Page 78 of Echoes of Fear

The little brat.

“You know who,” Blaze smiles.

Sighing, Knox cuddles into my chest, which is good because I’m not about to let him go.

“It’s not my secret to tell,” he answers. “Just know that Christopher Sullivan isn’t his real name. I made sure to change the name of his parents when I told you all what I knew about him. He didn’t do anything bad. He’s not a bad person. Just a scared one. I don’t blame him for what he did.”

“I do, baby. Hurting you isn’t going to fly.”

“You guys can’t kill him,” Knox rolls his eyes. “Scare him, sure. But he doesn’t deserve to die simply because he was terrified of his past finding him.”

“He hurt you, scared you, and helped two other men try and take you away, and you’re defending him?” Steel growls. “You’re too good for this world, little one. Too fucking good.”

“No, I’m not,” Knox says, sitting up on my lap. “Ben and his old president deserve the worst that King can offer. They’re bad men. They’ve done bad things. But Sullivan hasn’t. Scare him and let him go. Please.”

“King was so happy to have three new toys,” Blaze shakes his head as he texts someone. “Two will have to do, I guess.”

I hate letting that traitor go, but I trust Knox’s judgment.

“Make sure he’s scared enough never to show his face around here again,” Ghost orders. “Everything is in order here. Need us to stay?”

Knox shakes his head, and I nod in agreement.

“We’ll be fine,” I say. “Just going to calm down and get some sleep.”

Everyone leaves, and I lean back against the couch, holding my boy tightly.

“Thank you for saving me, Papa,” he says.

My response is to hold him tighter.

“I love you, Knox,” I admit for the first time. “I think I have since I saw you sit on the floor between Blaze and Steel.”

Knox pulls back, and I loosen my grip just enough to let him.

“I was terrified,” he says.

“You were just lost, baby.”

“You saved me from the tornado,” he tells me. “You saved me from having to see that I was outside afterward. You saved me from the bad men. But, most of all, Taylor, you saved me from my own fear.”

“Does that mean I’m your hero?” I tease.

“In every possible way,” he whispers, unshed tears in his beautiful brown eyes. “I love you, too. And that is far scarier than running into the dark woods.”

“Why?” I ask, wiping the single tear that fell away.

“Because, Taylor, loving you means opening myself up to something I never thought I deserved. It’s terrifying because it means letting go of all the pain and fear that used to define me. But with you, I feel safe. I feel like I can be myself without judgment or shame. You’re not just my hero but my beacon of hope in a world that once seemed so dark. You’re my anchor. I’ll spend the rest of my days proving how much you mean to me.”

“You have nothing to prove, baby boy. All I need you to do is let go and trust that I will always be here to catch you.”

Smiling, Knox cuddles back against my chest where he belongs.

“No more climbing trees.”

“But you said you would always catch me, Papa,” he replies.

“Pup,” I warn.