Chapter 175: Adopt Me

NORA’S POV

Knox looked down at my hands on his chest.

For two seconds, he didn’t breathe. The steady rhythm beneath his ribs skipped, caught, and then surged into something completely raw.

"You’re asking me to come to Oakhaven?" he asked in a low and raspy voice. "For Thanksgiving?"

"I am," I said softly, looking up into his gray eyes. "My mom has half a freezer full of food, a house that smells like vanilla and yeast, and no corporate galas. No cameras. No contracts. Just a kitchen table."

Knox’s throat moved on a swallow.

A disbelieving light broke through the rigid lines of his face, softening the tight jaw he’d held like armor since he came down the stairs.

"Bennett," he murmured, his hands rising to rest gently against my waist. "If your mom has a chair for me, I’m yours."

A breath of pure relief slipped past my lips. I smiled, letting my fingers curl into the fabric of his shirt. "She’ll probably make you peel fifty pounds of potatoes the second you walk through the door."

"Good," Knox said with a faint, crooked smirk. "I’m great with a knife."

The glass slider on the patio rattled open with a sharp squeak.

Bear and Jake poked their heads through the gap, freezing when they saw Knox’s hands on my waist.

"Is the blast radius clear?" Bear whispered loudly, clutching a half-eaten loaf of sourdough like a shield. "Are we allowed back in the house, or is someone throwing cast-iron pans?"

"Get in here, you idiots," Knox sighed, dropping his hands from my waist but keeping his shoulder brushed against mine.

Jake scrambled inside, kicking the door shut to block the freezing draft. "So? What’s the verdict? Are we deep-frying two turkeys in the driveway on Thursday or what?"

"You two can fry whatever you want," Knox said calmly, leaning back against the island. "I won’t be here. I’m going to Oakhaven with Nora."

Bear’s jaw dropped. A piece of sourdough crust tumbled out of his mouth and hit the floorboards. "No way."

"Way," I grinned.

Jake looked between us, his eyebrows shooting into his hairline. "Wait. Does that mean Bennett’s mom is cooking for you?"

"Yes," Knox said.

"Take me with you," Jake pleaded instantly, dropping to his knees on the linoleum. "I’m begging you, Nora. Adopt me. I will sleep in the barn. I will chop firewood. Just don’t leave me here with Bear and forty gallons of boiling peanut oil."

"Get off the floor, Miller," Bear grunted, kicking Jake’s shin with his socked foot. "We have a strict culinary protocol."

"Your protocol is arson, Barrett!"

Knox rubbed the bridge of his nose, though the ghost of a real smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He turned to me, his gaze softening. "Come on. Let’s get you back to North Hall before these two start wrestling."

"Good idea," I laughed.

I picked up my empty bakery box from the counter, waved goodbye to the bickering athletes, and followed Knox out to the driveway.

The cab of his truck was still warm from the ride from the bus station. Snow dusted the windshield in quiet swirls as Knox backed out of the driveway and headed toward campus. ℯℯ𝘭.

"What’s your schedule looking like between today and Thursday?" Knox asked as he shifted gears.

"I have an opening shift at Rusty’s tomorrow morning," I said, leaning my head against the headrest. "Seven to one. Denise covered three of my shifts while we were up at Emerald Pines, so I need to put in the hours before the holiday closure."

"I’ve got morning skate and team film until eleven," Knox replied, keeping one hand on the wheel and reaching across the console to lace his fingers through mine. His palm was warm. "Brennan wants us reviewing State’s neutral zone tape before we break for the weekend."

"So Thursday morning?" I asked, looking over at him.

"Thursday mid-morning," Knox nodded. "I’ll pack a bag Wednesday night, swing by North Hall around ten, and we’ll head to Oakhaven."

"Sounds like a plan, Sheridan."

He pulled up alongside the curb outside North Hall.

Knox cut the engine, unbuckled, and turned in his seat. He reached out, cupping the side of my neck with long, warm fingers.

His thumb stroked gently along my jawline.

"Thank you, Bennett," he said quietly, his eyes searching mine. "For... not letting me sit alone in that house."

My heart ached with tenderness. I leaned into his palm, resting my hand over his wrist. "You weren’t going to be alone," I pointed out softly, a faint, teasing smile touching my lips. "There’s Bear, Jake, and Milo if he’s around. Plus Theo whenever he decides to leave the rink."

Knox let out a quiet, raspy chuckle, but his gaze didn’t waver. "You know what I mean."

"I know," I murmured, leaning deeper into his touch. "And you’re never going to be alone, Knox. Not anymore."

Knox drew me in, capturing my lips in an unhurried, breathtaking kiss..

When he finally pulled back, his forehead rested against mine. "Go get unpacked. I’ll text you before I go to bed."

"Drive safe," I whispered.

I grabbed my duffel from the back seat, stepped out into the winter air, and hurried through the front doors of North Hall.

The familiar scent of radiator heat, lavender fabric softener, and old paper greeted me as I climbed the stairs to the third floor.

I unlocked Room 304, expecting the usual chaos of an exam-week bunker.

Instead, soft acoustic music drifted from a portable speaker on the windowsill. The room smelled faintly of expensive jasmine and citrus... definitely not the lavender linen spray we bought in bulk from the campus bodega.

Priya was sitting cross-legged on the futon, wearing a pair of flannel pajama pants and an oversized grey Briar Law sweatshirt. Her laptop was open in front of her, the screen playing an old episode of a true-crime documentary on mute.

"Look who finally decided to return to civilization," Priya said without looking up, tossing a handful of white cheddar popcorn into her mouth. "The champion baker returns."