Page 18 of The Royal in Room 3

Dean tilted his head back. “I’m always in a good mood. I’m not staying, but I brought Soren to meet you, and I wanted to say hi. Hi!”

Jude’s laugh rumbled loud and warm. He raised his head, the sound cutting short when his gaze landed on me, and I sucked in a deep breath.

It’s him.

The man I’d seen that first day when I arrived at Halo House. The man who’d wrapped his arms around me right here in the conservatory and held me while I cried snot and tears all over his shirt. The same man who hadn’t questioned me about why I was crying and hadn’t tried to stop me when, mortified, I’d fled back upstairs and sworn I would never leave my room again.

He was the infamous Daddy Jude?

He gave me a kind smile, crow’s feet forming at the corners of his clear blue eyes, and I had the disorienting thought that he was even more handsome than I remembered. Silver threaded thickly through his dark hair and covered most of his neatly trimmed beard, giving him the sort of distinguished look I’d only ever associated with diplomats and wealthy men whose portraits hung in government buildings. Somehow, on him, it felt less polished and far more dangerous.

Phoenix had mentioned he was a carpenter. It hadn’t sounded especially glamorous at the time, but apparently working with one’s hands came with broad shoulders, strong arms, and enough muscle beneath a fitted T-shirt to make the occupation considerably more interesting. He was built like someone accustomed to lifting heavy things.

I had never been particularly attracted to men who were much older than me. Still, Jude had to be at least two decades older than me, perhaps more, and yet the attraction slammed into my gut. Hard. There was something about the silver in his hair, the quiet confidence in the way he carried himself, and the gentleness in his smile that almost made me forget I was done with romantic entanglements. Almost.

This arrangement had appealed to me only because Phoenix had promised it wasn’t inherently sexual. Jude loved taking care of subs and did so without expecting anything in return. If I found him suitable, he would essentially teach me how to be an adult, especially handling money and a job, and I badly needed help with that to function on my own.

“And you must be Soren,” Jude said, his voice powerful but calm, like an ocean holding back its tumultuous waves. “I’m Jude. It’s lovely to meet you.”

I waited for him to say something that would betray how we’d met before—and that I’d had a meltdown—but he just waited, his smile never wavering.

“Hello.” For some reason, I felt incredibly shy, though I’d never been that type of person. Dean, whose presence should have made things easier for me, only made me feel more self-conscious, leaving me tongue-tied.

“Dean, why don’t you run along for now?” Jude said gently. “Soren and I need to talk for a bit.”

Dean pouted, but he shifted away from Jude. “Okay. But you’ll stay and have dinner with us?”

Jude’s gaze shifted to me. “If Soren wants, sure.”

Me? What did it have to do with me if he stayed for dinner? This was more his home than mine, and they were more his friends than he was my Daddy, which I hadn’t agreed to yet.

“Okay, Daddy.” Dean skipped by, pausing beside me to whisper, “You’re blowing this. Be more interesting.”

As soon as he disappeared, Jude gestured to the bench under the window he’d been fixing. “Don’t listen to Dean. You’re doing just fine. Why don’t you sit and we can talk for a bit?”

“Thank you.”

We sat side by side next to the open window, and I might have started sweating if not for the cool breeze drifting into the room. Had he deliberately chosen this seat for this exact purpose? Something in the way this man carried himself with confidence told me he didn’t do anything by chance.

“Thank you,” I said softly, clenching my hands in my lap.

“Whatever for?”

“The other night when I had a meltdown. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cry like that, and I promise I usually don’t.”

“I can’t help feeling special then,” Jude said. “And you’re welcome. Helping subs in distress is what I’m here for.”

The disappointment in knowing that he would have done the same for anyone else landed heavily in my gut.

“So I’ve heard. Dean couldn’t stop gushing about you.”

He gave an embarrassed chuckle. “They exaggerate. The only thing that matters is whether or not I’m good for you.”

“It’s too soon to tell.”

“Fair enough. I assume, since you agreed to us meeting, that you’re open to the possibility Phoenix mentioned to you?”

I dug my nails into the fleshy part of the palm of my other hand. “I…guess so.”