Chapter 16
KNOX
Emery squeezes my hand tightly as we pass through the threshold of my parents’ house. Originally, we were supposed to have dinner at Emma and Henry’s. Still, with the extra edition and Emma inviting her best friend and her fiancé, we outgrew their house pretty quickly.
“Don’t be nervous,” I whisper, even though Eve is trailing closely behind. “I’ll be by your side the entire night.”
She nods her head slowly, letting me pull her forward.
There is a small part of me that reveled in seeing Emery’s shy side.
Don’t get me wrong, I like seeing that wild look in her eye, but I also like it when she is soft and quiet.
I absolutely love it when she squeezes my hand so tight it’s impossible to mistake it for anything manufactured for the sake of our facade.
“Ree!” a tiny voice yells before a mop of blond curls comes bounding around the corner. I release Emery’s hand so she can crouch down to catch Milo before he crashes into her legs.
“Milo!” she shouts back with as much enthusiasm. She instantly wraps him in a big hug and I’m not sure the smile on my face can get any wider.
“Looks like he has a new favorite,” I say, turning to Eve, who’s taking everything in.
“He calls her Ree?” she asks, biting her bottom lip. “That’s…adorable.”
“Yeah,” I say, keeping my eyes trained on the whispered conversation between the two of them. Milo must hear Eve because his eyes glare at her, questioning the unknown presence.
“Hey, Mi,” I say, crouching down next to Emery. “This is Eve, Emery’s sister.”
He gives her a small smile and a wave before saying, “Hi, Eve.” And almost like he found a shiny new toy to play with, he grabs her hand and pulls her toward the thundering voices down the hallway. “Come see my toys!”
Eve gives us a panicked look, but it’s no use. Once Milo sinks his tiny claws into you, there’s no escaping. He’ll keep her captive until he’s shown her all of his monster truck collection.
“Should I go with them?” Emery asks, standing up straight.
“No, she’s in good hands,” I answer, watching them disappear. “I want to introduce you to everyone.”
Her throat contracts. “I don’t know why I’m so nervous,” she says, adding in a barely audible laugh.
“I usually get nervous before lying to a room full of innocent people, too,” I respond, hoping she’ll find the humor in my sarcasm.
“Not helping,” she groans, but I catch the way the corner of her lips threatens to give her away. “If all else fails, I’m saying you blackmailed me to be here.”
“No one would ever believe that.” I wink, tiling up one corner of my mouth. “They might believe that you blackmailed me.”
“I’m honestly surprised you can wear hats with a head that big,” she bites, crossing her arms.
“That was mean even for you, Bambi,” I say, planting a practiced frown on my face. “I expect an apology later, but for now let’s get this show on the road.”
I slide my arm around her waist like it’s second nature. She’s the perfect height to sink right into my side. It’s like everything about her was made for me. I was curious to see if other things fit just right, but too bad we weren’t supposed to touch when we were alone…yet.
Part of me wanted to convince Emery that the rule was complete shit. Why couldn’t we have fun behind closed doors? But contrary to her cute nickname for me, I’m not a complete idiot. I know that if my heart races this fast with our clothes on, then it would only get worse with them off.
The chatter quiets immediately when we enter the room, and I can feel my own nerves bubbling up.
“Hey, everyone. This is my girlfriend, Emery.”
The word girlfriend hangs in the air as electricity pulses around us. All eyes snap to us, and forks pause. Emery stiffens against me, but I use my thumb to give her short, reassuring strokes on her side.
“So, it is true!” Emma’s best friend, Wren, says, breaking the silence. “The infamous Knox Cooke has finally been tamed.”
Laughter chimes throughout the room, easing some of the tension in my shoulders. “Very funny, Wren,” I say, shooting her a dirty look.
“So, tell us, Emery,” Emma says, pulling Emery away from me and into one of the empty chairs. “How did he manage to trap you?”
I scrub a hand over my face and make eye contact with my brother, who gives me a supportive but useless thumbs-up. I answer with a different hand gesture until I get a nasty look from my mom across the room.
“Trap?” Emery sputters, her eyes widening in a slow panic. “He didn’t—”
“The better question is, how has Knox not annoyed you already?” Wren’s fiancé, Blake, asks. “I wanted to punch the kid two seconds after meeting him.”
“To be fair, he was hitting on me,” Wren says, curling into Blake.
