Page 20 of Knight

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DARIAN

I turn in the bed toward Jackson and bury my head in his chest. “I’m so embarrassed. I’m really sorry, Jackson.”

“It’s kind of funny. It definitely could have been worse.”

I look up at him in shock. “It is not funny, and I don’t think it gets much worse.”

“It could have been in about thirty minutes from now, when you would have been in a much more compromising position.” Oh. I feel my cheeks getting flushed. Now I’m thinking about doing that again, but I guess that’s the last thing I need right now.

He squeezes me tightly. “I had a great time last night. I hope you did too.”

I look up at him and smile. “I did.” He softly kisses my lips.

Resigned to the fact that there will be no morning fun, with one last kiss, I roll out of bed and throw on my robe. I brush my teeth and grab a spare toothbrush for Jackson. He brushes his teeth and gets dressed as well.

He turns to me as he’s finishing at the sink. “Hey, what did Harley mean when she saidDad’s letter?”

Jackson doesn’t miss a thing. “Scott always assumed he would die young. His father and grandfather died of heart disease young too. I was in denial, but he never was and planned accordingly. He prepared letters that are to be given to the girls at various milestones in their lives. I have them locked up, and when they reach those milestones, they get their letters. They’ve received a few, like when Skylar and Reagan turned twenty-one, as well as Reagan and Harley’s graduations. I have several still stored for more graduations, when they get married, when they have children and few other things. There’s one for Harley for the day she officially became a doctor, and I know she’s anxious to read it.”

He smiles. “Wow, that’s really nice for the girls. Do you get letters too?”

“I only received the one he wrote for me right after he passed.” I read that letter every day, but Jackson doesn’t need to know that.

He thinks for a moment. “Do you get to read their letters?”

“They’ve let me read all of their letters except the first they each received after he passed. Whatever he wrote in those letters, they didn’t want me to see it and I respect their wishes. I’m sure it’s about their responsibility to take care of me, and they don’t want me to see it, so I don’t feel like I’m a burden to them.”

Jackson hugs me. “He sounds like he was a good man.”

I look up at him. “The best.” I swallow back my emotions. I wonder if it’s weird for him to talk about Scott. He’s the one who started this conversation though. I’m just being honest.

After we finish washing up, we exit my bedroom and walk out into the kitchen. Harley is sitting there sipping her coffee, still grinning. “I guess you two should officially meet. Harley, this is my friend, Jackson Knight.”

He sticks out his hand and they shake hands. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Happy to be able to shake your hand this time.” She giggles.

He smiles warmly at her. “You’re a very lucky woman. You seem to have inherited your mother’s good looks.”

“Thank you. It’s nice to meet you as well. I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were here, or I would have brought you a coffee as well. I’m not really accustomed to Mom having overnight visitors.”

“Harley!”

She laughs.

I turn to Jackson. “Jackson, take my coffee. I can make some for myself.”

“No, no. I’ll grab some on my way home. Walk me out?”

“Okay.”

“Nice to meet you, Harley. I hope to see you again soon, perhaps with clothes on and under slightly different circumstances.”

She and I both laugh. “Nice to meet you as well. I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am that we met under these circumstances. You’ve given my sisters and me endless ways to torture Mom.”

He grins as he grabs for my hand, which is a little awkward in front of Harley, but I guess she saw a lot worse this morning.

We get to the front door and he puts his arms around me. “I like your daughter. Obviously, a stunner like her mother, but she has a good personality too. She’d get along well with Trevor. He loves jokes at my expense as well.”

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