King's Reign (Sydney Storm MC 6)

I took my T-shirt when he passed it, and put it on. I then found a pair of jeans to wear, and my boots. King stood silently and watched me as I dressed and brushed my hair, his eyes greedy for my every movement. By the time I was ready to walk out of the bedroom, I was actually more ready to lock the door, strip, and beg him to fuck me. Good God, this man only had to look at me and I was a mess. I wasn’t sure how I would get through life now he was in it. And yet, I did know, because having him by my side was a whole lot better than not having him there.

King called me at one and told me my place was clean and ready for me and the kids to move back in, so I bundled them up and moved us back home, arranging for Linc to pick the kids up from there instead of Mum’s. I’d spent the morning at the hospital with Mum and Brynn. She was starting on her road to recovery, much less confused than two days ago, but still not completely herself. I knew it would take time. I was just relieved and happy she was still with us.

Robbie wasn’t feeling well, so he hadn’t gone to karate, and I was concerned about sending him to his father’s while sick. Linc wasn’t the best at coping with the kids when they were like this. Zara was still mad at me, refusing to talk to me. Holly had thankfully moved past the stress she’d felt earlier in the week and had given me no hell today. She’d tried to talk her sister around, but had no luck. I was resigned to the situation with Zara getting worse before it got better. I based that on the way I’d acted at her age. Turned out karma was a bitch.

By the time King showed back up at my place, it was almost three. That concerned me. It meant he was around for Linc’s imminent arrival. I was already stressed about seeing Linc for the first time since our fight the other day; King being here only added to my worry.

He entered the house, beer in hand, and dropped a kiss to my mouth as his hand slid down and around my waist. It was a quick kiss and then he continued on his way to the kitchen. I smiled as warmth filled my belly. This felt good. And right. Like it was meant to be.

I listened while he and Holly had a conversation about motorbikes. She’d taken to him in a way I’d never imagined she would, and loved hearing about the rides he’d been on. They’d talked over dinner last night for a good twenty minutes about his trip across Australia to Perth. I’d found her later, searching the Internet for the places he’d mentioned. When I’d jokingly said, “You gonna get a bike, Hols?” she’d shrugged and said, “Maybe.” That had completely surprised me, but when I’d mentioned it to King, he’d shrugged, too and said, “Better prepare yourself now. When bikes get in your blood, there’s no getting them out.”

I lingered, listening to them for a while before going in search of Robbie. I found him lying on his bed staring up at the ceiling. Entering the room, I sat next to him and asked, “You okay, baby?”

Turning to face me, he said, “I don’t know.”

I frowned. “What’s going on? Is your tummy still not feeling well?”

“It’s okay.” He paused for a moment, and when he spoke again, his eyes shimmered with tears. “I miss Dad.”

With those words, my heart cracked a little more than it already had every other time we went through this. Robbie had been five when Linc and I split, and he’d struggled a great deal with the break-up. He’d been okay for the last six months, though, so I thought things were better for him. But as I sat watching him, I knew deep in my gut where these emotions were coming from.

King.

I’d dated since Linc, but not one of the men had meant as much to me as King did. Robbie was a sensitive soul; I figured he’d picked up on my feelings for King. And while he appeared to like King, I understood how confused he must be about everything.

Running my hand over his forehead, I said, “I know you do.”

I felt out of my depth with this, but that was a recurring feeling in my life. Marriage and parenting didn’t come with a how-to manual, and it sure as heck wasn’t easy to navigate a family break-up. I’d stumbled and fumbled my way through it all. Some days I felt invincible, like I could take on the world. Most days, I felt how I felt right now—completely lost and desperate for the answers that told me how to not screw my kids up any more than I already had.

“I want him to move back home.”

Oh man.

I should never have allowed Linc to stay with us at Mum’s this week. I could see that it had confused Robbie, and now we’d have to go through another round of him coming to terms with the fact his parents would never be together again.

“Robbie, we’ve talked about this before. You know that Dad has his own home.”

His face crumpled. “Why does he have to? Why can’t he live with us?”

“Sometimes mummies and daddies can’t live together anymore, buddy. Do you know how Dad and I fight a lot?” At his nod, I continued, “Well, we just aren’t very good at living in the same house. It makes us just as sad as it makes you, but at the same time, we are happier when Dad lives at his house. That doesn’t mean we don’t love you. We love you very much, and will always make sure you get lots of time with both of us.”

He listened to everything I said, and then he rolled over and faced the wall. That was his sign he was done with the conversation, and previous experience told me it was best not to push him to talk more. Robbie was a deep thinker; he just needed time to process it all.

With a heavy heart, I left him and made my way to the kitchen looking for King. I had the overwhelming need for his arms crushed around me in a hug. When I didn’t find him there, I kept searching until I found him on the couch in the lounge room watching television.

His eyes came to mine the second I stepped foot in the room, and his shoulders tensed as he watched me walk to him. He reached out his arm, grabbed my shirt at the waist, and pulled me onto the couch next to him. As his lips brushed my cheek, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

I curled my legs up under me and snuggled against his warm body. God, he felt good. Like home. Wrapping one arm across his chest, I looked up at him and said, “Robbie’s all confused over his father again.”

“Over what?”

I sighed. “He doesn’t understand why Linc doesn’t live with us. He goes through these phases, but it’s been a good six months since the last one. I guess having his dad stay with us for a couple of nights this week messed him up.”

King was silent for a few moments while he thought about what I said. “And having me around would be confusing to him, too.”

“Yeah,” I said softly, not wanting to admit that, but having to.

“You want me to go? Give you guys the night?”