Page 17 of Knot Stepping Down
The fact that a professor bet on one of the Alphas last year and they ended up getting married?Thatwas a highlight.
Me and Declan aren’t really all that interesting and I think it has a lot to do with the fact that this isn’t for show. Declan is mine and I am his. And tonight, I’m going to make sure that absolutely everyone knows that.
My gaze drifts over to Sienna who’s got her arms thrust across her chest, no doubt planning for some big reveal. I just have to make sure I get there first.
I don’t, though.
Declan does.
The teams have just loaded onto the main stage, Declan looking around before his eyes fall on me. And then he’s striding down the aisle and draping his jacket around my shoulders. “Hey, pretty boy. You didn’t think I’d forget my good luck kiss.” I open my mouth to say something, cut off when he grabs the collar of the jacket and drags me close, his lips smashing into mine.
It takes me a moment to realize he’s mic’d up, everyone in the gym hearing this moment—the perfect moment to make this real. When he pulls away, I confess something I should have done months ago.
“I love you, Declan Wolfe.”
He doesn’t even miss a beat. “I love you too, Avery Benson.”
He kisses me again, leaving me breathless as he heads back to the stage. The gym is silent and then erupts into cheers, the announcer whistling into the microphone and then starting off on his spiel. I’m still a little stunned, Milo jostling me back and forth, squealing all the excitement that I’m feeling.
I look over at Sienna again, this time with a smug grin because there’s nothing she can do now that we’ve let everyone know where we stand. They aren’t rumors anymore—they’re fact. I’m dating my stepbrother. No, my stepbrother is mymate.
My attention drifts briefly to the heat coursing through me. It won’t be long before I succumb to my biology and I’m hoping that the confession just now covers that. However, tonight, I’m going to focus on Declan and his championship and his love forStarPulse.
The game kicks off, the screens flashingStarPulse’s neon jungle. I’m immediately glued to Declan’s every move. His team is sharp, calling out plays and moves as they dodge, weave, and shoot against the other team. I don’t even know who they’re playing—I should really keep up with all this—but it doesn’t matter. Knotlocke is going to win.
I jump out of my seat, yelling Declan’s name just as someone familiar catches my eye at the edge of the gym. My heart drops into my stomach as I stare at the man before returning my attention to our team. There’s no reason Dad should be here. He made it very clear where I stood and what he wanted me to do. I texted him that I was sorry and that I couldn’t choose after I left but there wasn’t an answer.
I didn’t expect one.
Just as I didn’t expect Dad to show up here.
Focus, Avery,I tell myself as I hone back in on the game, eyes darting across the screens as Knotlocke pulls another victory. There’s confetti and cheers, the announcer screaming over thechaos to hand a large gold trophy to the Knotlocke team. They hold it up together, all four players grinning wildly as they bring home yet another win to the campus.
People can talk about our scandalous practices all they want but we’re pretty good at our sports and academics… that’s a fact they can’t refute.
I’m probably the loudest in the gym as I dart toward the stage, Declan catching me in his arms and twirling me around. “Mic off please. I’d like to kiss you properly,” I say.
“Absolutely,” he responds before chucking the headset onto the chair and kissing me, deeply, passionately, hungrily. It’s definitely not a kiss for public consumption, one of his teammates clearing their throat and breaking up the moment. “Seriously, Kade?”
We whip around to see that it’s not Kade but my father. I drop down to my feet and straighten my clothing, dragging Declan’s jacket tight around me. Dad’s seen better days, dark circles beneath his eyes as he wrings his hands in front of us. He gestures away from the stage, away from all the chaos and we comply, none of us speaking until we’ve stepped into a small empty classroom just outside the gym.
There’s a lot of congratulations, ‘will you be at the after party’, etc but we ignore it all. My heart is in my throat as I reach out for Declan’s hand, needing him to ground me as I wait for my dad to tell me what’s going on and why he’s here.
“Dad?” I finally break the silence.
He drags a hand through his hair, tugging at the ends before responding. “Avery, I have a lot to make up for. What happened last night and last week… I should have never said those words.”
“I’m not letting him go,” I blurt out, clutching Declan’s hand tighter. “I can’t. I won’t.”
Dad shakes his head, sitting on the edge of one of the desks. “I didn’t come here to break you two up. I came here to support you. Lila and I had a conversation last night, picking out why we truly disapproved of this relationship, of why you two couldn’t be together and it brought to light a few things I’ve been avoiding. Avery, you will always be precious to me but over the last several months, I haven’t shown that. I haven’t proven to you that you mean more than the entire world to me.”
I frown, unsure where this is all coming from. He was so mad yesterday and now he’s apologizing?
“Declan sent me a pretty long message and it got me thinking, made me truly reflect on a few things. You two together doesn’t mean I can’t have my own happiness. And seeing the way you started smiling when Declan came around, Avery, I’ve been wishing to see you light up like that and I tried to take it away from you. I don’t expect forgiveness but I do want to try again.”
I can’t help but walk up to him and throw my hands around his neck, relief flooding through me as I realize that I haven’t lost my father. Lila not being here tells me that she didn’t see things the same way. I’m hoping that Dad will take us both in, love us both.
Declan gently tugs me away from my dad, throwing a possessive arm around my shoulder. “You’re gonna have to earn the forgiveness, though, Henry,” he says. “I get throwing me out—my mom’s still not on board, clearly, since she’s not here. But throwing out your own son? You didn’t even sit him down, let him explain his feelings. You didn’t see him last night, trying to sleep and failing because he thought he lost you. That doesn’t magically fix itself.”
