Chapter 66
Chapter Sixty-Six
Knox
R yan swats at my hand when I pinch her ass on the way into my brother’s bar. “Behave!”
“Impossible around you.”
Something cuts short her chuckle and her steps, causing me to run into her.
“Shit, baby. What is it?”
As soon as I speak the words, I see exactly what’s stopped her in her tracks. Her dad is five feet away, beer in hand, his eyes glazed over.
He’s propped up on the barstool closest to the door, with a perfect view of anyone entering the bar, including us. We have to pass him to get inside. Of all the places for him to be sitting.
The House is huge; the bar is the first thing you see, but once beyond it there are booths and high-top tables and the old firehouse doors are rolled up to extend to outdoor seating, games, and firepits. Why did he have to be seated here?
We haven’t seen him since I told him to kick rocks at her grandfather’s funeral. Hopefully, my presence will keep him on his best behavior. We came early to eat before things get busy and the music gets too loud. After our long emotional day, we’re both starved and this is the last thing she needs.
“Hey, Dad,” Ryan offers awkwardly.
Mr. Jameson’s eyes flick to mine, then back to hers. He lifts his beer bottle in a greeting. “Ryan.”
Good, our confrontation did the trick.
“Hello, sir.” I try my hand at civility.
He nods.
We move past him, but the bitter old man can’t leave well enough alone. “Nice to see you slumming it with the rest of us. I’m surprised since you always did think your shit didn’t stink.”
Turning on my heel, happy to give him a piece of my mind, I don’t get the chance.
“Enough,” Rebecca says firmly, but not loud enough to cause a scene.
“No more. We’re not scared of you anymore, Dad.
Ryan was the perfect daughter to you, and you made her feel like dirt.
Like an outsider in her own family. Like the issues in your marriage were her fault.
You were cruel and Mom and I stood by and watched it happen. ”
Ryan touches Rebecca’s shoulder, getting her to turn away from their dad. “It’s okay. Really, I’m okay.”
“No. I’ve sat back for thirty years now, too scared of this sad old man to say anything. I’m ashamed I didn’t do more.”
“You were a kid.”
“It’s no wonder you left the first chance you got.
” She turns her attention back to her father.
“That’s right. Leaving here was the best thing she could have done for herself.
Anything to get away from you. You should be ashamed of yourself for many things but making her feel guilty for leaving and living a life most of us can only dream about I’ll never understand.
You should be proud of her. I am.” She turns back to Ryan pulling her into a hug.
“I’m so proud of you, baby sister. And I’m so sorry nobody stood up for you. ”
Both sisters are crying while Mr. Jameson stares at them, shaking his head. His gaze swivels to me and his lip curls up in a sneer. “Proud of a woman who would be with the likes of this man? You can’t be serious.”
Even though his voice is hushed and nobody can hear what is being said, my face burns with humiliation and anger.
“Don’t you dare.” Ry points her finger in his face.
“Knox McKinnon is more of a man than you could ever dream of being. Don’t let me hear you disparage his name again.
I may have let you shit on me my entire life, but he’s off-limits.
” Linking arms with me on one side and her sister on the other she throws a goodnight over her shoulder as the three of us walk away from the bitter old man drinking alone on a weeknight.
I’m proud of her for standing up to him, but I wish it had been to protect herself and not me. Not gonna lie. I loved how fiercely she defended me.
Instead of getting a booth, we saddle up to the bar so we can chat with Angus while he works.
He’s busy with other customers, but he does a double take when he spots me.
The beer he’s pouring overflows, soaking his hand, but he’s too focused on me to notice.
Our incident at the other end of the bar distracted me, and I’d forgotten all about my hair. Or lack thereof.
Daisy arrives just as our butts hit our stools. After several seconds of opened mouth shock, her response to my new look is anything but subtle. Daisy rarely is.
“What in the world have you done?” She lifts my baseball cap off my head, rubbing her hand over my newly shorn locks. “Holy shit, Knox. Your hair. It’s like... gone.”
“No shit?”
“But why?”
“Why not?”
I want to enjoy being out with everyone. Getting deep about why I needed the change isn’t going to happen.
“Ryan, did he tell you he was doing this?”
“Yep, when he handed me the clippers and asked me to shave it all off.”
“No!” she yells at Ryan before turning on me. “You made her shave your head?!” She smacks me in the chest, then shoves my hat back on my head. “If women around the world find out she did this, her life will be in danger.”
