Page 47 of Knot the Last Chapter

He sighs and runs a hand through his damp hair. “She texted a wrong number a few weeks ago. Reached me. We started talking—just as strangers. She said she was trying to write again. I encouraged her. Gave her feedback. We joked. Flirted. And I didn’t realize it was her until I saw her at dinner.”

“And she doesn’t know it was you?”

He winces. “I told her my name was Pine. Dunno. Just felt good not to be known, you know? I wanted to tell her tonight. But she was already hurt by the past. And she needed to say her piece. I didn’t want to hijack that.”

I exhale slowly, processing. He’s not usually this open. This raw.

“You really like her.”

He stares at the floor. “I do.”

There’s a long beat of silence.

Ty’s been through a lot. His last bond left him hollow. Withdrawn. I hadn’t seen him light up like he has around Lila since before that all fell apart. And now, here he is again—aching for someone he can’t quite reach.

“She’s not the same as before,” I say. “You’re not either.”

“I know. But I’m still the guy who made her quit writing.”

“Not anymore. You’re the reason she started again, too.”

He looks over at me, eyes tired but sharp. “Do you think she’ll forgive me?”

I shrug. “You might have to earn that. But I’ve seen the way she looks at you. There’s still something there.”

He leans back against the wall, dragging in a deep breath. The rain drums steadily above us, thunder growling in the distance.

“She got under my skin before I even knew her name,” he says softly. “Her texts. Her voice. She made me want things again. Made me believe I wasn’t broken.”

I glance at him, then look away. “You’re not broken, Ty. You just took longer to heal.”

He lets out a sharp breath. “She made me want to be better. That’s the worst part. Because now that she’s here, I don’t know how to keep from messing it up again.”

“You won’t,” I say, meaning it.

He gives me a small, grateful nod.

“She’s… special,” he murmurs. “Funny. Brilliant. Brave. Even when she’s scared, she faces it.”

“Yeah,” I agree. “I noticed that too.”

He glances at me sideways. “You like her, too.”

I don’t answer. I don’t have to. But I say, “She deserves to choose. Not to be cornered or claimed just because we’re feeling something.”

Ty nods. “Exactly. She deserves to be more than a reaction to a shifting scent.”

We fall into a companionable silence, the air thick with unspoken thoughts.

Then the door creaks open. Corwyn steps inside, face tight with concern.

“You two seen Lila?”

Ty and I both jerk upright.

“No,” we say together.

Corwyn shakes his head. “She’s not in her room. And Misty’s missing, too.”