“You already do.”

There was a pause, then her next words rushed out. “I’m about to beg you to come see me if you keep talking to me the way you are, but I know you need tonight. So go hang out with them before I change my mind.”

I huffed, but nodded even though she couldn’t see me. “All right. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

She waited—she always waited, and I loved her more for it—and I could practically see the expectant look on her face and hopefulness in her blue eyes.

“I’m still waiting for you, Low.”

A soft laugh followed by a sigh filled the phone. “And you’re wasting your time.”

“Never.” The smile on my face was massive when I hung up and turned to walk back to my room. I came to a stop, and my smile abruptly fell when I found Grey standing there watching me.

“She’s seventeen?” she asked, but I didn’t respond. Grey jerked her head in the direction of my room. “They gave me a quick rundown. I was also eavesdropping,” she said shamelessly.

I nodded absentmindedly and gestured toward the room. “I’d rather not talk about this out here.”

“I think what you’re doing is the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard of.”

Her admission stopped me again, and I looked at her like I’d heard her wrong. “Romantic,” I stated dully. “I’m not romantic, Grey.”

“Oh, I know. But what you’re doing for her . . . it’s romantic. It’s also the most decent thing any of you guys have ever done for a girl.”

I grunted and looked away.

“Really, though. Most guys wouldn’t care to wait, or they’d make the girl feel bad because she was underage. Then here you are waiting for her until she is of age, not pressuring her into anything, just being there for her until then? That’s amazing, Knox. I heard you tell her you loved her . . . but I could hear how much you loved her. Just because Graham and Deacon don’t get it doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong.”

Grabbing Grey up in my arms, I hugged her tight. “Thank you.”

Chapter 7

Harlow

Present Day—Richland

“LOOK AT ME, Harlow.”

I distractedly turned my head to face Collin, and waited for whatever speech he had prepared for me.

His eyes roamed over my hair and body before shooting back up to my face, his eyebrows pinched in frustration as he studied it. “How are you feeling?”

“I feel fine.”

“Then why do you look miserable?” he growled as he started driving again, the warning in his question clear. If I didn’t fix whatever he was seeing soon, it wasn’t going to be a good night for me.

But it had been four days since I’d seen Knox, and the memories and dreams of him were plaguing me more than usual. Even though I’d tried to run from him, I was left struggling more than I usually did. I no longer felt like I was drowning because of Collin and this life. I’d already drowned; I was just waiting for someone to find me and bring me back to life.

That, added to the fact Collin and I were on our way to the fund-raiser, was making it nearly impossible to remember how I normally forced my smiles. I sat there trying to smile, and tried not to feel the crushing pressure like I was surrounded by deep water.

“I need you to smile, mingle, and make us look good for my dad. The mayor will be there among other people we need to kiss ass with. I’m sure I don’t need to remind you that saying or doing something stupid would be completely unacceptable?”

“Of course not, Collin.”

He glanced at me and flashed a quick smile before resting his hand on my thigh and giving it a small, loving squeeze. “That’s my girl.”

We walked in with his arm wrapped around my waist as we tried to play the role of the perfect, happy couple. I was introduced to some new people, but mostly socialized with couples we already knew well from years of these things. It should have been so easy to play my part, but there was something nagging at me. My body came alive within minutes of walking in to the fund-raiser. There was a charge in the air, and my entire body tingled from it. I knew it, and I knew I’d felt it before, but I couldn’t place when or where.

Then everything happened and went to hell at once.

I was so focused on trying to remember this indescribable feeling that I forgot the mayor’s wife’s first name and had just gotten two fingers into the inside of my elbow because of it. Collin’s fingers dug in harder and he leaned in to whisper for me not to show my pain as his dad and the mayor continued talking, and an unwelcome hand came to rest on my other arm.

My lips parted slightly as I tried to breathe through the pain from Collin’s fingers, and my eyes narrowed into slits the second I recognized that the meaty hand resting on my other arm belonged to my father-in-law’s coworker Ren. All of it was too much, and my mind whirled with the sensations slamming into me over and over again.

Pain, pain, pain. Breathe, I silently commanded myself. Don’t show it. Stop messing up in front of Collin. Pain—get away from creepy Ren’s wandering hands! Pain. How could I have messed up something so simple? So much pain! Both of you please stop touching me! I internally screamed, all while the party and conversations went on around us, nobody having a clue that anything could be wrong.

“There’re a lot of big pockets here tonight,” Collin’s dad was saying to the mayor. “This will be great for the firehouse and their charity.”

My head snapped up and eyes widened at the word firehouse, and instantly I knew the familiar energy in the building—the one I’d thought was lost forever. I sucked in an audible gasp when my gaze locked on dark, murderous eyes. But Knox’s eyes weren’t fixed on mine; they were locked on Collin’s hand still digging into my arm.

Collin moved fast. Suddenly I was in his arms with his mouth on mine. His blue eyes showed me everything his words couldn’t, since we had an audience.

His mom and the mayor’s wife made sounds of affection, and his dad laughed loudly. “These two; you can’t take them anywhere. Two and a half years in, and they’re still in the honeymoon phase.”

Collin pulled away and glanced back at the group to shoot them a wink. “Can you blame me for not being able to keep my hands off her?”

The mayor, Ren, and Collin’s dad all laughed this time, and the women whispered while sending me knowing smiles.