Page 141 of Knot What I Expected

Monster growls as she pulls out.

Unsafe.

“Working on it.”

Mate needs better.

“I fucking know.”

I start the truck and follow her.

Not too close. But close enough.

Is it ever close enough?

Her taillights stay directly in front of me as we leave Dick's behind and wind through Ember Hollow. And suddenly my mind has way too much time to work.

This is happening.

Gabriella invited me home.

To her home.

The place she shares with her son.

That means something. Right? It has to. I know it fucking does to me.

My hands tighten around the steering wheel.

What if she changes her mind?

Fine.

Then I leave.

No questions.

No attitude.

I'll probably drive home and shift so Monster can tear around the mountain until we're both too exhausted to think, but she'll never fucking know that.

What if she regrets kissing me?

That one hurts more.

I don't want to be another mistake in Gabriella's life. Something tells me she's had enough of those.

I want—fuck.

I don't even know what I want.

That's a lie.

I want everything. I want to know what she looks like first thing in the morning. I want to know how she takes her coffee.

I want to hear her laugh when she isn't worried about money or work or whatever secret keeps making her look over her shoulder.

I want to see Matteo's dinosaur backpack thrown on the floor and hear Gabby tell him for the fiftieth time to pick the damn thing up.