42
“T his was the best first week ever!” Yasmine exclaimed as Knox pulled out of the pickup lane, and he couldn’t help but chuckle. She’d only had two other first weeks. In pre-K and kindergarten, she said the same thing both times. He was sure she’d say the same thing next year, too.
“What was your favorite part about the week?” he asked, glancing into the rearview mirror.
They had conversations every day about what she did in school and what she learned, so he was up to date on the daily things she enjoyed, but he wanted to know if one of those would be her favorite from the week or if it would be something else.
“The morning fashion shows.”
Again, Knox chuckled. He hadn’t expected her to say that, but he should have. When she’d woken up for school the first morning back, she’d requested that he take a picture of her on the way out and send it to Mia and Aiva. It was something that had continued the entire week, and she always got excited reading their responses.
He listened as she filled him in on what she’d learned in class, the new friend she’d made, and the new game she’d played at recess. It sounded to Knox like Red Rover meets Freeze Tag.
When they made it home, Yasmine skipped to her room, and Knox took out his phone to schedule an order for delivery from her favorite pizza place. It was a tradition they’d fallen into when she’d started pre-K that after her first week of school, the three of them would have ice cream, cupcakes, pizza, and play some of Yasmine’s favorite games to celebrate a good first week.
He placed the order and was putting his phone back into his pocket when there was a knock on the door. Opening it, he stepped aside and allowed Mia to enter.
“I have cupcakes and ice cream,” she announced, passing him to the kitchen. “Where is Yas?”
“She’s putting her things away. I ordered pizza.”
He watched her put the ice cream in the freezer before she looked around the open space, her eyes settling back on him. “No girlfriend?”
“No.”
“Did you not tell her, or was she too busy to attend?” Mia asked, and Knox didn’t miss her clipped tone of voice.
“Yes, I told her, and no, she wasn’t too busy. She thought it best for us to keep the tradition to ourselves. To allow Yas something that she only has with the two of us.”
A look of shock quickly passed over Mia’s face but was gone as fast as it appeared, and she released a little hmph. Knox knew she hadn’t expected him to say that. Maybe she’d wanted him not to tell Aiva, or perhaps if his girlfriend were too busy, she would feel vindicated somehow.
When he’d brought up the tradition to Aiva and asked if she’d like to celebrate with them, she’d thanked him for the offer but stated it was something Yasmine was used to doing with her mom and dad, and she’d like them to keep the tradition for the three of them. It would be a way for them to spend time with their daughter with no one else present, but hopefully, also allow them to work on their communication and being around one another with no hostility or issues for Yasmine’s sake.
Knox didn’t hold any hostility towards Mia, and he didn’t have any issues with her other than her showing her ass and getting on his nerves. He dealt with her because she was Yasmine’s mother, and he did his best not to disrespect her for that exact reason. Whatever issues she had with him, she’d have to work through because he wasn’t purposely doing anything to piss her off. Well, minus his vacation stunt.
“I’m going to go get Yas and help her pick out games,” Mia stated, heading down the hall.
While they did that, he set up drinks, the bakery box Mia brought in, and napkins on the table where they would play a few games before the food arrived. A few minutes later, Yasmine and Mia returned with Candyland , Sorry , and Hungry Hungry Hippo .
K nox sat on the couch, responding to Aiva’s text about Yasmine’s first week of school, when Mia entered the living room. It was a little after nine-thirty, and their daughter had asked her to help her get ready for bed and read her a bedtime story. None of which Knox had an issue with.
“She’s asleep,” she said, sitting on the other end of the couch.
“She’s been falling asleep pretty quickly at night. I think she’s still getting used to not having nap time since she took them occasionally during the summer.”
“Makes sense.” She paused. “I…thanks for letting me come over and continue this with her.”
He’d be lying if he said that hadn’t surprised him. He couldn’t remember when Mia thanked him for anything, even when they were still married. It must have been written on his face, because she rolled her eyes at him.
“Don’t look so shocked.” She sighed. “You could have easily celebrated her first week with just the two of you…or with Aiva. So, thank you for not excluding me.”
