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“If it isn’t Matt, then it’s someone close to him.”
“Why would someone, him, help? It has to be him,” I surmised.
“He could be an undercover that won’t allow innocents to be victims of crimes they can prevent. I can’t say for sure. But Matt calls Lizzy occasionally. We’ll have our answer soon enough. In the meantime, we need to get Royce on board. I’ll round up Kalen and Griffin on my end.”
“I’ll grab Grant and Dad.” It still hit me again that Uncle Ted was my dad.
We ended the call and Grant appeared. “Brother.” He was the first to say it. Then, I hugged my brother.
“You always knew,” I stated.
“You always felt like one from the beginning.”
A memory of my younger self out in a clearing in the woods, holding out a hand as Grant tossed me a ball, hit me. Even when I missed the catch, he’d been there to practice with me the way our father had taught us. I was reminded that I’d always been family to Grant and Dad even when they didn’t know how close. The emotions held me in a choke hold for a second. “Brother,” I murmured and also thought the words, my best friend.
“Let’s get your girl,” he said.
The King family rallied behind me. Whatever we did had to work.
I met his eye because I hadn’t forgotten about him. “Did you get yours?” I asked.
“We’ll talk about it later. I have so much to tell you, but it can wait.”
An hour later, the sons of Kings were gathered on a video call. There was a little time spent with introductions as Connor and Kalen hadn’t met their uncle. Dad had only seen pictures of his nephews. I didn’t interrupt that much needed meeting. Not long after, we got to work devising a rock-solid plan that had to be executed flawlessly.
Mom insisted on cooking before we left for New York in the morning. As we sat around the table and talked, I looked at each member of my family. Even knowing who Grant and Ted were to me didn’t change how this was the same. We’d always been this way. Knowing the likely truth hadn’t made us different people.
The next morning, Mom held me back and I hated the shadow in her eyes as she spoke. “Liam.”
I hugged her. “I don’t blame you. I really don’t. To be honest, it’s a relief. Royce is an asshole. Ted has been a father to me all my life. Now that he is my father, it feels right. You should marry him,” I said and watched her eyes grow wide. “The two of you haven’t hidden your feelings from each other well. He’s a good man.”
She wrapped her arms around me again. With weeping words, she said, “Oh, honey. I love him. I love you too.”
“I know,” I said, holding on a little tighter like I did when I was five.
“I can’t wait to meet Natalie. I love her name by the way.” It was the first time anyone had mentioned that they shared a name. “Isn’t it funny she grew up just a few towns over?”
“Yeah. It is.” If I believed in that kind of thing, I would call it fate. What else could it be?
“Go bring her home. I can imagine how she feels. When you were deployed, I prayed every day you’d be safe.”
I kissed her cheek. “I am.” Then, I walked by Dad to go to the car. On the way, I said, “You can kiss her,” with a smile, enjoying his shocked expression. I turned around in time to catch him scooping her off her feet.
“Gross,” Grant said with a wide grin as I got in the back.
We were all going. It was time all the King men met.
Twenty
Natalie
My second time on a private plane I wasn’t in tears. I knew the man I loved was alive and fighting for me. Soon I hoped to see him. This time when I sat, I was determined it was going to be my last flight with my father.
“Did you find Valentina?” I asked him.
He turned to face me slowly, likely because there had been a little smugness in the way I’d asked. “No. Is there something you’d like to tell me?”
Crap. I should have kept my mouth shut. “What would I know?”
“You’ve been spending a lot of time with my wife and all of a sudden she leaves me.”
It had taken him a while, but he’d come to the right conclusion. That didn’t mean I’d give him the satisfaction of the truth. “Maybe she saw how you treated your daughter and realized what a monster you are.”
Okay, I probably shouldn’t have said that either. I was feeling too optimistic about my future after all the warnings he’d given me.
The distance between us closed as he leaned across the aisle and sneered, “She knew exactly the monster she got in bed with on our wedding night and she didn’t leave.” He sat back. His dark eyes burned like coal on me.
