Page 258 of The Perfect Spiral
“Exactly, so how about this. If you eat your dinner, I will get you some chocolate for us all to eat. Does that sound good?” I ask him, grinning and raising an eyebrow.
“Can I sit next to you too?” He wraps his little arms around my neck. I glance at Austin for approval.
He nods and says, “If it’s alright with you, I’d rather him eat his dinner, and I know he’ll do it with you.” I scoop Adam up and smile at him.
“Alright, you can have dinner with me, baby. Come on.” I walk back into the room with him in my arms, feeling Knox’s hand still on my back. Adam squirms in my arms, and I look back to see Knox teasing him.
His face is so close to mine. His eyes shift to mine, and he reaches for me, pulling me closer by the waist. Adam is sandwiched between us.
“What happened?” Adam asks innocently.
What did happen? Knox and I are locked in a gaze, and I quickly shift my eyes to Adam, who is staring at his uncle.
“You were about to walk into the wall,” Knox points to the wall I was indeed about to collide with, Adam in my arms.
Adam starts to laugh at Knox, and I smile at him. Looking back up at Knox, I see him already watching me. His eyes are brighter than ever, his golden tan making them even more striking.
“Thanks. I got distracted,” I say, immediately regretting my words. I shouldn’t have told him that. Damn!
“Good to know I distract you, baby doll,” he teases, his hands rubbing my waist. I have to think fast. “I meant Adam, not you,” I say, walking into the room.
I feel his cheek rest against my head and he whispers, “Liar.” I see Lauren sending me a deathly glare. I put Adam down and direct him to the table, telling him to take a seat. I turn back to face Knox.
“You need to stop doing this. It’s not fair to me. You have a girlfriend, it’s not okay to be making comments like that, Knox—”
“Once again, she’s not my girlfriend, baby doll. I can say whatever I want. You don’t have a boyfriend, and I don’t have a girlfriend—”
“I’m not going to be your fuck buddy, Knox. Find someone else for that shit! If she’s not your girlfriend, then why the fuck are you with her? You confuse the hell out of me, you know that?!”
I grit my teeth, keeping my voice low so only he can hear me.Everyone else is inside, chatting amongst themselves, oblivious to my frustration with him.
“I don’t want you to be my fuck buddy, Alex! I will never see you like that. I’m with her to protect you—” His expression changes, as if he hadn’t meant to reveal that to me.
“Fuck, forget I said that, please,” he says, looking around to see if anyone heard. Lauren is making her way over now.
“What? What do you mean you’re protecting me? Knox, look at me. What did you mean by that?” I grab his arm, feeling him tense under my touch.
He stays silent, watching Lauren approach. I’m running out of time.
“Knox, please tell me what you meant by that—”
“I can’t, just... forget about it,” he says, looking back at me with a depth of emotion in his eyes.
“Knox! Honey, come buy me a drink before we eat. I’m seated next to some of the WAGS, so I might need a few...” She saunters off with him to the bar to order the drinks.
I march over to the table, making a mental note to ignore him for the rest of the evening.
This will give me some time to ponder over what he meant by protecting me. It must be related to the photos she keeps mentioning. I need to think this through.
Chapter 93
We’re served food and I have Adam perched on my lap, ensuring he eats his own meal in front of him. It’s a challenge. I wonder how Mila manages it.
I reach across to pick up his fork and scoop some pasta onto it,feeding him while I’m trying to eat my own. I have to be careful not to drop any food on either of us.
“I’m full,” Adam announces and I agree that the kid’s portion was a tad too large for him. “One more bite, buddy,” Knox coaxes, lifting up the fork to feed him the last bite.
Adam sticks his tongue out at his uncle, making me chuckle. He whips his head around to me, flashing another one of his toothy grins. “Adam, one more. Come on,” I coax, opening my mouth wide. He bites off the pasta and chews it.
