Incinerate

Chapter 26

Knox

THE ALARM goes off way too early, especially after someone decided she wanted a taste of me at two a.m. She’s been insatiable since that night in the tub, and not a day goes by that we don’t spend time together exploring each other’s bodies, getting to know what turns us on, both in and out of the bedroom. Groaning, Charlie leans over me to slap the snooze button on the clock and settles back down on the bed.

Placing my arm around her waist, I pull her in close, and she giggles when I press my hard-on against her ass.

“Wake up, sweetheart,” I whisper, my breath tickling her ear, causing her to shiver. “We’ve gotta get up so we can get ready.” It’s finally the day of the party, and while part of me is dreading it, I’m ready to get this show on the road.

She rubs her ass up and down my erection, and I’m three seconds away from pushing her on her back, sliding into her warmth, and having my way with her, party be damned. But I’m pretty sure Cohen will kill me if I don’t show up. He was fucking ecstatic when I told him I was coming. I can’t disappoint the only blood brother I still have.

My hands grip her hips, stilling them. Pushing her onto her back, I hover over her, and she grabs my tags. “Come on, Rugged. Just a quickie before we have to hit the road.”

As tempting as that sounds, the earlier we get to Belle Meade, the better. Leaning down to place a kiss on her lips, I push off the bed. “Rain check, baby, but I promise it’ll be worth it.” Her eyes light up when I give her a playful spank.

Ever since that night in the bathroom, she’s been craving it, but I’ve been saving it up until she begs for it. Something in our relationship shifted that night. I know spanking doesn’t seem like much, but the way she trusted me to be the first person to do it to her, hard enough to sting, awakened something in my heart, and I can feel myself starting to fall for her.

Two hours later, I’m pacing the living room floor, waiting for Charlie to come out of the bedroom. She tried to go back to her own room after that first weekend together, but there was no way I was spending my days filled with her only to spend my nights in separate rooms. Every night I picked her up and placed her in my bed. By day three she stopped fighting me, and we’ve been sharing my room ever since.

“Babe, are you almost ready?!” I yell down the hall, looking at my watch and knowing we need to leave.

“I don’t know what to freaking wear!” she screeches, a tone I’ve never heard from my cool, collected Charlie. Heading down the hall, I find her frantically throwing clothes out of the closet. She’s standing there in nothing but a thong and a strapless bra, and I swear, visions of spanking that tight, toned ass cross my mind.

“Charlie, it’s not that big of a deal. Just wear whatever.”

Her back is still to me when she freaks out. “Wear whatever?! Knox, I’m meeting my boyfriend’s family for the first time! I can’t ‘wear whatever!’”

Walking up behind her, I slide my hands down her arms, grabbing her hands. Leaning down, I kiss her neck. “Sweetheart, whatever you choose will be perfect. What you wear doesn’t matter. All that matters is that you’re with me.”

She turns around and loops her arms around my neck. “Three months ago, I’d be laughing at myself for thinking this, but you’re the sweetest man I know. You always know what to say,” she tells me, stretching up to place a kiss on my lips.

“Don’t tell anyone. I’d hate for my reputation to be ruined.” I grin at her, and when she steps back, her eyes widen as she takes in the sight of me.

“Oh my god. Are you freaking kidding me?” she says, staring at me.

Looking down, I’m not really sure what the big deal is. I’m wearing black dress slacks with a light green button-up tucked in at the waist. It’s going to be warm, so I’ve rolled the sleeves halfway up my forearm, but I did decide to complete the look with a matching green tie. I have to admit, it’s been a long damn time since I’ve dressed up in anything other than my dress greens, and I think I look pretty damn good.

“What?” I ask, not sure what her deal is.

Waving her arm up and down at me, I can’t help but watch the way her breasts move with each arm gesture. “This. You. All dressed up and sexy. I swear, I didn’t think I could get enough of you when you’re lounging around in nothing but basketball shorts, but then I saw in your uniform and I thought I was going to have to tear off your ACUs so I could push you down on the bed and ride you. Now you walk in all sweet and sexy, looking like a freaking GQ model? Is there anything you don’t look good in? It’s annoying. I mean, I love that my boyfriend is so freaking gorgeous, but still… Can’t you have a bad hair day or something?” she huffs, finally stopping to catch a breath.

