King's Reign (Sydney Storm MC #6)(36)
I reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’m just a call away, okay? Don’t hesitate to reach out.”
“I know, but I don’t want to intrude on your time when your sister is in hospital. And I know you’re busy with the kids and work.”
“Skye, it’s all good. Brynn is doing really well. I just visited her before I came here. They’ve moved her to a ward, and the doctors think she’ll likely be home by the end of the week. And even though my ex is being a dick because of King, he’s being more hands-on with the kids, so I have some free time. Also, besides all that, and besides the fact King paid me a lot of money to manage your rehab, I want you to know I’m here for you because I feel like we’re friends now.”
“Wait, go back. What do you mean your ex is being a dick because of King? Have I missed something there?”
“Oh,” I said, my mouth forming an O.
“Oh what?”
I suddenly felt a little nervous about having this conversation. I wasn’t sure if King would be down with me discussing our relationship with his sister.
She nudged me with her hand. “Spill, Lily, and don’t leave anything out.”
I made myself comfy, and as I crossed my legs, I said, “King and I are seeing each other.”
Her eyes widened as a huge smile landed on her face. “Oh my God! This is the best news! Tell me everything.”
I laughed. “Ah no. That would just be weird. He’s your brother. And honestly, I’m not sure he’d be happy to know we’re having this conversation.”
She frowned. “Why wouldn’t he be?”
“He might have preferred to tell you himself.”
“Look, I think we both know my brother isn’t a big talker. He wouldn’t give a shit that we’re having this conversation, because it saves him having it with me. But on top of that, let me just tell you one thing—King hasn’t dated for years. I think it’s probably been like seven years since he was in a relationship. You must mean something to him if he’s, umm, how do I put this without sounding crude… If he’s been back for more.” She cringed. “Sorry, that sounds awful, but that’s King.”
“Don’t be sorry. We are who we are, right?”
What she told me caused a rush of fluttery goodness in my belly. King and I hadn’t discussed past histories except for him laying down the law about me never mentioning another man to him again. I figured it wasn’t something he wanted to get into, and honestly, I wasn’t the type of woman who wanted to think about his past either. But I couldn’t deny that this new information Skylar had shared made me feel all kinds of happy.
I stayed chatting with her for another half hour before she said, “You should go. It’s not often you get a night to yourself. You need to make the most of it.”
“Yeah, I’m looking forward to a long bath with a couple of glasses of wine and no kids harassing me.”
Her brow lifted. “Are you shitting me? Wouldn’t this be the perfect night to spend with King?”
I tried not to laugh. “Is this weird for you? I mean, discussing your brother’s sex life has to be weird.”
She shook her head. “No.” Shrugging, she added, “Sex isn’t something we’ve kept secret or never talked about. Hell, King was the one who had to give me the birds and bees talk when I was twelve. Annika was too busy with her boyfriends to do it. I remember him sitting me down and shoving me that What’s Happening To Me book before giving me the rundown on penises and vaginas and periods. He also took me shopping for my first bra, but Nik did come for that, too. He drew the line at talking me through my first period, though. He made Annika handle that. And let’s just say that he wanted nothing to do with discussing the loss of my virginity. I think he was ready to take a gun to the guy I was dating in year twelve.”
It was both funny and touching hearing how King had manoeuvred his way through that time in Skylar’s life. Funny because I knew the difficulties a parent faced when explaining puberty to their child, and from what she’d said, I imagined King had felt a little out of his depth, and that wasn’t something you often saw with him. But I was far more touched than entertained by her story. It peeled back more layers to the man I couldn’t stop thinking about. Layers I really, really liked.
By the time I made it to my car, I’d decided to call him. We hadn’t made plans for tonight because he’d said he had club stuff on, but I just wanted to hear his voice.
“Lily,” he answered the call in the way he always did when I rang. God, how I loved the sound of my name from his lips.
“Hey you,” I said, feeling all fluttery again. “I just wanted to call and say hi. See how your day has been.” It struck me that he never called me during the day to check in with me, but it didn’t bother me. I knew he was busy. And I was busy, too. King definitely wasn’t a man who was about needless interruptions.
He blew out a long breath. “It’s been long. Busy. Yours?”
I frowned at the exhaustion I heard in his voice. “Are you okay? You sound tired. And stressed.”
“I’m good. Tell me how you are.”
“Liar,” I murmured before answering him, “I’m really good. My first day back at work went well. Brynn’s doing great, and I just stopped by to see Skylar, and she’s doing well, too. And the best part of my day is that I now get to go home and enjoy the peace and quiet of no freaking children. Just me, a bath, and some wine. The only thing that would make it better was if you were in that bath with me.”