Ever since we arrived, I’ve studied the endless amount of land with the emerald grass along with marble statues showcasing, by the looks of it, different times in history. Oak trees surround the place with several alcoves in the distance, luring people to rest there with a book.
The concrete paths lead to several destinations, each more mysterious than the next, and I can’t help but notice how flawless it is.
Gray, with not a crack in sight, as if someone regularly reworks it.
All in all, this place speaks of luxury but not in the way Zachary’s house does. This one is more subtle, yet its dominant nature makes you curious and at the same time wary of what you might find inside.
“You rented an entire castle for this? This place is huge!” I ask in disbelief, and Zachary flashes me a grin, winking at me. “If I knew you wanted it, I would have.”
James chuckles from the front, and Zach must take pity on my confusion, because he adds, “That’s my family home.”
I frown. “I thought you said your house belonged to your mother.”
An unreadable expression settles on his face, and his jaw tics, although none of this affects his tone. “It does. It belonged to her, and she liked to go there often. This one Dad bought when his empire exploded, and we moved in here. For two years before Mom got sick. Then he brought his new wife here, and she gladly made it her home.” It’s impossible not to hear the resentment ringing in his words, and I sigh inwardly, thinking that all these years haven’t changed his feelings about his father’s marriage.
While I’m not an expert on family dynamic, shouldn’t he have let go of it in the last twenty-five years? Besides, based on his interaction with Lydia, I thought the relationship improved at least with his stepsiblings.
Now, I’m not so sure about that.
“Why did you decide to do the engagement party here?”
A very odd choice, considering his complicated relationship, and he shrugs, lacing his fingers with mine before he opens the door to the cold wind slipping inside, and says, “Because I’m a fucking King and love to remind them about that.”
As we get out of the car, I see a man wearing a brown suit running toward us down the marble steps, his long suit jacket flapping behind him, and he reaches us in record time, panting for breath but still managing to grate through his teeth, “Young master. You are here. Everyone is waiting for you.”
I bark a laugh and quickly cover it with my lace-glove-covered palm, and the elderly man blinks at me in surprise, probably wondering what’s so funny.
Zachary rolls his eyes at me then addresses the man. “Thank you, Patrick.” And then he drags me toward the door while I can’t stop laughing, and he orders, “Drop it.”
“Young master,” I repeat and giggle. “Oh my God. After all these years, they still call you that.”
“I asked him many times to just call me by name, but he finds the idea outrageous. He has been in the family for the last thirty years.” I guess the staff becomes part of the family in such cases, watching kids grow up and then their kids.
Even by how warmly Zachary acts with them all, not replacing them with someone younger, speaks volumes about him.
Traces of good and honorable character that shouldn’t be ignored because of the one hideous thing he did in the past.
He doesn’t give me time to dwell on this thought as he announces, “The minute we step inside this house, we are a couple in love. Remember that.” His Adam’s apple bobs when he swallows. “The more love we show, the more it will unsettle unsub.”
I raise our locked hands. “I’m holding your hand right now, even without an audience.” Maybe because I feel that he needs this support as much as I do. To some extent whenever he enters this house, he is still that ten-year-old boy who was rejected by his father in favor of his new family.
Those kinds of scars stay with us forever, no matter how much we try to cure them. It doesn’t always mean parents are monsters, but kids see everything through their prism. And for a child, a divorce or the loss of a parent is a devastating experience where their world as they knew it gets shattered apart.
Wait.
I grip this thought in my mind, thinking how it might apply to the unsub with her almost possessive tendencies toward me. Could her parents have divorced, and in this she felt left out by the rest of her family?
However, the deep tone coming from the doors at the top of the stairs snaps me out of my examination, and I promise myself to come back to it again as my eyes land on the speaker. “You took your sweet time getting here, Zachary.”
I have no doubt it’s Anthony King standing in front of me right now, as he is the older version of Zachary. Same height and overbearing presence that is easily detectable, and the green eyes that have the power to be deadly.
The only differences are his gray hair that I’ll bet once was black and some deep wrinkles, but overall, he looks great for a man his age.
“Well, I figured we should make an entrance,” he says right back at his father, and we finally go inside the house, passing by the man. I have a second to see a bright hallway lit by huge chandeliers and covered with expensive carpets before I tug on my hand, stopping Zachary’s movements.
He looks at me in surprise, and I free myself from his hold as anger crosses his face. He clearly thinks I’m about to be difficult or cause a scene when we are supposed to be presenting a united front.
I spin around to face his father whose brows lift, and I extend my hand to him. “Hi, my name is Phoenix. We haven’t met before.”
Zach growls in annoyance. “We have no time for this.”
“A few seconds won’t change your grand entrance. Besides, you should be the one introducing me to your father!” I hiss back at him, and his gaze darkness. He grits his teeth before exhaling heavily.
“Father, I’d like you to meet Phoenix, my future wife. Phoenix, this is my father, Anthony King in the flesh.” He addresses me then, “Happy now?”
Flashing him a bright smile while simultaneously sending daggers his way, I say sweetly, “Enormously.” Zach might have issues with his father, but it doesn’t mean I will be rude to him or show disrespect.
I turn my attention back to Anthony and notice amusement flickering in his gaze, and to my surprise, he pulls me by my hand into his arms, swallowing me in a bear hug, and I freeze.
In all my life, I’ve been hugged by a lot of people. Either patients, their grateful families, my friends, and even the men in my life.
Yet for the first time, the hug has such a strong feeling of acceptance and even tenderness, almost like…
Is this what it feels like when a parent loves his child and hugs him close to his chest, promising that everything will be all right?
The things I’ve only heard of, since even Sebastian’s father never hugged me, just gave me curt nods and shook my hand on the rare occasion.
Anthony and Zachary share one more trait.
Their presence has the power to calm any storm inside a person as they surround them with their protectiveness the minute you become important to them.
And I guess in Anthony’s world, marrying Zach is enough of a sign to accept me with open arms.
“You are crushing her, Dad,” Zachary growls, tugging on my arm, but Anthony sways to the side, leaning back.