James eyes light up. “No, but I believe he has a soft spot for a single mother we both know.”
"Single mother?” My eyes round. “Oh, you mean Briar?”
“Exactly. Told him I’d be there for moral support. Besides, braiding hair is a life skill that’ll help me understand my niece better.”
My heart blooms in my chest. My ovaries quiver.
"You’re doing this for Freya?" I ask softly.
She has been thriving since she started at The Royal Drawing School. She no longer balks at waking up in the morning and going to class. She fits right in. She’s made friends. Turns out, all she ever needed was to be somewhere that made sense to her.
Like it is for me with my husband.
His features soften. "If I’m the only male role model she has at the moment, then I want to make sure she realizes, not all of us are like her father. A man who couldn’t be bothered to show up for her.
"Oh, James." My eyes begin to water.
"Don’t cry." He kisses me tenderly. "She’s as important to me as she is to you."
"You’re incredible." I kiss him back, hard. "I love you.”
"I love you too." He looks into my eyes.
“You should go.” I begin to scoot out from under him.
He doesn’t move. “No, I need to make you come first.”
“Learning this skill for Freya is more important.”
He searches my features, and his shoulders slump. “I really do need to go, don’t I?”
“Much as I would love the orgasm, Freya comes first.”
James
Most of the tables at The Famous Cock are occupied.
I stand at the entrance and take stock. Sticky floors, low lighting, a barman who looks like he's seen everything twice and stopped caring. A dartboard on the far wall, currently not in use. Next to it, a couple of men shoot pool.
Beckett spots me from a corner booth and raises his pint. I cross the floor toward him. Beside him, is Tristan and a man who’s built like he played rugby until his body filed a formal complaint.
When I reach them, he nods at me. "Cuz." His voice sounds like thunder rumbling in the distance.
I slide into my seat and survey him closely. There’s something familiar in his features. Awareness dawns. "Thorne? Cousin Thorne?"
He grunts.
"Now that he’s back in the UK, I thought he’d benefit from being an honorary member of our Braids and Booze club."
"It’s a capital idea." He jerks his chin in Beckett’s direction. "I’ve beentrying to navigate being a single father, and it hasn’t been easy. I appreciate the support."
So, Thorne’s a dad. Not surprising I didn’t know. He doesn’t keep in touch with the rest of the family. It’s logical that Beckett would invite him. It’s a smart way of bringing him back to the fold.
I turn to my uncle. "What are you doing here?"
Tristan shifts in his seat. He looks uncomfortable. "Margot insisted I come."
"You mean, your mother ordered you to come here in the hope that it’d sensitize you to women?" Bennett snorts
