How I ended up in Crystal Cove.
The night I bumped into Knox.
The attic noises.
Knox going into the attic to rescue newborn kittens and their mom.
Fostering them together, Stripe and Shadow.
The rules I made—no names, no real life, no falling—to protect my identity and my heart.
Our first date.
And all the dates that followed.
How he was respectful and kind and impossibly loving long before our first kiss.
Millie coming home early.
Not being ready to face New York.
Knox offering me his home, his space, his quiet routines, without blinking.
The hospital.
How hestayed.
And how terrifying that was, realizing someone had chosen me that fully.
Swearing a thousand times I wasn’t falling in love.
Knowing I already had.
Vermont, his mom, his grandparents.
Knox’s firstI love you.
Losing the bubble phone.
Being devastated.
Certain we were over.
Until the gala. When Knox looked at me like the universe had handed him back something he thought he’d lost.
By the time I stop, my chest is tight, and my dad is staring at me like he’s seeing me clearly for the first time in years.
“Frankie,” he says, throat working, “I had no idea you were shouldering all of this alone. When I picked you up from the airport…I thought you were just tired. I didn’t realize you were hurting.” He scrubs a hand over his jaw, blinking hard. “And I see it now. How much this man means to you. How much you mean to him.”
My breath catches, truth rising before I can hold it back. “I love him so much, Dad.”
He closes his eyes for a beat like the words land somewhere deep. When he opens them again, they’re softer than I’ve seen since my mom died.
“You know…” he begins, tone at ease, “you two remind me a lot of your mom and me. And it only took a month to know I was head over heels for Nora.”
His hand settles over mine, steady, warm, and I smile just as warmly.
“And I think fate played a part with you and Knox,” he adds quietly. “You fell for each other before you knew who the other really was. Before last names and expectations and all the noise.”
