Nicholas’s brow furrowed quick in reading his wife’s mind. "You're not implying…?"
"I don't know. She worried her bottom lip. "I hope it's not what we're thinking, but then again…"
Nicholas’s jaw tightened and he stood abruptly. Three strides out the living room and Ellie was after him, having figured out his intentions, she caught his arm seconds out the door. Ellie was on the receiving end of that infamous scowl, the very one that made grown men quiver with fear. Unfazed, she reached out to smooth over the crease between his brows.
"I know you're angry," Ellie began evenly, "but we can't go storming in her bedroom demanding answers. You even just said that we shouldn't push her."
"That was before I knew the bastard hit her."
"We're assuming that he did, Nicky. We don't know and we won't know until Sophie tells us."
"And if she doesn't?"
"Then we'll go to her, but only then and not before. Meanwhile, I think we should just watch them carefully and not do anything reckless until we have the facts. All right?" The full weight of his gaze landed on her and in that gaze she received the brunt of his anger. But, all too well, Ellie understood where the anger stemmed from—fear, after all, was a crippling emotion and Nicholas didn't do fear very well, especially when it came to her or the kids.
"You have to promise me you won't go all mob boss on me again,
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