6. Soren
SOREN
“Soren, are you ready?”
I was so used to Dean poking his head into my room by now that I didn’t even glance over my shoulder as I slipped my feet into the shoes I’d gotten from the huge closet Phoenix had that looked like the inside of a small boutique.
I’d felt bad at first about taking clothes that didn’t belong to me, but he’d assured me that the purpose of the room was to provide clothing for those who couldn’t afford it or came to the house with none.
One of the sponsors of Halo House owned a chain of clothing stores across several states, so they always met this need.
I was still shocked at the arrangements behind Halo House and everything I’d learned over the past four days that I’d been living here.
It seemed a lot of members wound up finding permanent partners thanks to Halo.
And while I wasn’t looking for a permanent partner, three days ago, when I’d cried in the arms of a stranger, it’d felt so good to find that comfort in someone that I’d agreed to a meet-and-greet with a Daddy Phoenix claimed would be perfect to teach me the ropes of… literally, everything.
“Almost,” I said as Dean plopped down on the bed next to me. Yesterday, Jorge’s caregivers—he had a Mommy and a Daddy—had collected him to spend the weekend aboard their yacht at sea. Dean had dropped in on me more than usual, and I had the feeling he was missing his friend.
“You look nice,” Dean said. “But to be honest, Daddy Jude won’t care what you look like.”
Well, that was disappointing.
I’d carefully chosen my outfit to look attractive. Phoenix had explained the arrangement wasn’t inherently sexual, but it couldn’t hurt if Jude thought I was easy on the eyes.
The man who’d hugged me three nights ago had been gorgeous.
I hadn’t been able to get him off my mind, but it wasn’t because he was good-looking.
It was how kind and gentle he’d been with me even though I was a stranger.
He had still stepped up and comforted me, promising everything would be okay, although he couldn’t possibly know that.
Surprisingly, I’d felt a lot calmer about my current situation since I’d woken up the next morning. Even when I’d dropped my phone in the toilet and it stopped working, I’d kept it together. I was alone. I had limited experience taking care of myself, but I wanted to learn to be responsible.
“Why doesn’t it matter to him?” I asked. “Is he already involved with someone?”
“Daddy Jude? No way. He doesn’t do relationships.”
“Oh?” That was curious.
“Daddy Jude is the best,” he gushed. “He made the rocking horse in the playroom for Tony, and he brings us gifts on our birthdays even though he’s not our Daddy.”
“He sounds nice.”
Everything I’d heard about this Daddy was good.
When I’d spoken to his last little, Kim, two days ago, she’d sounded exactly the way Dean did.
She’d gushed so much about Daddy Jude that I felt like someone was trying to sell me on something.
There was no way someone could be that good.
But then I’d spoken to another boy of his, and he’d been the same.
With Daddy Jude’s help, he was now an investment broker, whereas when they’d first met, he’d been so in debt that he’d attempted to take his own life.
“He’s better than nice. You are so lucky. Kim wanted to be with him, but Daddy Jude turned her down.”
“But she’s happy now with a new Daddy.”
Dean nodded. “That’s what Daddy Jude does best. He makes us better but never keeps us, so don’t go falling in love with him the way Kim did. I swear, if Daddy Jude said yes to her right now, she would dump her fiancé and run back to him in a heartbeat.”
“I’m sure that’s not true, and it’s not a nice thing to say either. If anyone hears you, it might cause doubt in their relationship.”
He pursed his lips and ducked his head. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Anyway, I just meant that he’s a great Daddy, but don’t go falling in love. And Phoenix said when you’re ready, Daddy Jude is waiting for you in the conservatory.”
My heart skipped a beat, and I jumped to my feet. “He’s here already?”
“For half an hour. He was playing with Tony for a while. See what I mean that he’s the sweetest Daddy?”
I hurried over to the standing mirror and checked my appearance.
The clothes were not the quality I was used to, but I was grateful for them.
The brown linen trousers fit perfectly, as did the top I wore unbuttoned over the white undershirt.
I missed my skincare products, but I didn’t dare ask for more than Phoenix already did for me.
For now, a moisturizer would have to work.
“I should go down,” I said more to myself than to Dean.
“Want me to take you?”
I nodded, relieved that I didn’t have to do this alone. Phoenix had asked me earlier if I wanted him to be present, and I’d turned down his offer. I was done having people hover around me and supervise me, but a friend’s company eased my anxiety a bit.