Chuckling, I pull her back into me. “I’ll wear whatever you want me to if it turns you on. But, sweetheart, I promise you, I’m not into fashion. Anything you wear—or don’t wear for that matter—means nothing to me. When I wake up with you in the morning and you’re half drooling out the side of your mouth, you’re beautiful to me. When you get all done up for work and I want to rip the pencil skirt off you, you’re gorgeous. When you walk in the door and barely give me a kiss before you change into your pajamas, you’re astonishing, and it takes everything in me not to follow you to the bedroom to show you how much you mean to me.” I pause, brushing her bangs out of her face. “Charlie, it doesn’t matter what you look like, because when it all boils down to it, day after day you show me your heart, and it’s the most goddamn beautiful fucking thing I’ve ever seen. I pray to God that I’ll be worthy of having it for as long as you want me.” Holy fuck. I have no idea where this inner sap is coming from. All I know is that I mean every word.

We’re both silent for a moment, and then she pushes me back until I fall against the bed. Straddling me, she goes for my tie, trying to loosen it, and as much as I want her wild in bed, I have to muster up every single bit of strength to lift up and move her off me. I don’t miss the cute pout that spreads across her face.

“Come on, babe. We’ve got to leave. You’ll look perfect in anything you wear, I promise you,” I tell her, placing a kiss on her forehead and leaving the room, hoping to cool my jets and calm my dick. Trust me, I’d rather spend the day wrapped up in bed with her instead of going back to my roots. I feel a little like I’m going against the firing squad. I barely made it out of there in one piece the first time, and I can admit that I’m nervous about seeing my parents again. And Branson. I have no idea if we’ll ever be brothers again, but I guess it’s time I find out.

When Charlie finally emerges from the bedroom, she looks gorgeous as hell. She still looks like my girl, and I’m so grateful for it. I already feel like an imposter in this tie, but the way she looked at me when she saw it made wearing it worth it. She’s wearing a dark green sundress, kind of like the brown one she wore on our first non-date. There’s a sash around her waist, the light green color matching my tie. Her breasts look full and firm, and I almost want to tell her to go cover up. I don’t bother because I know she’d just fight me on it. The dress falls to mid-thigh, and I can see the ripple of her quads as she walks towards me. She’s wearing a pair of brown heels, and when she reaches me, she’s only a couple of inches shorter. I love it.

“Gorgeous,” I tell her, leaning in for a kiss.

She laughs and pushes me away. “It’s not too Britney Justin à la their denim days, is it?”

Shaking my head, I grab her hand and lock up the house before we make our way to Evelyn. “I have no idea what that even means.”

Turning to me, she gapes. “Are you serious?! It was only one of the highlights from our youth. You don’t remember when Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears showed up at an awards show in matching denim outfits? It was atrocious!”

“Yeah, I must’ve missed that. Are you saying we look like matching pop stars?”

A small blush comes across her cheeks. “No, not at all. I just…want to make sure you don’t care that we have similar colors.”

Crossing to her, I wrap her up in my arms. “Sweetheart, you… no, we look perfect.”

WHEN WE pull up to the gate of my parent’s estate, my heart begins racing. I know my leg’s shaking uncontrollably, and Charlie places her hand on it, as if her touch will calm me down. It does, a little bit, and I’m more than grateful that she’s here. I don’t think I could do this without her. In fact, I’m pretty damn sure I would’ve torn the invitation up if I’d gotten it before we met. Something about her strength fuels my own, and I know I’m ready for this. Rolling down the window, I ready myself to speak to security.

“Name?”

“Knox Nathaniel Wellington the Third,” I answer, feeling weird about saying my full name now that I’m back on my home turf. Charlie squeezes my thigh and gives me a reassuring smile.

The audio crackles before the voice responds. “I’m sorry; did you say Knox Nathaniel?”

Clearing my throat, I can’t help but be a dick. “Did I fucking stutter?’

Without another word, the gate opens, and I wind Evelyn up the driveway, shaking my head as I spy the limos, Ferraris, and other expensive-as-shit cars these people only drive to events like this. Parking the car, I’m wondering what the fuck I’m doing here, but Charlie grabs my hand, squeezing it.