Knox placed his phone on the coffee table. “I have no intention of excluding you, Mia.”
“And filing for full custody was what?”
He raised a brow at her because she couldn’t be serious. “That was different, and you know it. I wanted Yas to be in a stable environment where she didn’t have a parent staying out all hours of the morning partying. You also didn’t give me much choice when you tried holding it over my head.”
“You used to like to party with me.”
“We aren’t kids anymore. My priorities changed the minute we found out about Yas. It was time to grow up.”
“And I haven’t grown up?”
“I didn’t say that. Your actions did,” Knox countered. “I’m not faulting you for wanting to live your life. I’m just not willing to allow you to do it at the expense of our daughter. If that means you are the fun parent with her every other weekend or when you have time, then so be it.”
She was quiet, and it felt unlike her. He’d expected her to have an immediate comeback. His phone pinged, and they both looked over to find a new text from Aiva.
“I guess it doesn’t matter what type of mother I end up being when you’re trying to replace me.”
Knox sighed because he didn’t want to have this conversation, but he knew they needed to, and regardless, it would have happened eventually.
“No one’s trying to replace you as Yas’ mother. If anything, Aiva has been instrumental in reminding me that things aren’t always going to be easy between us, but that we have to make sure we put our daughter first. She’s reminded me several times that it doesn’t matter what happens between the three of us as adults; Yas is always the priority.
Hell, when you gave the ultimatum of not coming to Yas’ party if she was there, she didn’t hesitate to tell me she would be fine celebrating with Yas another day because she wanted you there for our daughter. She only sat down with you because Yas was hurt she wouldn’t have you both there.
Does she want what’s best for Yas the same way we do? Yes, but she isn’t trying to replace you because if she were, she wouldn’t think about how you would feel if you were left out. I’m not trying to replace you as Yas’ mom. Because yes, I could have celebrated this day without you, but I didn’t and never planned to.”
Mia let out a humorless laugh. “I get it. She’s replacing me for you.”
“No,” Knox responded immediately. “I don’t want her to do that. Her replacing what I had with you would mean that I want the same things I did then, the same type of relationship, and I don’t. I want something more than what we found ourselves having, and I get that with her.” He paused. “I wouldn’t change what we had because it gave us Yas, but I never want that back.”
“You love her.”
“I do.”
“I see.” She cleared her throat and rose from the couch. “I should go.” He walked her to the door, and she paused. “If you don’t have plans with Yas next Saturday, they’re doing the Lion King play at the theater.”
“I’ll have her ready.”
She nodded and exited the condo. Knox locked the door, went to the window, and looked at the parking lot. When Mia got into her vehicle, he returned to the living room and picked up his phone. He debated calling Aiva and talking to her about the conversation he’d just had. It wasn’t so much he thought she needed to know, but the fact was that he didn’t want to keep anything that could be significant from her.
He decided to wait. They would have dinner with her mother tomorrow evening, and he could talk to her afterward.
“S eriously, Mom?” Aiva asked as Knox chuckled beside her.
“What?” her mother asked with a smile. “It isn’t my fault. I knew you’d be a lawyer when you were little. You liked to argue with people too much.”
“Meila enjoyed arguing. I just wasn’t going to let her win without a fight,” Aiva responded with a shrug.
They were at the end of dinner, and it had gone well. Knox had picked her up at six-thirty to have dinner at her mother’s house at seven. Aiva thought it would be best to meet at a restaurant, but her mom insisted on cooking.
“I’ve seen her in action, and it’s more intimidating than argumentative,” Knox stated. “And she’s quite persuasive.”
“Could talk the devil out of his position,” her mother agreed, and the two of them laughed again while Aiva shook her head, smiling at the interaction. She hadn’t been worried about introducing him to her mother. He’d made it past her siblings. From there, it was always easy sailing because her mom only wanted her and Meila to be happy.
As the two continued to talk, Aiva cleared the table and did the dishes. She figured it was the least she could do since her mom made them a delicious dinner. She leaned against the counter half an hour later, watching them interact.
