Page 109 of Broken Prince

My heart pounds in my chest, my breathing picking up as he brushes his lips against mine. This man, his words, what is he doing to me? His words make me want to cry, make me feel like I’m worth something more.

“I am?” I whisper.

He growls against my lips. “You're worth a lifetime, Sweetheart.”

Closing my eyes, I take a second to just be in this moment with him.

“Let me walk you home. I’d love to hang out longer, but I have a class in twenty.”

“Okay.”

The whole walk there, we talk about my classes. I laugh and smile. Something about being with him feels right, easy.

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning?” he asks, and I nod. “I’ll meet you outside at seven.”

He kisses my cheek before leaving me standing in front of my building. I look around, but no one seems to be watching. I head into the dorm room, dazed, with a smile on my lips that I can’t seem to get rid of. Maybe Kai can be that little bit of light I need in this endless stream of darkness.

Chapter 24

Logan

“Cross!” Coach shouts. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

I’m pissed off with myself. I’ve been off my game today. Hell, I feel like it’s been more than just today.

It’s been a few weeks since Laney moved out, and I’ve been a fucking mess. Not just because I lost the person who was helping me with my son, that wasn’t the only reason I liked her. It’s because the woman I’ve fallen hard for has moved out without so much of a word after I confessed my feelings for her.

Sure, I was pretty trashed when I did, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t serious.

Maybe it was wrong of me to put her in that position. After all, I did tell her we couldn’t be anything more than friends because of Benny and the fact our parents were married.

And just because I changed my mind doesn’t mean she did.

Still, it fucking hurt. She could have at least sat down and talked to me about it. Not leave me spiraling in my own thoughts, wondering what I did to piss her off.

On top of all that, things regarding Benny’s care have been a mess. I took him out of that daycare, at least on the weeks I have him, because I didn’t feel comfortable leaving him there with Rachel. She’s not professional. If that's how she talks to one of the parents, how is she regarding the kids? She seemed good with them, but if she’s willing to go that low with me, I don’t trust her.

I sadly have no say if he's there during Stacy’s time. She’s friends with Rachel, so I know she’s still taking him there.

Melissa and Dad have been busy with work, my brothers have been helping when they can, but they have lives of their own. So, against my own wishes, I hired a nanny.

Some people might wonder why I didn’t do that sooner. We have the money, it can be done. If we have a part-time chef and a cleaning team who comes in once a week, why not a nanny?

The thing about our family is that even with all the money we have, Mom and Dad never hired anyone to take care of us. They made it work so that they could be parents and raise their kids themselves, as well as having the careers they wanted.

As we got older and more independent, it gave them more leeway, but when I look back on my childhood memories, every single one of them included Mom, Dad, or both.

It kills me that Mom isn’t here to watch Benny grow up. I know she would have just adored him.

Seeing Laney so head over heels for my son was the reason I agreed to let her help me out. I wasn’t going to; I didn’t want her to think I was using her or that I only had something to do with her because of what she offered me.

Benny loved her; he’s always such a good baby. And I knew he was well taken care of and in the hands of someone I trusted.

It’s taken me some time to become comfortable with Chelsea. I’m leaving the care of my son in her hands. It’s a big deal.

But she knows I have nanny cams all over the place, I made sure of it. It’s for my own peace of mind. It’s bad enough I don’t know what goes on when he’s with Stacy; I need to know he’s safe in his own home.

I jog over to Coach, stopping a few feet away, breathing heavily. “Sorry, Coach. I’m off my game today. I promise to try harder. It’s just my son; he’s sick, and I was up most of the night with him.”

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