Chapter 49. Don’t Do Mornings...

Zayn stared at the sleeping boy beside him. Lucien’s head had unconsciously slipped onto his lap somewhere along the drive, the gentle rise and fall of his breathing steady against Zayn’s thigh.

Normally, at least the version of himself he used to be,Zayn would have been irritated, even angry. He would have woken Lucien immediately, scolded him for disobeying him earlier at the boutique. But that version of himself felt… far away now.

Ever since that night—the night they kissed, something had changed.

He didn’t want to admit it, even to himself. Yet here he was, unable to push the boy away, his hand instead finding Lucien’s soft hair and running through it slowly. The strands were warm from the heat inside the car.

Outside the tinted window, the city lights blurred past in gold and silver smears. It was already night.

Zayn had urgent matters to handle, several quick stops to make before heading home. Each time, he’d stepped out briefly, leaving Lucien i