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“I’d have to agree,” Logan nodded,
“That makes three of us,” Robbie agreed.
We stood there and surveyed the room. E
veryone seemed to be overflowing with happiness and there was romance in the air. We did good, really good.
“So, a little birdie told us you’re here to stay,” Logan said and slipped an arm around my shoulders.
“I’m going to kill Knox,” I growled. “I wanted to tell you guys. I was going to say something at Simone’s place the other night but I was just out of sorts with everything that happened.”
“Leave him alone,” he admonished. “He’s excited. We all are, kid. We don’t want you going anywhere.”
“Yeah,” Robbie piped in. “We need you here. You’re the glue. You hold all of us together. Don’t be too hard on Fitz, okay? He’s just happy to have you back.”
Never in a million years did I think I would hear my brothers come to Knox’s defense, but there we were. They were actually defending the actions of someone they both hated less than a month ago. Then again, I never thought we’d be standing in the middle of the same room with our parents and be civil with each other, but there we were. A family. A united front.
“You guys are stuck with me,” I laughed and hooked an arm through Robbie’s.
“Good,” they said at the same time and then Logan leaned down and said quietly, “As for the other shit, you’ll get through it. You wanna know how I know?”
“How?”
“You’re an Ashford.”
I leaned my head on his shoulder and the three of us stood there for a moment and watched our parents as they danced and smiled and laughed. There were no arguments and there was no stress. All love.
I found Knox a little while later outside with a few friends, laughing with a beer in his hand. Walking up behind him, his buddy gave a low whistle and nodded in my direction. He turned and flashed me a wide grin, reaching out and tucking me under his arm.
“Boys,” he nodded at his friends. I noticed a few of them. Alex Ruiz and Beckett McAdams - yes, the same Beckett McAdams whose locker I ran into after the janitor closet incident. “I need to go dance with my girl before she gets mad and leaves with someone else.”
Beckett offered a slow wink and batted his baby blues at me. “If he gives you any trouble let me know. I’m a great dancer.”
“Yeah, he’s great at dancing away from commitment,” Alex chimed in and brought his beer to his lips.
I laughed and shook my head as Knox pulled me away from them. “Have a nice night, boys.”
We walked a little ways down the road and stopped, leaning against a guardrail and staring out at the ocean, Knox’s solid chest pressed against my back. Our fingers were laced over my stomach and we swayed slightly.
“Did I tell you that you look absolutely beautiful tonight?”
I turned in his arms, resting my hands on his shoulders. “You did, but I love compliments.”
He laughed and cupped my cheek in one hand. “How’d I let you go before, huh?”
I smiled up at him. “We both had some growing to do. But look where we are now,” I responded, repeating the words he’d said to me that night in the sand dune.
“Yeah,” he whispered. “Look where we are now.”
I leaned up to kiss him and he turned his head before looking down both sides of the road. It was nearly eleven and the streets were empty. Backing up, he pulled me into the middle of the road with him. “Dance with me.”
“You hate dancing.”
“But I love you.”
Weak in the knees at his admission I fell against him, placing one hand on his shoulder and tucking my other hand against his. We moved back and forth in the middle of the abandoned street, smiling as he twirled me around, spinning me out before pulling me back against him.
“You got your dancing skills from your mom.”
