Chapter 21
Chapter 21
Knox
The chill of that damn holding cell melted away the instant the cop told me I was free to go. The charges were dropped. Truth broke through faster than I dared hope. Stepping out into the fresh night, each breath of crisp air scrubbed off the grime of despair and lock-up.
Waiting outside, under the glow of the streetlamps, was Eliza, looking all kinds of relieved but worn out. Flanking her were my brothers from the club, their solid presence a loud vow of their unbreakable support. Seeing them, seeing her, it was like a shot of something strong straight to my heart.
“Knox!” Eliza barreled over, wrapping me up tight. The warmth of her, the smell of her hair grounded me more than any words could be.
Easing back a bit, her eyes dug into mine. “Mark showed up, Knox. He planned to haul off me and Emma. But your brothers rolled in. Saved our asses.”
My heart tightened, anger and thanks twisting inside me. Eliza had started to speak the lingo. “Is he?”
“He’s locked up now,” she cut in quick, the worry in her eyes smoothing out.
I gave Rocky a look, and he hung his head. I’d wanted the fucker dead.
“It’s over, Knox. He can’t touch us anymore,” Eliza said.
Nodding, I felt relief flooding me, though the need to protect her never faded. “You’re coming to the clubhouse with me,” I said, laying it out there soft but firm. “Emma too.”
Eliza didn’t blink, just bowed, her trust in me cemented by the hell we’d walked through. But then she paused, a thought nagging at her. “Maybe we should hit my place tonight,” she murmured low. “Emma… she’s got no clue anything was messed up. She thinks her dad was just playing, and the whole damn showdown was a game.”
“You’re right,” I agreed. “Let’s head to your place. She should sleep in her own bed tonight.”
The ride over was in her car, since my Harley was still impounded. We were quiet, both of us chewin’ over the mess we’d just crawled out of. When we pulled up, her house was dark and quiet, like the storm had never hit. We walked in, and the place, familiar and still, seemed to wrap Eliza up in a bit of peace. I hoped like hell it’d do the same for Emma.
Her friend Birdie showed up with Emma, who was already deep in dreams, blissfully blind to the chaos that had swirled around her. Eliza took her in her arms to take her to bed. Watchin’ them, a surge of emotion choked me up—their toughness, findin’ peace in the middle of a storm, it was somethin’ special.
“We’ll bunk here tonight,” I murmured to Eliza as we lingered in the doorway of Emma’s room. “We’ll sort out the next steps come morning.”
Eliza nodded, leaning into me a bit. “Thank you, Knox. For everything. I don’t know what we’d have done without you.”
Drawing her in close, I wrapped my arms around her. “You’ll never have to find out,” I promised her.
Birdie spied on us from the hallway. “You two are too cute,” she said as she gathered her purse to leave.
As we settled down for the night, a feeling of security wrapped around us tight. Despite all the hell, we were together, and that counted for more than anything else. Tomorrow might toss us whatever it had, but tonight, under the roof of her house, with Emma snoozin’ sound, Mark behind bars, we’d found our safe spot. Here, with Eliza and Emma, was where I was meant to be, and I was ready to throw down with whatever came our way to keep it like that.
The first light of dawn sneaked through the curtains as I woke up, findin’ Eliza still curled up in my arms, her breathin’ calm and even. The quiet of the moment was nothing like the roar of the past few days. I gently brushed a strand of hair from her face, watchin’ her stir softly under my touch.
“Mornin’,” I whispered as her eyes fluttered open.
“Mornin’,” she murmured back, a soft smile ticklin’ the corners of her lips.
I held her gaze, the weight of my thoughts heavy on me. “You ain’t goin’ to work today,” I told her. “After all that’s gone down, you need a break. We’ll drop Emma off at school, but after that, I wanna keep you close all day.”
Eliza’s eyes widened a bit, but I could tell relief was washin’ over her. “Okay,” she agreed, her smile growin’. “I think I’d like that. Mr. Cats will have to understand.”
We got up and got dressed quietly, the routine bringin’ a little normalcy back into our frayed edges. Together, we walked Emma to preschool, her happy babble a soft backdrop to the strain that still hung under the surface. As we walked the quiet early morning streets, I sensed the burden of the town’s stares, their eyes sharp with curiosity and judgment anytime someone passed. The news of my release hadn’t spread around yet. But I was used to people judging me, so didn’t give a fuck.
And Eliza, feelin’ the weight of those stares, she’d stared not givin’ fuck too. She tightened her grip on my hand, inching closer to me. “I don’t care what they think,” she whispered, squeezin’ my hand tight.
“Neither do I,” I said back, my focus only on her and the road we walked together. “I don’t give a fuck about nothin’ but you and Emma. The club notwithstanding.”
Once we got back to her place after droppin’ off Emma, the quiet of the house wrapped around us. It was there, in the calm of her living room, that I laid out what had been churnin’ in my mind since they cut me loose. “I want you and Emma to move in with me. At the clubhouse, or wherever you feel safe. My apartment, the cabin. Your choice. As long as we’re together.”
