Page 115 of Seen Knot Heard

“You’ve changed,” I say, the words slipping out before I can stop them. “Misty Pines… It’s been good for you.”

It’s the truth. The Dominic beside me now is not the same child I knew all those years ago. There’s a calmness to him, a steadiness that wasn’t there before. As if he’s finally found his place in the world.

His breath catches, and when our eyes meet, my heart aches at the vulnerability I see there. “I’m trying. Every day, I’m trying to be better. To be someone… someone worthy of…”

He trails off, but I hear the unspoken words hanging in the air between us.Someone worthy of you.The thought sends a shiver through me, and I lean closer, drawn to the warmth of his presence like a moth to a flame.

For a moment, the world narrows to the two of us, and all I can focus on is the way Dominic regards me. Like I’m something precious. Something worth fighting for.

Then Quinn’s shriek of laughter jars me from the moment, and I pull back, cheeks flushing hot with embarrassment. I stand abruptly, nearly knocking over my forgotten coffee. “I should… I should go see if Holden’s found anything on the laptop.”

The excuse sounds flimsy even to my own ears, but Dominic accepts it without question, masking his disappointment. “Sure. I’ll stay out here until Quinn tires herself out.”

As I head inside, his stare burns between my shoulder blades, heavy with a longing that matches the ache in my chest. But I don’t turn around. I can’t.

Because deep down, I know that if I do, I might not find the strength to walk away again.

I step back into the house, and the front door clicks shut behind me, leaving me in unnatural stillness. No laughter, no conversation, not even the clang and rattle of Holden in the kitchen.

My heart pounds, the flush in my cheeks spreading lower. Dominic’s scent lingers in my lungs, on my skin, the citrus and musk blending with my floral notes in a way that is both new and achingly familiar.

I lean against the door for support as I struggle to catch my breath. My fingers brush my lips, which tingle for the want of his kiss. If Quinn hadn’t been there, what would have happened?

As much as I keep denying it, a part of me remembers the way we used to be and still craves Dominic’s touch.

I draw in a shaky breath and push myself off the door, heading toward the kitchen. The smell of coffee and bacon still lingers in the air, and I regret leaving my mug outside. But I’m not willing to go fetch it now.

As I pass the row of French doors that run the length of the dining room, I glance outside. Dominic still sits on the porch steps, his lean silhouette outlined by the rising sun, his long hair fluttering.

His gaze is distant as he watches Quinn and Sprinkles play in the yard, and for a moment, I let myself imagine a different life, one where Dominic and I went through with the bonding our family planned.

Would we have already welcomed our first pup into this world? Would they have been happy?

Would we?

Chapter Thirty-Six

Chloe

Facing forward once more, I step back into the kitchen to find Holden hunched over the laptop on the kitchen island, his golden curls falling forward.

When I pause in the doorway, his head lifts, and warmth spreads across his freckled cheeks in silent invitation. “Hey. Everything okay?”

“That’s what I came back in to ask.” I join him and grip the edge of the counter. “Did you find anything?”

If Holden uncovered spyware, it means Louie planned to monitor me here. But what if it’s not new? What if he was watching me suffer while I was still being held captive? What if every time I thought I was alone, he was violating my privacy in the worst way possible?

The thought makes my skin crawl.

“Chloe?” My name snaps me out of my thoughts, and I find Holden studying me with concern. “Did you hear me?”

I shake my head. “Sorry, can you repeat that?”

“I was saying,” he repeats, his words soft as vanilla cake, “that from what I can tell, the laptop appears clean.”

Appears.That one word sticks in my mind, a stubborn splinter that refuses to grant me peace.

Holden must sense my unease because he adds, “But to be safe, we should probably recycle it, anyway. Dispose of it for good.”

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