Chapter 27
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
“Mr. Foster, it’s good to see you.” Knox extended his hand, but Adriana’s dad pulled him in for a hug. “I know the event is formal, but like hell are you gonna shake my hand.”
Her dad kissed Adriana on the cheek after, then gathered her in his arms. “Hi, sweetie, and don’t you look beautiful.”
Knox took in the sight of the ballroom, hating to be in a crowd of elitists, the press, and politicians.
He didn’t belong in that world anymore. Probably never belonged there even when he was growing up.
Where are you? His dad and mom had yet to show. He had no idea what to expect tonight. Would his dad forgive her? Would he drop out of the race out of fear she’d be exposed?
Knox brought his attention back to Adriana’s father.
Her dad had light hair to her dark. His eyes were brown to her green. She’d taken after her mom. Her hair. Eyes. Full lips and cheekbones. Her heart, too. Her desire to serve.
He was certain that one of the reasons Adriana had originally chosen to teach criminal justice instead of joining the academy was because she’d been scared something would happen to her, and she’d leave her dad the way her mom had.
She’d let go of those fears, though. And looking at her now, even if it terrified him to think of her in danger, she’d made the right choice.
“How are things going?” Knox asked.
“I’ve started teaching at a local community college in Atlanta. Mostly night classes.” He reached for Knox’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze.
Her father had lost so many jobs over the years because of his drinking, and he really hoped this was it for him. Adriana deserved a father she could depend on.
“You took care of my girl when I couldn’t,” her father said, surprising him. “And I’ll never be able to repay you.”
“You don’t owe me anything, sir.”
“How many times have I told you to call me Bobby?”
That’d be like calling his father by his first name, and he wasn’t sure if he could do it, so he tipped his head and smiled, then looped his arm with Adriana’s without thinking.
If the press saw them together as a couple, it could paint a target on her head in so many ways. But he couldn’t seem to let go of her.
Eva, Sam, Emily—they knew the risks that came with marrying their husbands, but Adriana had no idea how dangerous it could be to stand at his side.
“You’re finally together,” her father said, a gleam in his eyes. “About damn time.”
“Dad,” she said with a laugh.
“I hope the next event I go to is a wedding. Nothing would make me happier than to walk my baby girl down the aisle to you, son.”
“Dad, we, um . . .”
“Thank you, sir. I appreciate that.” Like hell would there be any man other than him greeting her at the end of that aisle.
He’d always known that, hadn’t he? He’d never had the guts to admit it, even to himself, though.
But the idea of her marrying another man .
. . he would’ve been the one to stand up in the church and yell object, for sure. Thank God it hadn’t come to that.
He felt Adriana’s eyes on him, curiosity there, but he did his best not to look at her. He wouldn’t be able to stop himself from kissing her.
“Your mom’s old partner is here,” her dad announced. “He’ll be speaking before you go up there, honey. If you want to talk to him, I can bring you over.” He pointed to a man in a decorated uniform off to the side of the stage talking to a few other officers.
Knox had met him at her mother’s funeral when he’d spoken about Patricia Foster with tears in his eyes. He was a good man from what he remembered. “If you don’t mind me asking, when did my father first approach you about honoring your wife?”
“About four months ago. He said whether he won the primary or not he wanted to have this event,” he answered.
“So, this wasn’t a last min—”
“Adriana was a late addition,” he cut him off and added a nod. “When your father called me, he asked if Adriana would like to attend, but I’d been worried with her busy schedule she wouldn’t be able to come. I’m sorry I made the assumption.”
Relief struck him.
“I, uh, probably would’ve been busy. Guess I still am. But never too busy to honor Mom.” She shifted her focus to Knox, and he could see what was in her eyes. An apology.
She’d also assumed Knox’s dad had invited her to try and rope Knox into coming. He didn’t blame her for thinking that since he sure as hell had jumped to the same conclusions.
“Speaking of your father, it looks like he’s arrived.” He pointed to Isaiah Bennett entering the room.
Knox’s mom was at his side in a stunning navy gown, looking every bit a secret spy from an old Bond film in his eyes now.
“If you’ll excuse me,” Knox said, his nerves moving into his throat with the anticipation of the conversation to come.
Adriana pulled her arm free of his but then wrapped a hand over his uninjured forearm and lightly squeezed, offering him her support.
He strode across the room, dodging the guests who attempted to talk to him as he made his way to his parents.
