“You’re not in high school,” he said awkwardly.
Despite the tightness in my throat, I laughed. “No, not even close.” I cleared my throat and began fidgeting with the envelope in my hand, but forced my hands to my side and looked directly into his eyes. “Thank you, Max.”
He was shaking his head, like he couldn’t understand why he would need this kind of thanks for a ride.
“Helping me that night, and getting me to Thatch, saved my life.”
Max’s mouth lifted, like he was about to laugh, but something in my expression stopped him. “What do you—”
I waved off his question, because I knew I wouldn’t answer it, and took a step forward. I held out the envelope toward him and waited for him to take it.
His brow pinched as he looked at the front, it was addressed to Max, the future Mrs. Farro, and Spartacus. Inside was a check for a portion of what had been left in our bank account, with a note that, again, thanked Max and asked them to use the money for their wedding or honeymoon.
“Open it the next time you’re with your fiancée,” I requested as I took quick steps back toward the street. “Thank you, Max,” I whispered, and turned to hurry to my car.
“Wait, what happened? Are you okay?” he called out. “Do you need me to get you help?” he asked, this time quieter, and I knew he and Spartacus had followed me to my car.
I turned just before I got in, and smiled. “No. What you did that night was more help than I could’ve ever asked for.”
Max nodded after a few seconds, then slowly backed up to let me get in my car. He and Spartacus stood at the end of their driveway and watched until I left a neighborhood I had no intention of ever setting foot in again.
I drove to the address Knox had given me that morning, and found his brand-new truck parked a few houses away, out of sight from the house that was my second stop. He opened the back door to my car as soon as I stopped, and a crooked smile crossed his handsome face when he pulled the boxes out of my backseat.
His smile fell, and he looked at me earnestly. “You’re sure you want to do this?”
I tried not to roll my eyes; he’d asked the same question for almost two weeks now. “Knox. You already know what I decided. I’m keeping the leftover money from the cars, and that’s it.”
“You could still keep whatever you get for the house,” he offered.
I bit my lip. That was the only thing I couldn’t decide on. “I know, I’m thinking about it.” As much as it would help to start a new life in a new house, it still felt like dirty money. Just like the money did that I was using now, but I was forcing myself not to think of it that way. “Anyway, yes, I’m sure I want to do this. Are you sure they’re here?”
“Positive.” Knox’s lips spread into another crooked smile, and he dipped his head to kiss me thoroughly. When he pulled back, pride shone through his eyes, but it didn’t match the mischievous grin now on his face. “Be right back,” he whispered, then took off running across the street with the boxes in hand to leave them on the porch of the house.
The larger box held a pink Superman cape and a large blanket covered in thousands upon thousands of stars for little Natalie—the girl I’d mistaken as Knox’s daughter. Once he told me about the night of the fire and saving her, and seeing her again in the grocery store, I knew we had to do something for their family. And seeing the ruined side of their house from the fire now under construction as I’d driven up, I was happy with what the smaller box held for them.
It’d taken time to get the bank to get all of the cash, but it was the other half of what had been left in our bank account. The note on top of the money said: “Hope this helps—Richland FD.”
I smiled as Knox came running back toward me, and braced myself when he barely stopped in time to pull me into his arms and press his mouth to mine. He tilted me back so I was against my car, and I fell into that kiss.
“You’re incredible,” he whispered against my mouth. And with one more lingering kiss, he straightened us just in time to see Natalie’s mom walk outside and look down at the boxes, then around the street. After another moment passed, she picked up the boxes and carried them into the house. With another smile, Knox opened the door to my car and whispered, “Let’s go.”
Knox
Present Day—Thatch
AFTER SWINGING BY Harlow’s apartment to drop off her car, we’d driven to Thatch to have dinner with everyone at Grey and Jag ger’s place, and had spent so long there that we’d decided to stay at my house instead of going back to Richland that night.