Page 69 of King

King crossed his arms, his gut twisting. “Then what is it?”

Adam motioned his chin toward Amara. “He’s trying to be strong. For her. And for you. He doesn’t want any of us to think he’s weak.”

King exhaled through his nose, his chest tightening. Damn. The kid was grieving, but he was too proud to show it. “Thanks, Adam,” King said, opening the door.

“See ya later.” Adam stepped out, leaving King alone with the two people who had unexpectedly become his whole world.

King set the security system and then turned, staring at Joey, who was now sound asleep, his head resting against the chair, soft snores filling the room. King recognized it now. He recognized the brave face Joey had been putting on, the weight of his loss pressing down on his young shoulders. It struck King harder than he had expected. Joey needed him. Amara needed him.

“Hey!” King gently shook Joey who mumbled something in his sleep. “Joey, wake up.”

“Five more minutes,” He turned away with a huff.

King grinned. “Dude, wake the hell up so I can get you upstairs to bed.”

“Huh,” Joey peeked over his shoulder at him, then looked around. “Oh, yeah. Sorry. I thought I had to go to school.”

“You want your crutches or me to carry you?” Joey frowned, looking at the crutches, then back at King. “Crutches, I guess. Kinda weird for you to be carrying me.”

Rolling his eyes, King turned his back and knelt. “Get on my back, Joey,” King ordered. “I’m not going to carry you like some girl. Tomorrow you can start using the crutches.”

“Yeah, okay.” Joey climbed on King’s back. “What about Amara?”

“I’ll take care of her once I have you settled.” King stood, grabbing the crutches, then headed toward the steps. Once inside the room where Joey would be staying, he walked to bed. Joey slid off his back. King set the crutches against the wall. “You need anything else?”

“Nope, I’m good,” Joey said, stretching. “Just take care of Amara.”

King stopped at Joey’s door and hesitated briefly before turning fully to face him. “Have no doubt about that, Joey. But listen to me. You’re not alone in this. I’m here for you too. Whatever you need, whatever you want to talk about, I’m here. And don’t think for a second I will see you as anything less than a man.”

Joey swallowed hard, his throat working as he nodded.

“I know I call you ‘kid,’ but that’s just habit. Truth is, you’re more of a man than many people I’ve met.” King met his gaze, making sure the words landed. “You got me?”

Joey cleared his throat and nodded again. “Yeah. I got you. Thanks, King.”

“Don’t mention it,kid,” King said with a grin, ignoring his own contradiction. “Get some rest.”

Closing the door, he turned and headed down the stairs. The house was quiet, but his senses sharpened when he heard movement from the kitchen. His steps quickened, his body tense until he rounded the corner and saw Amara standing at the sink, scrubbing the pans she’d used to fry the chicken. The sight of her should have eased him, but something was still off with her. He could sense it.

“What are you doing up?” His voice cut through the silence.

Amara jumped, her wide eyes snapping to his. “You scared me. How can someone so big be so quiet?”

“Sorry,” he muttered, frowning as he picked up on the same awkward tension from earlier. It was still there, hanging between them like a barrier he didn’t know how to break through.

She just nodded and went back to washing the pans. “Is Joey settled?”

“Yeah.” King stepped forward, grabbed a towel, and picked up the pan she had just washed. He dried it and set it aside, repeating the motion until everything was put away. Then he leaned against the counter, folding his arms as he watched her.

“You look exhausted,” he said. “You need to get some rest.”

She shrugged. “I don’t sleep much anymore.” Her voice was soft, her arms crossing over her stomach as she exhaled.

King’s jaw tensed. He misunderstood at first, thinking it was fear keeping her up. “Amara, no one is going to touch you. You’re safe.”

“I know.” She sighed, still avoiding his gaze. “It’s not that.”

“Then what is it?”

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