Page 11 of Wild for the Knight

She’s bouncing on her toes, hands laced together under her chin, and that stupid smile that I can’t seem to say no to these days. I swallow roughly, my eyes darting to my brother, who is still sporting a beaming smile, then they drift to Abby, who’s glaring at the back of Hannah’s head. Interesting.

Turning back to Hannah, I give her my most charming smile and say. “Sure, Han. You can tell me about her later,” she squeals as she launches herself at me. I wrap my arms around her waist and whisper, “I think you pissed off the pixie.” Pulling herself away from me, she turns and skips over to Abby.

“I know you don’t believe it, but he’s a good guy, and he deserves all the happiness in the world. Just like you do.” She hugs Abby, then looks at Reed. “Hey, maybe you two should get together.” He looks down at Abby and smirks. My hands ball into fists on top of the counter as I squeeze the ever-loving hell out of my jaw.

My eyes lock with my brother's, and he winks at me. What the hell is he winking for?

After waking up at 4:30 this morning and working through a grueling practice, I’m exhausted, yet somehow, Greyson got me to agree to stop for coffee before he drove us both to the rink. “How’s the planning coming? Have you plotted Abby’s death yet?” My brother chuckles as he sips his coffee.

My eyes roll as my head bounces off the headrest. “No,” I hook my thumb into my chain, “She would have made a great drill sergeant, though.” His laugh is loud as it bounces around the car.

Abby’s working with the Junior Hawks today, something she’s been doing with the youth sports teams in the area since the carnival Hannah put together a few years ago. I step through the doors of the Hawks’ practice facility, heading toward her office, not expecting her to be in there. Instead of the silence I was expecting, I’m met with little human giggles.

My shoulder meets her door frame as I take in the sight in front of me. Abby’s hair is pulled back with a clip; it’s out of her face but still flowing down her back in waves. Her eyes are focused on the ankle she’s wrapping. “Ms. Abby, what if we don’t have KT tape?” One of the boys asks.

She smiles down at him, “I’m giving a bunch to your coach, he’ll have some if you need it. But any athletic tape will work, I’ll show you how to wrap with that too.” She scrunches up her nose, “It’s just a little different.” Her hand leaves the ankle and ruffles the boy's hair. This is her natural habitat, there are very few parts of her I admire more than when Abby’s this version of herself.

She hasn’t noticed me yet, and I didn’t notice who’s on the table until she looks up at him and smiles. Freaking Reed, while her gaze bounces between his ankle and the kids, his bounces between hers and mine. My jaw clenches as a smirk slides onto his face. Her eyes move slowly to meet his, her bottom lip pulls between her teeth, and she bites down slightly. Just enough for it to make me clear my throat, breaking the trance they’re in.

Her head snaps to the side, her eyes narrowing on me as soon as she sees me in the doorway. I swirl my nearly empty coffee, “Got places to be, Knight.” I mumble before turning and walking away.

It takes her ten minutes or so before the door swings open and she steps into the parking lot. Her hand comes up to her forehead, blocking the assaulting sun as she scans the lot for me. “We’re taking my car.” What other car would we take? I roll my eyes as she tosses her keys at me, barely missing my face, before rounding the back of her white Grand Cherokee. “You drive,” she says, shocking me to my core. Willingly giving up control? Never thought I’d see the day.

Hopping in the front seat, I curse under my breath as my knees hit the underside of the steering wheel. God, this woman is tiny. After adjusting my seat, I wait for her to find whatever it is she’s looking for in the trunk. Drumming my fingers against her steering wheel, I try be patient even though she’s taking her sweet ass time. My annoyance ebbs when she slides in, handing me a cherry-flavored energy drink as she shuts the door. “Here,” she says.

I slowly take it from her, my eyes narrowing on her face. “Did you poison it or something?”

Her fingers are flying across the screen of her phone, and my free hand itches to snatch it from her. She waves a manicured hand through the air, brushing my concerns to the side. “Listen, Baby Wilder... If I wanted to kill you, I’d suffocate you.” She shrugs, still not looking up at me. “Watching you struggle would be half the fun.”

Popping the lid, I take a big gulp. The crisp bite of carbonation sends a wave of alertness through me. Ahh, yeah. This might have been exactly what I needed, not that I’ll tell her that.

I throw the car in drive, pulling out of the parking lot as we head toward the final stop on the mile-long list we’ve been working through the last few weeks, the Boot Barn, to pick up the white cowboy boots my brother had made for Hannah.

It’s crazy to look back on their journey. I remember so vividly how he was with Kara, his manipulative witch of an ex. The way she alienated him from us, how she’d throw a fit if he wanted to hang out with us after games we flew clear across the country to be at. He was already in Washington, he couldn’t get any further away from us without leaving the states if he tried. But it was her way or the highway, so we just slowly stopped pushing.

He loved her, or so he thought. Then she lied, used his weaknesses against him, and cheated on him with his supposed best friend. As if that wasn’t enough, the witch flew from Washington to Tampa when she somehow found out about Hannah and the carnival she was planning. Her attempt to start a whole bunch of drama was quickly thwarted, but not before she got a good hit in, slicing Hannah’s cheek open in the process.

That was the moment my loyalty to Hannah was cemented, watching her take that blow in my brother's absence. I couldn’t have asked for a better person for him. She never makes him feel bad or less of a man because he struggles in a way that the world deems “unmanly.” She loves him through it, a steady current of peace and safety. God, if he had proposed to Kara instead, I think I would have shipped myself to Timbuktu.

Abby’s snicker pulls me from my thoughts on the she-devil, and my eyes flick to hers for a moment before refocusing on the road. “What's so funny?”

The most unladylike snort leaves her before she says, “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

I mean, yeah, I would. That’s why I asked. But whatever, after an hour of driving, we’re here.

“I’ll grab them,” she says. Her seatbelt is off, and the door opens before I even have the car in park. Does she have a death wish? I get out and follow her inside the barn-style building that smells like wood and leather. When she’s satisfied with the boots, she puts the box under her arm and all but skips to the car.

She slides the box in the back before climbing into the driver's seat. Her window rolls down as she checks her watch before looking back at me. “Come on, little buddy. Time to go.”

Sweet mother of pearl. How far away from my house are we? Can I walk there?

Click. I register the sound of the gas pump shutting off. Where are we? Wait, did I fall asleep? It's starting to get dark out, so I must have. Some good that energy drink did, “Why didn’t you wake me up? I would have pumped it for you,” I say as I get out to stretch my legs.

“I’m a grown woman, Tatum, I can pump my own gas,” she says as she puts the nozzle back in the pump and replaces the gas cap. How did I not realize earlier that she needed gas? I would have stopped and pumped it.

“I didn’t say you couldn’t. I just said that I would.” I shake out my upper body as she pulls the receipt from the printer, crumples it, and throws it in the trash. “I’m a horrible errand companion.” A sly smile crosses her face as she walks toward the store.

“You said it, not me.” Her smile grows into a laugh as she pulls the door to the convenience store open. Snacks are always a good idea. Plus, I haven’t eaten much today, so I run in after her. I grab bags of beef jerky, chips, fruit snacks, and an electrolyte drink because hydration is important. I dump my snack stash on the counter and then turn to grab the things she has. Her grip tightens before I shoot an eyebrow up, daring her to fight me on this.