Eliza took a pause, mullin’ over my words. “I love how close we are to Emma’s preschool here, and everything she needs is just around the corner. My job, the elementary school is close, too.”
Her reasoning felt like rejection. “You won’t live with me? I understand I’m a biker, but I promise you and Emma will be safer than you’ve ever been.”
“It’s not that,” she said, meeting my eyes. “What if… what if you moved in with us instead?”
Her idea caught me off guard for a sec. My life had always been tangled up with the clubhouse, with the brotherhood that’s been my family forever. But lookin’ at Eliza, seein’ the hope sparkin’ in her eyes, I got to thinkin’ that maybe my notion of family was shiftin’.
“I got my spot at the club. I’m Prez so that’s not going to change, but I reckon I could let go of my apartment. This place could turn into my home away from home,” I threw out there, gettin’ used to the idea.
Eliza let out a little laugh, light and easy. “Any other time, I’d say this is rushin’ things.”
Feelin’ a weight lift off my chest, I cracked a smile. “You can take more time if you need. I just… I can’t stand the thought of you and Emma being alone, not with all the messed-up stuff we uncovered about Mark. I don’t want y’all in any danger.”
Her face softened, her eyes warming with appreciation for my concern. “No. I don’t need time. I think this is just what we need, Knox. Let’s do it.”
Taking Eliza by her waist, I pulled her into a kiss, sealing our decision. All the fear and uncertainty that’d been hangin’ over us started to fade away. What came floodin’ in was a growing sense of hope, a solid belief that together, we could take on whatever the world threw at us. Our lives were weavin’ together in ways I’d never seen comin’, but I was ready for whatever was next, long as I had Eliza and Emma by my side.
As we broke away from our kiss, still caught up in the warmth of each other’s arms, I caught that mischievous twinkle in Eliza’s eyes. It was a look I’d grown to love, one that usually meant she was cookin’ up somethin’ playful.
“Knox, I got something to ask you, too,” she started, her voice teasing but with a serious undertone. “Do you want to go to the prom with me?”
The invite threw me for a loop, a chuckle busting out as I pictured us at a high school prom.
“Every year, I chaperone the high school prom. It’s months away, but… would you go with me?” Eliza lit up. “A bunch of us teachers get together and do it every year. Afterwards there’s a real party. It’s not too lame.”
The idea of stepping into her world like that, sharing something that mattered to her. Hell, it was downright appealing. “Go to prom with you?” I echoed, the smile spreading wide across my face. “Eliza, I’d be honored. Hell yes, I’ll be your date to the prom.”
Her smile just exploded across her face. “Great! It’s a bit away,” she hurried to add. “But I figured we should lock it down. Get it on the calendar.”
“Making it official sounds perfect to me,” I shot back, yanking her in close again. “Gonna be a whole new experience for me—never got around to prom back in my day.”
Eliza laughed, resting her head against my chest. “Well, I never did either. You’re in for a treat.”
“I’m more interested in seeing you dolled up in a prom dress,” I quipped, the lightness of our chat making us forget the tough roads we’d just been down together.
Leanin’ against Eliza’s kitchen counter with a cold beer in hand, I couldn’t shake this mix of thrill and old-school nerves rattlin’ around inside me. The whole idea of hittin’ up a prom with Eliza, something straight outta a movie, was a far cry from any road I’d ever ridden down. But watchin’ her light up, laughin’ as she talked ‘bout those massive balloon arches and corny decorations, well, it stirred up somethin’ deep and joyful I didn’t quite expect.
“Knox, we absolutely have to plan some dance. You know, like in them teen flicks where everyone lines up just perfect?” Eliza was all grins, showin’ off some dance moves right there in her kitchen.
I chuckled, puttin’ my beer aside to join her little dance tutorial, throwin’ on a serious face for kicks. “Darlin’, I hope you’re geared up for my two left boots. But hey, I’ll try my damnedest not to stomp all over yours,” I joked, grabbin’ her hands and swayin’ a bit too awkwardly to some silent tune playin’ in our heads.
She followed along, smooth and light on her feet, makin’ my clumsy steps look all the rougher. “It’s a deal, Knox. But you gotta suit up, you know. Full prom gear,” she teased.
The thought of wrigglin’ into a suit, somethin’ I hadn’t done before, was somethin’ else. But seein’ that spark in Eliza’s eyes? Hell, it made it seem worth it. Besides, this far off plan meant she planned to keep me ‘round for a while and show me off. “A suit, huh? That’s gonna be somethin’. For you, I’ll do it. Might even toss on a tie to really shock the crowd,” I said with a grin.
As we kept chattin’, plannin’ out all the embarrassing prom clichés we’d dive into, I realized just how much this woman was changin’ my whole view on life. She brought this lightness into my world, a chance to experience stuff I’d never even considered before.
Anything to make her happy.