Just Like That (The Kings)

If you ever find a man who’s a little prickly, secretly tender, and also obscenely wealthy? Even if the dude has got some baggage, go for it.

Highly recommend it. You can thank me later.

With warm, happy thoughts, I stretched and yawned against the plush comforter as I snuggled deeper into the bedding. The private yacht JP had procured was completely over the top. A butler, private chef, and housekeeper were all available to us at any time. We spent two days sailing the west coast of Italy, stopping at hidden alcoves and private beaches that felt made for only us. I had loads of content to post on my social media but focused my attention on the man lying beside me.

I was in love.

There was absolutely no denying it.

JP was stretched out on his back, totally naked, and still peacefully dreaming. I took a tiny peek under the sheet and giggled. The night before we had finally collapsed in bed, exhausted and satiated in the wee morning hours.

As magical and romantic as the whirlwind trip had been, I missed Teddy. I missed Michigan and the weird little coastal town we’d wound up in. I missed the skoolie and couldn’t wait to decorate her with a few quirky knickknacks JP had bought me.

I looked at him again, and the butterflies in my tummy sprang to life.

Maybe JP still frowned when he slept, but he looked peaceful doing it.

I couldn’t help but feel the giddiness in knowing that maybe I’d had a hand in creating that peace.

It was our last day in Italy and JP had something up his sleeve. Last night he’d spoken to the staff in whispers and sidelong glances. I was nosy enough to try to listen in, but I couldn’t hear enough details to know anything other than he had something planned for us tonight.

A tiny ball of excited energy bounced around my belly.

Would it be insane if he proposed?

The rogue thought stopped me in my tracks. What the fuck was that about?

I wasn’t even supposed to like JP, let alone begin fantasizing about what life would be like with him long-term.

I pressed my fingers into my eyes and tried to shake the thought. “God, what would Olive think?” I whispered to myself as I searched for a shirt.

“I think she’d be grateful for how much you love Teddy.” JP’s thick voice startled me, and I let out a nervous laugh as his hand ran over the tense spot where my shoulder met my neck.

I leaned back into him, closing my eyes with a sigh. His chest was hard and warm, and I buried the guilt of knowing I had fallen for my sister’s ex . . . whatever he was.

I swallowed hard, put on a brave face, and turned with a smile. “Morning.”

JP’s dark brows pitched down. “Hey.” His eyes roamed over my face. “What’s wrong?”

I hated that he could read me so well. I could have lied. I could have told him nothing was wrong or that I was homesick.

Instead, JP’s expression reflected trust back to me, and I couldn’t do it. He deserved my honesty.

I looked up at him, praying he would understand. “I’m feeling . . . guilty, maybe?” I swallowed down the lump in my throat. A whisper was all I could manage. “Like maybe it should have been Olive here instead of me.”

A deep noise rumbled in his chest. His arms wrapped around me, and I melted into him. “You’re wrong.” He cupped my face. “Look, I understand why you would say that, but you’re wrong. Sure, guilt has come up for me too—not because I have any latent feelings there, but because of Teddy. He lost his mom and I know how deeply that changes someone. I don’t remember much about my own mother, and it kills me that Teddy might not remember how much his mom loved him . . . but I wouldn’t be here with anyone other than you.”

Hot tears sprang to my eyes. “I just don’t want him to forget about her.”

“Shh,” he soothed as he held me close. “He won’t. We won’t let him.”

We.

One word and I felt my heart completely unravel.

“It’s only been a few months, but he doesn’t cry. He doesn’t even talk about her. That’s not normal.” I was lost and couldn’t help but feel like I was completely failing my nephew.

The cabin of the yacht shrank around us as JP opened up to me. “In a strange way, I know what he’s going through. It wasn’t exactly the same for me—I thought my mother left us—but she was still gone suddenly. I couldn’t speak her name for a long, long time.”

My chest ached for the lost little boy he had been. “What helped you?”

A wry laugh escaped him. “I didn’t get help.” He eased back to look at me. “But we’ll do better by him. Do whatever it takes to help Teddy. I promise. But please . . . don’t ever think you’re someone else’s placeholder, because you’re not.”

