“Royal Prinze?” My mouth was dry, and Mom nodded.
“Yes, him. Knight heard you screaming. Terrified.” Her eyes lifted. “So pardon me if I’m not mad at the boy who saved my daughter. That dog had been an absolute terror in the neighborhood. An absolute terror and clearly, the adults weren’t doing anything about it. Mr. Peabody, Knight’s neighbor, was a very powerful man too, just like the Reeds, and damn if the city officials would take his dog away from him. Knight ended up doing what no one else could. He took matters into his own hands, even then, and saved you.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Knight went after a dog for me? No way. I shook my head. “How do you know he went after it for me specifically?” That dog had chased everyone, not just me, and for all I knew, he and Royal had been trying to save themselves. That dog had chased me for what felt like miles that day.
Mom pulled her hair out of her face again before turning off the burner. “He told his grandfather the whole thing. That he went after that dog for you, and after hearing that, yes, I was let go. Part of the reason was because yeah, the Reeds like as little drama as possible in their lives, but the main one did have to do with you.”
“Me?”
She frowned. “His grandson was willing to kill a dog for you, honey bug, so no, I don’t blame Mr. Reed. I mean, that’s really intense. Like you said, Knight was just a kid, and he did that. Needless to say, it was clear a little Knight Reed obviously cared about you. Still cares about you judging by what I saw when we had him over for dinner. I saw him here with you.” She smiled. “It’s like you were never out of his eye, not for a moment, honey bug. It was all still so very intense. Just like when you guys were kids.”
I couldn’t breathe, shuddering. She had to have gotten the facts wrong. No way did Knight Reed care about anyone but himself.
“And his grandfather didn’t let me go empty-handed,” Mom continued. “He provided a handsome final paycheck. I just couldn’t get us stable, a job and housing, before the funds ran out. So none of that is the Reeds’ fault either. That was me and my irresponsibility.”
I palmed my eyes, barely listening at this point, and Mom took my hand.
“I’m sure Knight’s not perfect, bug. But really, who is? That boy has really been dealt a shitty deck of cards in life, and his grandfather was no help. He always treated him like a little adult. I joked about it a bit with you and Ben, but really, it was sad every day I saw it. It was like his granddad matured him up just so hard. I mean, I get it. His mom’s accident? His dad dying right in front of him before that…”
My lips parted. “What?”
Her gaze found mine, her expression even sadder. “It was obviously before you and I came, but prior to his mom’s accident his dad died. Mr. Reed explained everything to me when I was hired so I was in the know when it came to Knight. He had some really rough years before our arrival, acting out, and yes, a little violent. Got in fights all the time at school—”
“What happened, Mom?” I moved in and she peered away.
“It was a riding accident,” she said. “Horseback riding. He and his dad went out. His dad got bucked. Horse trampled him. The man broke his neck.”
My heart twisted. “In front of him?”
She sighed. “In front of him. Couldn’t have been more than eight.”
Nine actually. He’d told me his dad died right before his mom went into the coma.
Christ.
Mom squeezed my shoulders, pulling me into her. “It just shows me how lucky I am. We are? I couldn’t imagine leaving you by yourself. Especially that young. Your father was a deadbeat, and before Ben, you were all I had. I needed to take care of you.”
And I needed to take care of her, my arms pulling around her. She kissed the top of my head, and when she moved to let go, I didn’t. She was right, we were lucky.
I mean, how easily could something like this be taken away?
*
Greer
I thought a lot on the bus ride that night on my way back to the dorm, a lot about Knight. I’d had no freaking idea he’d done all that for me. Obviously, just thinking he’d gone crazy.
Chills lining my skin, I sat up as I got closer to my stop. I tugged the cord to be let off a couple blocks from the dorm, the closest I could get on that route. Hitting the ground, I was in a blind stupor as I left the bus and started walking under the street lights to head home. If it was fact what my mom said tonight, that explained a lot, a lot about Knight’s character and who he’d obviously become as a man. He was very intense, aggressive to the point of being scary, and though I sympathized with him, he had scared me in the past. Frankly, he was terrifying sometimes, so hot and cold. And now what he’d done recently? Hurting Ben and Mom just to get to me?
I shook my head, all this terribly complicated. He obviously had a lot of pain in his life, but that didn’t excuse all the things he’d done since he’d returned to mine. He’d hurt me, repeatedly, and when my phone buzzed on my final block home, I seriously thought I was haunted
