Page 12 of Keep Me Close

When she remains silent, I add in a softer tone, “Family is everything to me.”

Her expression softens. “Guess I never really thought about it like that, but I suppose it makes sense.”

A quiet beat stretches between us.

Avery is Colby and Britt’s first kid. The first grandchild in both our families. I still remember how it felt when her tiny fist wrapped around my finger in the hospital, and the way Chey cried harder than Britt when Avery was born. She refused to hand her over for nearly an hour, like she’d already fallen in love with the little girl.

It shouldn’t hit me so hard that we picked the same numbers for our passcode.

But it does.

I take her phone and unlock it. After a few quick taps, I hold it out to her.

She frowns at the screen. “I can’t believe you’re actually doing this.”

“Believe it, Hollywood.” I don’t release the phone right away. “Hit share.”

“For how long?”

I pull my own phone from my pocket. “Indefinitely.”

Her brows lift.

“Now I’ll always know where you are.”

There’s no way in hell I’m going to examine why I find that thought so damn satisfying. She doesn’t comment as I check my phone, making sure the request went through. When her cell buzzes between us, she glances down at it.

“You’re taking this a little too seriously, McNichols.”

I shrug. “Guess you should have considered that before you involved me in this situation.”

She studies me for a moment longer than necessary, her gaze lingering, as if she’s trying to sort through something in her head. The elevator dings, and the sound slices through the growing tension.

With that, she pulls her phone from my grip. “Night, Knox.”

The doors slide open behind her.

“Text me when you get to the hotel,” I say automatically.

She rolls her eyes. “Sure thing, Dad.”

My jaw tightens.

That shouldn’t do anything to me.

So tell me why it does.

Maybe because it makes me sound controlling as hell, which is fair. Or maybe because she says it like a tease when I’m already hanging on by a thread.

“Chey.”

With a smirk, she gives me a little wave with her fingers before stepping backward into the elevator. Once the doors close, silence settles over the penthouse as I stare at the empty space where she stood a few seconds ago. The place already feels too damn quiet without her presence. Her beachy scent continues to linger in the air, as if she left a part of herself behind just to fuck with me. Honestly, I wouldn’t put it past her.

Zero-six-one-two.

I unlock my phone.

We picked the same numbers for the same reason.