Page 174 of Knot Their Starlet

“It would,” Leo murmurs softly, leaning forward and brushing a soft kiss against my forehead. “For your sake, I hope he is. You deserve a parent who loves you.”

“My mom loves me,” I say, the words leaving my lips automatically. They’re like a reflex.

“Loves you in a way you receive,” Leo corrects. “Your mom may love you, but from the way you’ve described it to me before, it definitely doesn’t feel like love, does it?”

“No, it doesn’t. You’re right,” I sigh. “You’re honestly always right.”

“Not always.” He grins. “Do you want help asking the guys for the detour?”

“Nah, I got it,” I say, standing from my seat.

It’s a tight squeeze to slip past Leo, but I don’t think he complains about me pressing up against him.

“Where are you headed?” Everett asks, glancing up from his phone as I near the front of the van.

“Asking for a detour,” I say, determined.

“Where?”

“My dad’s.”

He raises a single brow in surprise, but doesn’t protest.

“Are we invited?” It’s the only thing he asks.

“Do you... want to be?”

“I’m sure we all do.” He nods. My own determination seems to be mirrored in his expression, which confuses me. I think I’m still getting used to the idea of these guys caring for me.

Two for two when it comes to support.

I slip into the seat next to Cameron, who’s typing away on his laptop. Probably working on the article after the interview from yesterday.

“Hmm?” he asks, tugging his wired headphones out of his ears.

“Who uses wired headphones anymore?” The snarky comment leaves my lips before I can stop myself.

“They’re functional,” he huffs. “I have more important things to get myself than Bluetooth headphones with worse quality.”

“I’ll have to give you some of the ones I have lying around. I’ve gotten sponsorships from a couple of brands before. I don’t use them all.”

He blinks at me, his expression shifting into an equal mix of confusion and amusement.

“Did you really come here to insult my choice of headphones?”

“No,” I say, with a shake of my head. “I was actually wondering if... would it be possible to take a detour?”

“Where? Are you hungry? We can⁠—”

“No, I’m not hungry. I uh... was wondering whether we could stop by ‌my dad’s.”

“Your... father? Edison Wade?”

“Yeah.”

“The one you haven’t seen in, like, forever?”

“Yeah,” I repeat, my jaw working. “I’ve recently been... overcome with an urge to meet the guy.”