17. Knox

As soon asLarkin walked her sweet self out of Woody’s Diner with a Styrofoam cup of coffee in hand, my dad gave me a look.

“What?” I asked in a hushed voice so no one sitting around us would overhear.

Agatha brought us heaping plates of food, giving Dad a smile that lasted a little longer than the one she gave me.

“Thank you,” he said, his voice rough.

She nodded then stepped back, smoothing her shirt. “You two enjoy.”

“Sure will,” Dad returned.

When she walked away from our table, I gave him a look. “I’m not hearing anything from you, sitting over there and giving Agatha moony eyes.”

“Okay, Mary Poppins,” he retorted.

I grunted and began eating my burger.

I had to prepare myself mentally to babysit for the woman I was crushing on while she went on a date with another man.

* * *

Just a few hours later,I heard a knock on my front door and opened it. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting when Larkin and her children arrived, but it was not what I saw.

Her brown hair was curled, framing her face, and her beautiful blue eyes stood out with a little more makeup than she usually wore. She’d painted her lips red, the shape perfectly pouty and kissable. But her dress. Fuck, her dress.

It was dark blue, hugging her curves and showing her cleavage, and I wanted nothing more than to take her in my arms, lock the door to my home, and tell Bennett to fuck off for forever and a day.

I was so caught up in admiring her that I almost didn’t notice Emily on one side and Jackson chewing on his stroller strap on the other.

I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but no words came out until Emily worked her way between her mom and the doorway, saying, “KNOX!”

I smiled at her. “Hello, Officer Cappes. Jackson.” I looked back up at their mom, my throat going dry. “Larkin,” I rasped. “You look nice.”

“Oh.” She seemed half surprised by the comment, looking down at her dress like she’d forgotten the tantalizing outfit she had on. “Thank you.” She tipped her head, long hair brushing across her shoulders. “And thank you so much for watching the kids. I would have had to cancel without you.”

I fought to keep from kicking myself. To be fair, it was a fight to have a coherent thought at all with her full lips moving around her words.

But I nodded and squared my shoulders. I was a man of my word. So I stepped back to let them through, Larkin’s perfume teasing me along the way.

“What are we doing tonight?” Emily asked.

“I actually had a few things I thought we could play with,” I said, picking up a cotton tote bag from my table.

“Presents?” she asked, hurrying toward the table.

I sent her a wicked smile. “Pranks.”

While Emily clapped, Larkin let out an exasperated chuckle. “You two need to have your own prank show.”

I scratched my chin. “What would we call it?”

Emily copied me, tapping her chin, then shrugged. “Probably ‘Awesome Pranks’.”

“Solid idea,” I replied, reaching out my fist.

She bumped it with her own. “I’m gonna go look at your toys!” She zipped off, and I turned just in time to see Larkin bending over to pick up Jackson. The sight of her cleavage almost took my breath away. I forced myself to look away for a moment to gather myself.

She stood back up, and Jackson was babbling away, reaching for me with his pudgy little hands.

“Hey, big guy,” I said, reaching for him. I held him against my chest, balancing most of his weight on my forearm. “Look at you chitter-chattering away.”

Larkin let out an annoyed breath. “Still no words yet. As his grandparents like to remind me.”

I shook my head, giving her an apologetic look. “I wish people wouldn’t put so much pressure on babies. Being an adult’s hard enough, and I’ve had years of practice.”

She giggled, the sound warming me from the inside out, and then gestured to the stroller. “I have a change of clothes and some snacks for them in the bag. If you need anything at all from my place, I left it unlocked for you.”

I raised my eyebrows.

“I’m not worried.” She winked at me. “I have an officer next door.”

Oh that wink. The flirty way she lifted one shoulder as she did it. The faith she placed in me. It had me all out of sorts. I barely managed to reply, “Texts every hour?”

“I trust you,” she said. As if that weren’t enough to get me all in my feels, she drew closer, kissing the top of Jackson’s head, then lifting on her tiptoes to place a soft kiss on my cheek.

My eyes closed, and I held my breath as her warm, soft lips pressed against my skin.

It was everything I wanted from her, but not nearly enough at the same time.

She pulled away too soon and gave me a long look before glancing down. “I’m going to say goodbye to Emily and head over to my place. Bennett should be here soon.”

His name on her lips hit me like a punch to the gut. It was all wrong. All wrong.

But if she noticed just how out of place it was, she didn’t show it. She brushed past me, her perfume dusting over me. I closed my eyes for a moment, settling myself, and then watched from the archway as she bent to give Emily a tight hug in my living room. She whispered something in her daughter’s ear then kissed the top of her head.

She gave me a final look and said, “If you need anything, you have my number.”

I wished I had more than that.

I wished I had a chance.