Page 61 of King

“Thanks for the Burger King,” Joey said as she passed.

“I’ll walk you out and grab Joey’s release papers,” Slade said, slipping an arm around Jill’s waist. “Be right back.”

As soon as they left, Joey turned his sharp gaze to Amara. “Why have you been crying?”

Her breath hitched. She hadn’t expected him to notice. She cleared her throat, unsure if she was ready to say it out loud, but Joey had a right to know.

“I just talked to the funeral home,” she said, meeting his gaze. “Your dad’s funeral is Saturday.”

Joey nodded slowly, looking at the floor. “Okay, cool.” His voice was steady, but she caught the slight tension in his jaw. After a moment, he looked back up. “I heard you and Jessie whispering about his suit. I figured it would be soon. He had one suit he called his ‘wedding and funeral suit.’ Guess that’s the one he’s gonna be wearing.”

“Yes,” Amara said softly, observing him.

Joey let out a breath, his fingers gripping the sheets beneath him. “He’s got friends,” he murmured. “People who’d want to know. People who’d want to be there.”

“There’s an obituary that will be published,” she told him, glancing at King when she noticed his frown. Joey didn’t miss it either.

“Is that bad?” Joey asked, his sharp gaze shifting between them. “I heard a lot when everyone thought I was sleeping. I’m not a kid, and I’m not stupid. Is this safe for Amara?”

King didn’t hesitate. “It will be safe because the Warriors will be there. I will be there.” His voice was solid, unwavering. “No one will touch her. No one will touch you.”

Joey studied him for a second before nodding. “Yeah, I know,” he said, exhaling. “Thanks, King.”

“Don’t mention it, kid.” King clapped him on the shoulder. “Adam and Steve are picking up yourPlayStationand buying one for Amara, so you two can play tonight.”

Joey’s eyes lit up. “Sweet!”

Amara frowned. “King, I have aPlayStationat my place. We could’ve just picked mine up.”

“It’s already done.” King shrugged, texting something on his phone. He looked back up, his lips twitching. “Besides, maybe I wanted aPlayStationso I could show you both howCall of Dutyshould be played.”

Joey blinked, then burst into laughter. “Dude, you play?”

“Nope, never played.” King shrugged again, as if it didn’t matter. “I’ll pick it up.”

Joey and Amara exchanged a look before both of them cracked up.

“What?” King frowned.

“You don’t just ‘pick up’Call of Duty, man,” Joey said, shaking his head. “You’ll get your ass kicked.”

King smirked and shot Amara a wink. She sighed, shaking her head. This man was something else. He had completely shifted the conversation, steering it away from grief and loss and back into something lighter, something normal. Joey was smiling again and joking again. And as much as Amara hated to admit it, she needed that, too.

Slade walked in, holding a stack of papers, and handed them to Amara. “These are his release papers.”

Amara took them, her fingers tightening slightly around the pen as she signed where he indicated. She barely registered what she was doing, her mind still racing from the weight of everything that had happened.

Slade continued, his voice steady, professional. “His x-rays indicate accelerated healing, but he’ll need to remain non-weight-bearing until he’s rechecked next week. I’ll arrange for crutches and a wheelchair to be delivered to King’s house.”

Amara’s stomach twisted with guilt. Getting him crutches had slipped her mind. She was supposed to be taking care of him. God, she was going to suck at this whole caregiver thing if she didn’t get her shit together.

“Okay, thank you,” she said, her voice softer now, almost wanting to hug Slade for picking up the slack where she had dropped it.

Slade hesitated. “There’s another thing.”

His quick glance at Joey sent a warning bell through her. She signed the last line on the papers and handed them back, frowning. “What?”

Slade’s expression tightened. “In private.”

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