Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
Knox tilted his head toward the sky and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his wrist. He had been at it for several hours already, and his body ached from the exertion.
It was a good feeling, though. He was extremely proud of how far things had come in just a few short months.
He was slowly cleaning up the mess left behind and getting things in order.
He still wasn’t sure what he would do with the cabin once he built the new house.
It was still fairly sound, structurally.
Part of him didn’t want to tear it down.
It was his childhood home, and it held memories both bad and good.
Thankfully, he had plenty of time to decide.
For the past several months, he had been dedicating his time between Vantage and the house.
It was exhausting, but it would be worth it.
Another drop of sweat slid down his temple, and he lifted his shoulder to brush it away.
His tee shirt was already soaked, and he made his way toward the house, yanking it off as he did so.
Inside, he headed straight for the fridge.
He stood in front of the open door, allowing the cool air to wash over him as he cracked open a bottle of water and chugged it.
Water trickled from the corner of his mouth, and he brushed it away, then closed the fridge.
His gaze strayed out the screen of the back door, and he pushed it open, lost in thought as he stepped out onto the back porch.
His parents had done many things wrong, but this, at least, they’d gotten right.
It wasn’t considered the good part of town, but that’s what he loved about it.
This far out, there was hardly any traffic, so the crime was almost non-existent.
He leaned his forearms against the railing, water bottle clutched between his hands as he stared out over the yard. He had always loved this view. It had been a boy’s dream growing up, plenty of space to run free and explore. Though he had had Vivi with him more often than not, he never minded.
The thought of his baby sister caused his heart to pinch.
He couldn’t deny that the situation with her and Mason still bothered him.
Truth be told, he felt a little betrayed.
He wasn’t entirely sure how long they had been sneaking around behind his back before he caught them.
Not that he’d ever admit it, but he was more than a little hurt they hadn’t told him.
Instead of coming forward, they had felt the need to keep their relationship a secret.
How long would that have continued had he not found out on his own?
He was sure Vivi had done things he wasn’t aware of, but she had never been one to hide things or lie to him.
They had always been close, and he felt like that bond had been broken.
Mason swore it was his choice not to come forward, but Vivi had confided that she had asked him not to tell Knox.
She had apparently wanted to tell him on her own terms when she was ready.
That was almost worse; he hated that she had felt she couldn’t talk to him.
All he had ever wanted was to protect her.
He knew sometimes he could be a little opinionated and overbearing, especially when it came to her safety.
But he had been taking care of her for so long, he didn’t know how to turn off those protective instincts.
He knew he was only her brother, but in so many ways, he had been the one to raise her.
He had never wanted to be that man, the one people tiptoed around because they were afraid of what his reaction would be.
Setting his water on the rail, he pulled a pack of smokes from his back pocket and shook one out.
Flipping open the lighter, he watched as it caught the paper, then took in a long drag.
He had kicked the habit years ago, but recent events had triggered the need to pick it up again.
He hated everything about it—the smell, the taste, the way the smoke filled his lungs.
But it was the only thing that calmed his nerves.
He hated himself for using it as a crutch, but not enough to stop.
Vivi was the only family he had left, and he was reluctant to let her go.
Logically, he knew she wasn’t cutting him out of her life, but he had spent so much time worrying over her that he didn’t know how to stop.
When a car accident claimed his parents’ lives the summer before his senior year, he became fully responsible for Vivi.
It was a delicate balance, juggling school and working as much as possible to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads.
She had been just a kid then, barely ten years old, and in many ways, he was more of a parent to her than theirs ever were.
Even before they passed, they had left them alone most of the time.
He almost felt guilty saying it, but things didn’t change much after their deaths; he just didn’t have two extra people to worry about.
Though he was only seventeen at the time, he and Vivi somehow made it work. Because their parents traveled so much as it was, he managed to hide the fact that he was raising his little sister alone. Had anyone caught wind of it, they surely would have alerted the authorities.
As it was, they lived on the wrong side of town, so no one paid them much attention. When Everleigh got pregnant, he was fully ready to enlist in the Marines immediately after graduation and get them into a stable home close to base. Then everything had fallen apart.
His phone beeped an alert, and the message on the screen made the hair on the back of his neck lift. The cameras he had positioned around the property had picked up movement. Immediately on edge, he opened the app to see what had triggered it.
His breath suspended in his lungs at the sight of Everleigh, standing just inside the tree line near the build site. He blinked, wondering if his brain was conjuring things he wanted to see. But when he opened his eyes again, she was still there, just as stunning in black and white.
Before he had even considered what he was doing, he stubbed out the cigarette on the rail, then hopped down into the overgrown grass.
He couldn’t see her yet, but the camera told him she was hovering just along the tree line near the build site.
His heart raced as he headed straight toward the new house, slamming against his ribcage with every step that carried him closer to her.
She came into sight then, blonde hair gleaming in the bright sunlight, and he stumbled before quickly regaining his balance.
God, she was so gorgeous it was almost hard to look at her.
She hadn’t noticed his presence yet, and for that, he was grateful.
As he silently made his way forward, he took the opportunity to study her.
She stood near one of the foundation markers, a frown marring her beautiful face.
What was she doing there? It seemed surreal, her showing up here.
Not just on his land, but in the very spot where his house would stand— their house.
