“I mean that I want to make you come,” he says with a laugh at my reaction.
“Oh,” I say shyly, biting my lip. It turns out that I want that, too. “We could try again.”
“We will,” he promises, lifting my hand and kissing the inside of my wrist.
“Now?” I ask hopefully.
“How about we watch another movie and give your body a minute?” he suggests.
That makes sense. “So after the movie?”
His answering laughter echoes in the room. “It’s my fault.”
“What?” I ask, confused.
“I did nickname you Lucky.”
20
Sterling
Present Day
I take longer than I should at the store, picking up ingredients for my date with Adair. She requested neutral territory. I can do that, but it doesn’t mean I’m going to play fair. She wants to know more about where I’ve been the last few years? I’ll show her by highlighting the good bits and glossing over the bad. It’s not the best plan, but it’s all I’ve got.
“Dinner party?” Percy asks when I step into the elevator with two overstuffed grocery bags.
“Something like that. I have a date.”
“Did you learn your lesson?” he asks me seriously.
I stare at the old man, drawing my eyebrow into a question mark. I can only guess what he’s referring to, given that he sees everything that goes on at Twelve and South.
“I assume Miss MacLaine was trying to teach you a lesson when she ran off the other day,” he says, shrugging his shoulders.
“I forgot you were there for that,” I say with a rueful smile. I can only imagine how it looked—or what he saw. I raced after Adair sans clothing in an attempt to stop her, only to spot the elevator doors closing with her inside. It hadn’t occurred to me that Percy was in there, too. “Wait, that’s why you stopped on all those floors going back down,” I realize. “Did she ask you to do that?”
“A gentleman never tells,” he says, placing a finger on the side of his nose to show I’m right on the money.
“And a lady wouldn’t ask,” I mutter. Adair is keeping me on my toes. I might enjoy the chase more if I didn’t have other concerns preoccupying me, like the FBI’s golden boy and an overly cautious Russian Bratva hitman being in town.
“Your new dog walker is quite charming,” Percy changes the subject, perhaps sensing that I’m not exactly happy about his role in aiding Adair’s escape.
“Thanks, I guess.” I don’t exactly know the girl, but she probably spends as much time with Percy as I do, given Zeus’s walking schedule. “The dog is clearly getting comfortable. He demands two walks a day, but I think he’s just trying to get treats.”
“He’s a good dog,” Percy confirms. “I think you gave him exactly what he needs to thrive.”
“What’s that?” I ask as the elevator reaches my floor.
Percy tilts his head quizzically, as if this is an odd question. “A home, Mr. Ford.”
“Oh, yeah.” I shake my head like this should have been obvious. To most people, it probably would be. It hadn’t even occurred to me. Yeah, I’d taken the dog in and adopted him. I liked to pretend it was out of pity after that dumpster fire of a charity gala, but as I shift the groceries to dig out my keys, I stop and stare at the door to my house.
My house.
But more than that, it’s my home. I’m not even sure when it happened, but I’ve put down roots. That wasn’t part of my plan, and yet here I am. The closest thing I’ve ever had to a home was Francie’s place, but even then, something was always missing. And the house I grew up in before foster care? The only label it ever deserved was hell. A strange sensation lingers as I turn the lock and step inside.
I’m home.
I carry the grocery bags to the counter and call for Zeus. When I don’t hear his paws skittering on the tile, I check my watch. He shouldn’t be out for a walk now, but maybe Carly’s running late today.
“Hey, I got you a bone,” I yell, pulling it out of the bag and walking into the living room. “You better not be in my bed or—” My words die on my lips when I see Zeus on the couch, his head in someone’s lap. “He’s not allowed on the couch.”
“Does he know that?” Sutton asks, flashing me a mischievous grin. “Where’s my bone?”
I toss it on the ground, and Zeus finally breaks free of my sister’s spell. He jumps to the ground after it. “If I’d known you were coming… not that you go in for that kind of thing.”
“Never say never.” Her blue eyes flash as she jumps up to greet me. Before I know it, I’m locked into a Sutton-grade hug. Sutton never lets go first. She squeezes extra tight, and she doesn’t give a shit whether you want a hug or not. I pretend to hate them, but really I just don’t know what to do. I don’t have much experience in the hugging department. Unlike me, Sutton received a permanent placement with a wealthy foster family. She’d been young enough to benefit from their stable family environment. She even called her foster parents Mom and Dad. None of that makes her any less of a Ford, in my mind. “I came to rescue you.”
“I don’t remember needing to be rescued,” I tell her, “but it’s good to see you.”
“Well, you stopped responding to my texts a few days ago,” she says, referencing the now infamous—in my mind—conversation Adair had accidentally read.
“I’ve had my hands full,” I say, moving into the kitchen to put things into the fridge. I leave out the cheese and fruit I bought and begin unloading the rest.
“I know. Jack caught me up.” Sutton snags a grape, flashing her bright purple manicure. “Sounds like you’ve really
