Chapter 64

WILLOW

I’m workingfrom a very vulnerable place here.

I keep a mean face.

Even though I’m not sure I can be mean to Knox.

I’ve fallen in love with him and I don’t want to be alone or raise a baby alone.

“I left,” he says. “My mind shifted gears and I left.”

“I was there,” I whisper.

“It’s the way I function. And this time it sucked. It hurt you. It misled you.”

“Misled?”

Knox crouches down and gets closer to me. “I didn’t do that to leave you and hurt you. I wasn’t panicking and scared. In fact it was the complete opposite of that. I had to make a decision and make it fast. I had to come up with a game plan for us, Willow. I left you out though. I thought you’d… I don’t know what I thought you’d do. Honestly. I’ve never been in this situation before.”

“And I have?” I ask as I point to my stomach.

“I meant… in love. Feeling things. Making plans with someone. Looking at an apartment together, Willow. I’m not afraid of it. I want it. I had to figure out how to make it all happen.”

“You decided that right then and there?”

Knox nods and runs a hand through his hair. “You met my father. Everything is like stone with him. It’s always serious. Focused. The guy is single for a reason, okay? And I guess some of his traits passed down to me.”

“Okay, so what did you do, Knox? What was the big plan?”

“Coach Damon wanted me to meet with an agent,” he says. “A guy named Cooper. I’ve been getting attention from agents since I was in high school. Most of that stuff my father always dealt with. And then coming to Puckford I had the protection from the university and Coach Damon himself. As I walked through the apartment with you, Willow, I realized… it’s time.”

“Time for what?”

“Time for us,” he says. “Time for our family. I’m not afraid to say goodbye to PU. Or college hockey. Or campus. It doesn’t bother me. I can adapt. But I wanted everything in order. That left you behind, worrying. I met with Cooper, okay? It was me, Coach Damon, and Cooper. We talked about everything. The future. What my career is going to look like. Which includes you, Willow. It includes us. Together. With our baby.”

I shake my head. “You couldn’t have told me that?”

“It was fast in my head. And I’m sorry about that, Willow. I wanted things to go smoothly and then surprise you with everything.”

“Is there more to this story?”

I see Knox suddenly grow nervous.

My heart races a little.

“What else…?” I whisper.

“It’s not really super simple for me right now. There are a lot of laws in place. And laws that are changing. I have to trust Cooper. I’m okay with leaving the university. But I don’t want to do that to the guys. I would feel like I’m-”

“You are not leaving the team and taking some deal somewhere, Knox,” I say. “You’re going to finish at PU. You’re going to do whatever is next.”

“I know, baby. I know. That’s the whole point of this.”

There’s silence for a few seconds.

“Knox,” I say. “You looked in the envelope without me.”

Knox hangs his head. “Again. A stupid decision. I thought I was…”

Knox sighs.

He’s even more nervous as he reaches behind him.

“Willow, I had to know,” he says. “I had to know to make this all work. Okay?”

“Make what work?”

“I didn’t want this to happen in a hospital room.”

“Knox, when has anything been right or normal for us? This is who we are. Stop playing games.”

Knox places his left hand on my stomach.

“I’m in love with you, Willow,” he says. “I’ve said it to you. And I’m saying it now. I mean it. I’m sorry for what I did and how it looked. I never want you to think I would leave or hurt you or mess this up. And I’m going to prove it to you right now.”

Before I can speak, Knox shows me a box.

He uses his thumb to flick the box open.

It does with a little resistance.

My eyes grow wide with shock when I see the ring.

The. Ring.

No. Wait.

There are two rings.

Two?

I look up at Knox.

“It’s not exactly what you think, Willow, but damn close to it,” he says to me. “This ring…” He uses his left hand to take the first ring out of the box. “This ring is for you, Willow. This is my promise to you. To us. To our family. I will always be there for you and our daughter. No matter what happens with us. I don’t want you to ever feel pressured to be with me. If you do decide to be with me, I’m going to take care of you and our daughter. I want you to wear this ring, look at it and know where it comes from. I’ve never done anything like this before. Can I put this ring on your finger, baby?”

You know how you get butterflies in your stomach?

I have butterflies soaring through my entire body.

“Knox,” I say. “I’m so pissed off at you yet I’m so in love with you right now.”

“Okay,” he says. “Then we’ll meet in the middle for now.”

He places the ring into my hand and closes my fingers.

“Now this ring…” he picks up the second ring.

I notice it’s a lot smaller than the one he just gave me.

I gasp.

“This ring is for our sweet little Brianna,” he says.

My toes curl and my eyes well up with tears.

“Brie,” I whisper.

“That’s right. Our little girl. That’s why I looked. And I’m sorry I looked without you. I had to make everything come together and work. And it has, Willow. Oh, baby, it has. This ring is for our daughter. My promise to her that she will always have me as her father. I want to be there for everything. Diapers. Bottles. Late nights. Early mornings. Everything. These rings are my promise to the both of you.”

Knox is so adorable as he places the tiny ring onto my stomach.

Tears escape my eyes and run down my cheeks.

Knox leans down and kisses my stomach.

I cover my mouth for a second.

Then I scramble and quickly put the ring he gave me onto my finger.

“Knox,” I say.

I show him my hand.

He leans toward me and brushes his lips to mine.

“Oh, yeah,” he whispers. “One more thing. I need you to get out of this hospital so we can pack up and get everything ready for the apartment and the baby.”

“What?”

“I talked to Sandy earlier. The apartment is ours. I have it all worked out.”

“How…”

“You never have to worry about that stuff, Willow. You’re going to be spoiled forever. But I know it matters to you. I talked to my father. Things are worked out. Let’s consider it an advance on my rookie contract.”

I can’t believe that’s what he was doing…

… all the while I was panicking…

“Knox,” I say. “We can’t ever let this happen again between us.”

“It won’t,” he says. “And, hey, we have forever now to make this right… right?”

“Right,” I say.

I smile. I cry.

Knox properly kisses me.

His left hand touches my stomach.

And right on cue… our precious little baby Brianna kicks…