“I get that,” he said evenly.“And you’ve got every right to be angry.But whether you like it or not, I am your biological father.And right now, that connection might save your life.”
I watched Brynn’s face, saw the slight shift in her expression, a flash of curiosity beneath her defiance.She shared more than just Knight’s eyes.There was something in the set of her jaw, the way she seemed to be processing his words, carefully thinking about her response.I’d always seen pieces of him in her, but seeing them side by side dumbfounded me.
“The doctors said I need a kidney,” she said finally.“Mom’s not a match.”
Knight nodded.“I know.That’s why I’m here.To get tested.And if I’m a match, to give you one of mine.”
Brynn’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.“Just like that?You’re willing to have major surgery for someone you just met?”
“You’re not just someone,” Knight replied.“You’re my daughter.”
“I’m nothing to you,” she shot back.
Knight leaned forward slightly.“You’re half me, whether either of us likes it or not.My blood.My DNA.And if that’s what saves your life, then yeah, I’m willing to have surgery for that.”I watched the staring contest between them, two immovable forces.Neither willing to break first.Nothing for it but to let things play out.See what happened.
Ada moved to my side, touching my arm gently.“He hasn’t slept,” she whispered.“Drove straight through, called me on the way.He’s…” She hesitated.“He’s not the same person you knew, Lavender.But some things haven’t changed.”
I looked at her questioningly.“I don’t understand.”
“His loyalty,” she clarified.“Once he commits to something, it’s absolute.”
I nodded, remembering that about him.It was what had made his rejection after his sentencing so crushing.His loyalty had shifted, excluding me.
Knight finally broke the silence with Brynn.“Look, I know this is weird and shitty.You’re sick and some strange-looking guy is in your private space.You don’t know me.You probably hate me.That’s fine.But right now, all that matters is getting you better.”
“And then what?”Brynn asked, and I heard the vulnerability beneath the hostility.“You give me a kidney and disappear for another eleven years?”
Knight’s expression softened almost imperceptibly.“That’s up to you and your mom.But I’m not planning on disappearing.Not this time.”
Brynn looked away, her fingers picking at the edge of her blanket.“Whatever.Do what you want.Not like I have a choice anyway.”
Knight glanced at me, a question in his eyes.I nodded slightly, giving him permission to continue.“I’ve already called the transplant coordinator,” he said.“They’re expecting me downstairs in twenty minutes to start the testing.It’ll take a few days to know if I’m a match, but they’re expediting everything.”
“How’d you manage that?”I asked, genuinely curious.
The corner of his mouth curved up slightly.“Let’s just say I know people who know people.Having a benefactor who specializes in getting things done quickly helps.”
I digested this information.I felt like I should be hesitant about Knight’s connections being used on our behalf.But honestly, if it helped Brynn, I couldn’t object.Rhys might’ve stolen or cheated or whatever they’d convicted him of, but he’d always had a moral code.It might not align with the law all the time, but he’d always had a line he wouldn’t cross.
“I should probably head down there soon,” Knight continued.“But I wanted to see you first.”He looked directly at Brynn.“Both of you.”
Our daughter shrugged, trying to look indifferent, but I caught the way her eyes kept returning to Knight’s face, studying him when she thought he wasn’t looking.
“Fine,” she said.“Go get stabbed with needles or whatever.Maybe when they stick me next time I’ll be a Voodoo doll.Every time they stick me, it sticks you.”
Knight actually smiled at that, a quick flash that transformed his face, momentarily revealing the younger man I’d once known beneath the hardened exterior.“Yes, ma’am.”
He stood, and I found myself taking a step toward him, as if pulled by some invisible force.Our eyes met across the room, and despite everything -- the years, the hurt, the strangers we’d become, I felt a flutter of something familiar in my chest.Something I thought had died the day he told me to get out of his life.
“Thank you,” I said, the words inadequate for what I was feeling.“For coming.For doing this.”
He held my gaze steadily.“Don’t thank me for doing what I should have been doing all along.”The raw honesty in his voice caught me off guard.This wasn’t the man I’d expected.This was something else entirely, and I didn’t know what to make of it.
Ada touched her brother’s arm.“We should go.Don’t want to keep the doctors waiting.”
Knight nodded, his eyes still on mine.“I’ll come back up when I’m done.”
“We’ll be here,” I said unnecessarily.
