Guarded King (Empty Kingdom #3)

Chapter 42

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

ROMAN

R estless, I shift in my chair. The sky is blue, the sun is shining, and bees are buzzing from flower to flower at the border of the south lawn. The gardens of our family estate in Westchester are impeccable, thanks to a team of gardeners. Our monthly family lunches, the ones we dreaded but maintained for appearances’ sake, are far more enjoyable since Dad’s no longer a part of them and Delilah and Violet are here instead.

The food will undoubtedly be delicious, and the wine in our glasses is dry and refreshing, but I can think of several things I’d rather be doing than having lunch with my family.

All of which involve Chloe.

Lottie, having been passed around the table and showered with love and attention, is now nestled against Cole, fast asleep, while he chats with Delilah and Tate. Mom is engaged in conversation with Violet about her plans to expand True Brew and seems genuinely interested in her future daughter-in-law’s ideas.

My mind conjures the image of Chloe here, sitting next to me, talking to Delilah and Violet, laughing at Tate’s jokes, holding Lottie.

Picturing Chloe with a baby in her arms triggers a strange twisting sensation deep inside me. Not just any baby. My baby.

I’ve never considered the idea before, not seriously anyway. I was twenty-six when I married Katherine. And while there may have been a theoretical intention of having children at some stage, to carry on the family name, I never once imagined her pregnant or holding our baby.

The thought of it never stirred a hot, possessive ache inside my chest.

After my divorce, I had no intention of fathering children. I had more important things on my mind, and I had no doubt Cole and Tate would do their duty… eventually.

That might be changing now. And like so much else involving Chloe, the idea is barbed. She makes me want things I thought I could live without. But wanting those things, taking them, is complicated.

Maybe I should tell my family now. Just casually announce that my assistant and I are involved.

No. The moment the thought occurs to me, I picture every person at this table turning to me, expressions full of suspicion. As if they’re wondering, even just for a moment, whether I really am like him. If Chloe’s like the women Dad screwed because he could. Because they were accessible, and it was easy for him.

I don’t want them to look at her that way. I don’t want anyone to look at her that way.

This thing between Chloe and me is too new. We’re still finding our way. I don’t want to add what would likely be a serious amount of pressure. Maybe once the EcoTech acquisition is finalized, I can tell my family. In the meantime, I need to figure out the best way to do it—on my terms.

“Roman, you need to set Cole straight.” Tate’s voice breaks into my thoughts. “He doesn’t believe that my virtual reality tours of Genesis-1 are the reason the place is fully sold before opening.”

“They were a good gimmick,” Cole says. “But I’d say it has more to do with the state-of-the-art technology, unparalleled luxury, and carbon neutral footprint.” He raises his brows, a smirk curling his lips.

I take a slow, deliberate sip of wine, cataloging the grins on my brothers’ faces while I give myself a moment to center myself back into the conversation. “Obviously, Cole is wrong. And don’t get too smug, Tate, because you’re wrong too.”

Tate groans. “I should have known you’d say something like that.”

I suppress a smile of my own. “The reason Genesis-1 is fully sold is because Violet will be opening a True Brew coffee shop in the foyer.”

Violet’s laugh is light. “Thank you, Roman. I thought my fiancé would be the one who recognized the true power of a good cup of coffee.”

Tate wraps his hand around the back of her neck and kisses her. “There’s no one who appreciates the power of a good cup of coffee more than me. If it wasn’t for your dedication to True Brew, you’d never have agreed to date me. And then where would I be?”

She rolls her eyes. “You’d be a poor, lonely, billionaire bachelor, constantly accosted by the world’s most beautiful women.”

The grin he gives her is devilishly charming. “Exactly, I’d be miserable.”

Even Mom wears a hint of a smile as she sips her wine and watches her youngest son and his fiancée.

Unfortunately, she then turns to me. “I don’t suppose you’ve changed your mind about bringing a plus one to the King Group gala at the end of the month, have you?”

Brow arched, I survey her. Where did that come from? She’s never been overly interested in our love lives before. Her newly acquired motherly concern is… nice, I suppose. I only hope it doesn’t mean she’ll go all matchmaker on me. “I’ll be attending alone, as per usual.”

“Not alone,” Delilah says, stroking Lottie’s back, her green eyes warm. “With your family.”

My chest loosens at the reminder. That despite all the shit Dad put us through, I still have my brothers. I have Delilah and Violet, and yes, apparently, I even have Mom, as strange as that may be.

I flash her a smile, acknowledging her correction. But my mind turns to Chloe again. I asked her a couple of weeks ago whether she was planning to attend. She told me that she and Sophie were going to go together.

