Chapter 29 – Knox
twenty-nine
Knox
I grab my bag off the bed and head down to the kitchen, hearing forks or spoons hitting the plates.
I put the bag at the door with my suit jacket on the top of it before I walk into the kitchen.
“Okay, guys, five minutes and we have to go.” I rush around the kids, picking up the empty plates and putting them in the dishwasher quickly.
“We are going to be late.” I look at Nora, who gets off her stool, wearing her school uniform of the plaid pleated skirt, blue tights, and white button-down shirt.
Her hair is pushed back by the headband she insisted on wearing.
“Nora, teeth,” I remind her and she rushes to the downstairs bathroom.
“Westley,” I call him and he looks up at me from his second bowl of cereal, “you have two minutes and whatever is left in the bowl is left in the bowl.” He nods his head and then I look over at Vincent, who is filling a glass at the fridge with ice and water.
He’s wearing his own uniform of blue slacks and a gray polo.
Westley is wearing the same pants but a white polo instead.
We rush out of the house seven minutes later, and I put my bag in the trunk as the kids all climb into the SUV. I start the car with Vincent handing me a notebook. “I have to go over these spelling words.” I look over my shoulder at him.
“The time to do that was last night,” I grumble between clenched teeth.
“I forgot,” he says, and I take a deep inhale and pull out of the driveway.
“You didn’t forget you had hockey practice,” I mumble, looking in the rearview mirror, seeing Westley with his tablet in his hand and earphones on. Nora is bouncing her head to the music coming out of the radio.
When I get to the stop sign, I open the book on the seat and say the first word.
He goes through them, only missing one word, which he knows right away is wrong.
By the time I pull into a parking spot in front of the school, he has them all right.
I get out of the car, opening the back door where Nora sits.
She’s unbuckled and standing with her backpack on.
I grab her under her arms and pick her up to kiss her.
“Have a nice day,” I tell her. “I’ll call you tonight.
” I put her down and watch her run into the schoolyard.
Westley is the next one out on my side, and I bend to kiss his head. “Be good.”
“Gotcha,” he replies, running to the schoolyard.
I close the door and meet Vincent in the front of the SUV. “I’ll be back for your game Saturday,” I assure him. “Then there is a home game.”
“Okay.” He gives me a side hug before he walks into the schoolyard with his bag on one shoulder. I put my hands in my pockets as I watch them all with their friends, turning and heading back into the SUV.
I pick up my phone and press Kylie’s number. “Hey.” She picks up the phone after two rings and I can’t help but smile.
“Hi, beautiful.” I sit, looking at the kids lining up. “Whatcha doing?”
“I’m getting ready to board Air Force One,” she snarks and I can hear the little laugh in her voice. “You?”
“Just dropped the kids off at school, and I’m on my way to the plane.” I tap the steering wheel. “How long will you be at home?” I ask her.
“About twenty minutes,” she replies. “Why?”
“I’m going to do a drive-by.” I start the car. “I’ll be there in fifteen.”
“That’s crazy,” she says, but she doesn’t tell me no.
“It’ll be quick,” I assure her, and she sighs.
I hang up on her and pull up in front of her building with four minutes to spare.
I rush in, pressing the button, and when I knock at the door she opens it, and peace settles over me.
“Hi,” I say, smiling at her. “Told you I’d be quick.
” I take in her black dress pants and a blue button-down linen top that is open at the collar.
My hands go to her face and she smiles up at me, her blue eyes light. “You look—”
“Shut up.” She wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me down to kiss her. I haven’t seen her in three days, so the kiss that starts out soft goes up a thousand degrees, and my hands move from her face into her hair then to her ass.
I let go of her lips and her eyes flutter open. “I really have to go,” I tell her, kissing her one last time. “I’ll call you later.”
“Okay,” she answers softly as she smiles at me running back out to the elevator. I make it to the plane with five minutes to spare and four texts from Jaxon and seven from Kirby. I park my SUV, grab my bag and jacket, and run to the plane.
“Last one on,” Coach says when I walk up the steps. I nod and sit down next to Kirby, who glares at me.
“Why are you sitting here when you could sit there?” He points to the chair beside our coach.
“I’m late,” I tell him, taking off my jacket. “You think I want to sit next to a pissed-off coach?”
“So better to sit next to a pissed-off me?” he says and the door of the plane closes. I look behind me to see Jaxon sleeping.
I take out my phone and I’m about to text Kylie when the plane takes off.
I put my head back and all I can do is think about her.
The plane lands four hours later and I’m freezing my ass off when we get off the plane.
“I should have packed a jacket.” I mumble, looking at Kirby who is in a blue cashmere coat.
“We’re coming to Minnesota in December.” He shakes his head. “What did you think the weather was going to be like?”
“I didn’t really think about it,” I say. “I…forgot it.” I shake my head and get into the warm bus that is waiting for us, obviously not telling him I spent what time I could have been getting a jacket kissing his sister.
