Page 59 of Keeping Knight

“But we’re new,” Ruby says. “That’s one of the reasons I hate crying like this. I want to be happy Ruby with you. Not all messy and—” She glances at her hair and makes a face. “Ugh. My hair is like a bird’s nest after a storm.”

“It’s not. It’s pretty.” Tugging on a curl, I watch it spring back up. “You don’t have to be happy all the time. Just like I won’t be. And listen. We can do some things to help. Like counseling. We can get someone to come here. Or if you’d rather, we can set up something virtually. There’s a psychologist we refer some of our clients to. Her name is Mabel. She used to serve, but she left to start her own practice. You could meet with her.”

Ruby’s expression turns thoughtful. “Okay. That’s probably a good idea.”

I kiss her cheek. “Good. And I’ll see about updating the security system. I don’t want you to feel restricted here, but I’m sure there’s something we can do. And we can get you a tracker.”

“A tracker?”

“Yeah. Just in case of an emergency. Sofia has one. Rogue gave it to her. It looks like a regular necklace, but there’s a tiny GPS tracker inside. And there’s a button you can press if you’re ever in trouble that will signal Fox & Falcon for help.”

“Oh.” She goes quiet for a moment. Her gaze meets mine. “But it’s all so much, Micah. I feel bad⁠—”

“Rue.”

“You want to do it.”

“Yes.” I lift Ruby onto my lap. “I get wanting to take care of yourself. But I also want to take care of you. Because I care about you.”

“My knight,” Ruby murmurs. She leans in to kiss me. “I care about you, too, Micah. A lot. Sometimes it’s hard to wrap my head around how much. I know the timing isn’t the best. But…”

“But?”

“But Sofia said something that stuck with me. How she and Rogue went through all this hard stuff in the beginning, but it ended up making them stronger. And now things feel so much easier. And they’re both so happy. It makes me wonder if the same thing could happen for us.”

My heart flips over. “I think it could.”

A slow smile brightens Ruby’s face, and the last of the bands around my chest release. “Okay. Good.” She taps my chest. “But I want you to tell me if you need anything. Alright? If you’re not feeling well, or just feeling down… You don’t have to be the protector all the time.”

I’m not sure that’s possible. But I’m not going to argue. “Got it.” I press a kiss to her lips. “Now. It’s late. Do you want to try to get back to sleep? Or would you like to watch something that’s not stressful? Sofia mentioned this show she found called Too Cute, with all these puppies and kittens. That sounds nice.”

She hesitates. “Do you think…”

“What?”

“Would it be weird if you stayed in my bed with me? I think I could sleep if you’re there.”

Something big and powerful expands in my chest. My heart rolls over again. “I don’t think it would be weird at all.” Then I lift Ruby into my arms as I rise from the couch. “I would be more than happy to stay with you.”

Talk about an understatement. I can’t think of much I’d like more.

“You don’t have to carry me,” she says as I head across the living room. “Especially up the stairs.”

I smile at her, feeling a heck of a lot happier than I would have expected when I was awakened by the alarm. “What’s the point of all the working out then?”

Ruby kisses my jaw. “Another perk, hmm?”

I pause at the base of the stairs to kiss her. “Being able to carry you around? It’s definitely a perk.”

Chapter Fourteen

RUBY

“Daisy, stay.”

Daisy casts a longing look at the bright pink Kong toy lying at Evie’s feet. The fabric is damp from chewing, and the ends are slightly frayed. Daisy’s tail thumps against the floor. Her butt wiggles a little.

“Stay,” Evie repeats. Her tone is low and commanding. Then she nudges the toy a little closer to Daisy while watching her carefully.