A fresh wave of guilt hits me. “No, I’m the one who should be apologizing. The stuff with my landlord and…Abel took longer to sort out than I expected. But I’m here now.”
Betty’s gaze moves from me to the man behind me, and a smile curves her lips. “Yes, you are,” she says in a singsong voice. “Thanks for bringing her home,” she tells Knight.
I can’t see him and don’t feel him move behind me, but I have a feeling he probably did something awesome, like just nod like a total badass.
“Where’s your stuff? You’re going to stay here until you find a place, right?” Betty asks, stepping out of her husband’s arms, grabbing hold of my hand, and tugging me forward.
“No,” Knight says, the single word detonating through the room.
Instead of releasing me, Knight tightens his arm around me, holding me in place while Betty continues to pull me forward.
“Come on, I’ll get you settled in the guest room, then I’ll have Cody call the realtors to see what they have available,” Betty says, oblivious to the building tension in the man wrapped possessively around me.
“No,” Knight says again, a little louder and a lot more insistently.
“I’m sorry?” Betty snaps, finally looking at him, her eyes narrowing.
“Octavia will not be staying here, nor will she require a realtor,” he says, each word low and rough, but full of a terrifying authority that makes my slutty body snap to attention.
Releasing my hand, Betty turns to fully face us again, placing her hands on her hips in an attempt to look assertive, which is completely ruined by her huge pregnant belly. “And where exactly will she be staying then?” she asks.
“In our home,” he says simply, like the answer should have been obvious.
“Yourhome?” Betty questions, her brows arching in surprise.
“The house I built for us, yes,” Knight tells her, his body rigid behind me.
Cody’s splutter of amusement diffuses the tension a little bit. “Should have guessed,” he says.
“Wait,” Betty shouts, looking at me, then at the man behind me. “So you two are together?”
Knight answers before I have a chance to speak. “Yes.”
“What?” she blurts. Blinking wildly, she turns to look at her husband, then spins around to look at me again. “What?”
“Octavia is my wife,” Knight says.
“What?” both Betty and I say at the same time.
“I’m not your wife,” I protest, but it’s weak, and I know everyone hears it.
“When did you get married?” Betty demands.
“We didn’t,” I tell her.
“The actual wedding is merely a formality,” Knight announces quietly.
“Oh my god, this freaking town,” Betty mutters.
“Congratulations,” Cody says, a wide smile spreading across his face. “I’m really happy for you guys.”
“Don’t congratulate them,” Betty hisses at her husband. “Do you even know each other? When did this happen? You were only here for a couple of days before you went back to Rapid City to pack up your apartment, and that was months ago.”
“This is Rockhead Point,” Cody says with a laugh.
“This fucking town,” Betty sighs, tipping her head back and looking at the ceiling above us, like she’s searching for answers in the heavens. “Octy, can I talk to you for a minute?”
Moving to step forward, I find myself pinned in place by the silent, but dominant man behind me. Twisting my head to look at him, I force my lips into a soft smile. “I won’t be long.”
