Page 100 of Devoured By You

He gurgled, then broke into an enormous smile. My heart melted. I’d never known love like this. My world began and ended with my son and my soon-to-be fiancée. Not that she had a clue I planned to propose at dinner tonight in front of my closest family members and her best friends. She didn’t even know Addison, Kelsey, and Raya were already on board waiting for us to arrive. Dad had warned me that I was taking a risk in making a public proposal, but, without sounding cocky, I knew she’d say yes.

“How do you feel?” I slid an arm around her waist, grazing my thumb over her hip.

“I’m okay. I was worried all the bad memories would come rushing back, but so far, all I can think of is the fun times we had.” She gazed up at me, the sun reflected in her eyes. “I’m kind of hoping we can re-create some of those memories. Especially the ones in Barbados.”

My lips stretched into a smile. “Ah, Barbados.” I nuzzled Lukas’s plump cheek, breathing in his baby smell mingled with vanilla ice cream. We’d created him in Barbados. Maybe this time, we could work on a little brother or sister. “The pool or the bedroom?”

She shivered, and not from being cold. “Maybe both.”

“I’m sure I can arrange that.”

“Mr. Kingcaid, you can board now, sir.”

I nodded at the crew member and took Jill’s hand. Everyone else was already on board, but I’d wanted to wait until last in case some form of PTSD came out of nowhere. The last thing I needed was for passengers to witness the CEO of the company having a meltdown. It had taken many months for my company’s reputation to recover, and I had no intention of being the cause of a setback.

From what I’d learned about trauma from my therapist, flashbacks could occur at any time, but as I boarded the ship, holding Lukas in my arms and with Jill by my side, the overwhelming emotion encasing me was one of elation. I might be the boss of the company, but this trip was very much a family occasion. Dad had made it clear that I was not to involve myself in any day-to-day activities, and if anything urgent arose, he would take care of it. That I’d acquiesced without argument told me how far I’d come from the man who’d allowed work to consume him. Losing my leg had taught me that there were far more important things in life, and none more so than my beautiful girl and incredible son.

Six months ago, we’d located the person responsible for the leak. Turned out the girlfriend of the journalist who’d penned the clickbait article had worked for my marketing director. She’d had access to his inbox, read the emails sent to the board about the issues we’d had ahead of the launch, and shared the information with her boyfriend.

Suffice to say, she no longer works at my company.

Passengers fizzed with excitement as they explored, their constant chatter a source of comfort. I loved nothing more than hearing their delight as they discovered what the ship had to offer. This was what I’d always aspired to offer with Kingcaid Cruises. A chance for some much-needed downtime in an environment that aimed to cater to every whim.

None of the passengers sharing the elevator with us seemed to recognize me, which, considering the history of this ship, was a hell of a relief. The last thing I wanted to do was recant what had occurred on its maiden voyage. There had been many sailings since then, but my greatest concern was my proudest work achievement being forever tainted by what had happened.

I made a point of not following the criminal cases against the men responsible, but Scarlett had sent an email last week letting me know the result. The guy who’d shot me had gotten life in prison for murder and attempted murder. Jeremy, Scarlett’s ex, had received fifteen years for conspiracy to murder. I’d sent a polite reply thanking her for informing me, and I hadn’t heard anything since, not that I’d expected to. The aftereffects of that day appeared to have affected her as much as they had me. Last I’d heard, she’d all but withdrawn from public life, preferring a quieter existence on a ranch in Wyoming.

I opened the door to the owner’s suite. A bottle of champagne stuffed in an ice bucket sat on the coffee table along with a note. Jill picked it up, smiling as she read it.

“It’s from your dad. He said to settle in, relax, and he’d see us for dinner at eight.”

Lukas squirmed in my arms. I set him on the floor, holding his hands as he tried out his legs. He hadn’t walked yet, but each time he got closer. It wouldn’t be long now before he was bombing around the place and keeping us on our toes as we chased after him.

Right on cue, he landed on his padded butt with a thump. He let out a wail, part tiredness, part frustration. I scooped him up, peppering his face with kisses.

“Someone is tired. I’ll put him down for a nap, then what do you say you and I take this bottle of champagne to bed?” I waggled my eyebrows. “That is, if you’re not too tired.”

“What time is it?”

I checked my watch. “Five o’clock.”

“Hmm, three hours. Not sure that’s enough time for what I want you to do to me.”

“Good thing I brought a selection of toys, then, isn’t it?” I winked, running my free hand over Jill’s ass on the way to the second bedroom. The staff had set up the crib as I’d requested. I settled Lukas down, tucking him in tightly. He was asleep before I closed the door.

“Right, then, sexy. It’s just you, me, a bottle of lu—” A loud knock on the door interrupted my dirty talk. I frowned. “Whoever that is, fuck off.”

“Blay!” Jill went to answer the door. “It might be your dad.”

I shrugged. “Same response applies. Besides, he said he’d see us at eight, so it isn’t him.”

She opened the door, and the next thing I knew, a bunch of women surrounded her, squeals of excitement piercing my eardrums. I groaned. Fucking Aspen. My cousin shot me an unapologetic grin while Addison, Kelsey, and Raya all spoke at once with Jill standing in the middle, dumbfounded.

“Did you know about this?”

I grinned. “Might have.”

She extricated herself from the group hug and came over to me. Standing on tiptoes, she pressed her lips to mine. “Thank you.”

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