It felt wrong... but at the same time, it seemed so right.
For so long, he had imagined her right here with him, raising babies to run wild and free in the woods just like they had.
He shook the images away. Those things would never come to pass—they couldn’t.
She had come to him for help, nothing else.
He forced his heart to harden as he drew closer, now barely fifty feet away.
Everleigh hadn’t moved an inch, just stood there looking lost in thought. It set his nerves on edge.
“What are you doing here?”
With a gasp, Everleigh whirled toward him, her gaze snapping to his. Her big blue eyes widened as they landed on him, and one hand fluttered to her throat. “C-Knox.”
Her gaze dropped to his bare chest, and her eyes widened a fraction.
A thrill of gratification ran through him as his long stride quickly ate up the remaining distance, her gaze fixed on his chest. It was good to know he still affected her.
He stopped several feet away, letting her get a good long look at what she'd walked away from. He wasn’t this cut fifteen years ago.
Back then, he had been a skinny kid, underfed and unhealthy.
Though he was still lean, he had developed muscles honed from hard work.
Her eyes flicked to his again, and she bit her lip. “I…I didn’t expect to see you here.”
Her gaze dropped to his chest again, and he saw the lust, the desire there.
He loved it and hated it at the same time.
He wanted to punish her, but having her this close was just as trying for him.
It was almost impossible to keep the walls he had so carefully constructed around his heart in place when she looked at him like that—the way she used to.
It’s all pretend, he reminded himself. It was even more reason to make sure she stayed away. She pretended to care, but she'd always done what was best for her. That beautiful face concealed a hideously selfish heart.
His lungs hurt and his heart skipped a beat, threatening to fail at the sight of her. He stared at her for several seconds before responding. “I live here.”
Surprise flashed across her face. “You’re back?”
“I am.”
“That’s amazing.” She grinned hugely. “I thought the property sold years ago.”
At the sight of that blindingly white smile, something tightened in his chest. Was he having a heart attack?
He took quick stock of his body. Nothing in his left arm, no dizziness...
Oh, Christ. It was her. He was suddenly praying that he was wrong, that his heart had finally given out.
No, that would be even worse because then she'd be obligated to take care of him until the medics came. He didn’t want to feel this way about her—he couldn’t.
Once upon a time, he would have given her anything.
Had she told him she was sick and needed a new heart, he would have given her the one beating in his chest. He never had money, but he'd given her everything—everything he thought had mattered anyway.
Security. Love. A family. Bitter bile rose up his throat at the memory.
He could never forgive her for taking that away from him.
He couldn't tear his eyes from hers as resentment welled up inside him. “I sold it when I left. I wanted to get rid of every godforsaken thing and leave it behind me.”
For a split second, her face crumbled, and he wanted to call the words back as sympathy gripped his heart.
On the heels of that came the anger. She had made her choice.
She was responsible for this rift between them.
He shouldn't care about her or why she’d come back.
But that didn't stop him from wondering exactly what had brought her here.
He couldn't bring himself to ask the question though, and Everleigh glanced away, taking a moment to gather herself before responding.
“I'm glad for you. It seems like you've really done well for yourself.”
“Never expected that, did you?”
Everleigh wrapped her arms around her waist and studied him from where she stood a dozen steps away. “I always knew you were capable of anything.”
Bitterness tainted his blood. “Right, I just wasn't good enough for you.”
She shook her head. “That's not true—”
He cut her off before she could finish. “I don't care what you think, Everleigh. Years have passed and I'm not the stupid kid you grew up with.”
He gestured with his chin toward the foundation markers. “As you can see, I’m doin’ just fine. Got my business now. Even building a house.”
He could practically see the wheels turning behind those bright blue eyes, and he knew the moment it clicked—the moment she realized that this was their house.
Unsurprisingly, it didn’t bring the satisfaction he had been so desperately hoping for.
He pulled the pack of smokes from his back pocket and shook one out before lighting it.
He kept his gaze locked on hers as he inhaled deeply, then exhaled a plume of smoke from the side of his mouth.
Her brows drew together as she watched his movements, her eyes full of curiosity and… disappointment? “I didn’t know you smoked.”
He took a long drag and slowly blew it out, ignoring the pang of shame that flared to life around his heart. “Lots of things you don’t know about me.”
“Those are bad for you.” She bit her lip, something a lot like worry in her eyes. It pissed him off all the more.
“Since when do you care?” He snorted out a mirthless laugh. “You gonna pretend to care about me now, princess?”
Her brows drew together. “I've always cared about you.”
“Now that’s a lie if I’ve ever heard one.” He gave a little shake of his head. “You've only ever cared about yourself.”
“I've always cared about you.”
“You have a funny way of showin’ it.” Anger slithered through his veins. “What are you doing here?”
He couldn't quite read the expression on her face, and it set him on edge. She lifted one shoulder half-heartedly. “This is the only place I've ever belonged.”
Resentment surged through him. “You didn't belong here fifteen years ago. You sure as hell don't belong here now. You don't mean anything to me anymore. Stay on your side of the woods and I'll stay on mine.”
A mixture of fury and adrenaline coursed through his body as he spun away and strode back toward the house. The gall of that woman to show up here. He hated her. But he hated himself even more for still wanting her.