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“Knock it off, dingbat.” Mom rolled her eyes. “You’re going to get kicked out before you even get a chance to apologize.”
Nix clutched his stomach in fake agony. “What? I already said I was sorry.”
“Not how I remember it. Try again.” Mom raised an eyebrow.
“Sorry, King,” Nix muttered.
“Thank you,” I drawled magnanimously. “The guesthouse is this way.” I led them toward the backdoor and the guesthouse beyond. “You’ll need to stay inside until my assistant brings the NDAs over tomorrow. After you’ve signed, you’ll be allowed in the main house and can meet Zoe once I’m home. I hope you can understand why. But this is a point I won’t bend on foranyone.” I gave Nix a side-eye look.
He bared his teeth at me in response.
“We’ll be fine, Kingston.” Mom smiled at me with shining eyes. She moved like she was going to approach me then paused. “Um, thanks. For everything.”
I waved awkwardly and watched them enter the guesthouse, then stared at the closed door for a few beats. I didn’t know how to process all that’d happened. My mom was here, and I was okay with that.
For now.
I was afraid to let myself lean too far into this new reality. Experience had taught me that getting too comfortable around people who’d betrayed you was dangerous. Ariel could’ve taught a masterclass in manipulation. Right up until the end. After I’d served her with the divorce papers, she’d called, pleading with me to reconcile. And the whole time she’d been in Monaco screwing a director. He’d been the one driving when they’d crashed on the Basse Corniche outside of Monte-Carlo. Classy through and through.
I sighed as I returned to the main house and climbed the stairs. I had to tell Briar what was going on, but I didn’t know what to say. The whole thing was so complicated—both with my family and with Briar. As her boss, I had to let her know what to expect tomorrow. But as her…whatever we were, I really wanted to talk to her about the situation. Lines were getting blurred already, and we hadn’t been sleeping together that long.
Fuck my life.
Finding Zoe asleep alone in her room—no Briar passed out on the carpet—I smiled as I remembered that night. I headed to Briar’s room and knocked on her door.
She answered after a minute, her hair deliciously rumpled, and a tablet clutched in her hand. “Hey. How’d it go?”
“Complicated. Isn’t that always how family goes?”
“That’s pretty much been my experience.” She smiled wryly.
“Can we talk for a minute? I need to let you know what to expect tomorrow.”
“Sure, come on in.”
“Uh, do you mind if we talk in my room?”
“Why is it that we always talk or have sex in your room? Does it smell in here or something?”
I laughed. “No, it’s just that we’ve blurred so many lines between us, I felt like your bedroom is your sanctuary, your safe place.”
“Okay. But you get that I don’t know that unless you tell me, right? I have many secret powers, but telepathy isn’t one of them.”
I rolled my eyes. “Ha ha. Come on.” I grabbed her hand and tried not to think about how much I loved the soft feel of her slender fingers wrapped around mine. I led the way to my room and closed the door behind us. “I assume Zoe was okay?”
“Hmmm? Oh. Yeah. She kinda fell out of her bed. It’s a good thing you have that huge plush rug. She was asleep on it by the time I got upstairs.”
“Not the first time that has happened.” I shook my head. “That kid could sleep through anything, I swear.”
Briar nodded slowly. “It’s part of her charm. Well, that and her smile.”
“So about tomorrow.” I sighed, sat on the edge of the bed, and Briar stood in front of me, twisting her fingers. “I have an early call time, so I’ll be gone before you guys get up. But um…My mom and Nix are staying in the guesthouse. I realize this goes way beyond your typical nanny obligations, but I kinda need you to be my eyes and ears with them. They won’t see her until I’m home to facilitate, and only after they sign the NDAs. I don’t want you to leave Zoe alone with either of them—no matter what they say.”
Briar’s eyes widened. “Oh.” She curled her lips in and thought for a second. “You don’t trust them with Zoe?”
“I can’t afford to. It’s my job to protect Zoe, and yours too. Despite his recent sobriety, Nix hasn’t proved himself to be a responsible adult. And my mom…” I scrubbed a hand over my face. “She’s saying all the right things, but like Nix, our past isn’t the best. I can’t afford to let my guard down with her.”
“I’m sorry, King. That’s hard. But of course. I’ll do whatever you need. Especially when it comes to protecting Zoe.”