I’m not exactly looking forward to it. It’s bad enough that I can’t touch her at work. In a ballroom filled with men who’ll probably take one look at her and try to make a move? It’ll be pure torture. At least she’ll be coming back with me to my apartment afterward, so I’ll have that to keep me sane.

As if Chloe knows I’m thinking about her, my phone rings and her name flashes across the screen. My body warms in a way that’s becoming all too familiar when it comes to her. I excuse myself, push back my chair and walk a few yards away from the table before I answer it.

“I wasn’t expecting to hear from you, but I’m glad you called, sweetheart.”

“I like when you call me that,” she says, and I can hear the smile in her voice.

Chuckling, I check over my shoulder to make sure no one’s paying attention to me. They don’t seem to be, thank god. Otherwise they might question the expression on my face.

“I’m still at lunch,” I tell her.

“I know. I’m just calling because I checked your business email to get a head start for the week. Forbes has reached out asking if you’d do an interview on how the King Group’s strategic direction is changing under your leadership. You’d be on the cover.”

Satisfaction surges through me. I’ve been interviewed by Forbes before, but not to discuss how things have changed since I took over as CEO. “Can you reply and let them know I’ll do it?”

“Of course, I’ll get back to them and organize a date.”

“Thanks. And Chloe.” I soften my voice. “It’s the weekend. You should be taking a break, not checking my work emails.”

“I just didn’t want to miss anything important. It was just a quick check. I actually spent the morning with Dad at the library.”

“It’s good that he’s getting out of the house more.”

“The hard part is making sure he doesn’t go too hard too fast. I swear, he thinks he’s going to be cycling around Central Park in a few weeks’ time.” She laughs, the light, airy sound setting something free in my own chest.

I lower my voice. “Are you still coming over tonight?”

“Yes. Carol’s going to come for dinner, then stay and watch a movie with Dad.”

The sound of the patio door opening and closing distracts me. I turn and find Peters, the estate’s steward, escorting a man I don’t recognize across the lawn.

“Phillip will pick you up,” I tell Chloe, my eyes on the man who’s now standing next to Mom.

“Tell him I’ll meet him in the usual place.”

“I will. See you soon.”

As I slip my phone into my pocket, I stride back over to the table.

“Roman, you’ll never guess who this is,” Cole says, his usually sharp blue eyes bright with amusement.

The dark-haired man looks to be in his late fifties and is holding a bouquet of wildflowers.

Before I can begin to make sense of the scene, he smiles and reaches out his hand for me to shake. “Roman, I’ve heard a lot about you from Beverly. It’s nice to finally meet you. I’m Miles. Miles Hanson.”

“Miles is mom’s new friend ,” Cole says, with heavy emphasis on the friend part. “He’s joining us for lunch.”

I turn my attention to Mom, whose cheeks have gone pink. “This is a surprise.”

“I didn’t mention it because I wasn’t sure Miles could make it today.”

“I’m a pediatric surgeon,” he breaks in. “I’m on call, but so far, so good.”

Mom looks up at him with a lightness in her expression I’ve only ever seen once before. It hits me then. Miles is the man she was talking to at the gala a few weeks ago.

He holds the flowers out to her, and she blushes even more as she takes them. Then he slides into the seat next to her, and my brothers and I spend the next hour getting to know him. Turns out, he and Mom met a couple of months ago at a benefit to raise money for his hospital’s pediatric care wing. They saw each other a few times after that at various charity galas and struck up a friendship.

Or at least that’s what Mom called it.

Miles is a natural comedian, spinning stories about some of the behind-the-scenes antics at the hospital. It’s incredible how often he makes Mom laugh—hearing it now only underscores how rarely she did it when we were growing up.

I doubt she had much to laugh about when she was married to Dad.

By the time lunch is done, I’m relaxed, and I’ve even started to enjoy myself. The only fly in the ointment is Chloe’s absence. And it’s even more noticeable with my mom’s new friend here as well.

Even when I was with Katherine, I never enjoyed these catch ups. The small talk was stilted, and on the rare occasion when Dad bothered to show up, he’d spend the time criticizing us. And back then, my brothers and I barely took the time to share what was going on in our lives. We all just wanted to get it over with and go our separate ways. Katherine’s presence should have made things more bearable. She should have felt like an ally.

She didn’t.

Hindsight’s a bitch. If I’d seen the way Cole and Delilah and Tate and Violet interact, I never would have believed what I felt for Katherine was real. I’d like to think I would have recognized the truth behind her feelings as well.

I never would have let my desire to prove Dad wrong blind me to her deceptions.

When I saw her for who she really was, it was enough to put me off relationships for years.

Until now. Until Chloe.

With our bid to acquire EcoTech looking positive and a Forbes interview in the works, I’m on track to finally get what I want. While I never dreamed about getting the girl, I’m wondering now if I might just manage to get that too.