“What about her?” Jax asks.
“She’s going to quit her job and work at Allure full-time. She wants to really take ownership and manage it with Knox. She already has a lot of great ideas to bring into the business.”
“Has she managed something before?” Jax asks, only mildly concerned.
“I don’t think so, but neither did we until we did. I know she can handle it-”
“I wasn’t meaning she can’t do it. With the learning curve, I just want us to be aware so we can make sure we’re supporting her.”
“Does anyone else love how she’s really stepped into her own?” Emmett asks. “She’s like a completely different woman than the one we first saw in our club with that red satin get-up on with those wings.”
“We should have her wear them again. You know we still have them at the house,” Knox says.
“You never gave them back?” Jax asks.
“No. I couldn’t. I took them and hid them in my closet. I was hoping they’d be like the magical princess slipper that brings her back to us.”
“Bring what where?” she asks, walking outside with the rest of the crew.
“You,” I say.
She walks over and climbs onto my lap and wraps her arms around my neck.
“How do you feel?” I ask, planting a kiss on her head.
“Good. Fantastic. I don’t think we’re out of the woods yet with my parents, but I don’t think they’re going to turn their backs on me anymore. It may just be awkward for a bit.”
Beckett chimes in, “She’s always been a daddy’s girl, so this will be hard for him at first, but I think he will see how… natural it seems and it will be ok.” He gives his sister an encouraging smile.
This is it. The moment in your life where everything slots into place. Like a ball that’s been bouncing around for a while trying to find the one hole. Everything feels… right. The week started out great, then got a little tense and awkward when her mom showed up, but is now ending even better than the week started.
Tomorrow is our last day here, before our early morning flight on Saturday. I’m not looking forward to leaving, but this is also the most days I’ve ever taken off consecutively in… forever. I wasn’t too keen on taking the week, but I also wanted to give Everlee this. I, we, would do anything for her.
Her head tilts up to look at me, almost like she can hear my thoughts.
“Want to go for a swim?” I ask.
“Now?” A smile slowly spreads across her face.
“Sure.”
“Last one in is a rotten egg!” she shouts, leaping from the chair and jumping into the pool. I jump in after her, followed by Knox, and then I lose track. It’s just a flurry of arms and legs jumping in.
Jax swims over to her and grabs her. “You aren’t going underwater, though. Just in case.”
She presses her lips to his. “I love you, too!”
KNOX - HOME IS WHERE THE PUSSY IS
Lastnightwasalot to process. Between Everlee almost drowning, her mom finding out about us, and Everlee quitting her job to work with me at Allure… it was a lot. We stayed in the pool swimming with everyone until sometime after two. We went to bed and a few minutes later, my door was squeaking open and a little figure was tip-toeing in, flapping their arms like wings.
She’s such a goof and I love her all the more for it.
She falls into my bed and curls into me and falls asleep in under a minute. So fast, in fact, I’m not one hundred percent sure if she sleepwalked into my room.
“Good morning,” her sweet, sleepy morning voice says and I sit my book down on the nightstand. “What are you reading?”
“Nothing fun,” I frown. “Jax wants me to read these management books.”