Damn, my man is fine. It wasn’t the first time she’d thought it, and she knew it wouldn’t be the last since the thought struck her at random. It always did when he was casually doing something or when she was watching him in dad mode. She was always very attracted to him, but even more during those times. There was something about it.
Aiva wasn’t one to believe that someone was perfect, but she believed there was a perfect person for everyone. The more time she spent with Knox, the closer they became, the deeper her emotions ran, and she realized he was her perfect person.
They hadn’t spoken about him essentially telling her he loved her. Aiva didn’t know how to bring up the conversation, but she knew she needed time to sort out her feelings before they did. She wanted to know that what she felt for him wasn’t a by-product of her knowing how he felt about her. She didn’t want her emotions to be swayed by his.
It hadn’t taken her long to realize that they weren’t, that she loved him too. She didn’t know when she’d fallen, but she had, and she’d fallen not only in love with him, but she loved his daughter too. Thinking of Yasmine, she glanced at the clock to see that it was almost nine-thirty, and she knew he’d told his sitter he’d be back by ten.
“I hate to cut this short, but you have a sitter to relieve,” Aiva stated, joining them at the table.
“We don’t want you to be late,” her mother responded, standing.
“Thank you for dinner, Janice. It was delicious.”
“Come back anytime,” her mother replied. She walked them to the door, hugged Aiva, and kissed her forehead.
“Am I dropping you off, or are you staying with me tonight?” Knox asked her a few minutes into the drive.
“Do you want me to stay with you tonight?”
He took her hand and kissed the back of it, eyes still on the road. “Always.”
“Then I’m staying with you.”
When they made it to his condo, a young woman sat at his dining table with a couple of books spread around her. Aiva placed her in her early twenties and figured she was preparing for the upcoming college semester. Knox introduced them as he paid her, and once they were alone, he went to check on Yasmine, who was in bed. Aiva sat on the couch and was scrolling through channels when he returned.
“Is she okay?”
“Yep. She’s out like a light.”
“Did she have fun celebrating the end of the first week yesterday?” she asked, settling on some procedural drama and giving him her full attention. They texted about it briefly the night before.
“She did. We did all the usual things.”
Aiva raised a brow at him. “But? Did something happen with Mia?”
“It was good, mostly. We talked before she left.”
Aiva nodded. She wouldn’t push. If it were something he wanted to talk to her about, then she would listen and support him. If it wasn’t, she was okay with that, too. She didn’t feel he needed to tell her everything that went on between him and his ex-wife because some things weren’t her business, especially if those included Yasmine.
It wasn’t like she didn’t trust them to be alone together. She didn’t need to be with him if she didn’t trust him. She’d also seen what Mia had put him through during their divorce proceedings, and she didn’t see him freeing himself and then spinning the block.
“She thought I was trying to replace her in Yas’ life. With you.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Aiva stated before she could stop herself. “You would never do that, and if I thought you were, I’d never allow you to. I’ve only seen them interact once, but it’s clear that she loves Yas.” Even if it seemed more like a big sister than a maternal one. “And Yas feels the same. They share a bond that I have no intention of coming between. If anything, I want to help foster that bond. Especially now that Yas’ living situation is different.”
“I know, baby, and I told her that. By the end of the conversation, we’d come to an understanding.”
“Even if you didn’t, as long as it didn’t ruin the day for Yas, I’m sure you’ll figure it out eventually,” Aiva responded. “You want to watch a movie?” She changed the subject.
“Sure.”
She picked up the remote as Knox pulled her to him and resumed flipping through the channels.
“ Y as is in the other room,” Aiva stated, grabbing Knox’s wrist later that night as his hand attempted to slip into the boxers she’d borrowed from him.
“Yes, but she’s asleep.” He leaned in and kissed her neck before placing his lips next to her ear. “And I promise not to take all night.”
“You know I can’t be quiet.”
Knox chuckled. “You’ve got me there, baby.” He kissed her before rolling onto his back and pulling her to him. Aiva laid her head on his chest as he turned off the bedside lamp. “You know, at some point, we’ll have to work on you being quiet.”
