SARAH
Four days had passed since I’d last seen Knox. I shouldn’t be hurting so much over a guy I barely knew. In fact, I also shouldn’t have been upset by him assuming I had a problem instead of letting me explain why I still had a nursery.
A nursery I used quite a bit, but that clearly didn’t matter to him.
“All units, there’s trouble down by the skatepark. Some kid was seen with a spray can, wearing a hoodie, hood up, blue skateboard in his hand.”
Working nights in a town like Eden was boring most of the time. Teenagers causing mischief were usually the biggest of my problems.
I grabbed the radio. “Burke here. I’m nearby. I’ll check it out,” I answered, not bothering with my badge number. Technically, I knew we should, but…
“Thanks, Burke.”
“No problem, Denise.”
I started my cruiser, pulling into the skatepark minutes later, surprised to find it empty.
It was strange. Most of the time, there were teenagers around, sometimes even younger kids, who played obnoxious hip-hop music and insulted people walking by, but tonight, there was one lonely skater sitting there. From what I saw, he wasn’t doing anything except shaking the paint can.
The moment he spotted the cruiser, he got to his feet and walked over to a wall were his backpack lay. Even before getting out, I knew who it was.
I grabbed the walkie and told Denise I’d be taking the offender home, then I got out of the car, walking over to where Callum stood in front of a spotless wall.
“Hey, Lanky. What are you doing here?” I asked, glad he wasn’t in real trouble. However, it was close to midnight, and I doubted Knox knew where his son was.
“Weird lady,” he replied, a smirk in his voice. I couldn’t see his face, since it was still covered with a hood, so I reached out and tugged the material back until I could see his blue eyes, so much like his father’s. I was surprised to see him smiling. He was already as tall as I was, and I knew he’d end up towering over his father.
“Someone reported a punk with a spray can. Seems I found him,” I said.
He eyed me up and down, then grinned. “It’s deodorant,” he explained and lifted his arm. I smiled and shook my head.
“I’m taking you home, Lanky. Get in the car.”
He waggled his brows. “Are you gonna cuff me?”
I groaned and turned away, my stomach churning. I knew he was following me because I heard him grab his backpack. I didn’t want to face his father, but I did have to tell him to keep a closer eye on his son and to make sure he knew not to spray anywhere.
Just because it was Knox didn’t mean I could change procedure.
“Haven’t seen you around in a while,” Callum commented as we got in, and I shrugged.
“Your father told me to not come around as much.” As I finished that sentence, it struck me that I could be sneaky and get information. “I figured it was because he and an ex aren’t done yet and he needed to sort that out first.”
Callum crossed his arms in front of his chest, clearly pissed. “My father hasn’t dated anyone in years. I think he might be gay. Maybe that’s why he’s never shown any interest in a woman.”
My heart skipped a few beats as I parked in front of their house, not moving to get out. I was certain he’d been very much into what we’d done Saturday, but did I know for sure that meant he was into girls? Maybe he swung both ways. Or maybe… Well, I didn’t know, but if he wasn’t sure what he was feeling, it would explain why he’d tried to break up with me before we’d ever been an item.
“Huh,” I whispered. It didn’t change anything because he’d been an ass. I’d sworn to never let a man walk all over me again, so…
A warm hand on my knee jolted me from my thoughts. “Don’t worry, Sarah. He won’t hit on you,” Callum assured me. I blinked, confused—and a little disappointed.
“I’m on duty, so it’s Officer Burke to you.” I winked. “Anyway, let’s go. I need to talk to your father.” He reached for the door. “And, Lanky?” He turned to me. “Don’t hang out at that skatepark. There are some…not so nice characters there. Stay away. You’re a good kid.” I playfully punched his shoulder, then got out of the car, walking him to the door.
Callum fished for his keys, but I placed my hand on his. “I need to ring the doorbell anyway.”
He nodded, holding my gaze. I rang the doorbell. A few minutes later, with still no answer, I rang again before the hallway light was turned on and the door opened.
All air left my body. Knox stood there, rumpled with sleep and wearing nothing but boxers. He had scratches and bite marks on his shoulder that I knew were from me.
I cleared my throat. “Mr. Dyer, I picked up your son at the skatepark after it was reported he was seen with a spray can. It was deodorant, meaning no spray paint whatsoever, but please, make sure he knows things like faking a crime can get him in trouble with the police anyway.” God, being so stiff around Knox felt horrible. I wasn’t even like that when we first met.
“Sarah…,” Knox whispered, as if only now realizing what he was seeing.
“She’s on duty. It’s Officer Burke to you,” Callum announced. He turned and brushed a strand of hair out of my face, catching me off-guard. “Night, weird lady.”
Before I could say anything, he’d pushed into the house, shouldering Knox out of the way. I wondered what was going on, but he stepped aside that moment, making room for me, utterly distracting me with too much skin.
“We need to talk, Sar. Come in.”
I pointed at the badge on my chest. “I’m on duty. I just wanted to bring your son back because I figured you were worried.” Which I’d clearly been wrong about because he’d been asleep.
There was scruff on his cheeks that I wanted to touch, wanted to run my fingertips over, but I stayed where I was, hands in my pockets.
No matter how tempting Knox Dyer was, I wouldn’t fall down that rabbit hole again.
