Chapter 15
KNOX
Leaping out of my truck, I race toward Hanna. One look at her face confirms my worst fears.
My right hand stabs at the buttons on my phone at the same time as my left one reaches for Hanna, scooping her against me. I kiss the top of her hair just as the call connects.
"Hey, Knox – what's the verdict?"
“Yup, I smell smoke. Are you on the way?"
Before Liam can answer, I hear the sirens. "We were coming in quiet until I got your confirmation, but yeah. Be there in seconds."
I slip my phone into my pocket to snuggle Hanna with both arms.
"How did you know?" she asks.
"You told me she said something about not letting you escape through your books. And I saw that awful pizza oven contraption when I was here a few days ago."
I pull her over to my truck, parked on the far side of the driveway to give Liam and his guys plenty of room to pull up.
We hear Blaire screeching and Liam sternly admonishing her about backyard fires being illegal if they're not in a proper barbecue or firepit.
I simply hold Hanna, feeling how rattled she was at first but that everything smooths out the longer we breathe together. Her chin tips up, and she gives me a soft smile. "Knox?"
"Yeah, darlin'?"
She takes a deep breath, then her smile widens. "May I please—"
"Yes."
She snorts a soft giggle. "I haven’t even asked yet. Let me finish."
"Sorry. Go ahead."
Another deep breath. "May I please come live with you for…a month? Maybe more?"
"Like I was saying, yes. Definitely." I lean down for a kiss, but before it can build up too much steam, Liam comes out from the back yard.
He shakes my hand first, then Hanna's.
"Thanks for calling this in," he says. "People who are clueless about small fires tend to start larger ones."
"Yes," Hanna says. "I heard her say she was going to start a fire in the garage so the smoke damage would ruin everything upstairs in my apartment."
Rage surges from my ankles to my shoulders, making my body stiffen. "Can we throw her in jail for that?" I growl.
Liam's head shakes. "Unfortunately, no, but she’ll be fined for this incident. And we'll certainly be keeping an eye on her. " He smiles at my girl. "You must be her niece, Hanna. Do you have anywhere safe to go?"
"She’s coming with me." My arm tightens around her, as Hanna looks up with that warm look in her eyes that drives me wild.
"Good." Liam runs a hand through his hair. "I'm not supposed to put it this way, but that woman is batshit crazy."
"Is it safe to move my girl out right now?" I ask.
"Yes. The guys are boxing up the undamaged books. Then we'll run Blaire down to the police station.” Liam flashes Hanna a grin. "Even though she's just getting a fine, sometimes that helps scare the crap out of people."
"Thank you," Hanna says. "Please scare her as much as you can."
He nods and sends a text, then brushes his hands off on his pants. "Want some help moving your stuff? The other guys can take care of your aunt."
With the three of us working together, packing everything into some empty boxes from the garage, Hanna and I are able to leave fairly quickly.
Just as we’re turning onto the back road leading to my house, I squeeze her hand.
"For now, we can just think of this as temporary.
Maybe a couple of months. If you want to stay forever, I would be honored.
But you don't have to think about that for a few weeks.
Just take a well-earned mental vacation. Okay?"
She sighs. "That sounds like heaven."
"You're going to curl up in the library and read everything under the sun, aren't you?"
"Yes."
I squeeze her knee. "That’s my girl.”