“I knew Mr. Montgomery asked her to keep an eye on you, yes.”
Great. Now I hadanotherperson to add to my long list of enemies.
“Before you blast me with the laser beam eyes, hear me out.”
“You’re fired,” I snarled.
Stewart sighed and then patted my hand. I wanted to smack him.
“I remember the day that everything changed with Knox,” he said smoothly. “I remember because not too long after that, Hannah started working at the mansion. She was absolutely clueless, which I think is the only reason she confided in me. No, she didn’t tell me Mr. Montgomery had hired her at first, but she did say she was there to take care of you, to ensure you were being looked after appropriately.”
I let my gaze shift back to the window, listening intently, although pretending I didn’t care.
“Like the rest of us, she was appalled by the way Kitty treated you. I never really could understand it. Some of the staff had theories, the main one being that she wanted Rhett all to herself.” He shrugged. “I don’t think Kitty cared about anyone but herself. Controlling you gave her something to do. And there was some chatter that she thought Knox desired you. Daniel said Kitty had caught him staring at you. He had been. I know because I’d witnessed it.”
Stewart chuckled. “By accident, of course. I’d been performing the morning chores, and I saw him out by the pool staring up at the house. I looked to see what he had spotted and saw you standing there. The look on that man’s face had been … well, I can’t really describe it other than he looked both smitten and appalled.”
I seriously doubted Knox had ever been smitten a day in his life. I kept that thought to myself.
“You were fifteen, Em. He had every right to be ashamed of himself.”
I glanced at him, looked back a the window.
“After that day, Kitty changed. She insisted we outline every single thing you were to do each day. She wanted meal plans and activity plans, which Hannah was put in charge of. I think that’s the only reason you were able to keep doing some of the things you enjoyed. The next few years, Hannah put herself between you and Kitty. Believe it or not, that woman stood up for you. She pushed. She didn’t always win, but she tried. That earned her the respect of most of the staff.”
He smiled sadly. “On your eighteenth birthday, Hannah told me that we were expecting a delivery. It was from Knox, and I was supposed to do whatever I could to intercept it before Daniel got it. I stalked the front of the house that day. I answered the door, signed for the package, and for a minute, I thought I was home free. Daniel confronted me when I was on my way to give it to Hannah. Keep in mind I had no idea what was in the package, but I knew I couldn’t let Daniel get his hands on it. He tried. Thankfully, Hannah appeared to take it, told Daniel to mind his own damn business.” Stewart laughed. “She was a firecracker, and as I said, the staff respected her. Because of that, Daniel had no control over her.”
“What was in the package?” I asked, too curious to keep it to myself.
“An iPad.”
I swallowed the emotion that lodged in my throat.
“Knox hated the fact that you were shut off from the outside world, so he’d gotten it for your birthday.” His smile fell. “Unfortunately, the gifts that came the years after that never got to you. Daniel didn’t know what you’d gotten, but he made sure to intercept the future ones.” Stewart squeezed my hand. “Everyone knew Knox had feelings for you, but he was keeping his distance to protect you.”
“Why didn’t he just tell me?” I choked out.
Stewart sighed. “From what I’ve gathered, Knox was hoping you and your father could work things out. He knew that Kitty wasn’t going to stick around once he took everything. I think he wanted your father to make amends with you before that happened.”
“He didn’t.”
“No,” Stewart confirmed. “And the minute Hannah told Knox what happened that morning the courier came, explained how you were looking to get into colleges, Knox produced that scholarship. He brought you here so he could watch over you.” He squeezed my hand again. “He wasn’t trying to control you. He was trying to give you your independence while ensuring you were okay at the same time. I mean, come on, Emily, he paid Guillermo and me to do nothing for two years just so we’d be here when you were ready. Trust me when I tell you that man loves you. Everything he’s done over the past few years has been because of you.”
He sat up straight, huffed a laugh. “Of course, if he knew I’d told you any of that, he’d probably fire me in a heartbeat.”
“Good thing he can’t,” I said, feeling some of the tension leave my body. “Since he’s not your boss.”
Stewart smiled; this time it was warm and understanding. “He’s not the boss of you either. And I don’t think he wants to be.”
I swallowed hard.
“He does care. And he’s devastated. He and Kieran both.”
“How do you know that?”
“They call. Several times a day. I haven’t told them much, but I’ve assured them you’re still breathing.”
I dropped my head back on the cushion, stared up at the ceiling. “I don’t know what to do.”
