Chapter 93: Inseparable

Daphne

“My apartment is gorgeous,” I said, turning the camera and giving Bella and my brothers a slow pan of the inside of the suite. “Everyone has been very kind, very accommodating.”

“Mmhm,” Wyatt crossed his arms over his chest. “And where is Louis?”

I felt my heart skip a beat, but I didn’t let my smile falter on the video screen. “Oh, I’m not sure, as soon as we got off the plane, he was accosted by a bunch of officials pulling him back to do whatever important things a king is supposed to do. He’s got this personal assistant that hangs over his head like a raptor. So, I’m going to meet with the palace’s psychologist on Monday, and hopefully I can jump right in and get started. Louis said that there is a waiting list of people asking for treatment and—” I purposely redirected the conversation away from Louis and back into safe, neutral territory.

I could tell from their questioning they had their suspicions that something was going on between me and the King. But as much as I loved my brothers, I wasn’t going to feed them any information about my personal life. I would have liked to have shared with Bella but, damn, how could I tell my best friend that I had been so thoroughly kissed by her dad that I didn’t even know the plane had landed. Hell, I think the thing could have crashed into a fiery ball on the runway, and I wouldn’t have noticed.

I couldn't exactly tell her that Louis was a DILF. That was just wrong. Not to mention that Bella probably had no idea what that was.

I couldn't just tell my bestie that her dad is actually kind of hot.

So I babbled a little bit about how excited I was about the job, about the fact that there was an indoor pool built into the subterranean level of the castle and that there was a riding stable somewhere on the grounds, all of which I planned to explore during my free weekend.

Before I finished my distracting monologue, the guys' phones buzzed in unison. They both slid their phones out to check the screens, then they looked up and gave me a guilty look, “Sorry Daffy, we’re going to have to handle this. Love you, I hope you have a beautiful weekend.” Byron apologized and blew me a kiss

, and then he and Wyatt quickly exited the screen, leaving me alone with Bella. Really alone, because baby Liam was downstairs playing with the staff.

I saw Bella's eyes tracking the door, then she picked up the laptop and carried me into the bathroom, and shut the door.

“What are you doing, Bells? Why are we in the bathroom? Um, are you going to pee on camera?” I have to admit that I may have taken my phone into the toilet a time or two, but I’d never subjected my caller to a video presentation. I couldn’t believe my shy little sister-in-law was about to serenade me with a tinkle.

“”No, I don’t have to pee,” Bella whispered. She turned on the faucet and let the water rush into the sink, adding a layer of white noise behind our conversation. “I just wanted to talk to you for a minute, alone, without any listening ears.”

“What’s going on Bella,” I said, immediately feeling a rush of worry. “Are you okay? Is something wrong?”

“No, no, I’m fine. It’s not about me, it's about you.”

Oh, Goddess, I knew it. She was going to ask me about her father, and if she asked me directly, I wouldn’t be able to lie to her, I was a terrible liar. “Look, Bella, I know there’s a pretty big age gap but–”

“Oh no, no, no.” Bella shook her head, making her thick black and red hair dance around her shoulders. “It’s not that either. Listen Daph, he came here today.”

“What?” I shook my head in confusion, I thought we were still talking about her father. “The king flew back there, after we just left? What are you talking about?” It seemed irrational, but I hadn’t seen him all afternoon, so I supposed he could have dropped me off and turned right around to fly back, if he had some urgent business that required it.

“No! Your roommate, Nathan Straight!” Bella hissed.

“Wh-what?” I pulled the laptop closer to my face, as if that would help me look for the truth in Bella’s eyes. “Are you sure?”

Bella nodded. “A man in a jeep pulled up to the gate. The guards identified him as a human and tried to send him on his way, like they always do when people wander out here by accident. But then he asked for you, by name. He said he needed to talk to you.” Bella bent her head, and a lock of hair fell over her left eye.

“So what happened?” I squeaked back, “Did they let him inside?”

