Chapter 3 #2
Knox and I exchanged looks across the table. Our daughter was going to be a handful as a teenager.
“Oh, by the way,” Serena said during a lull in conversation. “The Cranes are visiting tomorrow.”
I blinked. “Who?”
“The Cranes,” Marcus repeated. “Old family friends. We haven’t seen them in years.”
I looked at Knox. He shrugged, clearly having no idea who these people were.
Noah raised an eyebrow at his parents. “The Cranes from the coastal pack?”
“Yes. William and Margaret. And their daughter Isabella.”
“Isabella was a good friend of Knox’s when they were young,” Serena continued, and there was something in her expression that made my antenna go up. A softness. A nostalgia. “You two were inseparable for a while. Don’t you remember?”
Knox shrugged again. “Not really.”
“Well, I’m sure it will come back to you when you see her again.” Serena’s smile turned almost wistful. “She had the biggest crush on you back then. Used to follow you around everywhere. It was adorable.”
There it was. That was the thing that made my spine straighten and my wolf sit up and pay attention.
Not that Serena was trying to push them together.
But that she remembered Isabella having feelings for Knox.
That she thought it was cute. That she was bringing it up now with that fond reminiscent tone.
I trusted Knox completely. But I’d also learned to smell potential problems from a mile away, and this had all the hallmarks of drama waiting to happen.
“How lovely,” I said pleasantly. “I’m sure it will be nice to reconnect with old friends.”
“Yes,” Serena agreed. “Isabella has grown into such a lovely young woman. Very accomplished. She runs their pack’s education program.”
“Fascinating.”
Knox’s hand found mine under the table, squeezing gently. He could probably smell the tension rolling off me.
The rest of dinner passed without incident. The twins monopolized the conversation and Serena and Marcus were completely focused on their grandchildren. By the time they left, I was exhausted and my feet were killing me.
I headed upstairs with the twins to tuck them into bed. Rowan climbed under his covers with his book while Thea bounced on her mattress a few more times before finally settling down.
“Mama?” Rowan asked while I pulled his blanket up.
“Yeah, baby?”
“Is the new baby going to be annoying?”
“Probably. All babies are annoying at first.”
“But they get better?”
“Eventually. You and your sister did.”
“I was never annoying,” Thea announced from her bed.
“You have very strong opinions about everything and you express them loudly. That’s a type of annoying.”
“That’s called having personality.”
“Sure it is, baby.”
I kissed them both goodnight and turned off the lights, leaving their door cracked open. Then I made my way back downstairs, ready to collapse on the couch and put my feet up.
I was halfway down the stairs when I heard Knox and Noah talking in the kitchen. Their voices were low, urgent. Whispering about something they clearly didn’t want overheard.
My steps slowed. I shouldn’t eavesdrop. That was wrong. But my curiosity won out.
“...can’t tell her yet,” Knox was saying.
“She’s going to find out eventually,” Noah replied. “And she’s going to be pissed.”
“I know. But not yet. Not until we have more information.”
What the hell were they talking about?
I stepped into the kitchen and both of them immediately shut up. Knox turned to me with a smile that was just a little too bright. Noah suddenly became very interested in his phone.
“Hey,” Knox said. “Twins asleep?”
“Yeah.” I looked between them. “What were you guys talking about?”
“Nothing important,” Knox said smoothly. “Just pack business.”
“Pack business that I can’t know about?”
“Just boring logistics stuff. Noah was complaining about paperwork.”
Noah nodded a bit too enthusiastically. “So much paperwork. It’s terrible. Very boring.”
They were lying. Both of them. I could see it in the way they wouldn’t quite meet my eyes. In the way Knox’s shoulders were just a little too tense. In the way Noah was scrolling through his phone without actually looking at anything.
Was Knox keeping secrets from me?
The thought sat heavy in my stomach. But then again, could I even feel betrayed when I’d kept that threatening text message from him? I still hadn’t told him about it. Hadn’t mentioned the anonymous number or the threat about the baby.
I’d kept my own secrets. Maybe I didn’t have the right to be upset about his.
“Right,” I said slowly. “Paperwork. Very boring.”
Knox moved toward me, wrapping his arms around my waist. “Come sit down. You’ve been on your feet all day.”
He guided me to the couch while Noah disappeared into the kitchen. A minute later he returned with a plate of cupcakes.
“Picked these up from that bakery you love,” Noah said, setting them on the coffee table. “The ones with the raspberry filling.”
“You’re bribing me.”
“Is it working?”
“Maybe.”
I grabbed a cupcake while Knox settled beside me, pulling my feet into his lap. His hands started massaging my swollen ankles and I groaned in relief.
“You’re both fussing over me,” I said.
“You’re seven months pregnant with my nephew or niece,” Noah pointed out. “We’re supposed to fuss.”
“And you’re my mate,” Knox added. “Fussing is in the job description.”
I bit into the cupcake and tried to ignore the warmth spreading through my chest. These two idiots were keeping secrets from me. I knew they were. But they were also taking care of me in a way that made it hard to stay suspicious.
Knox’s thumbs worked into the arch of my foot and I melted back into the couch cushions. Noah handed me another cupcake without me having to ask. The baby kicked against my ribs, probably protesting the amount of sugar I was consuming.
This was life. Complicated and messy and full of secrets we kept from each other. But also full of moments when the people I loved made sure I was comfortable and fed and cared for.
Even if they were definitely hiding something.
I’d figure it out eventually. For now, I had cupcakes and a foot massage and two men who would probably do just about anything to keep me happy.
I could work with that.