She rolled her eyes in the dark but responded, “We will not be doing that when we can get caught.” He chuckled, and she was tempted to bite him. “Go to sleep.”
“Goodnight, gorgeous.”
“Goodnight.”
When Yasmine came in half an hour later, having woken up from a bad dream and settled between them, Aiva threw Knox a “see what could have happened” look before he turned the lamp back off, and they settled into sleep.
43
A iva was excited and nervous. Knox’s birthday was Sunday, and she’d planned the entire weekend for them. She’d called his mom and asked if she minded watching Yasmine Friday and Saturday night, and they would pick her up on Sunday, his actual birthday, and have a picnic together. She was excited because it’d been a while since she’d planned something special for someone she was dating, but that was also why she was nervous. She wanted him to enjoy it.It was the first birthday between them as a couple.
Thirty-five wasn’t as big a milestone as other birthdays, but she also got the feeling, or maybe it was an assumption from her conversation with Mia about the other woman not liking to plan things, that she hadn’t for him.
They would spend the weekend at his condo. Aiva wanted him to be in a space that was comfortable for him all weekend. Not that she thought he would be uncomfortable at her place, but there was nothing like your space. The night before she packed a bag and the gift she’d gotten him. She was heading to his condo after getting off a little earlier than usual.
She was taking him out for dinner that night, which she’d enlisted her sisters’ help for. She was excited about the following day as well. They’d probably be tired afterward, but as long as he enjoyed it, she wouldn’t mind.
Aiva knocked on his door when she made it to his condo, and she didn’t have to wait long for him to let her in. He kissed her as she passed, taking her bag from her.
“I missed you,” he said, closing the door.
“I could have sworn you saw me three days ago.”
“That’s way too long, baby.”
“Well, you have me all to yourself for the next couple of days,” she responded.
“I like the sound of that.”
She watched him head down the hall to put her bag in his room before she walked over to the couch. His laptop was open on the table and looked like he’d been working.
“What do you have planned for tonight?” Knox asked when he returned, joining her on the couch.
“It’s a surprise. The entire weekend is a surprise. I won’t tell you what we’re doing until I have to.”
He raised a brow at her. “You’ve planned out the entire weekend?”
“Yes. Why did you think I asked you not to make other plans?”
He shrugged. “You know I’d be fine with us doing whatever you have planned tonight and staying in for the rest of the weekend. You didn’t need to go out of your way.”
“I’m sure you would have, but I wanted the entire weekend to be about you, and I’m never going out of my way when I plan something I want to do for you or with you,” she replied.
His response told her she may have been right about him not celebrating his last few birthdays or doing anything memorable for them. Though she knew if he spent them with Yasmine, then he enjoyed them.
“What time are we leaving?”
“Seven-thirty.”
He pulled her to straddle him. “We have a few hours then. Let’s see if we can work on you being quiet.” With that, he pressed his lips to hers.
W hen they pulled up to their dinner destination, Knox approached the driver’s side and opened the door for her, and Aiva was mildly aware that it was only her second time driving when they went somewhere. She led the short distance to the pavilion, the half-acre of land held, and knew she would have to do something nice for Eva and Marreigh. She’d enlisted their help to set everything up, and they had done a fantastic job.
Lanterns and string lights lit up the entire area. The table settings were cute, and one of her sisters had even folded the napkins into what looked like flowers. She was sure that was Eva because Marreigh would have given up at the first sign of it not working. There was a bucket of ice with a bottle of wine chilling, and the warmers were off to the side. Aiva couldn’t see it, but she knew a power pack that powered the warmers and the lights was hidden somewhere.
“Baby,” Knox stated, turning her to look at him. “You didn’t have to do all this.”
“I know that, but I wanted to. Besides, you’ve planned dates with just as much, if not more, effort. So, you can’t protest.”
He leaned down and kissed her. “Thank you.”
