I can’t help it. I laugh. It’s not a pretty sound. In fact, it sounds more like I’m crazy than amused. “I’m not a hostage.”
“Hey, it’s not as crazy as it sounds. Once Cody found out I was pregnant, he basically kidnapped me. He took me to a cabin in the middle of the woods, told me we were getting married, and wouldn’t let me leave. Huck did the same to Cora. This town makes people fucking crazy.”
“Cody kidnapped you?” I question, my mouth hanging open in shock.
“Yes, but that’s not important right now. Do you and Knight even know anything about each other?”
“He seems to know a lot about me. He follows my socials. He bought me clothes and bows, and he decorated a room with vintage pinball machines and arcade games.”
“Well…I mean, that’s kind of adorable. But just because he’s your stalker doesn’t mean you should marry him.”
“I know. And I know this is crazy. I feel crazy…but?—”
“But it feels right, even though you know it shouldn’t,” Betty says, finishing my sentence.
“Yes.” I nod. “He takes care of me in a way I didn’t know was possible. He’s…obsessed, and it’s…addictive. It’s probably wrong, and I’m probably doing exactly what I did with Abel?—”
“No,” Betty snaps loudly, interrupting me. “Abel was a fucking asshole. He was abusive and a fucking douchebag of the first order, and Knight is nothing like that.”
“But I let him myself get lost in him, and isn’t that exactly what I’m doing with Knight? I married him after knowing him for less than two days.”
“No, what you and Knight have is different from what that asshole did to you. Does Knight put you down? Does he want to isolate and control you? Does he make you feel less than?”
“You’re defending him now?” I question, shocked. “Two minutes ago, you thought he’d kidnapped me.”
“Knight is a good guy, and this town and its stupid love at first sight crap is rarely wrong, so if he says you’re his, then you should probably believe him. I was worried about how fast this all happened and how out of left field it seemed, but when I think about it, you and he make sense.”
“I think the baby hormones are makingyoucrazy,” I tell her.
“They really are, but that doesn’t make me wrong. Did he really build you a house?” she asks, smiling as she leans forward toward me.
“You didn’t know?”
“We knew he’d bought the land, because he offered Buck and Nero and some of the others some land to build their own homes. But I didn’t realize the house was finished, or that he was building it for you. What’s it like?”
“It’s beautiful and huge.” I laugh lightly as I remember something. “He told me if I didn’t like it, he’d knock it to the ground and build me something new.”
“That’s…” Betty trails off.
“Insane,” I say with a chuckle.
“I was going to say adorable. I didn’t know Knight could be adorable. Truthfully, I like him, but he’s always been kind of an enigma. He and Warrick are the jumpers I know the least about.”
“He’s…a lot, but?—”
“He’s yours?” Betty offers.
Scoffing, I shake my head lightly. “I’ve known him for less than a week.”
“But he’s yours,” she says again.
I try to deny it, but what would be the point? “I think maybe he is, but it can’t be real. Marrying a complete stranger can’t end well. I just want to enjoy it while I can.” My eyes fall to the ring on my finger, and my stomach twinges at just how perfect it is. It’s the ring I’d pin on my dream engagement ring board if I had one. “It can’t end well,” I say again, quieter this time.
I look up, my mood suddenly melancholy, and find Betty smiling at me. “You’re wrong,” she says, her voice strong and determined. “You and he are perfect for each other. He’s yours, so don’t just enjoy it while you can. Just enjoy it. This is your life now, and I’m really happy for you both.”
“Well, while you still think he’s perfect, I should probably let you know that he’s having some separation anxiety, andapparently, he quit his job and intends on coming to work with me every day.”
“Of course he does,” Betty says, throwing her head back and laughing. “Cody’s been telling me we need a security guard. Looks like we found one.”
