Help take the attention off him and Zoe, but I wasn’t stupid enough to say that.
King froze at my request, then after a beat, lifted a hand to rub his forehead, the movement jerky. “Yeah. I guess. I haven’t—I don’t know when that’ll be.”
Or if you guys would still be together was the subtext. Little did King know that I’d have a contract in place by the end of the day that’d guarantee it.
Just then my phone alerted with a text from the front gate security.
Gate Security: Sophia Scott to see you. No longer on the approved guest list. Please advise.
I smirked. Perfect. I texted back.
Me: Send her through and add her back onto the list. Total access, no restrictions.
I stashed my phone and reached for my shirt. “Do you want to meet her now?” Once Sophia met King and saw his hound dog face and cute little Zoe, she’d be locked in. “She’s pulling through the front gate as we speak.”
“Uh…” King looked from me to Zoe and back again, indecision written all over his face.
“Look, she’s a nice girl. She’s normal.” Aside from some starstruck awkwardness, she had held it together pretty well. Plus, she hadn’t said anything publicly about me. If she were the type looking to score a payday, I’d already be dealing with headlines and calls from my publicist and attorney. “And she’s signed an NDA.”
“Okay.” King sighed and scooped Zoe into his arms. “Just for a minute. We should be heading back soon. It’s getting close to Zoe’s nap time.”
“Right, and you know you can always stay over if you need. Put off that LA traffic as long as possible.”
King smiled down at his daughter. “We’ll see. Won’t we, Zo?”
Zoe grinned, pulled King’s finger into her mouth, and gnawed away.
I grabbed the rest of our stuff and led the way into the house, Pongo hot on our heels. Like he knew Sophia was coming.
Tossing our towels onto a barstool, I crossed the kitchen for a water. I held one up for King, and he nodded. “What about her highness? Is she thirsty too?”
As I slid the water bottle across the counter to King, I made silly faces for Zoe. She grinned and babbled back.
“Sure,” King answered. “Grab me another water, and I’ll mix her a bottle.”
We’d all settled around the kitchen island drinking our water (or formula in Zoe’s case) when a thunder of knocking sounded at the door.
King turned to me with a weird expression. “She still knocks?”
I lifted a shoulder as I walked to the front door. “Depends. She walked in on my session with Kevin the other day. She doesn’t like to interrupt.”
That sounded like a couple-y thing. Didn’t it?
I was still mentally debating the point when I opened the door and found Sophia standing on my front step, her face red, tears streaming down her face. Her breath hitched when she spoke.
“I am so, so sorry. I just di-didn’t know where t-to go. They’re everywhere.”
Without a thought, I pulled her into the house and into my arms. “Sshhh. It’s gonna be okay.”
She fit perfectly in my arms in that way that looked effortless, but I knew from all my work on rom-coms, it usually took time and countless wardrobe changes to get it just right. But I didn’t need any of that with Sophia. She tucked under my chin like she’d been there before. Holding her in my arms felt right. Familiar.
Damn, that was a weird thought.
I shook my head to get it out of my head. “You’re okay.”
Her breathing had calmed while I held her. I felt her nod against my chest, then her body stiffened, and she tried to pull away.
I let her go, but only marginally. Just enough that I could see her still reddened face. “What’s going on?”