Page 10 of Knox
“I know.” My voice cracked. “I know she does.”
He pressed his face to my chest, arms squeezing tight around me. “I want my mommy.”
“I do too.”
He didn’t move. Just stayed there, quiet except for the tiny sniffles against my shirt.
I rocked him gently, holding him and hoping I wouldn’t have to tell him she was never coming home. “I love you so much,” I whispered into his hair.
“I love you too,” he said back.
And then he cried.
And I did too.
5
Knox
I leanedagainst the wall as I watched Crew explain to Grady about his mom. The sound of tiny sniffles broke me, and when I saw Crew wipe away his own tears, what was left of my heart completely shattered.
When we first started messing around and a woman claimed to be pregnant with his baby, he was worried whether he could actually be the sort of father a child needed. Later, when he found out about Grady, he’d been so nervous during their first interactions. But it hadn’t taken long for those nerves to fade, and he easily slid into dad mode.
Now, the way he spoke softly and rubbed soothing circles on his son’s back, I couldn’t imagine anyone being a better father than the man sitting a few feet away from me. Somehow, he had found the strength to stay calm for Grady when I knew he was struggling to hold it together, and I was in complete awe of him.
I backed away quietly to give them some privacy and slipped back into the kitchen. I finished plating breakfast on autopilot, but my chest ached for both of them. I hated knowing Grady wassad and likely confused. I hated that my boyfriend was hurt too. And I hated that I couldn’t fix any of it for them.
A few minutes later, I heard Crew say, “You ready to eat? Knox made us breakfast.”
The sound of footsteps padded across the hardwood floor as they made their way to the dining table.
“Scrambled eggs with ketchup just like you like them.” I managed a smile as I placed the small plate in front of Grady.
“What do you say?” Crew prompted.
“Thank you,” Grady mumbled, refusing to look up.
I ruffled his hair gently. “You’re welcome, G.”
I turned to grab the other two plates from the counter and sat next to Crew, sliding his meal in front of him.
“Thanks, babe.” He leaned over and gave me a small peck. “For everything.”
“Anytime.”
Crew decidedit would be best to have a chill day at home, given everything that had happened over the past twenty-four hours, and there was no way we were going to let Grady see his mom in the state she was in. We just hoped acting as though it wasn’t serious was going to be okay.
We’d put on a movie, and it didn’t take long for Grady to fall asleep for a nap on the floor. Eventually Crew crashed too and was stretched out on the couch with his head on a throw pillow and his legs draped across my lap. His phone buzzed on the coffee table causing him to startle awake. I shifted slightly, and my stomach tightened when I saw Debra’s name flash on the screen.
He answered it quickly. “Hi, Mrs. Wade. Any updates?” His shoulders slumped with whatever answer she gave. “Yeah,” he replied after a pause. “I was planning on coming by in a bit.” After a beat of silence, his eyes flicked toward me. “No, that’s not necessary. I appreciate the offer, but Grady’s comfortable here, and Knox is more than capable of taking care of him. There’s really no need to send Hank over.” Another pause, and he raked a hand through his hair. “Yes, I understand, but we’ve got things under control. I’ll let you know if anything changes.” He ended the call and tossed the phone on the couch cushion beside him with a sigh.
I reached over and gently massaged his neck. “Any changes with Mallory?”
He shook his head. “No, but I’m still going to head over there soon. You sure you don’t mind being on babysitting duty again?”
“Of course not. You don’t even have to ask.”
He leaned into my touch, closing his eyes briefly. “Debra offered to send Hank over to watch Grady.”
