Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
PRESENT
It was as if the past and present collided in the blink of an eye, freezing him in his tracks, halting his heart and stealing his breath.
Twenty feet away, Everleigh stood in the circle of women, a toddler on her hip.
Even though deep down he knew it was Jaxon's little girl Jaclyn, his initial thought was that the baby looked just like Everleigh.
It was an image of everything he could've had and lost.
Her gaze flicked upward and met his, and he swore the world shifted beneath his feet. Noah was there a second later, rescuing the tray of ribs he had balanced on one hand.
“You good, boss?”
Knox tore his gaze from Everleigh and looked at his new hire. “Yeah, sorry.”
Noah looked at the group of women before turning back to him with a rueful smile. “I got distracted by that, too.”
He risked a glance toward Everleigh again, but she had turned back to the other women. Thank God.
“Any rules against dating clients?” Noah asked from his right.
“What?” It took his brain a second to process the question. “No. No rules.”
It was almost comical how several of his men had ended up with their charges. Hannah and Luke, Roman and Irina.
“So she's available?”
Knox slowly lifted his stare to Noah and blinked once as he crossed his arms over his chest. Noah studied him for a second before taking his silence as an answer.
“There's something between you guys?”
“No.” Not anymore.
“Why don't you go for her?”
“Because she's off-limits.” To him, to everyone. He glanced toward Everleigh again, and as if feeling his gaze on her, she met his eyes. She must've read his expression of turmoil because she bit her lip and turned away again.
“Keep looking at her like that and you'll scare her off,” Noah suggested.
He was right. Knox was trapped here, a huge part of him wanting to see her, needing her like a hit of a drug. The other part wanted her to disappear from his life so he could return to some semblance of peace, if not happiness.
“Where’s Mason?”
“Manning the grill.” Noah threw a look that way, then turned back to him. “Vivi’s inside.”
“Thanks.” Knox took the tray of ribs back and headed up the stairs and into the house. As he passed Mason, he met his gaze and tipped his head toward the house. He stepped inside and greeted Vivi. “Hey, squirt.”
Vivi’s head lifted from the vegetable tray she was currently working on, and she rolled her eyes at the old nickname. “Hey, yourself. Glad you made it.”
She wiped her hands on a towel, then wrapped her arms around his waist in a hug. He squeezed her tight, glad that the awkwardness between them had dissipated.
Vivi pulled away, and he watched as she picked up the knife again to continue chopping. The door swung open, and Mason stepped inside. Knox propped his hip against the counter then crossed his arms over his chest. “I thought this was a work function.”
Mason closed the door and leaned against it, seeming completely at ease. “It is.”
Knox lifted a brow, resentment and something else that felt a lot like anticipation swirling in his stomach. “Then why is she here?”
Vivi’s head snapped toward them. “Why is who here?”
Ignoring her, he kept his glare fixed on Mason. “I assumed that meant we wouldn't invite anyone outside of work.”
“She's my client, so I invited her.”
Mason was being deliberately obtuse, and Knox clenched his molars together.
“Who are you…?”
Knox could practically see the lightbulb go on over Vivi's head as she peered out the back door, and her eyes widened as they landed on Everleigh. She whirled toward Mason. “What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking she's new to town and could use some cheering up with everything going on,” he returned, never taking his eyes from Knox. “I assumed since we took her case on pro bono that she was a friend. Unless I’m wrong. I can tell her to leave if you don’t want her around.”
There was no missing the note of challenge in Mason’s voice, and Knox wondered for a second if Vivi had told him about what had transpired between him and Everleigh all those years ago. But no, that wasn't possible. He’d never even told Vivi the whole story.
He beat back the anger threatening to rise up and finally shook his head. “Nope. No problem here.”
The unwavering look on Mason’s face told him he didn’t believe him for a second, but Knox refused to rise to the bait. Vivi took over instead. “Are you kidding me? She can’t just walk back in here like—”
He turned to his sister, cutting her off. “It's fine, really. Mason’s right. It's just a cookout, not the end of the world.”
It sure felt like it though. It seemed like everywhere he went, everywhere he looked, he saw Everleigh.
He couldn't escape her. There was a word for that, but at the moment he couldn't quite figure out exactly what it was.
Some people might call it destiny or fate. To him, it was more like hell on earth.
Knox picked up the tray and shoved it toward Mason. “Here, go do something useful for once.”
Mason stared at him for a second longer than he was comfortable with before taking the tray and disappearing outside.
“I'm so sorry,” Vivi apologized again when it was just the two of them. “I had no idea he invited her.”
He shrugged, feigning indifference. “What happened between me and Everleigh was over years ago.”
The look of pity in Vivi's eyes told him she didn't believe him either.
His sister he understood. But Mason… he couldn't figure out his angle. Mason stared at him like he somehow knew what he was feeling deep down inside. But that couldn’t be the case because he didn't even know what he was thinking right now.
He grabbed up the vegetables Vivi had just finished chopping and tossed them onto the platter. “I'll take these outside.”
He headed out to the backyard, ignoring Mason as he passed. A small table had been set up on the deck, and he put the platter next to the other dishes. He hopped down the steps, his gaze sweeping the yard, looking for a familiar pair of blue eyes. But they were conspicuously absent. Where was she?
Noah materialized next to him again. “She's gone.”
If he’d had a heart, it would've hit the ground at his feet. “What?”
“I told you you'd run her off with that scowl of yours.”
He turned and leveled a gaze on him. “Thanks,” he muttered.
He should be glad that she left. It was better this way. Even if it didn't feel like it at the moment.