Guarded King (Empty Kingdom #3)

Chapter 16

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

ROMAN

“ Y ou look exhausted.” The dark shadows under Cole’s eyes tell one story, but his smile tells a different one. “And really fucking happy.”

Laughing, he rubs his hand over his face. “You have no idea.”

He’s right. I don’t have the first clue how being up all night changing diapers could put that grin on his face.

It’s been just over a week since my niece was born, and Cole’s been on leave since. He and Delilah have decided against hiring a nanny, and I can’t blame them. My brothers and I were basically raised by nannies, and we all know firsthand that it’s not exactly conducive to fostering strong family dynamics. Although seeing how exhausted he looks now, I wonder if there’s a part of him that’s regretting that decision.

“She’s awake.” Delilah appears in the doorway of the living room in their penthouse. Dressed in a dark green robe, with her long dark hair tied up in a loose bun, she cradles the baby in her arms.

“I’ll take her.” Cole leaps out of his seat as if he hasn’t been deprived of sleep for a solid week.

With a sweet, tired smile, Delilah hands over the tiny bundle.

As she shuffles to the kitchen, Cole sits on the couch again, close enough for me to lean over to get a look at Lottie Grace’s face. Even I can admit she’s cute. Delilah and her mom are close, so it makes sense that they used her middle name, but I’m still a little surprised that they gave her our mom’s middle name as well.

My brothers and I have always had a rocky relationship with our parents, to say the least. Dad’s in jail where he belongs, and none of us are sad about that. But according to Cole and Tate, Mom has been trying to make amends for her distance during our youth. Though she hasn’t approached me about it, she does seem to have mellowed recently—her presence at the hospital speaks to that. And Cole mentioned she’s been visiting more often than either Tate or me. The grimace he tried to hide when he told me that suggests he’d prefer her visits to be a little less frequent.

Still, at least she’s trying.

When Delilah returns from the kitchen, she’s carrying a tray with three cups of coffee on it.

Guilt pierces me when I note the dark smudges beneath her eyes that match Cole’s. “I could have done that.”

“That’s okay.” With a relieved sigh, she puts down the tray. Then she settles next to Cole, leaning her shoulder against his, and gives me a warm smile. “You only know how to make coffee one way, and at the moment, I prefer mine decaf and sweet.”

I return her smile easily. Though I would have struggled to believe it a few years ago, I’ve grown fond of my sister-in-law. I can admit now that I was wrong about her and Cole, and regret still fills me whenever I think about how I compared their relationship to Mom and Dad’s. Or to mine and Katherine’s. If Cole had listened to me back then, he wouldn’t be as happy as he is now.

He wouldn’t be happy at all.

That knowledge sits heavy on my shoulders.

I bring my mug to my lips and close my eyes to savor the deep, dark taste of the coffee my soon-to-be other sister-in-law, Violet, sells at her coffee shop. It’s some of the best I’ve ever had.

That thought has my mind drifting back to the moment Chloe showed up at the hospital with coffee and donuts. To the way those pretty ocean eyes of hers found me as soon as she entered the room and how her cheeks flushed as she walked toward me.

Tate’s comment as he let her in still echoes in my head. With her blond hair shimmering in the light like a halo, she did look like an angel. And there I was, in the middle of my family, waiting to hear the good news of my niece’s arrival, and all I could think about was how it would feel to run my hands over the curve of her hips, to grip her ass and pull her down onto me.

“Do you want to hold her?” Cole asks.

“ What ?” I blink back to the moment, and it takes me far too long to realize he’s talking about Lottie. “Sure.” Surprisingly, I do. There’s something strangely appealing about holding a brand-new life in my arms. A sense of the endless possibilities that lie ahead. Not that I’d share that kind of sentimental thought with anyone.

I gingerly take the tiny bundle from Cole, freeing him up to take a no-doubt much-needed sip of coffee. Then I sit back down with my niece, cradling her close.

Lottie’s little face screws up and her hazy blue-gray eyes stare up at me. Will she take after Cole and keep that hue, or will they turn green like her mom’s? Or will the gray dominate, leaving her irises the same shade as mine? “Hi there, baby King,” I murmur. “Who are you going to be?”

She gives me a gummy yawn and waves one tiny fist in the air.

“How are things with Chloe?” Delilah takes a sip of her coffee, then gives me a too-innocent smile.

My gut twists. What the hell has Cole been telling her?

“Things are fine. She’s efficient, professional. What else is there to say?” I feign a casualness I don’t in any way feel.

“Tate told us she dropped off food and drinks while you were waiting at the hospital. That was nice of her.”

Focus fixed on the baby in my arms, I grunt. “It’s what I pay her for.”

“Sophie didn’t drop off anything for Tate,” Cole says.

I clench my jaw and shoot him an annoyed look. “I’m sure she would if he’d asked her to.”

“Did you ask Chloe to?”

“No,” I grind out. “But we’d been working all evening. She knew I’d be tired. That’s what a good assistant does—anticipates needs.”

