Page 96 of The KING Review

My mouth quirks, but it’s not really a smile. “I’d rather have to sneak out your back door than not see you at all. Besides, if you’re really lucky, Sera might forget all about me once she’s had enough lime seltzer.”

He snorts, beard twitching. “You might be the only person alive who could win her over that fast.”

“I barely said a word to her.”

He shakes his head. “She likes you already.”

My chest swells with warmth, and I chuff a soft sound before slipping away from him, padding around the bedroom to start collecting my clothes. Grant’s tee goes on the velvet chair, and I wriggle into my dress, fingers clumsy.

When I turn back toward the door, he closes the distance first, palms my jaw, mouth hovering over mine. I lean in, greedy, and his lips crash to mine, hard and frantic, nothing held back. Just the way I like him.

My heart explodes. I kiss him back, gutted and grateful and so fucking desperate to stay, I can barely stand it. Then, against every instinct in my body, I walk out and skip the breakfast meeting.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Change in Circumstances

Grant

The street outside Ellie’s office is gray and slicked with rain. The sky is the color of slate, but Sera’s smile and her rainbow fairy wings light up the whole morning anyway.

It’s changeover day.

I slip my phone from my pocket before we step in, firing off a quick message to Neve. I feel awful for being almost excited that it’s changeover day—because it means I get to see her again. Of course, I’ve seen her at work, but with having Sera the past two weeks, she’s not been able to come over, no matter how much I want her to.

I know we can’t move forward without me telling Ellie about the relationship—and by extension, telling Marie about the change in circumstances.

Me:

I’ll message you after, angel. I’ve got to go in now.

“Come on, Papa! I can’t wait to see Mama!” Sera tugs on my hand, and I grin down at her despite myself. My phone buzzes, and I glance at the screen.

Don’t:

good luck, baby. Don’t let her get in your head, okay?

I huff a laugh. If only it were that easy.

We cross the street, Sera’s wings going wild in the wind, and I focus on the warmth of her hand in mine instead of the fact that my ex-wife is waiting for me inside. There’s a weird optimism humming under my skin today, which is so out of character I feel like I should check my own pulse.

Neve promised she’d come over tonight, and I’ve cleared my schedule for the afternoon. I’m actually doing what she told me to do. Self-care, or as she put it in her last text that mentioned it: “Minimum one (1) hour of smutty books or couch naps. No work. No guilt. Wild sex when we see each other.” I snorted when I read it, but I took it seriously, which is a new low, or maybe a new high, depending on how you look at it.

Inside, it’s all business. Marie is wearing her “this is a formality, not a declaration of war” outfit—denim trench coat, bright coral lipstick, zero eye contact. She barely says two words to me before peeling Sera away with a manufactured laugh and a promise of pancakes at home.

I’m braced for it all. Ellie sits waiting, a silent sentinel, pen tapping the desk. The moment Sera’s hand is in her mother’s, Marie’s gaze sharpens on me, and her mouth ticks up as Ellie clears her throat.

“Uh, Grant? Hang back a sec.”

I freeze. That’s never good. The door clicks behind Marie and Sera, and I turn back to the desk.

Ellie sighs, sliding the file across the polished mahogany. “Marie came in early. She wants a review of the custody agreement. She’s flagged ‘concerns’ about undisclosed changes in your home environment.”

I stare, any optimism I’d been foolish enough to feel snapping like a dry cracker.

“There’s been no change in my home environment,” I say firmly. “Sera’s routine is exactly the same as it’s always been.”

Ellie’s pen taps the file. “She says she’s concerned you’re bringing undisclosed partners into the apartment.”