CHAPTER 20 #2
“It’s what I heard,” Troy crows. He glances at me and flashes me a charming smile.
If I hadn’t already met him and seen his flirty ways, I would be nervous.
But it’s just who he is, and it all comes from love.
The man is head over heels in love with Ellie, it’s obvious whenever he looks at her.
“Ethan and Mason have already told me all about how cool they think Wilde is.”
“Then they should come over for a sleepover too,” Amelia offers and Troy’s eyes light up while Beckett says something under his breath I can’t catch.
She looks at me, her expression encouraging.
“Of course, that’s if Haven is okay with it.
We’ll make sure you have all our numbers and addresses,” she offers like she’s not one of the most trustworthy people I’ve ever met.
I glance at Knox and then look over to where I can just get a glimpse of Wilde and Ridge as they finish grabbing cans of soda, their movements oh so careful.
“There’s no way I can say no,” I tell Amelia honestly.
I bite my lip, uncertain for a moment, but before I can stop myself, I tell them honestly, “He’s never had a sleepover. ”
Amelia’s eyes go soft, and she slowly reaches over and gives my forearm a squeeze. “Not to worry, he’ll be fine and if he wants to go home, then we’ll take him home. It’s not a big deal if he isn’t comfortable.”
“Are you sure?” I look between Amelia and Beckett, hoping they aren’t doing this because they feel sorry for me or Wilde.
“We’re family,” Amelia tells me simply.
“And that’s what family does,” Beckett adds and winks at me when I look over at him while Henry pulls on his hair while babbling about something only he understands.
“Don’t forget about brunch tomorrow,” Troy adds on before turning and searching for his oldest set of twins. Yeah, Ellie had two sets of twins; the woman is a goddess. “Mason,” he calls out, “Ethan.”
The boys come running up to us at the same time Ridge and Wilde return with our drinks, handing them out carefully with their eyebrows pulled together in concentration. It’s adorable.
“Do you two want to spend the night with Ridge and Wilde at Amelia and Beckett’s house?”
Mason and Ethan’s eyes go wide, their expressions identical, before shouting, “Really?”
“Does this mean you said yes, Mommy? I can spend the night?” Wilde is prancing on his tiptoes, pure bliss filling his face.
“Yup,” I pop the p and run my fingers through my son’s hair gently, “you can spend the night.”
Knox kneels down to get on Wilde’s level. “There are a few rules over at Amelia and Beckett’s house,” he tells him softly.
“I need to be a good listener, be kind, and clean up after myself,” Wilde says solemnly knowing those are three rules that are always in place, especially when you’re not in your home.
“You’re good,” Knox tells him with a smile before his face turns serious.
“The other important thing is that if you want to come home, at any time and for any reason, you just need to let someone know. You are always allowed to come home. If Beckett can’t drive you home then I’ll come and pick you up.
No matter what and that will be true no matter how old you are or where you are. ”
Well, fuck. If I hadn’t already declared my love for this man, that would have me doing it. Knox looks up at me and winks like he can read my mind.
I muse, “Should I go and grab him some clothes?”
“No,” Amelia insists, “we have plenty of clothes that will fit Wilde because Ridge has grown out of them.”
“Please help us declutter,” Beckett groans and Amelia giggles as she rolls her eyes.
Wilde launches himself at Knox and wraps his arms tightly around the man’s neck. He might not be able to breathe, but by the look of love and contentment on his face, breathing is the last thing he’s worried about.
After Wilde releases Knox, he bowls into my legs, and I lean down to hug him. “Thanks, Mommy,” he breathes out softly.
When he looks into my eyes, there’s so much gratitude there. I also see far too much understanding, as if he knows why this is hard for me.
Little does he know that the monster of our past, the one who would have wanted to drag us back into the shadows, is gone. For good.
I breathe a sigh of relief while knowing he’s going to be in great hands for the night. There’s just something about Amelia. I felt it the moment we met. She has a vibe about her that makes you feel like everything is going to be okay, and that anything is possible.
If she wants to take on four little boys for the night, on top of her two other kids, I’m not going to stop her.
“I have an idea,” Beckett muses and the boys all look toward him with excitement as if they know he’s always a guy with great ideas.
Ridge, Mason, and Ethan might know, but Wilde has no clue since he’s new to this crew.
“Lets invite Ian since Wilde knows him a little better along with anyone else who is interested. We’ll turn the living room into a fort and put on a movie. ”
“That’ll be almost like movie night when Mom and Knox went on a date,” Wilde helpfully adds into the conversation.
“Oh,” Amelia’s voice is bright, “so you’re familiar with movie night. It is better if you’re in pajamas and have fruit sundaes,” she adds thoughtfully.
“I wasn’t in pajamas,” Wilde complains, “and there was no fort.”
“Dad makes the best forts,” Ridge tells Wilde, his voice giddy.
Wilde glances at Knox and muses out loud, “I wonder if Knox can build a good fort.”
“Don’t challenge me on my fort building skills,” Knox declares. He blows on his fingertips and then buffs them on his shirt. “My fort building skills are the best in the state, and you can bet on it.”
“I don’t know,” Ridge doesn’t sound even a little bit convinced, “Dad has had a lot of practice.”
Knox scoffs and promises, “Then we’ll figure out a night to have a fort building competition. It won’t be tonight, but it’ll happen.”
Wilde giggles before hugging my legs again. He looks up at me with so much happiness radiating from him.
I find it difficult to swallow past the lump in my throat because this was the life he was always meant to have.
As I look around, I realize I’ve never felt as accepted or seen as I have since Knox invited me into his family. It’s not just the way they opened their hearts to me, but Wilde as well. He’s glowing under their attention.
A pang hits my heart because I wasn’t enough for him all on my own. But, then again, maybe I wasn’t supposed to be.
It’s possible I was always meant to find this family. For me. For my son. Hell, even for Knox.
I didn’t leave Connecticut with the plan to end up in Denver. My only goal was to survive.
And I have.
Now, I can really live.
When I look over at Knox to find his hooded eyes intently focused on me, so many promises existing in the space between us, I realize now I can really love. And what a wonderful thing it is.