Just Like That (The Kings)

Nine days.

Nine days of feeling like my home was a prison and watching from a distance as Hazel and Teddy slowly acclimated to life in Outtatowner. I kept my distance, not wanting to insert myself, unsure of how to even do that—not that I wanted to.

Every morning I drank my coffee black and watched them through a slit in the curtains. They played on my private beach, lay in the grass and pointed at the clouds, giggled, and came home with bags of produce from the farmers’ market—all while I stood on the outskirts trying to figure out what Hazel’s true intentions were.

Maybe it really is as simple as wanting money in the midst of the King Equities chaos.

While she was staying on my property, I pulled every string I could find to get Hazel and me in front of a judge and get them out of my hair for good. Small-town courts were notoriously slow, and we needed a resolution as quickly as possible.

I stared at the clock on the wall in my office as seconds crawled forward. I needed to leave if I was going to make it to the Remington County courthouse on time.

“I thought you said the meeting was at four?” Veda asked without looking at me.

I glanced at her. She was standing with her back to me, barefoot with hands on her hips in front of her murder board.

“Can I ask you something?” I didn’t want to think about anything but work. I needed to keep my head down.

Focus.

Veda turned to me with a raised eyebrow.

I plopped the newspaper in my hand onto my desk, ignoring the grainy black-and-white photo of my father splashed across the front page. “What happens if we fold?”

Her eyes narrowed on me before she exhaled. “The sharks are circling, there’s no denying that. Selling the company now would get you fractions of pennies on the dollar—which, given the fact King Equities and its assets are worth close to a billion, would still be more money than any of you would ever need.”

My jaw flexed. “And if we tough it out?”

Veda crossed her arms. “We weather the storm, hope that our current investors don’t pull their funds. We stand by our firm. We prove that King Equities is more than the black mark your father created. We do that, and King Equities will no longer simply be a mergers-and-acquisitions boutique—we could be serious contenders on a global scale.”

The corner of my mouth ticced up. I liked the sound of that. “World domination?”

Veda scoffed before turning back to her board. “You’re damn right.”

I smiled at her back. I wouldn’t let it show, but I needed Veda’s pep talk. More and more I’d been questioning what the hell I had worked my whole life for. Since childhood I’d been groomed to take over my father’s business, and for what? To find out that he’d used the company as an elaborate shell game to hide what he’d done to my mother?

But, damn it, I was tired.

I swiped my keys from the desk. “I’m out of here. Try making yourself useful and working on that global domination while I’m gone.”

She offered a salute over her shoulder as I walked toward the door. “On it.”

Attorney Joss Keller looked almost as good in a suit as I did.

Almost.

I walked down the quiet corridor at the Remington County courthouse and sized him up as he stood across from Hazel and Teddy. She was dressed in ripped jeans and a faded Rolling Stones T-shirt tied in a knot at her belly button. Over it was a long gold jacket that seemed to be velvet and fell to her knees. Her hair was haphazardly tied up with a scarf.

Her choice of clothing should have appeared disheveled and out of place, but for her it somehow worked despite the sterile, buttoned-up atmosphere of the courthouse. Teddy fit right in with another short-sleeved checkered shirt. This time he was wearing a slim blue necktie. His sneakers were the only reminder that he was a little kid and not a tiny CEO.

Hazel was laughing softly at something Joss had said, but when I approached, her soft laugh faded.

Without a smile to greet him, I walked up to Joss, placed my hand in his, and shook. “Keller.”

“King.” Joss squeezed back.

“Hey, kid,” I said to Teddy with a nod.

His chin dipped to mirror my greeting. “Hi, Dad.”

Hazel sputtered as my throat went dry and the room around me narrowed.

She herded him in the direction of the bathroom. “Teddy, why don’t you use the bathroom before we head in.”

Unfazed, he went in, and I turned to Joss and Hazel, still reeling from Teddy’s flippant use of Dad.

Joss’s head shook as he sized me up. It was no secret that the pretty-boy attorney was friends with the Sullivans, and given our muddy history, his obvious skepticism made sense.

