Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 138844 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 694(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 463(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138844 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 694(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 463(@300wpm)
“So should I remind you that my mom died because she wouldn’t stop working too hard?”
There it was.
“I remember the story, dear.” I set my coffee on the table. “You probably can’t tell me anything I haven’t heard these past couple of days—or anything I haven’t thought of. I know I overestimated my capabilities. I almost lost Cam in the process.”
Penelope hummed. “KC gave me the rundown yesterday. But Cam’s here now, isn’t he?”
I nodded. “He came home last night.”
“Good.” She offered a firm little nod. “You belong together.”
Sweet of her to say, but I was bracing myself for her usual bluntness.
She didn’t seem to be in any rush, though. She prioritized coffee—and looking at the photos on the walls.
My God, she could be frustrating.
“I think one of the things workaholics forget is that people need them.” And now she began, all while glancing at the photos. “I may have been an adult when my mom died, but she left a big void behind. My dad and I don’t have the same relationship we used to, because Mom was the glue.” She set down her mug too. “I’m not saying you’re the glue in your foursome—you all are. And if one goes, everything falls apart. So…when you get started on your recovery, Lucian, I want you to think about them.” She nodded at one of the many pictures of us together. “You’re a vital part of what the four of you have created.”
She knew exactly where to strike.
Cam’s words came back to me.
“If you’re not okay, we’re not okay.”
“You’re also part of a community that wouldn’t look the same without you,” she went on. “We’ve grown up together in a way—we went through our thirties together, when we were finding our way in kink and figuring out how to become adults. Well, you seem to have figured it out. I’m getting there. I think.”
My mouth twitched with mirth, but then I heard a snee—scratch that. Cam was having a sneeze attack. Two, three, four…
Penelope heard it too, so I didn’t need to explain myself.
“Excuse me one moment.” I got up and aimed for the living room, and I noticed Penelope coming with me. Fair enough. She wouldn’t turn down an opportunity to push Noa’s buttons.
In the living room, I slid open the glass doors some more and spotted Cam by the steps in the pool.
“I don’t like the sound of that, darling.” I grabbed one of the towels from a lounger and walked over to him. “Which of Master Greer’s kids do we blame?”
“Who knows,” he chuckled tiredly. “No one was sick that I could tell.”
Yes, well. Children were known to carry all kinds of germs.
“Hello, Mistress Penelope!” Noa waved from the pool and put on his polite face. “How do you do?”
“It looks like I can’t catch a break if you’re gonna be all sweet,” Penelope drawled. “First, Macklin begs me to go easy on Lucian—”
“I do adore that boy,” I said, enveloping my boy in a towel. “Let’s listen to Macklin more.”
KC grinned, out of breath, busy doing his laps. His arm strength was incredible, and I was even impressed by what he put his legs through. Like when he jogged in the water with weights around his ankles.
“And now Noa’s being a sweetheart,” Penelope finished. “What’s a sadistic girl to do?”
“Be nice to us?” Noa supplied helpfully. “Personally, I would never ever tease you. I’m a good boy.”
Good lord.
I rubbed my hands over Cam’s shoulders and tuned out the others. “I think you need to rest, little pet. If you’re getting sick, I don’t want you near any drastic temperature changes.” Such as right here. The water was somewhat warm, but the glass walls had high humidity on one side and March cold on the other.
Cam glanced up at me with a dopey smile. “I love it when you get fussy, Owner—just don’t forget to give me tasks too.”
It was possible I could use the reminder, but we had time. “You’ve been home for less than twelve hours. Speech restrictions and chores will be back in full force soon enough. But if you’re getting sick, you know we play by different rules until you feel better.”
He grew pensive for a beat, then nodded once. “Fair enough. I guess I’m just a little worried you’re going to hold back. Maybe go too easy on me. But you know chores make me happy, right?”
Christ, he did know me awfully well. I hugged him to me and pressed my lips to his wet hair. “Full disclosure…? It’s a valid concern. So how’s this—in the next day or so, we’ll know if one of Master Greer’s kids has made you sick. And when you feel better, we’ll sit down and discuss what we’re ready for.”
He peered up at me again, and the smile was back. “That sounds good. But it doesn’t have to be one of his children, you know.”