Chapter 31 Knox
Knox
Nothing sobers a man up faster than the sound of a kid laughing in the next room.
Amber’s voice floats in from Walker’s kitchen while I stand at the edge of the dining room, pretending I’m not still thinking about the way Lia melted apart in my arms earlier today.
Different world now.
Different energy.
The vineyard villa that held steam, scents, and whispered promises earlier today now smells like roasted chicken, buttered bread, and the faint sweetness of the dessert box I picked up from The Gilded Lady.
Everything feels so… normal. Domestic.
I don’t know what I’ll do if Lia doesn’t accept us as pack.
Amber’s perched on one of Walker’s tall stools, her legs swinging while Eli finishes plating dinner. She’s got a big ol’ smile on her face while she talks about all of the things she got up to with her grandparents, but when she spots me watching from the doorway, she grins.
“Hi, Knox!” she says with a wave.
I toss her a playful wink. “Hey, squirt.”
She hops down from the stool and jogs over. I crouch down, bracing myself just in time to wrap her up when she throws her arms around my neck.
“You smell like the vineyard,” she announces.
Walker snorts from the counter. “It’s because you’re at the vineyard.”
She lays her head on my shoulder. “Yeah, but Knox smells like the outside part.”
I laugh, ruffling her hair. “That’s because I was helping Walker with the hot tub earlier.”
Eli gives me a look that says, “you’d better keep it at just that.
” I pick up Amber and swing her around, listening to her giggle while her feet kick with glee.
When I place her back down she wanders toward the kitchen table where Lia is sitting with a glass of water clutched between both of her hands.
She looks better.
But not perfect.
Not even close, actually. If her scent from earlier didn’t tell me, the silence she’s brought with her this evening would: Her heat is close. The grayish tension that wrapped around her earlier is gone, at least, replaced by something softer. A little tired, a little foggy.
Her gaze meets mine, and when she graces me with a smile, my heart stutters in my chest.
She has to choose us.
Surely, we’ve shown her that we can take care of her and her dreams without putting her life at risk the way her prior pack did.
“Dinner’s ready,” Eli announces as he brings a couple of plates to the table.
He sets one down in front of Amber before placing the other in front of Lia. Walker comes right behind him with two more plates, so I make my way into the kitchen to grab whatever’s left.
Walker’s dining table is big enough for eight, which feels ridiculous until we all start filling the chairs. Amber wedges herself between her dad and Lia like she’s claimed the territory permanently, her head falling against Eli’s arm while her hand holds Lia’s.
“Did you have a nap, Lia?” Amber asks her.
Lia nods. “The best nap.”
Amber snickers. “Hope you didn’t nap with Dad. He snores.”
“I do not,” Eli protests.
Amber picks up her head and turns to Lia with absolute seriousness. “He does.”
I bite back a laugh while Walker pours sweet tea into everyone’s glasses.
Lia glances around the table. She watches as Walker finishes filling our glasses. She watches as Eli gets up to grab the rolls out of the oven. She watches me as I rearrange the food on the table, making sure she and Amber can reach everything easier.
She seems so relaxed. So unguarded.
It’s a good look on her.
Dinner turns into the easiest thing in the world. Amber talks about her time with her grandparents and everything they got up to. Eli questions her about a science experiment she’s supposed to be doing for school.
I watch as my fork scrapes across the plate while Eli listens like every word Amber says is the most important thing he’s heard all day. Walker interjects with science project ideas she could do. I offer my help to piece things together, especially if she’s going to go the electrical route.
I love electricity projects.
Lia mostly watches, though. Sometimes she laughs. Sometimes she leans back and sits there.
I want to know what’s going through her head.
“Oh, man. I’m stuffed,” Amber says as she leans back and rubs her little belly.
I chuckle as I stand and gather everyone’s dishes. “Hope you saved room for dessert.”
That perks her right up. “Dessert? Did Lia bake something?”
“Nope!” I chirp as I carry the dishes into the kitchen. “I picked up some pastries from The Gilded Lady.”
