Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 26755 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 134(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26755 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 134(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
They’d seen photos of him in his uniform from his Navy days, so it’d been easy to say that was why I occasionally called him Sir in front of the little ones.
“Yes, sir,” Zoe laughed. “No, sir!”
Kingsley let out a chuckle. “My dorks. Okay, I’ll try to get off work early. Be safe in the water, girls.”
“We gots our floaties,” Kaley responded in her “You’re silly, Daddy” voice.
We wrapped up our conversation, and I was torn between wanting Lee with me at all hours of the day and wanting him to work extra. Like, I needed him glued to my hip, at the same time as he made it impossible for me to pretend like the world wasn’t royally fucked. Yesterday, when my mom had watched the girls again, he’d literally beaten my ass till I’d sobbed my heart out. But I didn’t fucking want to cry. I wanted to hold on to the immense anger welling up within me.
I could function on anger. I couldn’t function on fear and heartache.
Pulling into the carport, I noticed Master Walker and Ash talking by their cars. I assumed they’d just arrived too. And Walker hadn’t arrived alone. He was carrying Savi, Ty’s granddaughter.
“Do you remember Savi, girls?” I asked.
“Wiv Uncle Lane and Uncle Macklin?” Zoe asked back.
“That’s right.” I undid my seat belt. It’d been a while since we’d had a playdate. We sometimes got together when Macklin or Lane watched Savi, usually with Ivy too. But given her iron deficiency with her latest pregnancy, she was mostly on bed rest.
I helped the girls out of their seats and said hello to Ash and Master Walker.
“Just the guy I was hopin’ to see,” Walker said, returning to his car. “I have something for you, Tate.”
Oh?
“It’s Ash!” Zoe exclaimed. Yeah, she loved anyone who was fun in the water—as Ash had been the other day.
Ash squatted down and grinned. “It’s li’l Zoe! I think! Yeah, it is.”
He was so good with kids. I’d asked if he and Nathan were bringing out any of their children, to which he’d chuckled and said, “Hell no, they’re old enough to ask questions. One of them’s old enough to be a member. Luckily, his kink is golf.”
Kaley was a tad shyer, so she plastered herself to my leg and didn’t let go.
That was okay.
Walker reappeared with two small paper bags with the Westwater Hotels’ logo on them.
“Macklin said you’d appreciate this,” he said, handing them over.
I accepted the bags and peered inside. Whoa. That was a lot of tiny bottles of shampoo, conditioner, body wash… I rummaged through the contents. Shaving cream, soap, and lotion.
“My team just finalized the next lines of products for a few of our luxury resorts,” he explained.
Hot damn. It was one part luxury brands and one part artisanal, organic, and chemical-free.
“I love your job,” I replied. “Thank you so much.”
I knew his main job was to find issues and deal with them. He was equally data-driven and psychology-focused. He knew how people functioned, what sold well, and how to—as Macklin called it—maximize profits on minimum efforts. And it meant he inserted himself into every step of the process to create successful hotels for his bigwig boss, evidently including the products they put in the bathrooms.
“You’re very welcome.” He repositioned Savi on his hip and gestured to the house. “I take it we’re all headin’ for the pool?”
Yes. The girls were going to have fun, and I was going to pretend.
“Actually, Tate,” Ash said. “I can throw these little princesses in the water while you sit down with Nathan. He’s waiting for you in KC and Lucian’s cabin.”
Oh God, no.
No. Fuck that. I’d seen Corey, Noa, and Macklin come out of sessions with Nathan.
Fuck that noise hard. I wasn’t seeing a damn counselor.
Ash had a smile for Zoe but gave me a pointed look. “Kingsley thought it would be a good idea for you to talk to someone.”
Damn you, Master!
Lucas Carter
It was possible I checked the rearview a bit too much, but I couldn’t help it. Kit and Noa were sitting in the back quietly, practically unheard of, each one staring out of his own window.
We’d just stopped by Shay’s aunt’s place to water the plants and clean out the fridge. Melanie didn’t know when she and the boys would return from San Diego, so I’d offered to do what little I could. Ty had given me a spare key from the Tenleys’ house, and I’d found Melanie’s number in Reese’s office at Mclean.
I slowed down and sighed as traffic came to a standstill. Fucking figured. I’d found a parking spot in town so quickly yesterday that I was being punished now.
Drumming my fingers along the wheel, I checked the rearview again.
I could barely handle the silence.
“Penny for your thoughts, baby boy?”
Kit met my stare in the rearview briefly before he looked out his window once more.