Hard Knox - Riley Hart Page 0,54
car while I ran inside, changed into shorts and a T-shirt that fit me much better, and grabbed a few other things, before the three of us were taking the hour and a half drive to the shore.
The truck was rarely quiet the whole drive. Logan rambled about his time at Dale’s, and video games, and then launched into his ever-expanding list of random facts he knew. I could counter each one with something medical, and some he typed into his phone for future reference.
“I’m feeling a little insecure over here. I have the two smartest guys around,” Knox joked. The second he did, I could see the panic in the set of his jaw and the wideness of his eyes, but Logan didn’t catch what Knox had said.
“You’re smart, Dad. And you’re also good at other stuff. There are lots of ways to be smart.”
Damn, the kid was wise beyond his years. I was still concentrating on being Knox’s guy.
“You’re right, buddy.” Knox glanced at him in the rearview. “There’s no one way to do or be anything.”
“Hey, Callum told me that before too,” Logan added.
“I did? I don’t remember.” I’d probably said a lot of things to him I couldn’t recall.
“Yeah, when I was talking to you about fixing things and working on stuff, you said Dad was awesome, but I didn’t have to be him. That I was awesome too, and there’s more than one way to be a man.”
“Oh,” I replied softly. I tried to be nonchalant about it, but when I glanced over at Knox, I saw him looking at me. Again, I couldn’t read his expression and didn’t have the time to study it because he looked back at the road.
“Cal’s right. I think you’re a pretty great man,” he told Logan. Without turning my way, he added, “Callum too.”
The air around us turned thick, but not the uncomfortable kind. One that was full of want, at least from me, and connection, and this feeling that everything was finally right.
“Are we almost there?” Logan asked, oblivious to it all.
Knox chuckled. “I wondered when that would start.”
“Hey, I’m better about asking than Charlotte,” Logan countered.
I pang landed in my chest. I wanted to meet her, wanted to know the youngest Wheeler.
“That you are,” Knox said, then to me, “Wait until you meet her. She’s stubborn and sassy and one might say impatient, but don’t you dare tell her I told you that.”
“She’s a brat,” Logan added, but one look from Knox and he apologized. “And yeah, she’s more like Dad than me. She fixes stuff at home for Mom all the time. But she also wants to be the Hulk when she grows up, so she’s a little weird.”
We all laughed. And even though the day wasn’t close to being over, I already knew it was one of the best of my life. “What do you want to be?” I asked Logan.
“I don’t know…I’m deciding between video-game designer and doctor.”
Okay, well, those things couldn’t be more different, but I said, “Both solid choices.”
“I want to help kids with health stuff, I think. Like asthma or heart stuff, like you.”
“That’s why I went into the medical field.”
We spent the last twenty minutes of the car ride talking about other things.
Once we arrived, we got everything unloaded, found a spot, and ate the lunch Knox had packed. “I put carrots and ranch dip for you. I know you like that rabbit food,” he told me.
Jesus, he was going to ruin me. He always did kind things like that for people. “You should like that rabbit food. It’s good for you.”
“What’s that? I can’t hear you,” Knox teased before animatedly biting into a chip.
“Oh, excuse me. You have heart disease in your beard,” I joked back as I reached over and took the crumb out of his facial hair. His eyes turned fiery and hungry as I did. I more than liked that look aimed at me.
After we ate, the three of us played Frisbee, which was fun because Knox was shit at throwing it. Of course, Logan and I didn’t let him live it down.
“All right. I quit. I don’t like either of you members of the badass-cool-kids club right now,” Knox said. “I’m going to the water.”
“Me too!” Logan said.
“Last one there is a rotten egg,” Knox replied.
I pulled my shirt off and chased them, but they beat me to the ocean.
We played around, splashing each other and laughing. Logan hung off Knox’s neck with one