“No! No. Wyatt told the guards to tell him you weren’t home, and to send him away, and they did.” Bella blew out a breath and turned off the faucet. “I just thought you should know.”

I opened my mouth, and for a moment, I was speechless. “Wait, let me get this straight.” I said, setting the laptop down on the side table so that I could stand up and pace. “The father of my child showed up at my house…my brothers knew exactly who he was…and they sent him away?”

“Yes,” Bella said, her eyes darkening with sympathy and concern.

“And then, they took my call just now, and they were just going to… not tell me that the man who had been missing for weeks just showed up?”

“Daphne, I told them they needed to tell you, but they thought… well, they thought you just got there, and you needed time to get settled into your new life, and this guy, he would just be a distraction.” Bella tried to explain on my brothers’ behalf. I knew she was their mate, and she loved them, and she was practically bound by the mating bond to try and defend them, but I was furious.

“They had no right!” I half shouted at the computer, as I felt a mix of anger and sadness burn behind my eyes. “I know they never approved of that relationship, but it wasn’t up to them. And whether they think he’s a good man or not, I needed to talk to him. I needed to tell him, Bella!” A hot tear slipped down my cheek. “He doesn’t even know about the baby!”

I sank down on the sofa and pulled the laptop screen closer to my face again. Bella looked as stricken as I felt. “I’m so sorry Daffy, I’m sorry. I’ll talk to your brothers, I’ll tell them–”

“Tell them what?” I asked a little hysterically. “He’s not going to come back, Bella. I had this one chance to connect with him, and I missed it.”

Bella looked like she was about to cry too, and I couldn’t stand it. It wasn’t her fault, she wasn’t the one who issued the orders to the guards to turn my baby-daddy away at the gate. It was my bone-headed brothers. “It’s okay Bella, it’s not your fault. Look, I’ve got to go, it’s time for dinner. I’ll, uh, talk to you soon. Love you.”

I didn’t even give her time to reply. I shut the top of the laptop before I really started to cry. And that’s when I felt the pull. I looked up and found Louis standing in the doorway, leaning there with one arm against the door frame, his shirt half unbuttoned, his hair tousled.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to eaves drop. I came to escort you to dinner and, well, it seemed like the call was important, so I didn’t want to interrupt.” He pushed away from the door and approached the couch with some caution. When I didn’t lash out at him or bite, he took a seat next to me, this time leaving a little space between us so that our skin didn’t touch. He twisted to look at me fully. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” I sniffed, inelegantly. “It's just, things are complicated with–” I put my hand against my still flat belly. “The father of this baby. We didn’t plan this, obviously, and he left before I knew, and…”

Louis laid his hand over mine, and just that simple gesture calmed my racing thoughts. He looked into my eyes, and I felt like he saw me, really saw me, soul and everything. “How can I help you, Daphne?”

I lowered my lashes and looked at his hand across mine. He had large hands with long, sure fingers, and neatly manicured nails. A sigil ring was on his ring finger. “Thank you, Louis, but you’ve already been a great help to me. I mean, you helped me secure a great job, a nice living arrangement.” I sniffed again. “I can’t thank you enough.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about,” Louis said, squeezing my hand, and it was like he squeezed a pump, sending that warmth flowing up my arm and into my heart. The feeling made me feel a light headed, and at the same time, I felt some of the tension draining out of my spine.

Whatever this strange thing was between us, it was like valium to my strained nerves.

Louis picked up my hand and turned it over, and traced the lines of my palm with his index finger. “For example,” he mused, as his finger left my palm and started following the blue veins in my wrist. “As a royal, I have excellent resources at my disposal. If perhaps, you need help with a missing-person investigation...”

My eyes jerked back up to his face, and he smiled, the corners crinkling.

“Why? Why would you do that for me?” Confusion made my brain feel thick and swampy. I thought the king liked me. I mean, he had kissed me. If he liked me, why would he invest himself in finding my ex-lover?

“Because I know what it’s like,” He said simply, rising to his feet, “To lose the person you love.” He extended his hand to me, “Why don’t we continue this discussion over dinner?”