King: Arizona's King: King Crow Ink, #2

By Madalyn Judge

HOME— Some say it's where the heart is. Others say you can never go back. But, for Max King, it's something he found loving Arizona Ray.

Arizona Ray has been in love with Max King since she was nine, and he vowed before God to love her sister for eternity. Three weeks later, he filed for divorce, joined the Army, and took off like the hounds of hell were on his heels— at least, that's how her dad used to tell it.

Skip forward nineteen years, and now King is back. He's everywhere she goes, determined to convince her to give him a chance to win her heart. There's just one teeny, tiny problem- he doesn't remember who she is or that he used to be married to her half-sister.

Max King, better known as The King of Ink, is heading home to Miami and is ready to find a good girl to settle down with. When he meets Arizona Ray, she checks every one of his boxes, but stubbornly, the little pixie refuses to give him the time of day. That all changes when Arizona finds herself injured, needing a helping hand, and King won't take no for an answer. Surprisingly, it's just what his little pixie needs to feel alive again.

King knows Arizona is scared of her feelings and the problems her sister is trying to cause, but he won't let her pull away. He's a patient man determined to win the war for her heart.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Madalyn Judge
• Release date: Jun 17, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223893189

Book preview

Chapter 1

KING

I pull into King Crow Ink’s parking lot, feeling that familiar sense of restlessness creeping in. It was something I had hoped would one day go away, but I wasn't sure that was ever going to happen.

Taking in the shop, the quiet side street, and the palms lining the walk to the beach, it hits me that this small ocean town is never going to feel like home.

It’s been years since my brother and I showed up here to set up King Crow Ink, and still, nothing’s clicked.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve felt like I’ve been running. Once upon a time, I thought I was running toward something, but now, with the older I’ve gotten, it’s starting to sink in that what I’ve been running from is my past. Boy, if my sister knew I’d finally come to the same conclusion she’s been saying for years, I’d never hear the end of it.

Pais, I murmur, thinking about my baby sister. I’ve been thinking about her more frequently and toying with the idea of going back home.

Damn, it’s been a long time since I’ve thought of Miami as home, but just like with most things, it hits differently these days.

I exhale heavily, realizing how much I’ve missed out on by being gone.

Then again, it’s not like I can’t go back. Lord knows Paisley has been giving me hell for years for taking off the way I did and always making excuses about why I haven’t been back.

In my defense, Crow and I did join the military, and Uncle Sam doesn’t doll out vacation days on a whim. Although it’s true, she and I both know it wouldn’t have mattered. I would have still stayed away.

Looking back at the shop's graffitied exterior, I watch Diesel help his pregnant wife out the door and into her SUV. The man found himself a good woman, and honestly, I’m a little jealous. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have a thing for his wife. It’s just... I want what he has. I want a family to come home to at night and a woman to look at me the same way she looks at him—like he’s her everything.

When I hit forty, I knew something was missing in my life, but now that I’ve had a front-row seat to Diesel turning in his singles card and getting the woman and family he’s always wanted, it really puts things into perspective. It’s made me realize that I’m ready for the same thing—I’m ready to settle down. I’m just not sure here is where I want to do that.

If I pitch the idea of packing it in and heading back to Miami, I have no doubt Crow would jump on board. Hell, he probably misses home more than I do.

There’s just one thing that has always put a stop to going home—April. It’s stupid that it took me this long to realize it, but I don’t give a damn anymore that my ex-wife is still there. To be honest, she hasn’t even been a blimp on my radar in years. I’m almost embarrassed that I’ve let her keep me away from my home for so long.

Riiiing.

Riiiing.

Riiiing.

I grit my teeth when I pull out my phone and see who’s calling.

Bobby.

He’s got a lot of fucking nerve. The man’s been MIA for weeks.

I have no clue why I keep paying the lazy ass when he can’t be bothered to check-in.

I’ve paid Bobby well to keep an eye on my sister, but it looks like I’m going to have to find someone else to do the job.

Shaking my head in annoyance, I send the call to voicemail. With the current mood I’m in, I’m in no place to talk to him right now.

Paisley would be pissed when she found out I had someone keeping an eye on her, but it was a risk I was willing to take.

The little shit was prone to getting herself into trouble, which I, more often than not, had to step in and fix. Unbeknownst to her, of course, because Paisley King was a very private woman, much like me. However, unlike me, she acted before she thought things through.

Riiiing.

Riiiing.

Damn it. This motherfu—Where the hell have you been? I answer angrily.

Busy. Your sister isn't the easiest woman to keep tabs on. But I have some news, and I don't think you're going to be very happy. Fuck, what has she gotten into now?