Her hand flexes with her new ring perched proudly on her finger.
The two of them just got engaged a few weeks ago and were happier than ever.
They deserved it after waiting so long to find their way back to each other.
A quiet and empty pang echoes through my chest.
“Bullshit,” I say, scrambling into the empty seat beside Emery and placing my hand on her thigh. “I was being a gentleman. I noticed your drink was empty and I simply offered to refill it like your fiancé should’ve done.”
“Ouch!” I yelp. Pain radiates up and down my shin from the strategically placed and well-deserved kick from Blake.
“Everyone relax,” Emery says, slowly pulling the attention off me. “He didn’t trap me. He just begged me incessantly until I finally caved.”
I nearly choke on my drink, holding back the proud smile on my face. A few quiet blinks fill the space between my friends and family before roaring laughter erupts around the room. Even my dad joins in, making the nerves in my stomach settle to a simmering hum.
Emma leans in, almost in tears. “I need details. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Knox beg for anything. He simply expects girls to fall to pieces around him.”
Something dark edges at my heart. I usually roll with the punches, but there’s something cold and defeating about being put in a box. Especially by the people you care about the most. But I ignore the pain and convince myself I have to earn their respect.
“Okay, maybe saying he begged was dramatic,” Emery smiles, laying her hand on top of mine.
The movement throws me off, but then I realize we have a role to play.
“He was actually very sweet. I just moved to town a few weeks ago, and he’s been helping me get my truck back on the road.
He’s even helped me haul a few things for my business.
I don’t know what I would’ve done without him. ”
The mood in the room shifts, and I’m tempted to pinch myself to wake up from this dream. The woman who couldn’t stand my presence only a few days ago is suddenly sticking up for me. And I like it. I like it a lot.
My dad nods his head, and I might be going crazy, but a sparkle of pride shines behind his eyes. “Knox always shows up for the people he cares about, so consider yourself lucky.”
Emery responds with a bright smile and a tight nod. The warmth in my chest flares at an alarming rate. I feel like the Grinch when his heart grew three sizes. That’s always Milo’s favorite part, and now I know how the green bastard felt.
My dad grins and continues. “But I will warn you, he might show up late sometimes. I remember he had just gotten his license, and I let him take my truck to the store to get milk and a few other groceries. Well, two hours later, he shows up with the groceries and a baby goat in the tailgate. Apparently, some old guy on the side of the road was selling them, and Knox thought it was a necessity.”
“Hey! Otis was a great pet and an even better lawn mower,” I say, defending my version of man’s best friend.
I was going to use Otis to pick up chicks, but he kept head-butting every date I brought over.
Sooner or later, he became my mini shadow and the best way to get out of yard work. I missed him.
The room gets loud again, and everyone starts tossing around their own “classic Knox” stories that seem to get more and more ridiculous with each round. But Emery soaks it all in, and I just watch as the dimples decorating her cheeks get deeper and deeper.
Emery leans in, lowering her voice just for my ears. “I didn’t take you as a goat guy.”
“Don’t act like you wouldn’t fall in love with one. Trust me, Otis was way cuter than Klepto and more useful, too. At least my goat helped with chores. All Klepto does is sleep and steal your hair ties.”
She nudges my shoulder. “Don’t be rude. Klepto is the best manager the Hollow Hinge has ever had. I’m even ordering him a mini tie for the grand opening.”
“I can’t wait,” I smile, happy our conversation is hidden from the rest of the table.
But my smile drops when I think about what happens outside the confines of our makeshift agreement.
I start to question what the future holds for us, and suddenly, I can’t imagine not talking to her again, even if that’s what I promised.
Emery leans back into the chaos and lets her laughter blend in with the rest of my loved ones. I’m quiet as I watch how easily she seems to mold into my life. Her smile feels like it belongs in this room.
“I never thought I’d get to say this,” my dad says, interrupting the side conversations happening all around us. “But we’ll finally have an even number for our touch football game at Thanksgiving. You’re going to be there. Right, Emery?”
All eyes turn on us, and panic tiptoes to the front of my mind. I wasn’t prepared for this kind of question, and neither is Emery, based on the way her nails dig into my jeans.
“Honey, you can’t expect her to drop everything to come to our family’s holiday. She has a family of her own. Just ignore my husband. He just got excited. He’s been waiting for Knox to settle down.”