Page 69 of Just Say Yes

“It’s a long drive and I should get home,” I lied, already backing up toward the door.

“We’ll do lunch,” Blair offered with a nod. “Once Daddy is laid to rest, we can show you where in the family plot. That way you can pay your respects anytime you need to.”

Elizabeth clicked her tongue. “You are so thoughtful, darling.” She looked at me. “I’m sure you’ve had a long day, and this can be overwhelming.”

I nodded as an internal scream ripped through me. I had let my curiosity get the best of me, and it had been a huge mistake.

It was somehow even more painful to know that my father’s treatment wasn’t because he was incapable of love; it was because it wasus.

With a forced smile, I made a clean exit and nearly ran toward Logan’s truck. My phone dinged, and I glanced at it to see a text come through from Sylvie.

Sylvie

Please check in after you’ve met them. I’m worried about you.

More responses from the group chat flooded in as I enclosed myself in the cab of Logan’s truck.

Whip

What are “the others” like?

Abel

Why do you care?

Royal

We shouldn’t have let her go alone.

JP

Did they allude to the dissolution of King Equities? We’re prepared to fight them if they try to come after what’s left of the business.

Sylvie

JP, I’m telling Hazel to smack you for being insensitive again. MJ, please just tell us you’re okay.

Royal

I’m sitting next to him and slapped the shit out of him. You’re welcome.

I read over their words, and a sob escaped me. I frantically wiped at my tears, hoping no one would come outside and interrupt my escape. Hot, angry tears streamed down my face as I barreled down the driveway and onto the main road.

I didn’t know whether I was crying for him, for us, or for the life he’d built without us. Maybe it was all of it. Maybe it didn’t matter. All I knew was that I’d given him to them, and now I had nothing left to hold on to. No anger, no answers, no closure. Just the weight of what he’d taken from us.

I barely looked at the guard as he offered a friendly wave and raised the bar to allow me to leave.

Escape.

By the time I pulled into the circle drive of the hotel, my hands were still trembling on the wheel. The weight of the afternoon lingered, heavy and oppressive. I typed out a quick response before my brothers and Sylvie sent out a search party.

I’m totally fine. They were surprisingly warm and welcoming.

I didn’t have the heart to tell my brothers and sister how differently Dad had been with them—how we’d truly gotten the worst of him. Not yet, at least.

I took another deep, cleansing breath, willing the lump in my throat to dissolve. When I looked up, the sight of Logan stepping out of the lobby doors brought a thread of relief. He strode toward the truck, his tall frame relaxed, but his sharp eyes took one look at me and softened.

The second I saw him, the knot in my chest loosened. Logan didn’t need to say anything—his presence was enough. The way he looked at me, steady and sure, made me feel like I wasn’t alone in this.

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