Page 29 of Vicious King

“Las Vegas.”

He frowns. “Why don’t you live here?”

“Well, I just bought the house next door so I can be closer to you and your mom too.”

His eyes go wide. “You have two houses?”

I have about ten houses. I keep safe houses all over the world, an apartment in Paris, one in Prague, and a house on the beach in St. Bart’s, in addition to all my properties in and around Vegas.

But, I decide to keep it simple.

“Yep.”

“Cool. We just have one house.”

I nod because I don’t know what else to say, and I’m worried about my Sunshine.

“You eat. I’m going to go see if your mom needs anything.”

He doesn’t even bat an eye as I walk out of the kitchen and down the hallway to Rina’s room. Her bathroom door is closed, but I can hear sniffling behind it, so I walk right in.

She’s my wife. If she’s upset, I’ll fucking hold her.

Her face is buried in a blue towel, and her shoulders shake, and fuck.

I crouch in front of her and wrap my arms around her, and she just falls against me, towel and all.

“I didn’t even fantasize about this,” she admits between hiccups. “Because it was cruel to even think about. I never wanted to picture you with him or hear him calling you Dad. Because fuck, Carson, it was too . . . it hurt too much.”

“I know.”

“He’s such a good kid,” she says. “He made you a card for Father’s Day, with the rest of his day care class. I have it for you.”

Jesus fucking Christ. I might just cry with her.

“Thank you for making sure he knew me.”

“I couldn’t not. Because you lived in me every damn day. There’s been no one since you.”

Rina is the only relationship I ever had. There was no one before her or after. But I fucked plenty. I fucked to try to forget.

But she doesn’t need to know that.

“Where are you guys?”

She leans back and wipes at her face.

“Take your time,” I murmur before kissing her forehead, and then I leave to take care of my son. “Are you finished with your breakfast?”

“I want more. Mom doesn’t let me use appliances that get hot.”

“That’s probably a good policy to have. Come on, I’ll make you more.”

I spent all weekend with them. We played, we laughed, and we ate, and I’m officially fucking obsessed with both of them.

Rina was a no-brainer. I’ve been obsessed with that woman for the better part of a decade, even when I thought she was dead.

But after spending even that short time with Charlie, I know that I’ll never get enough of him. He’s mine. The best parts of both his mother and me.