“If you get sick,” Jaxon starts, sitting next to me, “Coach is going to kill you.” I pull out my phone and open the maps app, seeing if there is a store close to the hotel. “What the hell has gotten into you?”
“Nothing.” I shake my head. “I had the kids and I forgot.”
“You sure that’s the only reason?” he asks me and then looks around. “Someone mentioned that someone went on a retreat the other week.”
“And?” I reply, looking down at my phone, knowing where he is going with this.
“And it’s funny because you said you were going to a retreat.”
“Did I?” I play coy. “I don’t think I said that.”
“You said it,” Jaxon snaps and I look at him. “Are you dating Kylie?” he asks and I gawk at him.
“You guys literally set us up,” I remind him, and he shakes his head.
“I did not.” He points to himself. “That was Ariella, and she set you up with this woman who is not Kylie.”
“Whatever.” I shake my head. “She showed up and we had a good time at dinner.”
“So you’re dating her.”
“I don’t know,” I admit. Kirby gets on the bus and we both stop talking.
“What’s up with you two?” He sits in the row beside us, rubbing his hands together to warm them up.
“Nothing.” I look down at my phone. “Looking for a place to go and buy a jacket.”
“I’ll come with,” he offers, and I look over at Jaxon, who shakes his head.
“I use these road trips with the main focus of catching up on my sleep.” He looks at me. “You guys are on your own.”
“Perfect,” I say and then see there is a mall about nine minutes from the hotel. Once we get in and I get my room key, I dump my bag off in the room and then meet Kirby, who holds two cups of coffee in his hands, downstairs.
“Here.” He hands me one of the cups. “This should keep you warm.”
“Thanks.” I look out to see our ride has arrived.
We walk into the mall, and I suddenly get nervous with him, which is freaking me out. “Listen, I have to talk to you about something,” I tell him as we head to the men’s department.
“Yeah,” he says, taking a sip of his coffee.
“I’m seeing Kylie.” The minute I say the words, he stops in his tracks.
“I’m sorry, what?” He shakes his head as if he didn’t hear me or understand me.
I take a deep inhale and muster up the courage. “I’m seeing Kylie,” I repeat.
“Yeah, I heard you the first time.” He puts his hand in his pocket. “Kylie, my sister?”
I nod my head at him. “I mean, I don’t really know if we’re seeing each other,” I admit to him. “We went on a couple of dates.”
“How long have you sort of been seeing her?”
“A couple months. I mean, definitely more often the last couple of weeks.”
“You’ve been seeing my sister for the last couple of weeks and you haven’t told me?”
“I mean, I didn’t really think to say anything because I wasn’t sure it was anything.” I confess to him. “Fuck.” I run my hand through my hair. “I haven’t even—”
“So now you are telling me because it’s something.”
“I really fucking like her, man.” I look to the side. “She’s—”
“You just got divorced,” he points out. “Is this like a rebound thing?”
“No.” I shake my head. “Definitely not a rebound thing. I—” I look up and think about how to say what I need to say, “I think about her all the fucking time. I want to be with her all the time.”
“Are you two exclusive?” he asks me. I glare at him and he holds up his hand. “I’m just asking.”
“I should fucking hope we’re exclusive,” I declare. “What kind of a fucking question is that?” The thought of her with someone else makes me murderous, to say the very least. I squeeze the cup in my hand, liquid coming out from the top and dripping onto my fingers.
“I’m going to be honest with you,” he says, his voice soft. “She doesn’t do relationships.” The minute he says that my stomach burns and then sinks. “Then again, she’s never been with anyone longer than a month, so you are already winning at that.”
“I’m going to talk to her when we get back.” I make the decision right here on the spot. “I want her and only her.”
“You’re my closest friend, and I know you aren’t a player, so you have my blessing.” He looks down. “I just. She’s—”
“I know. She’s closed off about a lot of things.” He nods. “I don’t want you to tell me anything. I want it to come from her because she wants to tell me.”
“Sounds good.” He slaps my shoulder. “God, I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“Not even a little bit,” I tell him. “The first time I met her she told me to go fuck myself.”
“That sounds like her.”
“But then, I don’t know we—” I smile. “She’s fucking amazing, man.”
“Yeah, she is,” he agrees with me, “and she deserves it all.”
“Well, too bad I’m the one she gets,” I joke with him.
“Could be worse,” he jokes back with me. “Let’s get you a jacket.”
We continue walking and then he looks at me. “Kylie,” he says her name and I can’t help but smirk.
“Yeah, man, Kylie,” saying her name as if I was always meant to say it. “She likes me,” I tell him. “At least I fucking hope so.” I stop by the coats. “She did tell me she hated me,” I smile at the memory, “after she told me to shove something up my ass.”
“Wow, that screams I want to marry you.”
“She’s fucking awesome.” I laugh and pick up a jacket. “Never met anyone like her before.”
“I want to say that Lexi is one of a kind, and she is one thousand percent that, but Kylie…” His voice is filled with love and pride. “She really is one of a kind.”
“Yeah,” I agree with him while silently saying, she’s going to be fucking mine.