She refrained from saying he didn’t have to thank her because she’d gotten used to him doing so when she did things she wanted to. In the same way, she was sure she thanked him. She gestured for him to take a seat and fixed their plates. Aiva had ordered his favorite dishes from one of his favorite restaurants and his favorite dessert from another.
“How did you find this place?” Knox asked after they’d both taken a few bites.
She knew why he was asking. They’d driven through a residential area to get there. They were technically still in one. The closest neighbor was about a quarter of a mile away.
“One of my former clients owns it. He bought it for his wife and planned on building their house here. I think someone else previously held it, and they’d intended to use it as a community garden, hence the flowers and bushes, but they couldn’t get the correct paperwork. It went up for sale, and he bought it because she likes flowers.
Anyway, he caught her cheating a couple of weeks after buying it. He had to disclose all his property for the divorce and was adamant she could not have this one in the settlement. It made me curious why it was so important she didn’t get it, so I drove by one day.” She took a drink of her wine. “He was more than willing to let me use it for the night when I reached out to him.”
They enjoyed their dinner and dessert, and once done, they walked around the property. Knox grabbed one of the lanterns as she looped her arm through his. The night was quiet and peaceful, and she enjoyed being in his presence.
As they walked, she understood why her client had bought it for his now ex-wife. The natural landscape was beautiful, and there was even a tiny well. She assumed a house once stood there in the distant past.
After dropping the lantern off and unplugging the warmers, Aiva led Knox back to the car. Her sisters would be back at eleven to do cleanup, and she made a mental note to pay for a full spa day for them.
Once they were back at his condo, she pulled him into his en suite, where they showered together. Their foreplay started there before they moved into the bedroom.
K nox furrowed his brow when they pulled into the airport parking lot. Aiva paid for the parking and got out of the car. The confusion must have been written on his face, because she smiled at him.
“Before you ask, it’s a surprise.”
The Las Cruces airport was moderate and less than an hour after arriving, they’d gone through security checks and were seated on the plane. Aiva had purchased the tickets beforehand, and Knox decided he wouldn’t ask questions and enjoy the day she had planned for them.
“I will tell you I have four things planned for us when we land,” she stated as they waited to take off.
He took her hand and placed a kiss on it. “I’m sure I’ll enjoy whatever they are.”
An hour and a half later, they landed. Half an hour later, they were in a rental car, and Aiva was keying an address into her phone’s GPS. They drove through streets familiar to him, and he knew where they were headed when they were almost to their destination from their surroundings. He was proven correct five minutes later when they pulled into the diner parking lot, which he liked to frequent when they’d had home games.
When they walked inside, he felt like he’d gone back in time a bit. He hadn’t been there in a few years, and it felt nostalgic. The owner, who Knox knew also worked every day the diner was open, spotted them and came over with a smile. Knox introduced him to Aiva, and they gestured to the booth in the back corner he’d always preferred.
“I haven’t been here in a long time,” he stated as they sat down.
“I heard. I asked Ezra what would be a good place to take you that felt warm and would have good memories from your time playing. He suggested this place.”
“He was right. There was always something about celebrating a win here or drowning a loss in a malt after Yas was born. I needed a...better outlet, and this was it.”
Before his daughter was born, he’d go out, have some drinks, sometimes admittedly overdo it in the early days, or throw his frustration of losing into sex, which probably wouldn’t have been the best outlet if he’d been with someone other than Mia. She either hadn’t cared or hadn’t realized that the type of selfish he was back then while having sex was 100 percent about himself. It was a stark contrast to the present.
They ate their lunch, which was as good as he remembered, then stayed an extra forty-five minutes for him to sign autographs and take pictures with those in the diner who had been kind enough to wait until he was done. He also caught up with the owner for a bit.
It was ten minutes till two when they left, but Aiva didn’t seem to mind, which meant their prolonged stay hadn’t thrown off her schedule. She typed another address into the GPS, and he knew where they were going. Twenty minutes later, he could see the stadium off in the distance. They were going to watch a game.
When they arrived, they entered through the west gate and pulled up to the complimentary parking stand. Aiva spoke to the valet as Knox stepped back and looked up at a building he hadn’t entered in years.
