Page 38 of Stay Awhile
“Knox, this is my best friend, Chyna,” I introduced her.
He cleared his throat, and then hesitantly reached a hand out to shake hers. Chyna gladly obliged and then stepped out to stand beside him.
“It’s nice to meet you. I’ll talk to you later, Skye.”
She walked further down the walkway and pretended like she was going to faint dramatically. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes, not to mention I wasn’t supposed to be so damn happy to see him. I was supposed to be upset, so I steeled my features and crossed my arms against my chest.
“Can I help you with something?” I asked.
For the first time since we were alone, he smirked and then stuffed his hands into his pockets. “I know you aren’t happy with me, but allow me to explain, and if you don’t think it’s good enough, I’ll go and never return.”
I couldn’t deny the fact that I wanted to know where he had been and why he came back now. I stepped aside so he could walk into the house and locked the door behind him.
I walked into the kitchen, and he followed me. I could feel his eyes practically burning a hole into my back as I grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge, then placed them on the counter. “Talk.”
He nodded and pulled out a chair at my island to take a seat.
“After returning you to your parents, we still had our own mess to clean up. Vlad had framed us for her crimes, and we needed proof of our innocence. That day in the playroom—the day everything went down—we managed to record her confession. What I didn’t know was that VC had also tapped into their security cameras, capturing everything. He sent that footage to the authorities, but they took their sweet time verifying it all. That’s what caused the delay.”
He paused, his voice softening. “But beyond all that, Skye, I have nothing to offer you. Hell, I haven’t even taken you on a proper date where I could use my real name. You deserve better than that, and for a while, I convinced myself I couldn’t be that person for you.”
My arms fell to my side as I walked around the island, and he turned his chair to face me.
“But now?” I asked.
He shrugged his shoulders and reached up to brush a curl that had fallen from my bun behind my ear. “I figured we would just have to work this shit out. There is no other woman for me and I don’t want anyone else. I just want to be wherever you are. Even if we’re broken, we can be broken together. You’re worth me staying for more than just a while. If you will let me, I would like to court you the right way. I bought a condo in my name. Man, did that feel weird, but I did it. I just want to take you out as Knox Bolden. Can I do that?” he asked.
I didn’t even realize I was crying until he reached up to wipe a few tears from my cheeks.
“I would love that, and oh, just in case you wanted to know, I like red roses, and the next time you try to run off on me, best believe I’m going with you,” I responded.
He laughed, and a light entered his eyes, one that I would do anything to continue to experience. I reached up and placed my hands on both sides of his face as he leaned forward to kiss me. His arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me against his chest, while one hand reached down to grab my ass, causing me to giggle.
“Oh, you’re so mannish.” I laughed.
“You better know it.”
SIX MONTHS LATER… AT KING DYNASTY RESORTS & WELLNESS
The moon was full,and the air was crisp. I couldn’t believe it’d been seven months since I took back the reins on my life, six months since I took a chance on the woman who brought light into my life, and three months since I’d started a security firm with VC. Although, as of recent, he had been on an extended vacation dealing with some shit.
If someone had told me I’d be vacationing with my girlfriend at King Dynasty Resorts & Wellness—one of the finest resorts in Ohana Bay, Hawaii—I never would have believed them. We chose this one because, since I came back into Skye’s life, we put our mental health first. I still couldn’t believe I allowed her to talk me into a room with a fucking balcony, but here I was, lounging and reminiscing over everything she had given me.
Looking down at the beach reminded me of our re-do first date. I wanted a chance to introduce her to the man I was today and not the one living under different identities.
My palms were moist as hell, causing me to rub my pants repeatedly. I didn’t remember the last time I was this damn nervous. It seemed as if any time I was around Skye, she had my mind gone. I convinced VC to help me set everything all up in my condo, and now I regretted that decision because who the hell was going to clean up all that fucking sand?
The thought alone made me groan as I stood outside of her front door. I stretched, then leaned forward to ring the doorbell. Before I could pull back, the front door snatched open. Skye was dressed in a red wrap dress with her hair falling past her shoulders in loose curls with a red flower in her hair.
When she asked me what she should wear, I told her to think beach. She took that concept, then went above and beyond.
“You look beautiful. I couldn’t have dreamed you up if I tried,” I told her.
Her cheeks reddened at my compliment. “Thank you. I was wondering when you would stop obsessing and ring the doorbell, but I was patient instead of snatching the door open like I wanted.”
I laughed because I loved how blunt she always was. I never had to wonder how she felt because she made sure I knew at every turn. I appreciated it because I had no experience with dating outside of her.
“You’re welcome, and you could have put me out of my misery if you saw me out here looking crazy.”