“We can do this, Knox,” she tells me, and the thought that we’re a ‘we’ makes this whole thing bearable.

She gets out of the car before I can come open her door, but I stick my elbow out so she can entwine her arm in mine. Laughing at me, she pushes my arm down, grabbing my hand in hers, linking our fingers.

“We’re not that formal, Knox. Just because we’re here, let’s not forget who we are. Who you are, okay?”

I feel a wave of nostalgia wash over me when I enter my parents’ house. Part of me wants to turn around and get back in my car, fleeing back to Clarksville. But then Charlie squeezes my hand, letting me know that she’s right here with me.

Walking down the hallway, I look at the pictures on the wall. There are pictures of us all growing up, and when I get to the end, I stop abruptly and can’t help but be shocked as hell. All of our graduation pictures hang on the wall, and there’s a wedding picture of Branson and Megan, which I pass over quickly. But the last section of wall is all me. My Boot Camp graduation picture is there, and I can’t suppress the smile that comes to my face, knowing that I look like a fucking kid swimming in a uniform. There are framed newspaper clippings from awards and decorations ceremonies. And holy fuck, there’s even a framed timeline of all my promotions. How in the hell did they get all this? And why? I wonder how long they’ve been following my career. I honestly thought they’d just written me off, and I didn’t know any different because I never let Cohen talk about them.

The last picture is my undoing, and I have to swallow hard as I collect my bearings. It’s a photograph of me lying on a stretcher in Afghanistan, taken by Public Affairs when they flew me out of there. Moving in, I read the caption: “Local hero Knox Wellington being medevaced after the detonation of a roadside bomb. His current condition is unknown.”

I don’t even realize that Charlie’s beside me until I hear her gasp. Looking towards her, I see that she has tears in her eyes and her hand is covering her mouth.

“That’s you,” she says softly.

Pulling her into me, I press a kiss against her head. “That was me, babe. And I got through it. I’m here. With you, okay?” I ask, looking into her eyes to make sure she really is fine. We’ve never talked in depth about the incident, so this is the first time she’s really coming face to face with my job. I’m guessing it’s a shock to her.

Nodding, she presses her head against my chest, embracing me. I’m not sure who’s comforting whom right now, but it doesn’t really matter. Seeing that my family didn’t completely forget me is both painful and encouraging. Painful because I allowed myself to think the worst all these years, but encouraging because it makes me think that everything’s going to be fine.

I don’t know how long we stand there, and I’m about to pull away when a voice interrupts us.

“Knox? Is that really you?’ I still at hearing the voice of my mother, the one woman I thought would never betray me but ended up doing so anyway.

Turning around, I find myself face to face with her for the first time in eleven years and I don’t know what to feel. I’m wondering how I look to her. When I left home, I was a boy. Young, naïve, stupid. I’ve put on over forty pounds of muscle since joining the Army, and now that I’ve come home, I’m a man. It’s probably weird, but I stand up just a little bit taller, hoping to put the changes in me on display, letting her know I’m not some kid who can be pushed around anymore.

Taking a moment to study her, I realize she looks the same, but I guess that’s what money will do for you. Looking surprised to see me, she extends an arm then detracts it immediately.

“I…I didn’t think you’d actually come,” she whispers.

“I didn’t think I would either, but Cohen wanted me here. And well, I think I’m ready to let go of the past,” I tell her, pulling Charlie closer to me.

Surprising me, she reaches her hand out to my mom. “It’s very nice to meet you. I’m Charlotte Davenport, but most people call me Charlie,” she says, sending her an award-winning smile.

My mom takes Charlie’s hand, shaking it softly. “Amelia Wellington. It’s very nice to meet you, Charlie,” she says, surprising me that she’d use a nickname.

“Knox, can we speak privately?” Mom asks, and a sense of dread and apprehension washes over me. Might as well get this over with.

Charlie begins to back away, but I draw her in closer. “Anything you have to say to me can be said in front of Charlie.” Mom nods, and motions for us to follow her.