“You’re admitting she’s good, then?”

“What is the point of this conversation?” I need to end it before I make it too obvious that he’s getting under my skin, if I haven’t already. “Yes, she’s a good assistant, okay? Are you satisfied?”

Cole regards me with undisguised amusement. “I am. It’s not often you admit that you were wrong.”

“I don’t recall admitting that.” And I won’t. Chloe may be good—better than good, really—but my concerns haven’t disappeared. In fact, they’ve gotten more intense. Fighting the temptation she presents day in and day out isn’t as easy as I thought it would be. Particularly after the other night when we worked late together. The night she was on her knees in front of me.

A vision I’m still struggling to get out of my head.

Not just that. The way she smiles, the sound of her laugh, her honey and vanilla scent. All of those things are damn intoxicating.

It’s infuriating that my brothers, and apparently my sister-in-law now, won’t leave me alone about her.

Luckily, before they can continue the unwelcome conversation, the intercom buzzes.

“That will be Beverly,” Delilah says as she slides off the couch.

“You didn’t tell me Mom was coming over.” I eye Cole as I consider whether leaving now would be too obvious.

“Didn’t I?” Cole smirks at me.

Mom looks as regal as ever as she sweeps into the apartment. Her hair is pulled up in an elegant bun, and her cool blue eyes survey the room. Beside her, Delilah is wearing a slight smile. I see why a second later when she holds up a soft-looking pink rabbit toy with long floppy ears.

“Look what your mom brought for Lottie,” she says.

“You don’t need to bring a toy every time you visit,” Cole says. “Her room will be too full for her to sleep in soon.”

I shake my head as Mom makes a beeline for her granddaughter. It’s hard to reconcile this woman with the one who spent our youth basically ignoring us while having a series of semi-discreet affairs. At least she made some effort at discretion. Dad didn’t even bother. Nannies, maids, assistants—he was never particular. And I wasn’t the only one of us unlucky enough to catch him in the act.

Despite the part of me that can’t help but resent Mom for her disinterest, another part understands why she spent more time out of the house than in it. The rest of me wonders why I don’t hate her for not being there for us nearly as much as I hate Dad.

“There’s our little girl.” Mom is wearing the softest smile I’ve ever seen from her as she comes to a stop in front of me. A dull ache settles in my chest as I take her in. What would it have been like if she’d turned that kind of smile on us when we were kids?

Would it have made a difference in our lives? Would it have changed the kind of men we grew up to be?

Should I even bother wondering? After all, I’m happy with who and what I am.

“Can I hold her, Roman?” Her eyes are on me, arms already outstretched.

Once I’ve carefully transferred Lottie to her, she sits in the chair next to mine. Within seconds, Lottie starts to fuss a little, her face screwing up as if she might cry, and Mom tenses, looking to Delilah.

That ache is back. Sharper this time. I’ve never seen her so uncertain. She’s almost made a career out of acting as if every facet of her life is perfect. Even her family, which is anything but.

“It’s okay,” Delilah reassures her. “She’s probably ready for another nap. Just stand up and rock her a little.”

I meet Cole’s gaze, blinking in shock, and find him shaking his head and mouthing later .

Mom stands, rocking Lottie with a bemused smile on her face, and my niece quickly settles.

Where the hell did this sudden change come from? It’s unsettling. With a glance at my watch, I determine I’ve been here long enough. I’ve still got plenty of work to get done this afternoon.

I catch Cole’s eye and jerk my head toward the front door. When he nods, I stand, and so does he.

“I’ll walk you out,” he says.

I give Delilah a kiss on the cheek, and when I say goodbye to Mom, she looks up at me with a warmth in her smile I assume is merely a remnant of what she was giving Lottie. But it doesn’t fade as she says, “It was nice seeing you, Roman.”

With a nod, I make for the door, Cole close behind me. Once we’re out of earshot, I turn to him.

“What the hell was that?”

He chuckles. “I noticed subtle changes after Dad got arrested, but since Delilah got pregnant, they’ve become more noticeable. And after Tate spoke to her about his father, well…” He shakes his head. “I think it finally hit her—all she’s missed out on.”

There was a time when Tate thought he may have lost Violet. As badly as he wanted to mend things with her, he had to deal with his own past first. As a not-so-secret product of one of Mom’s affairs, he’d always struggled with his position in our family. It took some time, but he worked it out. He knows he’s one of us and that he always has been.

Seems like whatever happened between him and Mom might have brought about an epiphany for both of them.

I say goodbye to Cole, but in the elevator on the way to the ground floor, that unsettled feeling washes over me again. My brothers’ lives are changing— have changed. Even my mother’s is. The only one of us whose life remains the same is me.

And I’m happy with that.

I took my shot at something different years ago and failed spectacularly. So I’ll leave the love and the babies to Cole and Tate. I’ll be the one who makes sure our company stays strong.

For them and the families they’re making.