Your sister is pregnant. I'm no doctor, but I'd say she's maybe six months along. I freeze.

Bobby must have his wires crossed. There’s no way my sister is pregnant.

Run that by me again? There's no way you just said my baby sister was pregnant. Ain't no fucking way.

Afraid so, King. What. The. Actual. Fuck.

It might be hypocritical since I keep tabs on her without her knowledge, but mostly, my sister and I don’t keep secrets from one another.

At least, I hadn't thought we did.

Fuck, I tell her everything like she’s some kind of shrink, and here she is, living a secret life I have no fucking clue about.

Holding my breath, I try to wrap my head around this—a baby.

Jesus, I’m going to be an uncle.

Anything else? I growl, feeling my temper flare. I can’t believe she's kept something so important from me.

We both believe family is more important than anything.

She dumped the accountant, but I don’t think he is going to go away quietly. Did you want me to send a message that he'd better think twice before starting some shit with her?

Nah, I'll handle it. I end the call without another word. No need for pleasantries; Bobby and I aren’t friends.

Bing.

I opened the text, and fuck. I scan the image of my sister standing next to her car with her hand placed protectively over what is clearly a baby bump.

I'll be damn. Hearing she was going to be a mother is one thing. Seeing proof is something else entirely.

I run my hand through my hair as it settles in once and for all that it’s time to take my ass home.

I don’t know her reason, and at this point, I don’t care. Whatever it is, my sister needs me.

For long minutes I stare at my sister's rounded belly and replay the conversation I just had.

A slow smile spreads across my face—an uncle.

Getting my ass in gear, I haul my ass out of my truck and head for the door. I need to call a shop meeting ASAP and let my boys know what’s going on.

What's up? Crow asks from his perch on the counter as I step inside.

Pushing the door closed behind me, I wonder how much I should disclose. It isn’t my place to tell my sister's business, and I need to talk to her first before I tell Crow anything.

The two have refused to speak to each other since their blow-up in Vegas. Maybe Paisley being pregnant will help them get past their snit.

Nothing. Well... something, but I haven't worked it all out yet, I tell him honestly.

Crow arches his brow, picking up on the fact something is going on. If there was one person who is always in tune with my mood, it’s Crow.

Being foster brothers since we were ten, we both have an uncanny way of reading each other without needing to say a word. Something that served us well in the military.

Gonna tell me what’s going on? he asks.

I nod, flipping open the appointment book to see we all have a break at 3:00.

We're having a meeting today, guys, I say, marking a slash through the book.

Come on, Crow. I'll fill you in on what I can. He hops down and follows me into my room.

As I lean against my workstation, I study Crow, wondering how he's going to react to the bomb I’m about to drop. Going for broke, I blurt out, I've decided to move back to Miami. It's time.

Crow's eyes widened in surprise.

I laugh because I get it. I’ve been saying for years that I'll never go back. Not after what I lost, or rather what I thought I'd lost. In reality, it never was in the first place. I shake it off, not wanting to go down that road and instead focus on my brother, who looks shocked at hell.

Seriously? I mean, after April... and we left... I mean... shit! He scrubs his face and blows out a breath. Are you sure?

I know they say time heals all wounds, but I wasn't sure that applied to the mangled mess April left me in. I was a young man when I married her. She'd been a one-night stand that turned up pregnant. Or so she'd claimed, which was why I married her. After a few short weeks, the psycho admitted it had all been a lie, and there was no baby.

To say I was crushed is the understatement of a lifetime. I knew I couldn’t stay, so I filed for divorce the next day, and the second the ink on the papers was dry, I enlisted in the military and took off.

In hindsight, I now see that part of the reason I left was to get away from my crazy ex-wife, but mostly I didn't want to end up trapped in Miami. I wanted to see the world; experience all it had to offer, with nothing holding me back.

And I had.

I want to be closer to Paisley, and honestly, I’m forty and ready to settle down.

My brother's face morphs into a look of disgust, making me chuckle. He's been adamant all his life that he'll never have kids. He swears he doesn’t like 'em and wants no part of 'em. Which is crazy since he’s so good with D and Bella’s kids.

He's really going to shit when he finds out about Paisley.

I've got your back, Max. Whatever you decide. I bump my knuckles against his, thankful he does.

Good. Now, get out of here so I can get ready for my client. Crow laughs and flips me off on his way out.

Later That Night

I scroll through my contacts until I land on my sister's number. I have been thinking about how to handle this situation all day, and still, I’m a little unsure what is the best way to approach the topic.

Hey, Sis. The guy I pay to watch you says you got a bun in the oven. Pretty sure that won’t go over too well.

Fuck it, I mumble, hitting call.

Hey, big brother.