He wasn’t offended when I declined; he understood that I had to do this myself. There was a difference between guidance and a handout, and I knew which one I could live with.
But surrounded by the warmth of real friendship, I appreciated the offer more than they would ever understand. For once in my life, I had actual people in my corner. Rooting for me. Sitting on the bench, waiting for me to call them into the game.
This state wasn’t temporary anymore.
This was home.
Later that night, after Faith and Rainbow had gone, I stood at my window, staring out at the quiet street.
Knox.
The man who’d killed someone and refused to explain why. The man with X-ray vision. The man who went perfectly still when he was truly enraged, like the calm before a tornado.
That man had sent word to four of the most powerful people he knew.
To help me. Protect me.
I pressed my hand flat against the cool glass, my reflection ghostly and uncertain.
If Faith was right, if Knox was falling in love with me …
Then I was in far deeper trouble than I’d realized.
Because standing here in the dark, with my heart beating too fast and my guard starting to crack, I was terrified to admit the truth.
I was falling for him too.
And I had no idea if this new life I was building, this foundation I was so desperate to plant, was something I could actually keep.
Or if it would all come crashing down.
As I stared out that window, what I didn't know was that someone else was out there in the dark. And by morning, the one thing I couldn't hide from Knox would be written all over my face.
29
HARPER
The morning sun warmed my face as I crossed the driveway, keys already in hand. My mind was already inside those concrete walls.
Knox.
I’d spent the whole night replaying what I’d learned. That he’d sent his brotherhood to watch over me. That somewhere in that prison, a man convicted of murder had decided I was worth protecting.
The irony wasn’t lost on me. I’d spent two years sharing a bed with a man the world considered respectable, and Silas had made me feel like prey. Now a convicted killer had become the predator that protected me.
I reached for the car door handle.
“Harper.”
My body went still. Every muscle locked in place, my hand frozen mid-reach. Heart hammering against my ribs like it was trying to escape before the rest of me could.
I didn’t want to look. Looking made it real.
I turned slowly, already knowing what I’d see, and sure enough, there he was.
Silas.
Here. In this state. Standing at the foot of my driveway, holding roses. A dozen of them, wrapped in brown paper and tied with twine, like something out of a romantic movie. Red petals bright against the winter morning.