Shit. She’s making me feel like Quasimodo or something.
“Overreact, much?”
“Sorry, I probably should have led with telling you it looks good, but I was taken by surprise.”
“You don’t have to lie and say you like it.”
Ryan grabs my hand. “You couldn’t look bad if you tried.”
“You only say that because you love me,” I say before kissing her without caring who sees or hears me.
“Gross! We’re all sitting right here!” Rebecca yells, pretending to gag.
Daisy rolls her eyes. “So gross. But unfortunately, lover girl is right.” She climbs up on her stool. “Do you know how irritating it is to have three older brothers and not an ugly one in the bunch?”
“Aw, Clover. You’re still the prettiest McKinnon there ever was,” Owen says, crowding in behind her.
Theatrically, she rests her head on the bar. “And now Swift is here. Make it stop!”
“Good to see you too, Dais.”
“Whatever.” Head still down, she waves a hand in the air.
Ryan and I narrow our eyes at each other. We don’t need to say a word. We’re both wondering what’s going on between Cal’s best friend and my baby sister, but that’s a topic for another time and place.
Once the shock of my haircut has worn off, we order beers and burgers. I don’t know if it’s the hair, the hat, or the company, but nobody interrupts us for a picture, and I don’t look over my shoulder once. It’s nice.
However, there are still interruptions and prying eyes, but they’re not for me.
All the attention is directed at Ry. It seems everyone knows her.
Everyone misses her and every man who doesn’t know her wishes they did.
She’s on and off her stool to give hugs and socialize with people she doesn’t see often enough.
Several ask if she’d ever move back permanently, and with a coy look my way she says she’s thinking about it. And that’s all I can ask for.
The rest of the night is perfect. Daisy, Ryan, Rebecca, and, well... Owen, do all the line dances and she outshines everyone else on the floor. Her auburn curls a halo around her head, the smile on her face never fading. We slow dance. We two-step. We jump up and down to The Killers.
At some point, Angus turns the bar over to his manager Laurie to join us outside.
While everyone else plays cornhole under the stars of our small town, my brother and I sit and talk about Sawyer.
At first it’s awkward, but once we get going, it’s one of the best conversations we’ve ever had.
I ask every question I can come up with, and he answers them to the best of his ability.
He tells me his likes and dislikes and shares stories.
When I ask if he thinks Mia’s ready to discuss visitation or custody or whatever it is we’ll share, he says she’s just waiting for my call.
Elated, I text her on the spot and ask when she has time to get together.
She answers right back and invites Ry and me over for dinner.
Her exact words are, “Since the four of us will be raising him together, we might as well discuss it together.” Gus smiles and I may be na?ve, but my world feels like it’s falling into place.
I’m happy. Like really, truly happy for the first time in my life. There’s just one more answer I need before all the pieces fall into place. Patience has never been a strength of mine, but for her, I’ll wait.
On the drive to the cabin, she’s quiet. Neither of us drank much, so I know she isn’t drunk, but I give her space.
When we get home, she goes straight for the porch swing.
There’s something on her mind and I want to see her face when she finally tells me whatever is going through that beautiful head of hers.
I wait her out, leaning against the post at the top of the front steps.
“Do you promise not to build a gigantic mansion and for the foreseeable future, the cabin is home?”
God, she’s perfect.
“I do.”
“Do you promise?— ”
“I do,” I interrupt her from my spot by the steps. Not daring to move closer or do anything to stop her line of questioning. It doesn’t matter what she asks. I’ll promise her the moon and stars if that’s what she wants.
“And if we can’t have kids?”
“I already got one.”
“You might want more one day.”
“Will I have you?”
“If you want me.”
“Then I won’t change my mind.”
“You might.”
“If we change our minds, we can adopt or decide if a surrogate is the answer. There are always options if it’s something we ever want to explore.”
“Do you promise never to marry me? To be all mine without a ring on your finger?”
“I’m too old and wise to say never. But you can bet your sweet ass I’ll promise not to marry you unless you change your mind. Then I’ll tattoo a damn ring on my finger if that’s what you want.”
She pats the empty space next to her on the swing. “All I want is you.”
Taking my place beside her, I pull her against me, gazing out at the dark lake lit only by the reflection of the moon. “I’m gonna make you so damn happy, Ry.”
“You already do, Knox.”
“Baby, you haven’t seen anything yet.”