She leads us to a remote den and closes the door. Sighing, she walks to the bar and pours herself a glass of brandy before motioning for us to sit. Taking a sip of her drink, she briefly closes her eyes before letting out a deep breath. She sits in an oversized chair and looks directly at me. My leg’s shaking, due to the nerves I’m feeling from wondering what she’s going to say. I’m not even sure at this point what I want her to say, what she could say to make everything fine between us. I’m worried it’s been too long, that we’re too far gone. Right now, the only thing keeping me from getting back in my car and going home is the girl sitting beside me.

“Knox…I have no idea where to start. I’m ashamed…so ashamed for far I let things go, for this division between us. I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but you have to know that I am sorry for everything that happened. When you came home from the recruitment office and told us your plans, I lost it. You were always my sweetest boy, and the thought of you joining the military scared the hell out of me. It’d been less than a year since the September 11 attacks, and I couldn’t stand the idea that my child would be soon going off to war, which is why I broke down like I did. I should’ve let you explain at the time, and every day I pray I had, because I think I could have tried to understand why you needed to get away.” She pauses to take a sip of her brandy, swallowing hard, and I’m wishing I had one of those right about now. I don’t know what I was thinking was going to happen, but an apology didn’t even cross my mind, which is now reeling from her words. Words I didn’t even know I’d needed until she said them, but the moment I heard them, something—relief, maybe—washed over me. Years of pain and disappointment begin to fade away and I’m realizing that maybe it’s time to let go. Time to forgive.

Clearing my throat, I know I can be man enough to admit my part in this whole thing. “I should’ve explained. I know it was sudden, and it went against everything I’d been planning for my future, but I couldn’t get the words out. I already had the image of what they’d done engrained in my mind, and voicing what I saw, I just…” I trail off, not wanting to think about it. Charlie squeezes my hand, and when I look at her, she gives me a reassuring smile.

Nodding, my mother continues. “I understand that now. When you left, even after your father’s ultimatum, he and Branson convinced me that you were the one who left Megan and that you’d used your brother to make it sound like you were the wronged one. She even agreed that you two had been done before she began seeing him.”

“Bullshit. That’s not what happened,” I protest, more shocked that she believed their story but not surprised that Megan and Branson both lied about it.

A look of what I can only guess is shame crosses her face. “I didn’t know she was lying until Cohen told me that he’d overheard them talking about it. Then it was too late. You were gone, and I had no idea where you were. But I was so wrong, Knox, and I’ve been paying for it ever since. I should’ve known. From the moment you were born, you were my little sweetheart.” She pauses, and I’m reminded of all the times I spent as a kid helping her in the kitchen or listening to her cheer loud from the sidelines at my baseball games. Until Cohen came, I’d always been close with my mom, and I’m wondering how I forgot all those times.

She continues before I can dwell on it. “I knew you had the kindest heart out of all my boys and you would never hurt someone you loved. Instead I let myself believe them, and I was so wrong. And it’s been killing me ever since I found out the truth. I’ve missed out on so much of your life, all because of a lie. A lie I should’ve never believed in the first place.”

She bursts into tears, and it takes everything in me not to move to her, to let me comfort her, the way she did for me when I was little, but I’m just not ready. Sitting here, I can feel a burning sadness from knowing that if I hadn’t been a stubborn ass and forwarded my contact information every time I switched posts, maybe all of this would’ve been resolved years ago. Cohen was only eleven when I left home, and I’d send him random postcards without a return address. It wasn’t until he was fourteen that he tracked me down through email and we became brothers again. I made him promise not to tell my parents where I was, and as much as I know that it pained him to do so, he still kept my secret.

Slowly, she regains her composure. “The local newspaper loved featuring you every chance they could, proud of the Hometown Hero, as they called you. It made it easy to follow your career throughout the years. I’m not ashamed to admit I had to medicate myself every time I saw something about your platoon heading overseas. I was so terrified of losing you, even though I no longer had you. This last time…when Cohen told me you were in the hospital, I couldn’t stay away any longer. I know you probably don’t know this, but I was there, every single day. By the time you finally woke up, Cohen thought it’d be best if I left.”

An overwhelming sense of confusion rushes through me at her revelation, and I need her to clarify. To say it out loud. “You were at the hospital? Why?”