His dad spotted him and cocked his head to the left, signaling to follow him out of the main room.
Secret Service paved the way for them to exit the ballroom and go to an area designated for hotel staff only. The double doors were promptly closed for privacy behind them.
“You came.” His father’s hands were hidden in the pockets of his double-breasted tuxedo jacket, his eyes on Knox.
“I came for Adriana,” he admitted, almost forgetting the fact his dad hadn’t used her to get him there. “But now I’m also here for you.”
He tilted his head as if surprised by Knox’s statement. There was a warmth in his dark eyes he’d never noticed before. Maybe he hadn’t wanted to notice, because he’d spent so much of his life wanting to be angry at him.
“Are you okay?” He couldn’t help but worry how things went down between his parents after he’d left their suite earlier.
A brief, closed-mouth smile met his dad’s lips, his broad chest stretching with a deep inhale.
“I’m sure it can’t be easy,” Knox added, “but I hope you’re not considering dropping out of the race.”
“I’m no quitter, and you know that.” His brows drew together. “Just like I’ve got a feeling you never really quit the Navy.”
Knox opened his mouth to speak, but his father held up a palm as if to say No need to explain.
Knox’s gaze fell to the tiled floor, his mind spinning. Did he know? How was it possible?
“Do you forgive her?” Knox kept his focus on the floor, his voice low. He wasn’t ready to see the look in his father’s eyes—to discover whether he’d forgive him, too.
“It’ll take some time. When you’ve been with someone for thirty-nine years, it’s tough to find out they didn’t trust you. She couldn’t come to me with intimate details about her life.”
He cringed. Would his dad feel the same about him when he learned the truth?
“But we sat and talked after I cooled down, and now I understand that wasn’t the case.” Any other man and emotion would’ve choked his words and strained his voice, but his dad had experience in dealing with curveballs.
“So, you forgive her?” He seized a breath as he waited for a response, not ready to let go of it until he heard the words he needed to hear.
“Yes,” he said, and Knox allowed himself to exhale.
“In all honesty, it sounds to me like she’s a hero.” His voice did break this time, and when he cleared his throat, Knox looked up. “She didn’t do it for the credit. No recognition at all. She silently served but then left that life for me.”
“What would you have done if she told you the truth before she quit?” His heartbeat picked up as he waited. As his father contemplated.
“I wouldn’t have asked her to make a choice between me and the job.” He grew quiet again. “But I don’t think I would’ve been able to be with her if she was in such a dangerous job. The worry and stress. You saw how I got when you joined the Navy. I’m a different man now, though.”
He swiped a hand up the back of his neck a few times as he grappled with his father’s words.
“You really think Glenn Sterling tried to kill her?” His dad’s voice grew grave, a rush of intensity hardening his tone.
“Unfortunately.” Knox allowed the truth to stretch between them before adding, “Sorry.”
“I can’t imagine he’d betray us like this.” He shook his head in disappointment. “But I guess you never really can know a person, can you?”
And that was the truth. The sad damn truth.
“I’m going to end this, though. I promise.” He stepped closer to his father. “No one dies on my watch. I won’t let anything happen to you or Mom.”
“I don’t want you risking your neck for me, Son.” He kept his voice level, even though his eyes shone with tears on the verge of escaping.
“The country needs you. You’re a better man than I ever gave you credit for, and for that, I’m sorry.”
His dad pulled him in for a tight hug, and Knox buried his face in his dad’s shoulder, fighting to keep it together.
His dad had been worried that his mom had nearly taken a bullet because of him, and as it turned out, he almost took a bullet because of her. His world had flipped and then flipped some more.
“I love you, Son,” he said, his tone strained.
His father’s words caught him by surprise. At that moment, Knox broke down and became a son rather than a sailor. Not a man who harbored hate and secrets. “I, uh, love you, too, Dad.” He pulled back and caught his dad brushing away a tear.
“We should go back in there, I suppose.”
“Dad?” he called after his father had turned toward the ballroom doors.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you for including Adriana’s mom tonight. She died a long time ago, but the city still remembers her sacrifice. It means a lot to the both of us.”
The two agents stepped back and opened the doors to the ballroom.
“I saw you two come together, and I’m hoping you’ve finally taken your head out of your ass and admitted to her how you feel.” He paused in the middle of the doorway, ignoring the many voices calling out his name.