Dean took my hand and led me down the stairs, telling me all about the wonderful things Daddy Jude had done for the members of Halo House.
Turned out he was Halo House’s own handyman, which would make him a first for me.
Until now, every man I’d been involved with had belonged to the same rarefied world I did—aristocrats, diplomats, heirs, and men whose families had long-standing ties to the Crown.
Apparently, Daddy Jude had repaired nearly everything in the house at least once.
He had repaired the loose banister after one of the boys nearly fell, replaced bedroom locks, restored the old benches in the conservatory, and constructed shelves, desks, and the reading nook at the end of the second-floor hall because one of the boys had needed somewhere quiet when the house became overwhelming.
Everything I heard about this man was about his kindness, so I couldn’t help but be curious about this Daddy they all spoke of so fondly.
At the open door of the conservatory, Dean walked in ahead of me and broke into a grin at the sight of the tall, broad-shouldered man crouched beside one of the windows, tightening a loose brass latch with a screwdriver.
“Daddy Jude!” Dean squealed and ran into the room. The other man had barely straightened up when Dean was in his arms, squeezing him tight.
Laughing, he patted Dean’s head affectionately. “Well, someone’s in a good mood today.”
Dean tilted his head back. “I’m always in a good mood. I’m not staying, but I brought Soren to meet you, and I wanted to say hi. Hi!”
Jude’s laugh rumbled loud and warm. He raised his head, the sound cutting short when his gaze landed on me, and I sucked in a deep breath.
It’s him.
The man I’d seen that first day when I arrived at Halo House.
The man who’d wrapped his arms around me right here in the conservatory and held me while I cried snot and tears all over his shirt.
The same man who hadn’t questioned me about why I was crying and hadn’t tried to stop me when, mortified, I’d fled back upstairs and sworn I would never leave my room again.
He was the infamous Daddy Jude?
He gave me a kind smile, crow’s feet forming at the corners of his clear blue eyes, and I had the disorienting thought that he was even more handsome than I remembered.
Silver threaded thickly through his dark hair and covered most of his neatly trimmed beard, giving him the sort of distinguished look I’d only ever associated with diplomats and wealthy men whose portraits hung in government buildings.
Somehow, on him, it felt less polished and far more dangerous.
Phoenix had mentioned he was a carpenter.
It hadn’t sounded especially glamorous at the time, but apparently working with one’s hands came with broad shoulders, strong arms, and enough muscle beneath a fitted T-shirt to make the occupation considerably more interesting.
He was built like someone accustomed to lifting heavy things.
I had never been particularly attracted to men who were much older than me.
Still, Jude had to be at least two decades older than me, perhaps more, and yet the attraction slammed into my gut.
Hard. There was something about the silver in his hair, the quiet confidence in the way he carried himself, and the gentleness in his smile that almost made me forget I was done with romantic entanglements. Almost.
This arrangement had appealed to me only because Phoenix had promised it wasn’t inherently sexual.
Jude loved taking care of subs and did so without expecting anything in return.
If I found him suitable, he would essentially teach me how to be an adult, especially handling money and a job, and I badly needed help with that to function on my own.
“And you must be Soren,” Jude said, his voice powerful but calm, like an ocean holding back its tumultuous waves. “I’m Jude. It’s lovely to meet you.”
I waited for him to say something that would betray how we’d met before—and that I’d had a meltdown—but he just waited, his smile never wavering.
“Hello.” For some reason, I felt incredibly shy, though I’d never been that type of person. Dean, whose presence should have made things easier for me, only made me feel more self-conscious, leaving me tongue-tied.
“Dean, why don’t you run along for now?” Jude said gently. “Soren and I need to talk for a bit.”
Dean pouted, but he shifted away from Jude. “Okay. But you’ll stay and have dinner with us?”
Jude’s gaze shifted to me. “If Soren wants, sure.”
Me? What did it have to do with me if he stayed for dinner? This was more his home than mine, and they were more his friends than he was my Daddy, which I hadn’t agreed to yet.
“Okay, Daddy.” Dean skipped by, pausing beside me to whisper, “You’re blowing this. Be more interesting.”
As soon as he disappeared, Jude gestured to the bench under the window he’d been fixing. “Don’t listen to Dean. You’re doing just fine. Why don’t you sit and we can talk for a bit?”
“Thank you.”