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Knox shrugged. “He’s entitled to his feelings. I’m lucky the rest of my half-siblings have made peace with me already. I hung out with Seth. It was all surface stuff, but there was no animosity.”
“I like Seth. And Holden, he’s so easygoing.”
“Holden’s been great from the start. He was welcoming before he knew who I was, and he’s been accepting since I told them we’re related. Hayden too.”
“Cash will come around.”
“Not today apparently.”
“I hate that he spoiled the day for you. It was a big one,” I said. “It’s not every day you get to meet bunches of family for the first time.”
“Bunches is right.”
The fireplace turned back on automatically, filling the dimly lit room with a warm glow and the faint hum from the fan. This was cozy and comfortable like I never would’ve believed it could be considering I’d only been here for just over a week. My stepmom’s accusation rang through my mind, about my “cozy setup.” Then I shooed her out of my head, because this was just Knox and me talking, being friendly. Even if we were inches apart and my body was extra aware of every move he made.
“I always wondered what it would be like to have a big, rowdy family,” he said. “Our house was always quiet, tidy. Sometimes lonely.”
“And then you find out you have this huge family here,” I said. “That must have been wild.”
“Today I got to see what it’s like to have a house filled with family, people who love each other.”
“I bet it wasn’t quiet.”
“Not for a single second.”
I rolled to my side again, propping my head on my elbow so I could see his face as he described it. He smiled faintly. Then it disappeared.
“It was fascinating to witness, but…” He shook his head.
“But what?”
He turned to his side, his body bridging from the cushion to the ottoman, which put us facing each other. “I was an outsider. It was like watching someone else’s family, not mine.”
“It’ll take some time,” I said. “You just met half those people, and the other half just found out you’re one of them.”
“I know. I know I can’t expect to feel like I belong on the first day. It’s just…I don’t know if I’ll ever be more than the odd guy out with the cute baby.”
“Blended families are so tough,” I said with conviction. “Been there, done that, still trying to fit in. Or maybe I stopped trying, and that’s part of the problem.”
His hand landed on mine, just a brush of his finger next to mine but an intentional one, and I met his gaze. Dove into it and got lost for several seconds, and I could swear he was lost too, because neither one of us looked away. Neither one of us made a move. Tension arced between us, the kind that made my heart pound harder and my body respond down low, between my legs and deep in my middle.
“We have a lot in common, don’t we?” he finally said, his voice lower, rough around the edges.
“We do.”
Still, we didn’t move. It would only take a small shift for him to join me on this side of the sectional and press his body against mine, roll me to my back, and let me feel the weight of him all over me. I stopped breathing with wanting that.
My God, I wanted that. I wanted him.
Knox rolled to his back suddenly, clearing his throat, yanking me out of that moment where time had seemed to stop.
“We should get some sleep,” he said as he sat up. “The princess’s schedule was wonky today, so who knows how long she’ll be out.”
I forced my brain to reality. “I’m covering tonight. You’re meeting with Ava tomorrow morning, right?”
“Right. Monday morning planning meeting.” He stood, pushing the oversized ottoman sideways to give us more room.
He turned to me and held out his hand to help me up. I did everything in my power to act like touching him was no big deal and my heart wasn’t about to leap out of my chest.
