Page 98 of Mountain Protector

Moisture shines in his eyes. “I’m so sorry. So damn sorry. That he hurt you, and I could have stopped it. It’s all my?—”

“Mr. Weber.” Knox reaches across me and touches my dad’s arm. “It’s not your fault. I think we’re all eager to take the blame. I know I am. But it doesn’t help anyone. And at the end of the day, the person who’s really to blame is Ed.”

After a moment’s silence, my dad nods. “You’re right. I know you are. It’s just… I swore I’d protect Lark.”

“I did too,” Knox replies. “But she’s safe. That’s the most important thing.”

“Thanks to you.” Standing, my dad moves toward Knox and holds out his hand. “Thank you, Knox. I can never say it enough. You protected my daughter when I couldn’t.”

“I can take care of myself, you know,” I mutter, but neither of them are listening to me.

Knox takes his hand and gives it a firm shake. “I’ll protect Lark with my life.”

The two men look at each other, a silent communication passing between them. Then my dad drops Knox’s hand and gives him a quick hug. “I’m damn glad Lark met you. And—” he pauses. “Call me Mitch.”

Then my dad’s eyes slide in my direction, and he gives me a knowing smile. “Or maybe,” he continues, “one day you’ll call me something else. More like… family.”

My heart jumps.

I’m pretty sure I know what he’s talking about.

Heat floods my cheeks. Knox and I have talked about being together long-term, but what my dad just implied…

Knox meets his gaze steadily. “I hope so.”

Oh.

Does that mean what I think it does?

“I have an idea,” Knox announces. “Why don’t we all watch part of one of Lark’s movies?” He turns to me. “Just for a half-hour, like Ronan said. And then you can take another nap. How does that sound?”

I glance up at my dad. “Dad? Do you want to stay for a while?”

He smiles. “I’d love that, baby.”

“Okay, then.” Knox picks me up and moves me over on the couch so he can sit beside me. Tucking me into his side, he presses a soft kiss to the top of my head. In a tone low enough that only I can hear, he says, “I meant it, songbird. I love you. And one day in the not too distant future, Iwillask you to marry me.”

Oh.

OH.

“I love you, too,” I whisper. “And when you ask, I’ll say yes.”

CHAPTER 22

KNOX

“Are you sure you’ll be okay if I leave for an hour?”

I know I’m on the verge of sounding like a parrot, but I can’t help it. Every time I think about leaving Lark’s side for even a few minutes—to shovel off the front path or drive down to the road to get the mail—my chest gets tight and my stomach twists into a knot. When I went outside yesterday morning to clear the snow off the edges of the roof, it took me almost half an hour, and by the time I came back inside, I was in a full-on panic, convinced something was wrong with Lark.

She was fine.

But my brain kept racing to irrational, terrified places. Despite the doctors’ reassurances and Lark’s steady improvement, I couldn’t stop myself from imagining the worst. Lark unconscious in the kitchen after an unnoticed aneurysm burst. Lark crumpled on the floor of the shower after the heat became too much forher. Or Lark sobbing, hyperventilating, battling through a panic attack alone.

“It’s normal,” Enzo assured me this morning, when he called to check on her. I admitted how hard it was to leave her, and how much I’m dreading going back to work next week. “I felt the same way,” he said, “after everything with Winter. But we’ve got your six, Knox. Lark can stay at my place when you’re on a job site. I’ll be around, and so will Winter. Not that anything will happen to Lark, but I think it’ll make both of you feel better.”

While my preference would be to keep Lark with me all the time, that’s not exactly realistic. She’s going to want to go back to work eventually, and I have a crew of guys relying on me. Not to mention jobs lined up through next summer, and if I want to keep my business afloat, I kind of need to be there to make sure everything gets done.

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