Page 53 of His Wild Storm
“So,” Tenley’s voice is filled with curiosity, “I have to ask now that the boys are gone, how are things going with you and Knox?”
My eyes widen at her bold question, but I’ve learned it’s just part of who she is. Yes, it is a little nosey, but it comes from a good place.
“Things have been good?” It comes out more like a question than a statement and I clear my throat before trying again while hoping I sound surer. “I mean, they have been good. Knox and I have been spending time together, but it’s not just us. He always includes Wilde and never seems to resent it.”
Monroe scoffs which pulls my attention to her. “The last thing Knox feels toward Wilde is resentment,” she assures me. “If I had to put a label on it, he thinks of your boy as his.”
My jaw hangs open for a second before I snap it closed. I’ve watched how Knox treats Wilde and while I agree with Monroe, I hadn’t put their bond into words. Now it’s out there and feels much more real and unavoidable.
It’s not like you want to avoid it. You want this just as bad as Knox and Wilde do.
“Does that bother you?” It’s Avery who asks the question, her tone tentative.
Without thinking about it, my eyes stray toward the shop just in time to find Knox throwing back his head and laughing while Wilde giggles, his little hand covering his mouth. Then Knox is picking Wilde up in his strong arms. Wilde snuggles against him without any hesitation while a look of contentment blankets his features.
“No,” I croak out, “it doesn’t bother me. It does scare me,” I admit.
“That makes total sense,” Avery supports my feelings. “Only a few months ago, I was hiding my pregnancy.”
Her words have my focus snapping to her just as Tenley switches Kessler to her other breast. I stare at Avery while expecting her to take back her words. Why would she hide her pregnancy?
“Bridger and I were a one-night stand that resulted in this blessing,” she explains while running a hand over her belly. “The only reason I went out the night we met was because I was mad at my father. He had informed me I was to marry his law firmpartner’s son who was also another lawyer at the firm. While they treated me like a paralegal, they gave him his dues as a lawyer while seeming to forget we both got through law school.” She shakes her head and looks off into the distance. “The day everything fell apart, I ended up fired and kicked out of my parent’s house because I refused to give up my baby. Bridger had mentioned the name of the shop where he worked the night we were together, and it was the only place I could think to go.”
“The day she showed up,” Monroe cuts in, “Bridger was distracted. He had been for months. Knowing what happened now, I’m positive he couldn’t stop thinking about Avery.”
Avery blushes and ducks her head slightly. “I couldn’t stop thinking about him either,” she admits. She clears her throat and looks at me, “That’s not why I shared, though. Starting something new and taking a chance is scary. It should be. But that doesn’t mean the fear will stick around, and getting past it may give you the opportunity to find something amazing and everlasting.”
Her words hit me in the middle of my chest, and I look back into the shop to find Knox holding Wilde with a huge smile on his face. He’s at the register now and it’s probably a good thing I can’t see the pile I have no doubt they amassed.
“I promised him I would try,” I whisper to the girls, “and I’ll keep it.”
Tenley squeals while Monroe claps her hands. The look of pride Avery shoots me is the best reaction out of the three. Although, to be fair, Tenley’s is rather good too.
When they walk out of the gift shop, my jaw drops open at the bag Knox is carrying. Wyatt sees my reaction and holds up hishands in surrender even though the sparkle in his eyes tells me he’s not even a little bit sorry.
“Mommy,” Wilde skips over to me, “you should see all the art souvenirs I got. I’ll never forget today as long as I live,” he declares and any protests I was working up go up in smoke.
Instead of saying anything, I kiss Wilde’s head and smile at Knox and allow my heart to feel full. And it does. In a way it never has before.
If fate led me here, if it really had a hand in how I made it away from the darkness and toward something real, then I owe it to myself, and fate, to not let the doubts win. I owe it to myself to jump in with both feet.
That feeling of triumph, of being right where I’m supposed to be, stays with me through going out to dinner with everyone. It clings to me even as we sit out in front of Safe Home, Wilde’s gentle, even breaths coming from the backseat where drool is leaking from the side of his mouth as he sleeps.
And then Knox turns to me, his expression suddenly serious, and my heart drops.
Before he can say anything, I blurt out, “Is this where you let me off easy?”
Knox’s eyebrows pull together in confusion before they smooth out, and his expression softens. “No, my little storm,” he assures me; and I believe him. “Nothing like that.”
“Okay,” I breathe out as fear tries to claw its way into the forefront of my mind again.
He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “You’ve been talking about finding a place and leaving Safe Home. I also know you’re concerned about paperwork and being on a lease. WhileI’m sure Higgins Security and the shelter are equipped to help you get around the issue, I have an idea.”
“You have an idea?” My voice sounds high and a little breathy as my heart starts to pound in my chest.
“Come and stay with me. At the house,” his words are careful and measured, spoken like secrets wrapped in softness because he doesn’t want them to land like the bombs they are.
My mouth opens and closes a few times before I find myself staring at him with no idea what to say or how to react. He chuckles and leans over to press a kiss against my forehead before brushing his lips against my own.
