Things We Never Got Over (Knockemout, #1)

by Lucy Score

“This doesn’t feel like we’re pretending.”

“I’m worrying about what comes next,” she confessed.

There went my fucking picnic.

And the asshole had his shirt off,

“I took three classes,”

“You wanna sit down for a minute, Viking? I don’t think I can handle two patients at once.”

But I changed my mind and went with it when I realized her concern for me had trumped Nash’s bullet holes.

“Stay here. I’ll get you a glass of water in a minute, okay?”

“It’s just Tina used to do that when we were kids. I was home sick once our sophomore year of high school. She went to school dressed like me and told my history teacher—who I had a crush on—to go fuck himself. I got detention. All because my parents gave me the car the weekend before because she was grounded.”

“Fuck.” “What?” Nash asked. “I saw you in this dress. Outside the shop,”

She broke into the cottage.”

“What if someone let her in?” “Someone meaning Waylay?”

“Tina is her mother,” Naomi insisted. “Family doesn’t stop being family just because one of you does shitty things.”

Waylay will end up with strangers—” Her voice hitched.

“Baby. Stop.” “I tried,” she said, fingers curling into my t-shirt. “Tried what?”

“Don’t fucking cry, Daze. Not over her. You’ve given her enough.”

“Don’t be sweet and funny right now.”

“Baby, those are two things no one has ever accused me of being.”

“This is not what I was expecting when you said you were taking me to lunch.” “I expected the yelling, just thought ...

“Any judge that looks at those two sisters and decides Naomi isn’t fit has their robe on too tight.”

walked by your window,” he said, nodding at the bathroom door. “Yeah. So?” “She means something to you.”

“I’m just sayin’, you care about her. Any other woman you wouldn’t have bothered calling her on her own bullshit. You wouldn’t have known any other woman well enough to know she was bullshitting you, let alone care that she was.” “Getting to your point any time soon?” “Yeah. Don’t fuck it up like you usually do.”

I grinned and waved back.

“Look at you, soccer mom,” he teased.

Dad had been her biggest fan.

“We’re the new generation of hot soccer moms,” Stef decided.

“Is he a flowers and a cook-you-dinner kind of guy? Or is he more of a growl-at-any-man-who-dares-to-look-at-your-boobs dude?” “Definitely a growler,” Stef decided.

My inner walls clenched involuntarily at the decadent memory.

And I don’t want Waylay to get too used to him being around.”

She’s mean when she’s riled.” “I don’t get riled,” I scoffed.

“Not cool, babe. Not cool at all.” “She pulled the ol’ Wrong Twin again, didn’t she?” Stef asked, not looking at me. It wasn’t a good sign.

“Not when he’s on the clock,” Nash said with a grin.

“Well, that’s just fucked up,” Sloane decided.

I winced. “Look, guys. I understand that you’re concerned. I get it. I am too. But right now, my priority is to get custody of my niece. I don’t have the time or the energy to worry about anything else.”

“She stole from you.

She committed a crime disguised as you so once again you’d be the one to pay the consequences.

And you didn’t think it was worth...

“Don’t blame a man who just took two bullets,” she said.

could come waltzing back into town and take her from me without me knowing.

reminding a little girl that not everything has to be the way it was for the first eleven years of her life,

That would make me feel better than being intentionally cut out,”

“There’s no getting through until she calms down.”

“You need to be on the lookout. Your family needs to too. Keeping shit like this from them is irresponsible, and that’s the kind of thing that doesn’t look good in guardianship cases.”

It’s about doing what’s right even when it’s hard. Especially when it’s hard.”

“Now you’re done reminding her. Why don’t you get your ass back home and rest the fuck up so you’re in shape to take care of family?”

“What the shit, ref?” Waylay bellowed. “Ah, crap,” I whispered.

Can’t use that language on the field,”

My mom says it.”

You’re fuckin’ better than that, Way. You’ve got a temper, but there’s a hell of a lot more power in controlling it than letting it fly. Use it, or it’ll use you. You get me?”

She was looking at me. And then she was running.