My eyes roamed over Hazel, unable to stop staring at how the loose tendrils of hair perfectly framed her pretty face.

I wrenched my gaze free to look at Joss. “Are you here providing legal representation?”

Joss’s winning smile grated on my already fried nerves. His eyes moved back to Hazel, and his grin widened. “This was simply a lucky chance meeting. Ms. Adams was looking a little lost.”

Joss slipped his card from the inside pocket of his jacket and handed it to Hazel. “But if you ever need anything, please, don’t hesitate to reach out.”

A disgusted noise rattled in the back of my throat before I could stop it. Hazel’s long lashes swooped down as she looked at his business card and accepted it with a soft smile. I rolled my eyes as he turned and his loafers clacked down the hallway.

“Problem?” she asked as she turned toward me.

I stared down at her. “Several, actually.”

Once Teddy returned, I gestured to the door to Judge Burns’s office, and the pair entered before me.

Hazel’s face twisted. “Do you like anyone?” Hazel asked as she passed in front of me, but she didn’t wait for my response.

No, not really.

I checked us in with the receptionist and waited to be called back to the judge’s chambers.

Teddy looked up at me. “Have you considered the loss of consumer trust?”

I looked down, confused. “What?”

A serious line creased Teddy’s eyebrows. “I’ve been thinking about it. The news reports say things are bad for King Equities. You should start by acknowledging and apologizing.”

A laugh sounded from my chest. I had never been a kid person, but Teddy seemed different—like a sixty-year-old man trapped in a child’s body. “How do you know about that?”

He shrugged. “Google.”

I nodded. Fucking Google. “Thanks, I’ll keep it in mind.”

I then focused my attention on my watch and tapped my foot as the minutes ticked by.

4:07—the judge is late.

“Got somewhere better to be?” Hazel asked, annoyance dripping from her silky voice.

I didn’t need to look at her to perfectly picture the crease between her eyebrows. My arms crossed. “Some of us have jobs to get back to.” I glanced down at her. “What is it you do again? Social media . . . something or other?”

Her nostrils flared as she stared ahead at the large wooden door of the judge’s chambers. “Influencer,” she gritted between clenched teeth.

I huffed. Figures.

Before Hazel could fire back, the door to the judge’s chambers opened. I stood, smoothing a hand down my suit, and stepped forward. “Judge Burns, pleasure to see you again, sir.”

We shook hands as Hazel looked on. She turned to Teddy. “You’re going to sit out here and read for a little bit. No wandering off.”

Teddy nodded and propped himself up in a chair in the waiting area.

“Promise?” Hazel asked.

Teddy simply drew an X over his checkered shirt and opened his book.

With a kind smile, Judge Burns gestured for us to enter, and I stepped inside while Hazel shook his hand and followed. Two chairs were positioned in front of his large oak desk.

“Please, sit.” He gestured to the seats as he rounded the desk.

I waited for Hazel to sit before unbuttoning my jacket and sitting in the chair beside her.

Nerves rolled off her in waves. She clutched a piece of paper in her lap, and her foot bounced.

“Well,” Judge Burns began, “sounds like we’ve got a bit of family drama. Well, more of it, I should say.” The judge winked at me, and I stifled another eye roll.

“Sir, if I may.” I leaned forward. “Ms. Adams believes that her sister Olivia and I⁠—”

“It’s Olive,” Hazel interrupted.

I turned to her. “What?”

“Her name was Olive, not Olivia. You don’t even remember her name?” Emotion was thick in her voice, and I immediately felt like the world’s biggest asshole.

I cleared my throat. “My apologies. Olive.” I looked at the judge. “Clearly I don’t know this woman, or her child. He’s a cute kid, don’t get me wrong, but he’s not mine.”

Judge Burns turned his attention to Hazel. “Why don’t we start with you, miss. Who are you and how can I help?”

Hazel gathered her strength and straightened in the plush, white chair. “My name is Hazel Adams. My sister was Olive—” Her eyes sliced toward me. “That’s Teddy’s mom. She passed away in April.”

