Worth It
But instead of calling me out, he smiled softly. “Yeah,” he murmured. “Arrow. It’s after the DC Comic, Green Arrow. But don’t ask me where any of the other names in the family came from; I’m pretty sure I don’t even want to know.”
His smile settled a little as he watched me, but his eyes—those golden brown beauties—continued to glimmer with amusement. “So, really.” He lifted the Kindle. “How’d you get this picture of Bentley?” He gazed at it thoughtfully. “It looks kind of dated. Like, really dated.”
“Hey.” I frowned, offended, and ripped the Kindle from his hand. “That photo’s not even sixteen years old yet, thank you very much.”
His eyes flared. “You mean—”
“This is my baby picture.”
Mouth falling open, he looked back at the portrait. “Oh my God.”
“I don’t know why you’re so surprised,” I started conversationally. “You already told me she looked like me. And then I saw her for myself in town, so...it’s no shock to either of us.”
“Yes, it is. I said she looked like you, not that she could make an exact carbon copy of your baby picture. Holy shit, Felicity. This is...”
Words failed him, so I nodded. “I know. She’s really Garrett’s baby. She’s my…niece.”
It was the first time I’d uttered the admission aloud, so I said it again. “I have a niece, and I’ve never met her, didn’t even know her name until today. I have no idea when her birthday is.”
“April thirtieth,” Knox said quietly.
I sent him a look, and he shrugged.
I hugged myself as we stood there, neither of us speaking. Then I quietly murmured, “I’m sorry.”
He glanced at me and frowned. “About what?”
“I didn’t believe you.”
Stepping closer to me, he slowly lifted his hand before grasping a wayward piece of my hair and winding it around his finger, then tucking it behind my ear. “You really had no reason to believe me until you saw her for yourself. I’m a Parker. You’re a Bainbridge. Remember? It’s in our blood not to trust each other.”
“But I should’ve at least admitted it was a possibility. Except, it still makes no sense. Garrett is acting so indignant and insulted.”
Knox snorted. “And you thought he’d act different?”
“Well...yeah. You don’t understand. When he’s getting away with something he did wrong, he’s always so much more...smug.”
Catching another few pieces of my hair, he began to braid them together. “Maybe he’s still worried he’ll get caught, so he’s acting it off.”
“Hmm. Maybe.” I watched his face as he played so intently with my hair. I was just as drawn under as he was while he twisted two strands together, only to let them go and watch them spiral apart, before he did it all over again.
A content, peaceful quiet grew between us. I don’t think he even realized neither of us had talked for over a minute.
Finally, I sighed as I studied him, soaking in his striking, Parker features.
“You know, I am aware my father is a shrewd, calculating businessman with no mercy or softness whatsoever, but he works hard to take care of our family. And my mother...sure, she’s the biggest snob of the century, but so many of her charitable events have made this town beautiful and helped—”
“Are you trying to get me to like your family?” Knox cocked me a strange look.
“What? No.” I sputtered for a moment, trying to remember what point I’d been getting at. Then it all came back. “I just...everyone treats me nice because of who my family is. And I...I’ve always kind of been proud to be a Bainbridge, you know. I would’ve defended any of my relatives, whether I knew if they were right or wrong.”
I looked up into his curious eyes and bit my lip. “And I know it looked like I was going against my brother when I didn’t help him catch you for what you did to his bed, but that wasn’t any disrespect to him. It was just—”
“Kindness?” Knox said quietly, watching me intently. “To me.”
I blushed and gently pulled my hair from his hand because it was distracting me too much. “I don’t know. Maybe. But the fact of the matter is, until the other day, I respected my family. But when my mother refused to even accept the possibility that the baby could be her own granddaughter, especially after seeing her, I...I felt...shame. I was so ashamed to be a snooty, ignorant Bainbridge.”