My eyes clamped shut and I buried my face into his chest. “Thank you.”

JP’s attention bore into me as though he was assessing my every need. I’d never felt so cherished.

So taken care of.

“We have one more day, but if you want to go home, we can leave right now,” he said.

Part of me wanted to say yes—to head back and hug Teddy so tightly that he would always know how loved he was.

I shook my head and offered a watery smile. “I’m good. I promise. Just a little tired, I think. I’d like to stay.”

JP looked at me and gave a firm nod.

What I failed to communicate was that I didn’t really mean I wanted only to stay in Italy.

My heart wanted to stay with him indefinitely.

“Scusa, miss.” Tommaso, our private butler, handed me a tall stemmed glass. “Prosecco for the lady.”

I accepted the slender glass of golden bubbles as I walked from the cabin out onto the bridge deck. Tommaso held out his hand so I wouldn’t trip on my dress. “Thank you.”

JP had spoiled me with a shopping trip in an obscenely expensive boutique. I got to live out my girlish fantasy of trying on expensive dresses just for the hell of it. When I’d stepped out in a slinky, floor-length gown that pooled at my feet and cut in a low V in front, his jaw had visibly dropped. I had protested at the price, but JP insisted and we’d walked out of the store with the dress to be delivered to the yacht.

I had never felt more elegant.

With my hand in the nook of Tommaso’s arm, he guided me toward the small table at the end of the deck. “The wine is light bodied with aromas of pear and honey. Mr. King requested your approval.”

I took a small sip and enjoyed the rich flavors as they washed over my tongue. The bubbles tickled my nose. I smiled. “It’s delicious.”

Tommaso nodded. “Very good, signora.”

On the bridge deck, a small table had been arranged for our dinner. Warm candlelight flickered, and the aroma of freshly cut flowers mixed with the sea air. JP was standing at the back of the yacht in a dark suit, his back to us.

As we approached, we caught his attention and he turned. A smile lifted his features, and I was struck by how devastatingly handsome he was. With one hand in his pocket and his other holding his own glass of Prosecco, he looked as though he was born to enjoy a life with a yacht.

He certainly fit in more there than when we’d been camping with the skoolie. The thought caused a small giggle to titter out of me.

JP’s hand brushed down his suit jacket. “Something funny?”

I nodded a thank-you at Tommaso as he guided me toward JP and slipped away into the darkness. I took another step toward JP. “Just thinking about how this yacht suits you a whole lot more than the skoolie, that’s all.”

His arm snaked around my waist and pulled my body flush to his. “I think you suit me.”

I inhaled sharply as his mouth found my jawline and moved its way down my neck. Warmth hummed in its wake, and heat curled down my back. When his lips reached my collarbone, he stopped, his entire body stiffening.

I stepped back with a small laugh, hoping I’d remembered deodorant. “What?”

His eyes were pinned to my chest, his face in a hard mask.

I placed my hand over the necklace I’d chosen to wear. “What is it?”

“Where did you get that?” His voice was as hard and tense as his expression.

I toyed with the small diamond cluster that hung from a silver chain. “This?” I asked. “It was Olive’s.” I was confused and concerned with the sudden shift in his mood. “Why?”

JP straightened and his expression was unreadable. Nerves rippled through me. He sighed and his jaw flexed. “Where did she get it?”

My face twisted as I tried to keep up. “I don’t underst—why are you asking me this?”

JP sighed again. He didn’t look mad or annoyed, but utterly exhausted. Wrung out. “Where did your sister get that necklace, Hazel?”

My throat burned and I took a sip of wine, but it did nothing to ease the ache. “I don’t know. It was mixed in with the items she left when she died. I don’t usually have a reason to wear it but figured Italy might be the time, so I packed it. Why are you being weird about this?”

His face was stern, as though he was performing mental gymnastics to try to figure out what was happening.

I knew exactly how he felt.

Then a thought bloomed. “Did you—did you give this to her?” It didn’t make sense, but it was clear that he recognized the piece in some way.

His head twitched. “No, of course not.” He sighed and dragged a hand through his perfectly styled hair, mussing it up in the process. “But I do recognize it.”

I waited, breathless.

“It was my mother’s.”