Page 89 of Never Say Never

"You didn't listen to me after the car bombing. I told you I'd do what I had to. I stayed in the complex across from yours and watched over the three of you." Not to mention I snuck in and planted a few cameras around the place. York didn’t need to hear all of that.

"What?" York took a step back.

"I wasn't going to let anything happen to you guys, so I took matters into my own hands. That security firm was midgrade at best. I didn't trust them to keep you or the girls safe."

"You spied on me? For how long?"

I put the bacon on making sure the fire wasn't too high. The smell of applewood started to fill the air and my stomach growled. I hadn't eaten in at least a day. "A while. It's a good thing I did."

York opened his mouth but the girls came down the hall holding hands. They were quiet as ever but the moment they saw what I was making their faces lit up a bit.

"Paul... I mean, Paolo?" Navy tilted her head. "Why do you have a different name?"

Leave it to York's kids to ask the hard questions first thing in the morning.

"Navy, that's enough for now. We will talk about this later," York said.

Both girls nodded before taking a seat at the round table that sat four. York joined his daughters with a little encouragement from them. I finished up making breakfast, adding veggies to the eggs so that the girls had a bit more nutrients in their food. Past me would have laughed at current me. Pretending to be a good guy who could take on kids. There was no way, but I couldn't turn it off. This obsession with York and now with his daughters. They felt like mine. I meant it when I told Benito no one would decide what to do with my girls.

I plated their food. The weirdly shaped pancakes were supposed to be cute, like a star and a heart. But they looked like deformed circles. They were still edible, so I put them on the girls’ plates regardless.

There was a tug on my shirt, and I looked down to find Nyra. She stared up at me. There was uncertainty written all over her face. I glanced at York but he was watching his daughter.

I squatted down. "Yes, Nyra?"

She curled her finger, and I moved closer, offering her my ear. She was so strangely quiet. I missed the confident rapping ten-year-old.

"Do you still like Daddy?"

I nodded my head and pulled back so she could see the seriousness on my face. "Cross my heart."

Her little shoulders dropped a bit, and I moved back so she could whisper in my ear again. "Are you guys going to make up?"

God, I hope so. "I'm going to do everything in my power to."

She seemed to accept that answer, turning back to look at her twin. They said nothing but Navy's shoulders dropped too. She gave me a tentative smile but scooted closer to her dad. They started talking, and I looked back down at Nyra.

"Mind grabbing the orange juice for me?"

She nodded and headed for the fridge, grabbing the orange juice. I was glad the groceries were fully stocked and there was nothing they could need or want while staying here.

"Girls, where are you?" Shelly ran down the hall, her hair a mess and her eyes wild. She spotted York and instantly made her way over to him. "Mr. Washington."

She touched him, and I had to bite down on the inside of my cheek to keep from killing her. He allowed Shelly to touch him but not me? My irrational brain said to grab her by the back of her head and smash her face into the quartz countertop until her brains spilled out.

"Shelly, everything is fine," York said.

I cleared my throat. "We were about to eat breakfast. You can get more sleep."

Shelly jumped the moment I moved closer to her. She inched toward York until she was practically plastered against my man. She was going to get the side of me most people didn't want to see if she kept it up.

"Oh, I didn't know you were here," Shelly said.

Why in the fuck wouldn't I be? I squinted at her, planning her death a million times over. I opened my mouth to tell her to get her hands off York, but instead my phone rang. I pulled it out and groaned.

"What?" York asked. He was up and away from Shelly in seconds and came over to me. "Did something happen?"

"Yes, my brother is calling for a meeting." I looked at the girls and sighed. "You guys enjoy breakfast, I'll be back later."