Shannon’s Reviews > Juniper Hill > Status Update

That little boy was a miracle. From the sounds of it, he’d transformed Memphis’s life. It was nearly impossible to look at her and imagine the woman she was describing. She was probably just being too hard on herself. But I didn’t doubt that she’d changed.

“You are . . . you are a dream,” he breathed. “I gave up on those.” My breath hitched. “So did I.”

We were still navigating through rough waters. Drake and I were close to drowning more often than not. Just last night Id nearly cracked and answered my phone. Then Knox had kissed me and as much as I wanted to say it had helped, that kiss had just sent me careening over a waterfall. The imprint of his large hands lingered on my cheeks. The soft pressure of his lips. The sweep of his tongue. A kiss to change a life.

There was something in his voice. A fondness where irritation had once been. Knox and I sat on the couch… Now he had my story, or most of it. Some pieces were mine and mine alone. One day, they might be Drake’s but that was a worry for the future. There were pieces to my tale I loathed. Parts of the story where I’d failed. But mostly, I was beginning to feel proud. Coming to Quincy had been the right decision.

“Have a good night.” I walked over, bent to kiss her cheek, then shook my brother’s free hand. I ruffled the dark hair on my nephew’s head and touched his button nose. “Give your parents some rest, kid.” Hudson had a tiny hand over Griff’s heart. Damn, that stung. As Hudson grew, it had dulled, but not disappeared. I let it spread through my chest, then jogged down the porch steps for my truck.

Knox needed to leave me alone so I could scarf these simple carbohydrates in the hopes they’d give me a boost to finish the day… Sometime in the last week, he’d trimmed his beard, shaping it to the chiseled contours of his jaw. The sleeves of his chef’s coat were pushed up his forearms like he always seemed to do, and even though it was a fairly shapeless garment, it molded to his biceps and broad shoulders.

He grinned, his handsome face muted in the dim moonlight that crept through the glass. Then he leaned forward, his arms planted beside me in the bed. “You are mine. Whether we do this tonight or not.” He was going to make me fall in love with him, wasn’t he? I put my palm against his bearded cheek, then leaned in, closing the distance, and took his mouth.

I wanted her. It had been a long time since I’d craved a woman. Her body. Her mind. Her time. I wanted it all… Darkness crept through the house as I crawled into bed, wishing for the first time that I wasn’t beneath this roof alone… Memphis and Drake had brought life to my home. Laughter and noise that I hadn’t even realized I’d wanted.

As frustrated as I was with them, I didn’t want strangers to think they were bad people. They were who they were. Distant. Self-absorbed. Proud. They were the product of their surroundings and extreme, selfish wealth. Once, I hadn’t been all that different. Maybe they were ugly. But their awful actions had been the catalyst to my change. Because of them, I would be a better person. Despite them.

Knox stopped plating and braced his hands on the table, locking his gaze with mine. Questions swam in his eyes. Questions I wasn’t going to answer…I headed for the door, glancing back one last time. Knox’s gaze was waiting. His expression was almost unreadable. Almost. Suspicion was written across his handsome features. And restraint. Probably because he wanted my story…that confession was mine and mine alone