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He laughed and shook his head before dipping me down slowly and pulling me back up, kissing the tip of my nose. “What’s with bringing up my mom during these intimate moments?”
“Because she raised an an incredible son.”
Knox rested his chin on the top of my head as I placed my cheek against his chest. I bit my lip before whispering, “He’d be so proud of you.”
I felt his heart thump against his chest as he drew in a breath. “You think so? He thought I was a fucking idiot for letting you go.”
I smiled and stopped moving, looking up at the man that was raised by two of the most incredible parents I’d ever known. “You were his boy. He’d be proud of you, trust me.”
Emotion shone in his eyes and he cupped my face in his hands. We were standing in the middle of the road while everyone celebrated and partied a few hundred feet away but there was nowhere else I’d rather be. No party, city or job offer could take me away from him.
Neither could any stalker.
Chapter 19
Two days later the bliss of that night had disappeared when I still had no answers. I hadn’t heard from Alex or his friends in the city, Kendrick told me to back off and let him do his job and everyone around me was convinced the stalker was caught.
Everyone except me.
It was the end of July and the heat was excruciating and making tempers flare, including mine and Knox’s.
I was in his kitchen staring out the window when he came into the room and leaned his elbows against the counter, staring at me intently. “Don’t you think maybe it’s your anxiety that’s putting you on edge, Abbs? Caleb doesn’t have a solid alibi for where he was that night. He wasn’t at work, his dad didn’t see him at the bar and his landlord said he wasn’t home. Babe, I know he’s your friend and I can’t even begin to imagine how hard this is for you, but you need to look at the facts.”
Fuck the facts. I knew in my heart that it wasn’t Caleb. He was too good of a person to fall into some obsessive behavior like that of my stalker. He had morals, a career, too much to lose.
“It’s not him,” was all I could say. I turned and looked at Knox, shaking my head helplessly. “I know I sound crazy, Knox. I know. But I just… need you to listen to me. It isn’t Caleb. It just doesn’t feel right.”
His hazel eyes bored into mine and he stayed silent, just watching me. I wasn’t stupid, I knew that I seemed paranoid, crazy even. I knew that we couldn’t just go on a hunch or a feeling but I needed someone to believe me. I needed someone in my corner. My brothers were living it up and celebrating because they felt like all was well and it was just going to take some time for me to find a level of normalcy. My parents looked at the facts and said that there was no way it wasn’t Caleb Bishop. I’d left countless voicemails for his father, who didn’t call me back, and even though I understood why it still hurt. I wanted Mr. Bishop to know that I was fighting like hell to prove that it wasn’t Caleb.
“Abby,” Knox started and scrubbed a hand over his face. His frustration was obvious as he rounded the center island and dipped his head down, meeting my eye. “I’m about to say something and you’re about to get mad at me.”
He said it with such conviction that I was already pissed off. Steeling myself up, I took a deep breath and straightened my shoulders. “What?”
“Did you ever think that maybe you don’t want to get over what happened?”
My eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”
He shrugged his shoulders and gave me a pleading look. “All of this has played such a major role in your life for so long and you’ve been through so much. Maybe you’re scared to face life without that as your main focus. Maybe you don’t want to focus on how things are changing. Abby, I’m just worried about you and I’m worried this is going to hold you back from being happy.”
I gritted my teeth and pressed myself against the sink so hard my back hurt. “You think I don’t want to be over all of this? You think I don’t want to move on and live like a normal adult? Are you fucking kidding me?”
He threw out his arms and nearly growled in frustration. “I told you you’d get mad. I’m trying to be honest with you and I honestly don’t think you want to get over what happened because you don’t know how to live without that fear anymore. But I want to help you, Abbs. I do. I want to-”
“You want to help me but you’re accusing me of not wanting any of this to be over. Of course I don’t know how to live without this fear anymore, Knox! It’s been fucking instilled in me,” I slammed my hand against my chest. “For the last eight months of my life.”
He rolled his eyes- yeah, rolled them. Like that wouldn’t piss me off further- and shook his head before looking at me again. “I… I’m at a loss. I’m frustrated, too. But I can’t fucking help you if you won’t look at the facts. Caleb-”
“It isn’t Caleb!” I nearly shrieked, my voice cracking.
We stared at each other for a moment, both of us breathing heavily until he finally opened his mouth. “I don’t know what the hell to tell you.”
“How about that you’ll stick by me until we catch the real stalker?”
I found my answer in his ongoing silence.
“Fine,” I said stubbornly and slipped into my flip flops, heading for the door. “If won’t help me then I’ll find someone who will.”
My blood was still boiling thirty minutes later as I turned a corner and stomped down the street that led to Robbie’s. No, I didn’t have proof, but there was something seriously wrong with the possibility of my stalker being Caleb. It wasn’t him, I could feel it. Why didn’t Knox believe me? There was something off about all of it and I needed him to believe me, to trust my own gut instinct.