“Are you ready, baby?”
He brought his attention down to her. “Yeah, gorgeous, I’m ready.”
Knox took the hand she offered and allowed her to lead the way. He caught her mumbling to herself, and he realized she was remembering directions. They came to an elevator, rode it up, and then took a right. There were a couple more turns before they reached a numbered door. Aiva keyed in a code and led him into a private box.
“Aiva,” he stated when the door closed.
“Don’t ‘Aiva’ me. I can spend whatever I want on your birthday.”
Knox tried to figure out how to word his next statement without sounding ungrateful. He more than enjoyed and appreciated everything she’d done for him to celebrate, but securing a private box was something she didn’t need to do, and he knew how costly it was. It didn’t matter what she made.
“Baby,” he started, placing his hands on her waist. “I didn’t need all of this. We could have sat with everyone else.”
“Yes, but here you can enjoy the game without worrying about people asking you for pictures or autographs throughout. If it makes you feel better, I got a good deal. A former client is vice-president or something of the sports and tourism authority for the state. Besides, we’re already here.”
He knew how much the box typically cost, so her getting a deal didn’t make him feel any better about the amount of money she’d spent, but he knew her well enough to know that she wouldn’t agree with him.
“Fine,” he conceded, and she smiled at him.
“Come on.” She pulled him over to the seats in front of the window. “I’m going to be honest; I’m nowhere near as knowledgeable about football as my little sister, so I might have to ask you a few things.”
“You can ask me whatever you need to.” Knox looked at the clock and saw twelve minutes before kick-off.
“Tell me about this receiver who replaced you. Is he any good?”
“He is, and he’s gotten better since he started.”
“Is he better than you?” she teased.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, gorgeous,” he responded, and she laughed, placing her purse on the seat beside her.
T he game had gone into overtime, but his former team had won, and he and Aiva found themselves on the big screen several times. He wouldn’t doubt there would be more pictures and articles online the following day. As long as they didn’t bother his girlfriend, he didn’t mind.
They’d just finished having an early dinner and were headed to their last stop in the city. She’d informed him that their appointment was at seven-thirty, and he wasn’t sure if she’d considered the game could have gone into overtime or if she’d tried to leave enough time between each stop to be safe.
They pulled up to what looked like a private event space, and his eyes were drawn to the floating tethered hot air balloons. Aiva led him over to the operator and gave her name. They had a few minutes to wait, and she pulled him off to the side.
“I heard you get a magnificent view from here,” she said as they waited.
“It should be pretty out over the mountains,” he responded. “We should take some pictures.”
Soon, they were in the balloon carriage ascending into the air until the tethers prevented them from going further. She was right. The view over the mountains was nice. He watched her take out her phone and take a couple of pictures of the scenery before he took it. Knox wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her back against his chest.
“Take a picture with me.” They took a few before he gave her the phone back and brought his other arm to join the first.
“Do you think we should take Yas in one sometime?”
“I think she’d like that,” he responded.
They stood in peaceful silence after that. Sometime later, Aiva looked at her phone before turning in his arms.
“I want to tell you something.”
Knox looked down at her. The way slivers of the setting sun made her brown eyes pop against her penny-colored skin. She pulled her plump bottom lip between her teeth, and he reached up with his thumb to pull it free.
“You can tell me anything, baby.”
“I love you.”
His heart skipped more beats than he could count, and he felt like someone had released hummingbirds in his stomach. Hearing her say those words was like waking up as a kid on Christmas morning to find you’d gotten everything you’d asked for and more.
“I love you,” he responded, and before she could say anything else, he took her face in his hands, and his lips were on hers.
All he wanted to do was drink her in and pull her close enough for their bodies to mesh together. He didn’t know how long they kissed and was unaware they’d descended until a throat clearing had him reluctantly pulling away.
“What time is our flight?” he asked her as they returned to the car.
“In an hour and a half.”
Good. He couldn’t wait for them to get home. He could continue what they’d started in that balloon, reaffirming his love for her between kisses across her skin.