Page 31 of The KING Review

“I understand that you’re her dad first, and that’s okay. It’s healthy, even—survival of the species, and all that.” I huff a laugh. “That’s what my sister would say, anyway. But it’s okay to put yourself first. Encouraged, actually. Like when they say you should put your own oxygen mask on before you help someone else. There’s a reason they say that.” I clear my throat, because I know I’m rambling, but I’m really trying to hammer the point home, because I think it’s genuinely something he isn’t taking on board. “You can’t pour from an empty cup, Grant, and Sera deserves to have you know that for yourself.”

He looks at me for a really long time. It feels like eons, although it’s probably only minutes. Then he soughs out a breath, squeezes my hand, and lets go.

“Thank you,” he says again.

That’s when I decide to go for it. Or, more accurately, my body decides—because I don’t register any cogent thought in my head before I’m popping up onto my toes and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

The stubble of his beard rasps under my lips, and I linger longer than I should. “Thanks for making sure I get home safe.” I take a step back before I do something I can’t take back. I want to do something I can’t take back, but I know he isn’t in the place for that now, and I can be patient. “Will you please let me know that you get home safe, too?”

He chuffs a sheepish laugh, trying to play it off, but I can see the shakiness at the edges of his movements. “I promise,” he says as he turns back toward his car.

I wait by the door for him to get back into his car, only opening it when he starts the engine. I lift a hand in a wave, then turn to go into my apartment. It’s quiet upstairs, and I grab a pitta and some salad and feta from the refrigerator to make something simple for dinner.

After about ten minutes, my phone pings, and I turn it over to see I have a voice note from none other than Professor Daddy.

I quirk a brow as I hit play, dropping the phone on the counter as I slice my pitta in two.

“Hey,” Grant’s gravelly timbre rumbles through, low and bassy even through my tinny phone speaker. “Just wanted to let you know I got home safe—as promised.” He pauses. “Thanks again for tonight, Neve. It really helped.”

I swallow hard. His using my name does things to me, but I try to keep my cool as I walk over to the sofa and sit down with my dinner. I hit record on a voice note as I lean back into the corduroy. “Thanks for letting me know, Professor Daddy. Sleep well.”

I smirk as I hit stop, watching the little icon as it flips over to received, then read.

Within moments, a message pops up.

Professor Daddy:

You should watch that mouth of yours.

Me:

or what?

Professor Daddy:

I’ll have to find another use for it.

I quirk a brow, grinning down at my phone. A message isn’t going to do justice, so I send back another voice note. “Well, don’t make me wait too long, Doctor King,” I murmur, intentionally husky. “My mouth is good at a lot of things.”

Professor Daddy:

That’s what I’m afraid of.

Goodnight, Miss Hart.

Chapter Eleven

The Story Moon

Grant

Ilove Cade’s sister Ellie, and I love that she’s our lawyer, but I fucking hate mediation sessions. It’s not that I think Marie and I don’t need them—God knows, we do—I just hate spending any time with the woman who messed me up the way she did.

I’m not naïve enough to think I wasn’t at all in the wrong, or that we weren’t incompatible in a fundamental way that was me as well as her—but I didn’t deserve what she did to me, what she said to me. I know I didn’t. I know my worth enough to be sure of that.

We need a neutral party, which Ellie can be, even though I know she likes me more than she likes Marie. We don’t hang out outside of these sessions, so technically, there’s no conflict of interest, but we’re always careful, just in case Marie tries to pull anything.

It wouldn’t be the first time.