Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 107639 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107639 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
“If she saved him, why did he end up with a lobster phobia?” he asked gently.
“Oh, Liv only kept him from a solid dunking. The boy still fell partway in and was covered neck to knees in baby lobsters. If only someone had captured it with a cell phone camera. But this was before everyone had one of those things, you know.”
I decided to rescue them both. “And thank goodness for that,” I said, strolling into the kitchen as if I’d just walked up. I caught Kenji’s eye and winked. “Nan never wore that dress again, and she definitely didn’t appreciate the donation we made to the hatchery in her honor that Christmas.”
Dad laughed. “Too right, son. Speaking of lobsters, you should tell Kenji about your phobia.” He turned back to Kenji. “We were in Padstow once. That’s in Cornwall. Lovely area. I believe I had a meeting at Prideaux Place. Can’t remember what it was about, but it wasn’t something a boy of ten would have much interest in. So Nan decided to take Landry…”
Dad launched into the story again. I moved over to the refrigerator to find something cold to drink while Kenji listened, patient as ever.
“Baby lobsters?” Kenji laughed as if hearing it for the first time. “How did they end up traumatized if the lobsters were just babies?”
Dad chuckled, and for a moment, they shared a genuine laugh. I considered changing the subject to break him out of this memory loop but didn’t have the heart. There was no harm in leaving it be if he was happy.
Movement in the hallway caught my eye, and I saw Nan rushing toward us in her bathrobe, a worried look on her face. She stopped short when she saw them laughing, pressing her hand on her chest and closing her eyes in relief.
When the puzzle pieces finally snapped together, I felt like the most oblivious human on the planet.
Nan only knew my father wasn’t safe in his bed because she’d woken up to find him missing. She’d been sleeping in his bed. In their bed.
Maybe part of me hadn’t wanted to see it before, but suddenly, I not only knew, but I also realized it had been going on for a long time.
I hurried to intercept her, gently gripping her upper arms. “He’s okay. Just getting a glass of water and a sweet treat,” I said in a low voice.
She shifted from foot to foot, glancing toward the kitchen. “I happened to pass by his room and…”
I didn’t let her finish the lie. Instead, I threw my arms around her and hugged her tighter than I had in twenty years.
Emotion clogged my throat. “I love you,” I croaked. “I love you so much, and I didn’t know. I’m so fucking sorry.”
Her arms tightened around me. She even smelled familiar, and I realized she’d been a part of my life as long as I could remember. She was as steady, if not steadier, than my own parents.
She was the rock of my family. And she’d loved me just as much as they had.
Nan pulled back, her eyelashes wet and her eyes bright. “I love you more than you can know, Everett Landry. And I know you love me. Still have a drawer full of your little treasures to prove it. Handprint cards, horrendous jokes written in your little-boy handwriting, salt-dough ornaments, and even the four-leaf clover charm that used to hang on my keyring.”
After leading her to the kitchen and throwing back a large glass of water, the four of us returned upstairs. Kenji continued to laugh and swap stories with Dad until we stopped at the doorway to my father’s suite. My father turned and smiled at Kenji. “You make a good viscount consort, Kenji. I’m proud to call you a Davencourt.”
Kenji looked taken aback. “Thank you, sir, but we’re not actually…” His voice trailed off as if unsure whether correcting him would only add to the confusion.
But my father reached up and softly tapped the center of Kenji’s chest.
“You are where it counts, son. Good night.”
Nan passed me, dropping a quick kiss on my cheek, then doing the same to Kenji before disappearing into my father’s suite.
I stared at the closed door. “What the fuck.”
Kenji reached for my hand and pulled me back to our room. Once we were settled in bed, with Kenji exactly where he belonged in my arms and Turkey shoving up between us, Kenji asked if I wanted to talk about it.
I told him what had happened in the hallway with Nan.
He didn’t seem surprised.
“She’s already running everything, Kenji!” I said. “The house, the staff, Dad’s office staff, his social calendar. She makes sure I stay on top of the estate business and that Cora has everything she needs for the Foundation. She arranges the accountants, the solicitors, and…”