Amber pouts. “I bet they’re not as good as Lia’s.”
Lia giggles and gives Amber a one-armed hug. “Aww, thanks, sweet pea.”
Amber beams a smile up at Lia. “It’s the truth.”
Eli interjects while I get the pastry boxes open. “I took her one morning to have one of your cherry-rhubarb cinnamon rolls.”
“Oh, yeah?” Lia smiles down at Amber. “How did you like it?”
“It. Was. Awesome,” Amber says. “Daddy let me get one to take home, too. I had it after dinner that same day.”
I walk the opened pastry boxes to the table. “Dessert is served.”
Amber gasps. “You got cinnamon rolls!”
I point at the two in the corner. “Those were the last two cherry-rhubarb that Lia made this morning at the bakery. Have at it, kiddo.”
“Yeah!” Amber exclaims. “Best. Day. Ever.”
I place my hand on Walker’s shoulder. “You got any milk to go with this?”
Walker just points behind him. “Fridge. Top shelf, toward the back.”
“You need any help?” Lia asks.
I toss her a wink. “I got this, Sunshine. You sit and rest.”
“Get me some water, instead,” Eli says.
“All milks and a water, coming right up,” I say, opening the cup cabinet.
As I make quick work of grabbing everyone a drink for their dessert, I see Walker leaned back in his chair. He studies the scene before him at the kitchen table with a look I’ve never seen on his face.
I stand there with the drinks for a moment, taking in everything unfolding before me. Eli, urging Amber to keep a napkin next to her for her sticky fingers. Walker, grinning to himself. Lia, humming over a cheese pastry she picked out.
There’s this strange, fragile sense that we’re building something right here. Something real and genuine.
I take a mental snapshot of the scene before I step out of the kitchen. “You wanted whiskey, right, Eli?”
He shoots me a look, but Lia giggles.
“What’s whiskey, Daddy?” Amber asks.
“Now you’ve stepped in it,” Walker says as I hand him his water.
“Only way to do it,” I say as I slide Eli’s water toward him.
Eventually, one of the dessert boxes is emptied. Amber starts yawning hard enough to make Eli glance at the clock, and I know our lovely family time is about to wind down.
I wish it would never end.
“Alright,” Eli says. “Bedtime is coming fast. Let’s get you home and washed up, princess.”
Amber groans dramatically but doesn’t argue.
I take that sound as my cue as well.
“Come on,” I say as I stand and offer my hand to Lia. “I’ll drive you home.”
“Let us know when you drop her off,” Walker says as he stands and gathers the dirtied dessert plates.
“Will do,” I say as Lia leans into me. I rub my hand up and down her back, speaking to her more quietly. “You ready?”
“No,” she mumbles.
Hope springs forth in my chest. “Whenever you’re ready, we’ll head out.”
“’Night, Knox,” Amber mumbles tiredly.
I smile down at her. “’Night, squirt.”
“What?” Walker asks. “No goodnight for me?”
Amber giggles tiredly. “Goodnight, Grape Man.”
That makes me laugh, and Walker joins me with a chuckle of his own. “Goodnight, Cinnamon Roll Girl.”
When Lia finally lifts her head from my chest, she takes my hand. Of her own volition. Initiating the contact instead of me offering it to her.
My eyes widen as I look over at Eli, and already there’s a smile crossing his face. Even Walker has a gleam in his eye, like this might actually be working.
Like we might actually be successful in our plan to convince her that we’re all pack.
Eli walks with us out to our vehicles with a tired Amber leaning against his side. We pack up our girls before sliding behind the wheels of our cars, and Eli gets himself turned around first. I follow behind his car until we’re all the way out to the main road that cuts The Grove in half.
He turns left.
I turn right.
And then the quiet of the night descends on us.
The drive to her place is peaceful. She keeps her head tipped against the window, eyes half closed while soft music hums through the speakers of my pickup. When we pull into her apartment complex, I watch her tense.
I hate it. I hate having to drop her off at a place she doesn’t like.
“Come on,” I say after I park the car in front of her building. “I’ll walk you in.”
