AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A beat later, Nix slid into the vacant seat next to me and leaned over. “What’d I miss?”
I barely resisted the urge to cuff him on the back of the head. Rolling my eyes, I wrapped an arm around Sophia and leaned into her.
Shrugging, Nix wiped surreptitiously under his nose and turned his attention to the front of the room where the pastor was speaking about loss and God. I glanced over at King, who was now holding his daughter, his eyes suspiciously bright. Zoe babbled something and slapped her dad on the cheek.
* * *
I wasn’t invited to the discussion after the service between King and his former mother-in-law. They—along with the pastor—disappeared into a back office, while Zoe and the nanny sat in the hallway. I didn’t even have a chance to say anything to Nix. He’d slipped out just before the service was over.
There should’ve been some sort of wake or reception or whatever, but King hadn’t mentioned it, and I couldn’t exactly ask him at the moment. I grabbed Sophia’s hand and made for the front door.
I should’ve been more careful.
The second I pushed the front door open, we were greeted with a cacophony of camera clicks. Someone shouted, “How was the service?”
“Is it true Kingston had Ariel cremated against her family’s wishes?”
I turned and pulled the door closed. “Son of a bitch.”
“We need to warn King,” Sophia whispered.
She was right. There was no diversion we could make that would keep the vultures from hanging around to get pictures of King and Zoe. Not today of all days.
“You go warn King.” I scrubbed a hand over my head. “And be sure to tell him about that cremation question. I’ll give you two guesses who sold out her own daughter’s funeral to the media. I gotta make arrangements for us to get out of here. I have a feeling it’s gonna get ugly.”
I pulled Sophia toward me and gave her a peck on the lips. More out of reflex than anything. Err, wait. Appearances. Appearances were the whole purpose of our fake relationship. Although there was no one else in the hallway. All the other guests were still chatting in the chapel.
Sophia hesitated for a second before nodding and heading down the hallway.
Ignoring the weirdness of the moment, I pulled out my phone and made a few calls.
* * *
An hour later, I was sitting in my living room with a bottle of tequila while Sophia did whatever she did in her room. It’d taken a private security firm, four bodyguards, and a police escort to get us all out of the funeral home.
I still didn’t know how Nix had gotten out, or where he was.
I just hoped he wasn’t making life any more difficult for King.
I took another slug from the bottle and stared at the ocean view in front of me. Pongo whined next to me like he could feel my bubbling emotions. I rubbed the back of his ear in a motion that calmed both of us. At least there was one being I could count on to be there for me. Pongo never let me down.
I tipped the bottle back for another gulp.
A door closed somewhere in my house, reminding me that I wasn’t alone.
Shewas here.
Sophia had been surprisingly calm throughout that whole shitshow. She had this inherent knowledge of when to step in with a pat or joke and when to step back and let me rage.
The soft pad of footsteps signaled her approach.
Except now, apparently.
I wasn’t in the mood for platitudes. I didn’t want to hear all the ways today had sucked. I’d literally been there. And I definitely didn’t want to hear about how time would make things better.
She set two shot glasses down on the coffee table with a clink. Then she sank onto the sofa next to me. Taking the bottle out of my hands, she filled up both glasses.
I raised an eyebrow. She tossed one back like a rock star, without even a shudder, before lifting up the second. I chuckled. “I thought that one was for me.”