* * *
KNOX
I was exhausted, mentally and physically, and had been tossing and turning until I heard the doorbell.
Work hadn’t gotten any easier, my body still not used to the strain, and Callum and I hardly ever spoke any longer. He was out more often than not, and if I asked him where he was, he just gave snappy answers.
At least he goes to school, so that’s something.
Besides that, I’d missed Sarah. I missed talking to her, and since I had gotten a taste of holding her, I also missed her in my arms. I’d tried to call and message her, but nothing ever went through, so I wondered if she had blocked my number.
Now she was here. Maybe I needed to thank my son.
Her eyes raked over my naked skin and came to rest on my shoulder where the evidence of our night was the only thing I had left of her.
“Thank you for returning him safely, but please, Sar. Just—”
She held up her hand. “Don’t. We have nothing to talk about. We’re good. I gotta go. I’ll see you around, Knox.”
She turned away, but I grabbed her hand, reveling in the feeling of her skin. “I’m still your fake fiancé, so you kinda have to talk to me.” I knew I was grasping straws, but it was all I had left.
She didn’t turn back to me, but also didn’t pull her hand from mine, which I took as a good sign—until she finally did slip her fingers free.
“I think I’ll just tell them that we broke it off because you should’ve known I hate being put on the spot in public, and that’s exactly what you did with that proposal. I’d rather have a fake ex than a fake fiancé who doesn’t bother asking me questions and just assumes he knows the answer. And just so you know, not that I need to justify anything to you, the nursery is there because whenever I’m not at work, I babysit infants when their mothers have to run errands or have a doctor’s appointment. I watch the little ones while they have a few minutes to themselves. That nursery was created two years back when a neighbor hadn’t slept in weeks because her daughter had stomach troubles. I watched her for seven hours while her mom finally got some shuteye. But I guess you’re right and I have problems.” She shook her head, making me hate myself just a bit more.
“I’m sorry.” It was all I could say.
She looked over her shoulder and forced out a smile. “No harm done. We’re neighbors so… I’ll see you around.”
She stepped toward her car and I followed, not caring that I was only wearing boxers. “Please, unblock me on your phone so we can talk like we did before. If you say no harm was done, let’s be friends.” It was the very last thing I wanted, but if it was all she’d give me right now, I’d take it.
She paused, lowering her head. “I… Truthfully, Mitch blocked you, said your undeserving ass didn’t get another chance to talk to me. I guess it was good she did.”
I gritted my teeth, feeling oddly proud of the protective best friend, even while I hated her that moment. “Why? Why was it good?”
Sarah hesitated, then she glanced at me over her shoulder again. “Because I would’ve forgiven you the next day. Now, after having been able to think about it for a few days, I realize I’d still be hurt, still be upset, so it’s better this way. I gotta report in, Knox. I’ll see you around.”
“Sarah,” I quietly called after her, but this time, she didn’t turn back, didn’t stop as she climbed into her car.
I rubbed my chest right above my heart, willing the stupid thing to stop cracking. I’d only known the woman a little over a week, yet she’d already embedded herself in me. God, I needed an idea on how to fix this.
First, I needed to have a talk with my son—who stood right behind the door, waiting for me to come back in. He slammed the door shut the moment I walked through.
“You told her to stay away from here! Why did you do that? You should’ve seen the way she smiled when she saw me tonight. Whatever it is you think you need to protect me from, it won’t work.”
Of course she’d smiled because she’d recognized him. I was pretty sure words like “cute” and “kiddo” had been on her mind when doing so. “Sarah is just friendly, and she likes you, which—”
“Exactly. She likes me. Besides…” He angrily gestured to the marks on my shoulder, “seems you found someone to distract you, so why are you trying to keep us apart?” Callum’s eyes sparkled with fury. I couldn’t believe how delusional my son was. Had I ever been this far away from reality at that age?
I had a hard time not reaching up to my shoulder to touch the light bruises. Hell, I hadn’t even realized they’d been as dark as they were until I’d been in the shower the next day, but all it proved was that Sarah had gotten lost in us.
“Those marks are from Sarah, Callum. She likes you like she would every other teenage boy with a somewhat smart head on his shoulders. That’s all.”
He fisted his hands at his sides. “You’re a liar. She wouldn’t sleep with you. Besides, the way she talked to you just now sounded as if you weren’t even friends, so…”
I couldn’t believe I was fighting with my son over a woman. It was ridiculous, but what was worse was I told her we couldn’t explore anything between us. If I didn’t, maybe she’d have trusted me more and we wouldn’t have had our fight.
“Well, I think I love her, Callum, and I’ll do whatever I can to make her realize it.”
“You don’t even know her!” he screamed, and I shrugged.
“Neither do you, but I know no matter what’s coming, I want her by my side. She’s too old for you, Cal. Trust me. All you can be is her friend.” And even that is a stretch, but I figured there was no need to say that.
He growled. “You’ll see.” He spun and ran up the stairs, his door slamming. I walked back to my room and sat on the bed.
At that moment, I couldn’t decide if moving here had been the worst or best idea because no matter how hard things were with Callum, I knew Sarah and I had a shot at something great. I already looked forward to the days I’d get to spend with her—once I could convince her to forgive me.