“I got it,” Lia mumbles as she opens her car door.
I have to rush to get around to her before she practically topples out of the car. “You sure about that?”
I scoop her into my arms and kick the car door closed. It’s a challenge, digging out her keys so we can get her front door open, but I manage without having to place her down. Pickles is barking up a storm behind the closed door, anxious to get to Lia.
I get it, boy. I get it.
Pickles descends on us immediately when I get the door open. He’s jumping up onto my body, his nose bonking against Lia’s legs. When we emerge through the front door, however, I notice something that makes my blood boil.
Her distinct lack of furniture.
Still.
“Your rental insurance hasn’t cut you a check yet?” I ask, pushing her front door closed with my foot.
Lia simply whimpers, and that makes Pickles jump up again to sniff her face.
“Hey there, boy,” she murmurs.
All of her blankets and pillows are tossed onto the floor in a pile. Has she… been sleeping on the floor?
“Lia, come stay with me so you can sleep in a proper bed,” I say.
“I want my nest,” she whimpers.
“I could gather up your things and—”
“Please, just put me in my nest.”
Against all Alpha instincts raging inside of me, I walk over to the space on the floor that she’s inhabited. I realize there’s an air mattress beneath it all, and while that doesn’t make me happy, it’s better than her being on the fucking floor.
Pickles takes what I assumes is his spot right beside the head of the air mattress, his tail thrashing and his snout laying at the edge of her pillow.
I ease her down onto the air mattress before helping her get her shoes off.
“You sure you’re going to be okay here, Sunshine?” I ask, watching as Pickles nudges one of her pillows toward her.
Her tired eyes search mine for a second. “Yeah. I just really need sleep. Today was… a lot.”
I stay crouched, running my fingers through her hair. “You know we’ve got you, right?”
Her gaze searches mine for a while. “I’m starting to believe that, yes.”
Holy fuck. I can’t wait to tell the guys. “Want me to stay until you fall asleep?”
“Please?”
Then, she does it again.
She offers me her hand.
I take her soft, small hand within mine, wrapping my fingers around her warm skin. She looks so fragile. It makes me angry that she’s in this position with her home. No one should be this uncomfortable in their own space.
It makes me want to give this apartment complex management a piece of my fucking mind.
Lia yawns. “Goodnight, Knox.”
I lean down and press a kiss to her temple. “Goodnight, Sunshine.”
Pickles whimpers a little, scooting closer to the head of her bed. He lays his head on her pillow, his snout huffing warm air against her face.
It makes her smile as her eyes slip closed.
My cell phone is buzzing, but I don’t pay it any mind. I know the guys are wondering if we made it back. They’ll be fine until I can get back to my car. I wait until her breathing evens out, and then I wait a little longer.
Before I lock her doorknob and ease myself out of her place.
By the time I get to my car, it’s much too quiet. I dig my cell phone out of my pocket, and it doesn’t shock me that the Alpha group chat has several messages from both Eli and Walker.
I don’t even bother reading them.
I send the message I know they’re waiting for.
Knox: I got her home safe. She wanted me to stay until she fell asleep. Just getting back to my car. Guess what?
Walker’s response in instant.
Walker: About fucking time. What?
Eli: Lia okay?
I resist the urge to tell them about the air mattress.
Knox: She’s starting to believe we’ve got her back.
Eli is the first to respond.
Eli: Wait, seriously? She said that?
Knox: Clear as day.
Walker takes a weird amount of time to respond.
Walker: Got a breakfast delivery set up for her for tomorrow morning. It’ll come with a reminder to drink her tea.
Eli: Good. She’ll like that.
I start my car before sending one last message.
Knox: Guys? We all smelled how close her heat is, right? What are we going to do? Do you think she’d let us help her through it if we offered?
But instead of a confident answer from Walker or a soothing answer from Eli, all I get is silence during the one moment the answer actually matters.
So, I put my phone away and back out of my parking space.
Even though every instinct I have insists I head to my workshop so I can build Lia a proper bed for her nest.