Junie leaned her head against my arm, her tiny weight settling me in a way nothing else had in a long time.
And for a moment, I let myself believe her divine half might be right.
That maybe I had just forgotten.
Chapter XIII
Roman
“Daddy,you’rehome!”Juniesquealed, sprinting across the cabin and launching herself into my arms.
I scooped her up and held her close, letting her warmth chip away the edges of a draining day.
It had been rough start to finish, from my run-in with Demi—who somehow managed to make me question everything I thought I knew about her—to the press grilling me about my fangirl moment, to Cassie’s interview, where she mocked me with every answer and probably hexed me with her eyes, to dealing with Blaine, the first male cast member to be interviewed. He was a glorified frat boy with a trust fund and a jawline he thought made him invincible.
My divine intuition said Blaine was more insecure than he let on. Not a total tool. But definitely not the one for Demi. And that? That was new. My Cupid had never made a judgment call before the season officially began.
This wasn’t good news.
It meant Demi’s quest was about to go full Greek and my job was about to get harder. And Zeus was probably laughing about it somewhere in the clouds.
But for now, I didn’t want to think about Demi. Or her hex-happy friend. Or the gods playing chess with my life.
I just wanted to be Daddy, my favorite and most important role.
I kissed Junie’s head.
“How was your day, June bug?”
“It was the best day ever!”
I carried her into the kitchen, which smelled like fresh bread and garlic. I’d hardly eaten all day, and I was starving. My mom truly was an angel.
“Tell me all about it.”
“Well . . . I kind of got in trouble,” Junie admitted.
I glanced at my mom, who was just pulling lasagna out of the oven in our cozy, rustic kitchen with older appliances and decorated in homey warm wood tones.
“Junie had quite the adventure today,” she said. “She gave me a scare.”
I furrowed my brow at my daughter.
“Please tell me you didn’t run off again.”
Unfortunately, it was becoming a habit. Her little goddess had a mischievous streak, and Junie was easily swept up in it. I’d tried to teach her she didn’t have to follow every divine nudge. Not to say that Junie was never the instigator.
“Um . . .” She fluttered her eyelashes at me, knowing full well she had me wrapped around her little finger. “I had to go. I had to see Demi.”
I set Junie down, trying to process. While not an unexpected development, it certainly wasn’t welcome news. If word got out that Junie and Demi were spending time together, it wouldn’t bode well for my career.
Not that I was one to talk. I’d carried the woman home today. Held her. Felt her breath against my neck. And enjoyed it way too much. So much so that I could hardly get her off my mind.
“Junie,” I said, trying to sound firm, “I told you—Demi is a cast member. You need to stay away from her.”
Mom cleared her throat. “Well, that’s going to be difficult,” she said, “seeing as she’ll be here any minute.”
My head snapped up. “What? Why?”
