Page 25 of Cold Heir

“No trouble,” Levi lied. “Just a camping trip gone awry.” When he offered an easy smile after, I did the same, hoping to downplay the trauma of the ordeal.

Glenn didn’t budge at first, narrowing his eyes as he glared at Levi. He’d been in the princes’ lives since they were young boys, so maybe he knew when they fabricated a story.

“I suppose we lucked out not being too far out from your property,” Levi added

Glenn continued to stare without blinking. “Suppose so.”

The tension in the room was thick, shredding my nerves even more than they already were. With what I experienced in the bedroom, I was desperate to lighten the mood.

Desperate to think about anythingbutAaric.

“It must have been nice to speak with Julian,” I piped, gushing with false enthusiasm.

Glenn’s stoic gaze shifted to me. “I’mstilltickled pink. Can’t you tell?” His tone was hard and dry, wiping the smile off my face rather quickly. “Kid’s the spitting image of his father—insideandout. You’d think he would’ve atleastinherited my daughter’s humility, but no such luck.”

His voice trailed off, and I lowered my gaze to the worn tabletop. The opinion he held of Julian was almost identical to what mine had been prior to being taken into his home. Perhaps, if he’d give Julian a chance, he would see he’d grown into an honorable man. I knew this to be true firsthand.

“Well, either way, I appreciate you making the call for us,” was all I could think to say without overstepping.

“Not a problem. Now, if you’ll both excuse me, I have a few errands to run,” he informed. “I’m not likely to return before the two of you are on your way, so I’ll bid you farewell before I go.”

Was it his intention to be away from the house when Julian arrived?

When Levi’s brow quirked before standing from his seat, I guessed the announcement surprised him as well.

“We appreciate you putting us up for the night,” he mumbled, probably still confused by Glenn’s aloofness toward Julian.

“Anytime,” Glenn insisted, returning the embrace Levi met him with when rounding the table.

Standing, I intended to greet him as well, but didn’t expect the hug that came first.

“Very nice meeting you, young lady. I’ve left a special gift in your bag to remember me by. A book,” he shared. We separated and a vague smile stretched his lips. “It starts getting really interesting around chapter three.”

Receiving a gift was another unexpected surprise. Mostly because putting up with us barging in on him was more than he owed us already.

“Thank you. I’m sure I’ll enjoy it,” I replied, smiling.

“Just close everything up real tight on your way out,” he called out from the foyer, having moved there to pull on a pair of old, ratty boots.

“Will do, Sir,” Levi answered.

And just like that, our time with Glenn had come to an end.

A heavy, awkward silence filled the space as Levi and I stood there. It may have been that family was something humans—those blessed to have any—held near and dear, but it didn’t seem Glenn held the same sentiment. Not outside of speaking somewhat fondly of his daughter as he recalled her most recent visit. I guessed this was just one more example of how Ianite life was vastly different from that of humans.

Peering up at Levi, I tried not to overthink things that weren’t my business. “So, what now?”

My heart leapt at the sight of the warm smile he offered. Always did if I was honest.

“It’s a little stuffy in here. We could sit outside for a bit if you’d like.” My fingers were lightly taken when he finished, and like a moth to a flame, I gravitated toward him.

Once I nodded, he grabbed our bags and led the way across the aged floor that creaked with every step.

We hadn’t talked about last night, but the changes were so obvious. Like now, as we stepped out and sat side-by-side on a porch swing covered in splotchy green paint, there was no thought of being too close. Actually, I didn’t think there was even such a thing as‘too close’anymore.

“Should we discuss what happened before breakfast?” Levi inquired, shifting my thoughts back to Aaric.

I felt the faint smile leave my face right away. This wasn’t quite the conversation I imagined we’d be having.

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