His hand rubbed up and down my back, much like when we tried to get Storm to fall asleep. I probably should be insulted that he was treating me like a baby, but it felt too good to complain.
“It’ll be alright, sweetheart. We’ve been through worse.”
I laughed darkly. “I don’t know if that makes me feel any better.”
He hummed. “Yeah, maybe not, but it’s true. Whatever happens, we’ll get through this. We’re doing this by the book. We notified your social worker, and the lawyer confirmed he has no rights to Wynter. He’d have to go to court and fight, and you know how long that takes. We’ll protect her.”
I’d called our social worker immediately after getting home. While I’d spoken to him, Koa had called the police, and then together we’d called our lawyer. I wanted all our bases covered.
“Yeah, if he does things legally.” Horrifying images of Aren snatching Wynter off the street while she was walking to school flashed before my eyes. Aren had never been one to put much weight into the legal system. If he decided he wanted Wynter, he’d find a way to get her.
Koa kissed the top of my head. His soft lips brushed against my hair, making my stomach flutter. “The police already said they’ll put someone in front of our house for the next few days and stop by Aren’s listed address and remind him of the terms of the restraining order and his parole.”
It wouldn’t be enough, but there was no point worrying about worst-case scenarios. There was enough going on as it was.
All the kids were shaken up, especially Knox. He tried to hide it, but I could tell. Koa and I had sat with them for nearly an hour, answering any questions and reassuring them as much as possible. Eventually, we’d managed to get the younger ones to sleep, and Knox had retreated to his room, saying he needed space. I’d made a mental note to keep an eye on him.
“What’re we going to tell Wynter?” I finally asked. I found Koa’s hand and threaded my fingers with his.
“The truth. You know we can’t keep this from her.”
I grunted in response, even if I knew he was right. I was just worried about how she’d react. Wynter had been so young when they’d left, and we hadn’t told her all the details. There had been no reason to traumatize her more than she’d already been. But now . . . she was thirteen and she would have questions. She would need to understand why we were desperate to keep her from Aren.
“Try not to worry about it now,” Koa said gently. “Cara said she’ll drop them off in the morning. Then we’ll sit down together and talk to her about it. You’re not alone, Riot. Not ever.”
I twisted so I was looking up at Koa’s face. His dark-chocolate eyes bored right into me. Sometimes it felt like he could see right into my soul.
Reaching out, I cupped his cheek. His face was warm, golden-brown skin so soft to the touch. “I don’t know what I would do without you, Ko. I love you.”
Something close to pain flashed across Koa’s face before he quickly smoothed it out. I frowned, trying to work out what that meant. “I love you too,” he replied, but his voice sounded strained.
My mind raced as I desperately tried not to look too deeply into it. It wasn’t the first time we’d said I love you to each other. Koa was my ride or die. My best friend for life. The other father to my kids. Of course I loved him. I always would. I thought he felt the same, but maybe I was wrong? Maybe I was too dependent on him and Koa was starting to chafe at the restrictions? After all, the man had never even dated because he’d been forced to marry me. I had told him it was okay, back when we’d legalized our marriage, that he could see other people, that I understood this wasn’t real, but he’d brushed it off. I’d secretly been relieved that he had. I wasn’t sure how I’d react if Koa dated someone, but the thought of it left me itchy for some reason. That was another thing to feel guilty about, I guessed. Since he never brought it up, I’d figured he was content, but now . . . something was off.
Koa kissed my head again, and all my wandering thoughts settled. I was thinking way too much about this. Today had been rough. He was as shaken up as I was, maybe even more so because he’d been the one to confront Aren. The one who’d comforted Knox as he’d spiraled. The last time he’d seen Aren, Koa had gifted him a trip to the hospital. He had to be thinking about that and everything that would come next. That was all.
“Wanna watchHeated Rivalry?” Koa asked after long minutes of silence. “Nothing like Ilya Rozanov to get your mind off things.”
I laughed but didn’t comment on Koa’s crush. “Yeah, okay. Let’s do it. It’s gotta be better than being in my head all night.”
Koa adjusted us so that his legs were stretched across the couch, his back against the armrest. I settled in between his legs,the position making me feel trapped, but in all the best ways. He reached for the remote on the coffee table and turned the show on. I settled back on his chest, enjoying his warmth. As much as I loved the show, exhaustion soon overcame me and my eyes began to flutter closed before we were five minutes in.
“Shhh, rest, Riot. I got you. I always got you.”
With Koa’s arms and legs holding me tight and his lips against my hair, I drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 7
Riot
I glancedsideways at Wynter as I drove to the studio. The silence between us was palpable, and it was taking everything in me not to break it.
Wynter was staring out the window, headphones on and arms crossed over her chest. She hadn’t spoken to me, Koa, or Knox in the three days since I’d told her about her dad showing up. The only reason she was even driving with me was because she couldn’t resist the lure of studio time.
This was a last-ditch effort to thaw the ice that had built around us . . . and maybe get her to talk. If spending time working on her art didn’t help, then I hoped talking to Cara would. She had a way about her that could get anyone to open up. As the only positive female figure in Wynter’s life, she often fell into the surrogate mom role with her, and I couldn’t be more grateful. I’d nearly cried in relief when she’d offered to take Wynter to buy products after she’d first gotten her period. The poor kid had been mortified to go with her big brother, and honestly, I couldn’t blame her.
Anyway, I hoped Cara would be able to get something out of her, because I was crawling out of my skin over the silent treatment. I’d rather she yell.
We pulled into the parking lot, and Wynter was out of the SUV before I could even fully stop. “Fuck.” This was not going well. By the time I grabbed my bag and got inside, Wynter was nowhere to be seen.