The judge’s pale-green eyes were soft and kind. “I’m sorry to hear that. Losing a sibling is a special kind of pain. Your sister left custody of her son with you?”

Hazel’s lower lip pulled between her teeth. “Um . . . kind of. As next of kin, I was granted custody, but her wishes did also include possible shared custody with Teddy’s father.” Her gaze flicked to me, then back to the judge.

Custody? What the fuck?

My heart pounded as my back stayed glued to the seat.

The judge’s features pinched as he focused on Hazel. “But he’s grown up with you, correct?”

She blinked rapidly and fumbled with the papers. “To be honest, I wasn’t living near them—a large part of my career is—was traveling. But things change.” Hazel raised her chin. “It has become clear that he wants nothing to do with his son, which is fine. I’ve spent the last several months with him, and now I want to have full custody.”

I slapped a hand on my thigh. “Fine. I can sign away custody right now. Done.”

As soon as the words were out, I was caught off guard by a sharp stab beneath my ribs. I pushed past it and focused on steadying my breathing and ignoring the image of Teddy’s sweet face that popped into my mind.

Judge Burns held up a hand and shook his head. “I’m afraid it’s not that simple, Mr. King. You cannot give up custody of a child that isn’t proven to be yours. You yourself stated Teddy was not your son. Clearly there is a question of paternity. Unfortunately, in the best interest of the child, I am not able to make a recommendation until the issue of paternity is resolved.”

“How long does that take?” I asked, pinching the bridge of my nose.

“Weeks? Months?” Judge Burns sighed. “It’s difficult to say how quickly these things get pushed through. Once the issue of paternity is established, the court can make a ruling on custody. If you’re proven to be his father, you can sign your rights over to Ms. Adams at that time.”

The room tilted as I attempted to gain my bearings.

Months?

Hazel slipped a piece of paper from her purse. “This is Olive’s application for Teddy’s birth certificate.” The coral nail polish on her index finger was chipped, and I briefly wondered whether nerves had caused her to pick it off. “She put his name right there.”

I leaned forward to see my name, JP King, written in the space for the father’s full name.

Judge Burns hummed. “Mr. King’s name is on the application, but if he never signed anything, in the state of Michigan, his name wouldn’t appear on the actual birth certificate. However, her last will and testament did nominate both you, Ms. Adams, and you, Mr. King, as guardians.” The judge frowned and turned to me. “I take it having a child with the late Ms. Adams was not in the plan?”

My gaze was unfocused as I stared at the wood grain of his desk. “No, sir.”

“Did Olive ever contact you in any way to inform you of⁠—”

“Absolutely not.” I dipped my chin in a steely, confident nod.

“I object!” Hazel held a folded piece of paper over her head.

Judge Burns shook his head and chuckled. “Ms. Adams, there’s no need for that. This is not a formal hearing.”

“She did try, and I have proof.” Hazel leaned forward, smoothing a handwritten letter open, splaying it across the judge’s desk. Tucked inside the folded letter was an old photograph.

Shock radiated through me as I stared at a younger version of myself. In the picture I was wearing some kind of crimped, blond, eighties-style wig. My eyes were half closed and I looked drunk as fuck. Tucked into my side was a pretty woman I didn’t recognize. She was grinning at the camera as it captured a moment in time I simply could not recall.

I scraped a hand over my jaw and sat back.

Judge Burns whistled softly. “Sure does look a lot like you, Mr. King.”

I swallowed as I stared at my stupid, love-drunk happy face. “Yeah.”

“While we wait for paternity results,” Judge Burns continued, “it can be presumed JP is the father and would have the right to visitation with Teddy, if you choose to honor your sister’s wishes.”

Beside me, Hazel swallowed hard. It was clear she loved her sister deeply and, despite her disdain for me, wanted to abide by her sister’s dying words.

We both sat in stunned silence.

Judge Burns sat back in his chair, lacing his fingers over his abdomen. “Or . . . given the information presented today, I believe there is another logical way to move forward . . .”

He should have been dressed in a black executioner’s cloak. I clenched my teeth and waited for the judge to swing the ax and seal my fate.