Chapter 16 The House
I spent an entire weekend sorting through my mother’s things.
The boxes smelled faintly of cedar and old paper, like time had been holding its breath inside them.
I found her winter coats, still soft at the collars, stacks of photo albums I’d never seen, and little personal things she must have touched a hundred times.
A silk scarf, a chipped perfume bottle, a bundle of letters tied with ribbon.
I sent some of it to my grandparents in France, where her memory still lived in every corner of their house.
But I kept a few things I kept for myself.
Not much. Just enough to feel like a small part of her had finally made its way back to me.
By Monday morning, life had already moved on.
Knox and I were headed to a development site for negotiations with a construction firm he was considering partnering with.
Once we arrived, a woman met us in the lobby. She wore a fitted blazer and a bright smile.
Nathan stayed behind with Titan near the entrance. The building didn’t allow animals past the lobby, even very large, very expensive ones. Titan lay down at Nathan’s feet like a furry tank, watching us go.
“Text if anything changes,” Nathan said to Knox.
Knox nodded once.
The woman led us to the elevators and pressed the call button herself. “Our partners are waiting on the top floor,” she said.
The doors slid open and at first it was only the three of us inside. Knox stood beside me, and I focused on the glowing numbers above the door instead of the way his sleeve brushed mine.
The doors opened again on the third floor and a group of employees stepped in, quickly filling the space. Someone bumped my shoulder and I shifted back without thinking, straight into Knox.
His hand came up automatically, settling at my waist to steady me. My back pressed against his chest and his breath brushed the side of my hair as the elevator crept upward.
No one spoke. The air felt charged. I could hear his breathing, slow and controlled, and I wondered if he could hear mine.
By the time we reached the thirty-second floor, my pulse was loud in my ears. I stepped out and pretended to check something on my phone while the woman resumed leading us down a glass-lined corridor toward the conference room.
The meeting dragged on far longer than anyone had planned. What was supposed to take an hour stretched into two, then three, slipping quietly past the end of the workday.
I checked the time more than once. Knox noticed. He never said anything, but each time I looked at my phone, his gaze flicked there too.
By the time we left, the sky had already dimmed toward evening.
We got back into the SUV. Titan was in the rear, shifting his weight and huffing softly while Nathan pulled into traffic. I let out a sigh before I could stop it and immediately started typing on my phone.
Knox watched me from the corner of his eye. “What’s wrong?”
“I had an appointment with a real estate agent,” I said. “A friend was supposed to drive me, but something came up. And with the meeting running late, the realtor is already at the house.”
I sent another message, then glanced out the window, trying to recognize the streets we were passing.
“Where are we?” I asked.
“Near River North.”
I nodded once and turned to him. “Could you drop me off on Oakton Street?” I asked. “That’s the first house we were supposed to see. It’s basically on the way.”
Knox studied me for a moment, then looked forward.
“Nathan,” he said calmly. “Change route. Take us to Oakton Street in Park Ridge.”
Nathan nodded. “Yes, sir.”
The car turned smoothly at the next light.
Ten minutes later we pulled up in front of a pale stone house with a For Sale sign planted in the lawn. A silver sedan waited in the driveway.
“That’s it,” I said. “Thank you.”
Knox studied the house through the windshield.
“You’re meeting him alone?”
“Yes,” I said, already opening the door.
I stepped onto the sidewalk, my heels clicking against the concrete, and walked toward the house. The agent was waiting near the front steps, a man in his forties with neatly combed hair and an eager smile.
Behind me, I heard a car door open.
I turned, brows knitting slightly.
Knox stepped out of the SUV and walked up beside me.
“What…?” I started.
“I will look at the house with you,” he said.
A second later Titan lumbered up to join us, his leash held loosely in Nathan’s hand.
I stared at him, momentarily thrown.
The realtor recovered quickly. “Wonderful. I’m Tim,” he said, already ushering us toward the door. “Three bedrooms, two baths. Recently renovated. Original hardwood.”
Knox followed me inside, hands in his pockets, scanning the space like he was assessing a hostile environment rather than a living room.
I moved slowly through the entryway, trying to imagine furniture filling the open space.
“So,” Knox said behind me, “why a house?”
I glanced back at him. “Because I want something bigger. And I don’t want to rent forever.”
“Why now?”
“I want something that’s mine,” I said. “I want to settle. A backyard, maybe a dog one day.”
Tim nodded enthusiastically. “Many people feel that way once they reach a certain stage in life.”
Knox was studying the window. “The fence is too low.”
“It can be reinforced,” Tim said quickly. “Very easily.”
“And the street is visible from the living room.”
“Landscaping solves that.”
We moved into the kitchen. Knox opened cabinets, tested the back door, checked the frame.
“The garage opens straight into the kitchen.”
Tim hesitated for half a second. “Which is very convenient.”
It is also very stupid,” Knox said calmly.
I bit my lip to keep from smiling.
“We have two more houses nearby,” Tim said quickly. “Both available to view today.”
Knox glanced at me. “We’ll see them.”
“You’re coming to the next one too?” I asked, surprised.
“I have nothing better to do,” he said.
I didn’t believe that for a second.
Still, I rode with him. Titan settled in the back seat, his nose pressed to the window like a bored child.
At the second house, Knox barely let me enjoy the tour.
“Back alley access. Blind spot near the garage. No exterior cameras.”
Tim’s smile began to strain.
I didn’t love the house anyway.
The third one was different. The moment I stepped out of the car, something in my chest shifted. White siding. A wide porch. Trees lining the yard, with a swing hanging from one of them.
I didn’t say anything. I didn’t need to.
Knox saw it.
He went quiet.
Inside, the rooms felt warm, filled with soft light. The kitchen opened easily into the living space, and a sunroom faced the backyard. I wandered into the garage. Two empty spaces. Clean concrete. Storage shelves.
“I’ll need to buy a car,” I said, half to myself. “It’ll be a thirty-minute commute in the mornings.”
Knox appeared in the doorway.
“We have reserved parking for key employees,” he said. “Send an email to HR. They’ll issue you a parking pass.”
I turned to him. “Just like that?”
“Yes.”
“That… helps a lot.”
He nodded once.
Back inside, the realtor gestured between us. “You two will love entertaining here.”
“I’m not his wife,” I said. “He’s my boss.”
Silence followed. Knox said nothing.
The realtor cleared his throat. “Of course. My mistake.”
I walked to the back window and looked out at the yard where Titan was rolling happily in the grass.
“I want this one,” I said quietly.
The realtor brightened immediately. “Wonderful. We can make an offer today.”
Knox was studying the fence, the windows, the doors.
“I’ll have my security team upgrade it,” he said. “Cameras. Perimeter sensors. Reinforced locks.”
I turned to him, surprised. “You don’t have to.”
“I know.”
“Thank you,” I said softly.
He met my eyes. “You’re welcome.”