Guess we’re really doing this.
We walk down the hall, hand in hand, my pulse like a hammer. I’ve never met anyone’s family before. Never been someone worth introducing. Somehow, that thought is louder than my heartbeat.
Knox slows outside the hospital room, his hand at the small of my back. Through the narrow window set into the door, I catch a glimpse of three people: one propped in a hospital bed, two leaning close, mid-conversation.
Knox’s gaze meets mine. “Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be,” I whisper, pulse thrumming.
He gives a light squeeze at my waist, then pushes the door open.
A woman with calm confidence and kind eyes looks up first. Her hair’s pulled into a low twist, silver strands catching the fluorescent light. “You must be Cami,” she says, now standing. “I’m Claire. And I’m a hugger.”
Before I can react, she pulls me into a warm, unapologetic embrace.
“Oh,” I manage, laughing softly. “Okay. Hugger noted.”
From the chair near the bed, an older woman sets down her knitting with a knowing smile. “Correction, dear.We’rehuggers.”
And then I’m hugged again, one that makes you feel instantly claimed.
When she releases me, the man in the bed raises a hand with an IV line taped to it. “I’ll hug ya too, soon as I escape from this nightmare.”
“Deal.” I fight back a silly grin. “I’ll hold you to it.”
Knox chuckles, moving closer to the bed. “Cami, this is my mom, Claire. And my grandparents, Hazel and Sy.”
Sy gives Knox a lazy salute. “You picked a good one, kid.”
“Dad…” Claire warns under her breath, though her smile doesn’t fade. She turns to me. “You’re beautiful, Cami. And brave. Volunteering to drive three hours with this guy?”
“Hey,” Knox protests. “I was excellent company.”
“Mm-hm,” she says, eyes twinkling. “I’m sure you were.”
“He handled the playlist and only got us lost once, right after insisting the GPS was wrong,” I offer.
Hazel laughs. “Then you’re a saint. He gets his stubborn streak from his grandfather, but his taste in music? That’s all Claire.”
Knox groans. “Here we go.”
The laughter that follows is light and real, and something in my chest eases.
Hazel pats my hand, her eyes crinkling. “You’ll stay at the house, of course. Both of you. No arguments.”
When Knox starts to protest, Hazel lifts a single brow that could silence a courtroom.
“Don’t even think about a crummy hotel,” she says. “You know the guest suite is always ready. You’llbothbe comfortable.”
Claire nods. “You’ll stay at least a few days, won’t you? We’d love the company.”
Knox sighs. “That’s the plan.”
Hazel smiles, looking between us. “Then it’s settled.”
Sy leans back against the pillows, a grin that might be pure mischief—or medication-induced. “Good. More chances to embarrass my grandson. Best medicine there is.”
CHAPTER 28
