Page 15 of The Royal in Room 3

“He’ll be fine. He’s probably hanging out with Soren, who decided not to come as well. You remember Soren from last night? He’s fit in so well with the others already.”

I scratched the back of my head as if I was just now thinking about him. “You mean the guy Vale brought over last night?”

“Yes.” Phoenix took a sip of his drink, but I didn’t miss the furrow of his brows.

“What’s wrong? Anything I can do to help?”

“He needs a Daddy badly,” he replied. “But I’m not sure he’ll accept one. He was engaged to one who hurt him, though he wouldn’t say how. I suspect his hurt is a lot more emotional than anything else.”

I could have told him that from the defeated look in the boy’s eyes last night.

“My biggest worry is that he doesn’t know how to do anything.”

I went still, my heart pounding in my ears at the information Phoenix relayed to me. Soren didn’t know how to work a dishwasher, a washing machine, or the coffee pot. He’d barely gotten the microwave to work.

Phoenix believed in the privacy of the angels until they were ready to share with others. There was only one reason he was telling me all this, and I wasn’t sure how to feel about it. I’d promised myself that I’d take the year off from being a Daddy before accepting another sub, but Phoenix’s words also woke something up inside of me—the need to take a helpless boy and guide him into self-confidence and self-sufficiency. That was my specialty at Halo, and everyone knew it.

“What do you think, Jude?” Phoenix asked. “He’s literally helpless and will need a lot of guidance. I know you wanted to take a break, but I think Soren needs you.”

I swallowed the instant yes that sprang to my lips. I’d never had an issue saying no before if I wasn’t in the frame of mind to accept a sub, and Phoenix had always respected that. What was it about this particular boy that called to me and made me want to say yes so fast? I didn’t even know anything about him, just got a hint of sadness from him.

“I don’t know. You said he might not be interested in a Daddy.”

“But it’s also just his first day here. I’m sure once he settles in a bit, he’ll understand why caregivers are at the heart of almost every success story here at Halo House. Tomorrow I’ll have him meet with Kim so he’ll know how great you’d be for him.”

I was just about to maintain my doubt when Vale showed up next to Phoenix out of thin air. He was in plain clothes and didn’t look half bad. In fact, he was quite a handsome man.

“Jude.” He nodded at me, then his full attention was on Phoenix, so I didn’t bother answering. “Is everything okay? Why haven’t I seen Soren?”

My back straightened, and I tried not to scowl at his interest in someone I wanted more than I cared to admit. “He decided not to attend,” Phoenix said. “He’s probably in his room if you want to speak with him.”

“It’s fine. I saw him earlier. He’s not my boy, so I can’t have him get too attached to me.”

Phoenix cocked his head to the side. “Would you like him to be? It would make sense, given he is already so comfortable with you.”

“Really, Phoenix?” Vale asked. “I’ve never taken any of them as a boy before. Plus, it would be an ethical conflict, since I’m the officer handling his case.”

“Well, you can give his case to another officer, can’t you?”

I’d had enough.

“No need to go through all that trouble,” I said. “I don’t mind being his caregiver, Phoenix.”

Phoenix’s eyes widened, and he smiled brightly, clapping his hands. “Oh, Jude, you’ll do it? That makes me so relieved. You’ll take great care of him, and I’m already excited at the prospect of how much he will grow under your care. You’re truly one of the best Daddies in the program.”

Phoenix embraced me in a warm hug and placed a kiss on my cheek. Over his shoulder, I caught Vale’s scowl and couldn’t help teasing him with a wink. He was so far gone for Phoenix, and yet he wouldn’t speak up to claim what he wanted. How many years could a man pine over someone he loved?

“I’m off this weekend if you want to organize an official first meeting between us,” I said.

Protocol at Halo House dictated that, no matter how good a fit Phoenix thought I was, I had to meet the sub, and we would evaluate whether it was a good fit for both of us. If there was hesitancy on the part of either of us, then the dynamic wouldn’t work.

“That sounds perfect.” Phoenix stepped back, right up against Vale’s chest, and stumbled. “Oops.”

Vale caught him with an arm around Phoenix’s waist. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”

Phoenix looked up at Vale, his lips parting, but no sound came out. They stared at each other like they were the only ones in the room, a current crackling between them. It’d been that way for as long as I could remember—at least five years.

“Y’all should just kiss already,” I muttered loud enough for them to hear as I walked away. “Phoenix, I’ll keep in touch with you. I’ll give Kim my regards, then be on my way.”