“Ugh. I’m spiraling, Koa. I know I have to go talk to her, but I don’t even know what to say or do at this point.”
“Let me go. Clearly, we have a few things to discuss. You need a break. Knox has got the kids for a bit. Why don’t you take a bath?”
Riot’s nose wrinkled. “I don’t think I’ve taken a bath in my whole life.”
I kissed his hair. “Well, now’s a good time to start.”
He didn’t look convinced. “I don’t know. I should talk to the boys at least, make sure they’re okay. Storm and Hawk need their baths, and the older boys never had a chance to do their homework, and . . .”
I quieted his rambling with a kiss. A real one this time. “Later, baby. It can all wait until later. Go take a bath. Or read a book. Whatever. Let us handle things for a little while.”
“If you’re sure?”
“I am. Go. I got this.”
Riot squeezed me tightly. “Koa—” His voice caught, rough with emotion.
“I know, sweetheart. I know.”
Riot reluctantly pulled back and wiped his face. “Fuck, I’m a mess. Maybe I really do need to try this whole bath thing.”
I smiled. “See?”
He started to leave the kitchen and then looked at me over his shoulder, mischief burning in his eyes. “Or . . . I can spendsome time with my close personal friends, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov. I’ve always wanted to go to a cottage.”
I clasped my chest in outrage. “Don’t you dare watch the season finale without me, Riot St. James.”
I could hear his laughter even as he climbed the steps. Hearing him display any joy during all this made it impossible for me to be annoyed at him.
It took me longer than I’d like to admit to finally get the courage to leave the kitchen and head to Wynter’s room. We had to talk. I didn’t want to leave things to fester, but it would be a lie to say that what she’d said didn’t hurt.
I loved these kids so fucking much. They were mine as much as they were Riot’s, even if we didn’t share blood. To think that maybe even a small part of her didn’t want me around or felt I’d been forced into her life, it was a gut punch.
“Okay, Ko, get your ass in gear. It’s time to suck it up and be the adult here.”
I left the kitchen. The basement door was still closed, but thankfully she hadn’t gone as far as to lock it. I opened it and climbed down a couple of steps before calling, “Wyn?”
There was no answer.
I continued down into Wynter and Knox’s shared gaming/living room area. They had our old sectional down here, two of the oversized beanbags, and a small table set up if they had friends over and wanted to play games. The TV was mounted to the wall, and they had gaming systems and access to streaming services. It was a pretty sweet setup and it was empty now, so Wynter must be in her room. The door to that was closed, too.
I knocked.
Nothing.
“Wyn, it’s Koa. Can I come in please?”
I heard a heavy sigh, but then nothing.
“Wynter, c’mon. I will have this whole conversation with you through a door, but it would be a whole lot easier if you let me in.”
I thought she was going to ignore me again, but finally I heard, “Fine. Come in, I guess.”
Relieved at the small olive branch, even if it was laced with attitude, I opened the door.
Wynter was sitting on her bed with her knees up to her chest and her headphones on. She had her laptop open, but it was off to the side, like she hadn’t been looking at it. Her eyes were bloodshot, and I caught her quickly wiping them before looking away from me.
I briefly thought about sitting on the edge of the bed but chose the desk chair. She needed space now, and crowding her wasn’t going to make anything better.
