Page 17 of The Royal in Room 3

I was so used to Dean poking his head into my room by now that I didn’t even glance over my shoulder as I slipped my feet into the shoes I’d gotten from the huge closet Phoenix had that looked like the inside of a small boutique. I’d felt bad at first about taking clothes that didn’t belong to me, but he’d assured me that the purpose of the room was to provide clothing for those who couldn’t afford it or came to the house with none. One of the sponsors of Halo House owned a chain of clothing stores across several states, so they always met this need.

I was still shocked at the arrangements behind Halo House and everything I’d learned over the past four days that I’d been living here. It seemed a lot of members wound up finding permanent partners thanks to Halo. And while I wasn’t looking for a permanent partner, three days ago, when I’d cried in the arms of a stranger, it’d felt so good to find that comfort in someone that I’d agreed to a meet-and-greet with a Daddy Phoenix claimed would be perfect to teach me the ropes of…literally, everything.

“Almost,” I said as Dean plopped down on the bed next to me. Yesterday, Jorge’s caregivers—he had a Mommy and a Daddy—had collected him to spend the weekend aboard their yacht at sea. Dean had dropped in on me more than usual, and I had the feeling he was missing his friend.

“You look nice,” Dean said. “But to be honest, Daddy Jude won’t care what you look like.”

Well, that was disappointing.

I’d carefully chosen my outfit to look attractive. Phoenix had explained the arrangement wasn’t inherently sexual, but it couldn’t hurt if Jude thought I was easy on the eyes.

The man who’d hugged me three nights ago had been gorgeous. I hadn’t been able to get him off my mind, but it wasn’t because he was good-looking. It was how kind and gentle he’d been with me even though I was a stranger. He had still stepped up and comforted me, promising everything would be okay, although he couldn’t possibly know that.

Surprisingly, I’d felt a lot calmer about my current situation since I’d woken up the next morning. Even when I’d dropped my phone in the toilet and it stopped working, I’d kept it together. I was alone. I had limited experience taking care of myself, but I wanted to learn to be responsible.

“Why doesn’t it matter to him?” I asked. “Is he already involved with someone?”

“Daddy Jude? No way. He doesn’t do relationships.”

“Oh?” That was curious.

“Daddy Jude is the best,” he gushed. “He made the rocking horse in the playroom for Tony, and he brings us gifts on our birthdays even though he’s not our Daddy.”

“He sounds nice.”

Everything I’d heard about this Daddy was good. When I’d spoken to his last little, Kim, two days ago, she’d sounded exactly the way Dean did. She’d gushed so much about Daddy Jude that I felt like someone was trying to sell me on something. There was no way someone could be that good. But then I’d spoken to another boy of his, and he’d been the same. With Daddy Jude’s help, he was now an investment broker, whereas when they’d first met, he’d been so in debt that he’d attempted to take his own life.

“He’s better than nice. You are so lucky. Kim wanted to be with him, but Daddy Jude turned her down.”

“But she’s happy now with a new Daddy.”

Dean nodded. “That’s what Daddy Jude does best. He makes us better but never keeps us, so don’t go falling in love with him the way Kim did. I swear, if Daddy Jude said yes to her right now, she would dump her fiancé and run back to him in a heartbeat.”

“I’m sure that’s not true, and it’s not a nice thing to say either. If anyone hears you, it might cause doubt in their relationship.”

He pursed his lips and ducked his head. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Anyway, I just meant that he’s a great Daddy, but don’t go falling in love. And Phoenix said when you’re ready, Daddy Jude is waiting for you in the conservatory.”

My heart skipped a beat, and I jumped to my feet. “He’s here already?”

“For half an hour. He was playing with Tony for a while. See what I mean that he’s the sweetest Daddy?”

I hurried over to the standing mirror and checked my appearance. The clothes were not the quality I was used to, but I was grateful for them. The brown linen trousers fit perfectly, as did the top I wore unbuttoned over the white undershirt. I missed my skincare products, but I didn’t dare ask for more than Phoenix already did for me. For now, a moisturizer would have to work.

“I should go down,” I said more to myself than to Dean.

“Want me to take you?”

I nodded, relieved that I didn’t have to do this alone. Phoenix had asked me earlier if I wanted him to be present, and I’d turned down his offer. I was done having people hover around me and supervise me, but a friend’s company eased my anxiety a bit.

Dean took my hand and led me down the stairs, telling me all about the wonderful things Daddy Jude had done for the members of Halo House. Turned out he was Halo House’s own handyman, which would make him a first for me. Until now, every man I’d been involved with had belonged to the same rarefied world I did—aristocrats, diplomats, heirs, and men whose families had long-standing ties to the Crown.

Apparently, Daddy Jude had repaired nearly everything in the house at least once. He had repaired the loose banister after one of the boys nearly fell, replaced bedroom locks, restored the old benches in the conservatory, and constructed shelves, desks, and the reading nook at the end of the second-floor hall because one of the boys had needed somewhere quiet when the house became overwhelming.

Everything I heard about this man was about his kindness, so I couldn’t help but be curious about this Daddy they all spoke of so fondly. At the open door of the conservatory, Dean walked in ahead of me and broke into a grin at the sight of the tall, broad-shouldered man crouched beside one of the windows, tightening a loose brass latch with a screwdriver.

“Daddy Jude!” Dean squealed and ran into the room. The other man had barely straightened up when Dean was in his arms, squeezing him tight.

Laughing, he patted Dean’s head affectionately. “Well, someone’s in a good mood today.”