You better be. I’m about to be in the middle of a crisis.
Birdie
Why? What’s going on?
Me
Stone Kingsley is what’s going on.
Birdie
Huh?
Me
Meredith is looking at him like he hung the moon.
Birdie
Why is this a crisis? We love Stone.
Me
We do love Stone. For Cade. Not for Meredith.
“Lily,” King says, coming into the kitchen.
I look up to find him watching me with a furrowed brow. “What?”
“Hyde just called. I have to head out for a couple of hours.”
I nod. “Okay.”
He closes the distance between us while he contemplates me. “How long has this been going on with Meredith and Stone?”
“I don’t know.”
“He’s the reason why you’re so worked up about the party?”
“No, he’s not. But now, maybe yes.”
He frowns. “What am I missing here?”
“I didn’t know she liked Stone until today, but I did know she’s developed a crush on a boy at school. Chloe told me last week. I was going to tell you, but I’ve been concerned about how you’d take it.”
He continues to frown at me. “Why?”
I look up at my husband and see genuine confusion in his eyes. King was born a protector; I’m sure of it. And family is everything to him, especially our kids. All six of them. He will go to his grave protecting our children if he has to.
“It concerns me howI’llbe about Meredith chasing boys, and we both know you’ll be even more overprotective than me.”
King’s eyes burn fiercely with determination. “She’s sixteen, Lily. Stone’s eighteen. And he’s about to have the attentionof every teen girl in the fucking world. Damn right I’ll be overprotective about this.”
“I agree with all of that. But somehow, we have to find a way not to alienate our daughter while trying to protect her.”
“I’m not going to alienate Meredith. I’m just going to make it clear to Stone that she’s off limits.”
“Like you did with Fury?”