“Cohen’s kept me up to date with your service since he’s been old enough to really understand it. I know you had some agreement. He made me promise not to contact you unless you made a hint that you wanted it, and while that stung, I respected his—your—wishes. But when he got the call that you were in a coma, he freaked out and called me. Which lead to me almost having a meltdown and realizing that life is way too short not to have my son in my life. I love you, Knox. I always have. That will never, ever change. And after several fights between your father and me, I got in the car and made the drive to Ft. Campbell. I know I’ve been a shit mother, but you’re my son. I’ve screwed up for far too long. I needed to be there. I had to see that you were okay. And once you were, everyone thought it’d be best if I left,” she says, looking away from me.

Sighing, I honestly have no idea what to say. Or to even think at this point. “So you did actually come see me?” I ask, for some reason needing further clarification even though she’s already said it twice.

“Yes, Knox. I was there.”

Something fierce unleashes inside me, and I’m on my feet, pacing the room. I'm so caught off guard by her admission, and I have no idea how to feel right now. On one hand, I’m relieved. For the longest time, I thought I had lain in that hospital bed for three weeks and that even that wasn’t enough for my parents to come see me. That Megan, of all people, was the only one from my past who’d showed up, and I can admit that it hurt like hell. Hearing that my mother was actually there, that she did actually care, unnerves me.

“So you were there. You were in the fucking hospital room, after not having spoken to me in eleven years. Why didn’t you stick around? Why didn’t you fight them when they said you should leave? If you so badly wanted to be back in my life, why would you run when you had the perfect chance to make me listen to you?” I ask, wondering at the same time if I’d even have been up for listening to her if she’d tried.

“I wish I knew. I think, in the end, I was a coward. I had no idea how you were going to feel about my being there, and I didn’t think I could watch you in that hospital bed and demand that I leave. Because that’s what I was afraid of. That you’ve had enough time to hate me, and although I wouldn’t blame you, I don’t think I could have faced it. I told myself that I’d wait until you were out of the hospital and fully healed and hope to God that you’d be ready someday.”

Still pacing, I can feel Charlie watching me, and even though I want her close to me, I need to work this out in my head. “So you sent Megan?” I ask her, wondering why she would even think that would be a good idea.

“No, no, I’d never do that. Cohen told me what happened in the hospital. She was in charge of the invitations, and when I asked her to send you one if he would give her your address, I never would’ve guessed that she’d think to hand deliver it. I was surprised when she told me she saw you and you were considering coming. I’m so glad you did.” She stops to wipe away a few tears, and I’m trying to process everything she’s throwing at me when she goes straight for the heart. “I love you, and I’m so proud of the man you’ve become. As painful as it was, I think you getting out of Belle Meade is the best thing you ever did. I’m just sad I missed it all. I’ll never be able to say it enough, but I am so sorry, Knox, and I will be for the rest of my life.”

Crossing to her, I crouch down on the ground in front of her chair. “Momma, I’m not gonna lie. It’s going to take time for me to process all of this. I’ve had over a decade to build up my anger and resentment. One night isn’t going to make everything turn into rainbows and butterflies.” I pause as tears begin to fall down her cheeks.

I thought it’d be strange calling her what I always did as a kid, but saying Momma for the first time in eleven years brings on a sense of renewal—redemption even.

She’s not looking at me when she nods and I watch as her fingers pick at the tissue in her hand. Lifting her chin, I make her look at me. “That being said, I want you to know that I appreciate everything you just told me. And maybe I was wrong to keep Cohen from letting you know where I was. Maybe I was wrong for not explaining why I was leaving, and I’m sorry for that.” My thumb swipes her cheek, wiping the tears from her face. “I don’t know where things will go from here, but I love you, too. No matter what distance separated us that never changed. I’d like for you to be in my life, for us to find our common ground. And maybe, someday soon, we can be a family again.” I never imagined that coming here would lead to this, and if it weren’t for Charlie, I wouldn’t be opening up to my mother this way, but it feels good. It feels right. It feels like home.

Tears start streaming down her face, and I stand, pulling her up with me. I wrap my arms around her as she sobs into my chest, and I have to close my eyes when I feel the moisture pooling in them. I have no idea how long we stand here, but as her weeping begins to fade, I can hear the latch of the door closing. When I look up, I see that Charlie’s left us alone.

Mom pulls away from me and gestures towards the door. “She seems like a special girl, Knox.”

Looking at the closed door, I nod in agreement. “You have no idea.”