Page 12 of King of My Heart

Today, I would see Caspian King. And no matter how it went, I could proudly say that at least I tried.

Chapter 3

DARWYNN

I paced back and forth until the afternoon came, and after another trip to the general store and cooking myself an early dinner, I was finally ready to walk over to Caspian’s house and knock on his door.

My heart was hammering against my chest as I walked along the gravel path that led to his house. The small home sat at the edge of the water, and the peeling paint and uneven porch gave it a kind of charm. It looked like the kind of place someone went to escape the world.

Clearly, Caspian King had succeeded in that.

I stood on the porch for a moment, staring at the door. My nerves threatened to talk me out of this, but I shook them off and knocked. Three sharp knocks, louder than I intended.

It was quiet at first, and I wondered if he’d even heard me. He must’ve. I basically hammered my knuckles against the door.

Heavy footsteps grew closer, followed by the creak of the door.

Caspian appeared in front of me, his frame filling the doorway. He was broad-shouldered and tall, his gray hair pushed back and tucked behind his ears. His brown eyes landedon me with suspicion, narrowing slightly as he crossed his strong arms over his chest.

How old was he again?

60?

For that age, he was still in incredibly good shape.

Muscular.

Handsome.

“Who are you?” he asked roughly, his tone making it clear that whatever I said next had better be good.

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to meet his gaze.

Jesus Christ…Caspian King is fucking handsome.

“My name is Darwynn,” I said slowly, almost as if I wasn’t sure.

“Darwynn,” he repeated, his voice flat. “That’s supposed to mean something to me?”

I hesitated. “Not yet. But I hoped you’d give me a few minutes to explain.”

His eyes moved over me, taking in my jeans and jacket and the faint nervousness I was trying to hide. “Let me guess,” he said, his tone dripping with skepticism. “You’re one of Theresa’s nieces wanting an autograph. I told her not to tell anyone about me being here.”

I bit the inside of my cheek and linked my fingers behind my back. “Uh, no, I’m not related to Theresa.”

“Then why are you here?” His voice was demanding, his gaze intense.

“I…” My lips were pressed into a thin line as I weighed my options. Telling the truth or lying. I had played that game about ten times in the past two days. “I’m Darwynn Cove. Your son’s girlfriend.”

Ex.

But it didn’t matter right now.

His facial expression changed instantly. Almost as if the mention of his son made him remember that he was a father.

His eyes wandered all over my face, then he looked behind me, searching for someone else to stand there. “Is he here too?” he asked.

“No, it’s just me,” I told him with a tight smile. “Julian is back home in Burlington.”

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