Page 67 of Wood You Knot

I folded my arms across my chest, taking a defensive stance. “Well, you’ve apologized. Now leave.”

Warren smiled, the same kind of lethargic, bemused smile he used to give me. It had zero effect on me now—I much preferred Nix’s assortment of smiles, and how they made me swoon at the same time they showed his feelings and thoughts. I could always get a feel for what he was thinking by the way he was smiling at me.

“Don’t worry, I know I’m not very…welcome here, and I’ll leave as soon as I’m done saying this. But…how I handled myself the other night, and after…well, what happened between us, it was wrong, and I wanted to apologize for my behaviour. I deeply regret how I handled myself, both before our breakup and now after. I shouldn’t have cheated on you, and I shouldn’t have made you feel like it was your fault I did so. It wasn’t. That was…all me.”

“Okay…” I trailed off, my brows raising. “I’m not sure what you want me to say. That I forgive you? Because there’s nothing to forgive. Not really, anyway. You weren’t right for me, and I didn’t realize it until you proved it. So thank you for proving it, I guess?”

Warren nodded, absorbing my answer. “I wanted to be right for you, I really did. I wanted to be the person you thought I was, but…”

“You weren’t, and you aren’t,” I finished, my lips pursing.

He nodded again, this time in solemn agreement. “I am glad you’ve found that—glad you’ve found someone who cares about you as much as your plaid shirt guy seems to.”

He was referring to Nix, and all I could do was stare at him, trying to figure out what his angle was. I didn’t exactly trust his intentions, but he seemed sincere enough.

“I’m glad I’ve found him too,” I finally said, because it was true—I was glad I’d found him and said yes to a date with him. After witnessing the protective stance he’d taken and the concern he’d shown when he thought I was threatened, I was glad I’d allowed him to comfort me.

The caring way he’d reassured me after I’d come to the realization my mother had betrayed my trust yet again had only emboldened the fact that he was the one for me.

Nix had carved his way into my heart, chiseling past my defenses. In that moment, I realized I was ready to let him in—let him stay there, where it truly felt like he belonged.

“You do seem a lot happier here,” Warren concurred. “I’m…relieved to see that. I wish you all the best.”

He went to leave, and I watched him go without saying anything else, my thoughts on Nix.

* * *

Somehow, I made it to the end of the workday, my thoughts interlaced with my newly acknowledged deep feelings for Nix. Part of me had wanted to text him or call him and tell him I was ready to take things to the next step and make it official between us. We’d yet to do that, although I knew his intentions from the beginning.

But I also kind of felt like that was a conversation we should have in person, after I’d asked my daughter for her thoughts on the matter.

I wasn’t sure what to do with all the noise in my head when I pulled up to Tabitha and Parker’s house. Parker’s truck was gone, and so was Nix’s truck—both still at their respective jobs.

Tabitha and the kids were all in the backyard, taking advantage of the warm, sunny day. I opened the gate and walked through, waving at the girls as I made my way up to Tabitha, who was sitting on the deck using her foot to rock a sleeping Bryson in his car seat.

“Hey,” she said softly, grinning as she set the paperback she’d been reading down on the table. “How was work?”

“Hey,” I replied, sitting down across from her. “It was…interesting.”

“How so?”

“Warren came by,” I told her, and her smile immediately faded, a look of concern washing over her face. “He wanted to apologize for his behaviour at the fundraiser—and before. He also said he was glad I’d found someone who cares about me as much as ‘plaid shirt guy’ seems to care about me.”

“Huh,” Tabitha said thoughtfully, leaning back. “I’m assuming he’s referring to Nix?”

“Probably. I’m sure that had something to do with the standoff they had at the fundraiser.”

“Maybe,” Tabitha said, trying to hold back a smile. I raised my brows, waiting for her to continue. “It might also have something to do with the private chat Nix had with him,” she finished.

“What? When did Nix have a private chat with Warren?”

Tabitha bit down on her bottom lip, thinking. “Umm…Saturday morning, I think? When we were at The Quarter Lounge on Friday night, we found out Warren was staying at Annalise’s bed and breakfast. I’m pretty sure the twins texted Nix. Annalise said he came by the next morning.”

“What did he say?”

“You’ll have to ask Nix for the full story. Annalise only overheard bits and pieces, but from the sounds of it, he gave Warren shit for not backing off and listening to you, and he made it clear he wouldn’t tolerate any harassment toward you. He also may have told him to kick rocks because he wasn’t welcome in our town.”

I smiled, trying to picture Nix doing that. I’d never had someone rise to my defense so unquestionably before.

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