Page 102 of Just Say Yes

Logan’s low voice rumbled beside me as he looked at Duke. “Is this a sister thing I should be concerned about?”

Duke shook his head and chuckled, the sound deep and gravelly, but Sylvie didn’t let up.

She nudged me with her toe like we were teenagers again. “Just spill it, MJ. The other Kings. What were they really like?”

I felt Logan go still next to me, though he didn’t say anything. I should’ve known Sylvie wouldn’t let this drop—not after I’d been so vague after I’d met Dad’s other children two days before.

I stared into the fire, swirling my wine around in the glass. “They were ... fine. Normal. Nice, even.”

Sylvie gave me a look. “MJ.”

My jaw tightened. She always saw through me. I took a deep breath, let it sit for a beat, then released it slowly. “They didn’t mean to be hurtful. But hearing them call himDaddy, like it wasn’t poison on their tongues? It was ... too much.”

The words hung in the air, heavy and raw.

Duke glanced at Sylvie, his face unreadable, but his hand slid over hers.

“Did they know anything about ...?” Sylvie trailed off, like she didn’t want to say the wordswhat he did to us.

“They didn’t,” I said quietly. “They talked about him like he was someone completely different. Like he was a man who showed up to their birthday parties, who drove them to school, who took pictures at graduations.” I swallowed hard, the wine not doing much to wash it down. “The kind of dad we never got.”

Remembering them talk about him like he was a normal dad—the kind who showed up, cared, and stayed—was like being gutted with a smile. It wasn’t their fault, I knew that, but it still felt like they’d been given something I’d never had. And, worse, it made me wonder why he couldn’t love us the way he loved them.

I didn’t dare look at Logan, but I felt his arm stretch along the back of the love seat, the brush of his knuckles against my shoulder—a quiet, steadying gesture.

Logan had a way of making me feel exposed, like he could see past all my walls without even trying. It was terrifying. But it was also addictive. I wasn’t used to someone looking at me like that—like I mattered.

Sylvie was watching me carefully. “God, that must have felt awful.”

“It’s like being a stranger in my own life,” I admitted, the words quiet. I shook my head, a bitter laugh escaping. “It was like listening to a story that belonged to someone else. And maybe that’s what we were to him—wewere the others. Something forgettable.”

“That’s not true,” Logan said softly.

My head turned, meeting his eyes in the firelight. There was no judgment there, only understanding. It made me feel too seen, and I looked away quickly, sipping my wine to hide the lump in my throat.

Sylvie shifted the mood with a forced brightness. “Well, screw him. I hope his other kids inherited his bad teeth and lousy sense of direction.”

I snorted. “You’re awful.”

“Who says?” Sylvie grinned, swirling her wine lazily before glancing at Logan and changing the subject. “What about you, Logan? You surviving the King family circus so far?”

Logan’s lips twitched, his gaze flicking to mine before answering. “I think I’ve been properly initiated. Although I still haven’t decided if it’s a hazing ritual or just how you show affection.”

“Trust me. It’s both.” Duke chuckled under his breath. “But you’re not trulyinuntil you get forcibly added to the family group text thread.”

Sylvie leaned into Duke’s side with a playful bump of her shoulder, a teasing light in her eyes. “It’s called quality control. We’ve got standards.”

The banter felt light on the surface, but I could still feel Sylvie’s gaze flick to me between laughs. Like she was holding back words she didn’t quite dare say—not in front of Logan, not tonight.

Logan tilted his head, his grin softening as his eyes settled on me. “I like it here.”

The words were simple, offhand, but they hit me like a jab to the ribs. I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out.

Sylvie noticed—of course she noticed—and slid me a look that wasn’t quite a smirk. “Well, that’s one way to win her over.”

“Win who over?” I deadpanned, pretending not to know where she was going with this.

“You.” Sylvie shrugged like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “He likes it here. That’s gotta count for something, right?”

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