"Sure," she says.
She needs to stop looking at me with such accusation. "What was I supposed to do, hmm? I owe so much to these people." They all support me even though I disappointed them with the canceled concerts. If they didn't do that, I could pack up."
A dangerously deep crease forms between her eyebrows. "And you think you don't owe anything to your daughter?"
No. That's not what I meant.
"Just admit it, Josh. You forgot." Her cold tone makes me shudder.
"I didn't. I wanted to come." And that's true. Somehow. I lower my gaze. "I'm sorry," I mutter eventhough I know there's no excuse for it. Because what she's saying is true. I had been drinking even before the concert, just so I could perform. Afterward, when I toasted with the crew, my alcohol level must have risen so high that I couldn't think straight anymore.
Something like that must never happen again. And it won't.
"Sophia means a lot to me." I reach for Maya's hands and hold them tightly. "And you, you mean a lot to me too."
She squirms, but I don't let go. "You're lying."
I catch her gaze and shake my head. "Believe me or not. I'll prove it to you anyway."
The despair in her expression physically hurts me. And for a moment, she looks like she's not even here in her mind. As if she's experiencing something right now that's ripping the ground from beneath her feet.
Quickly, I wrap my arms around her.
"You reek of alcohol," she mutters, disgusted.
That's not the point here at all, so I don't even address it. "Give me another chance," I plead earnestly, gently stroking her back until her muscles yield.
"You should apologize to Sophia," she says, sniffing, minutes later.
I smile at her gratefully. "I will."
Her expression slowly relaxes. "And it won't happen again."
Certainly not. I'll make sure of it. "No more disappointments," I confirm. My intuition tells me not to use the word "promise." Something about that term seems to trigger her, and I definitely don't want to lose her again.
