Of course, it’s getting harder not to the longer he’s moving around my house like he already lives here.
Like right now, while he’s in my shower, singing. How am I supposed to convince myself that Knox Marley isn’t putting permanent roots down in my home when he’s singing in my goddamn shower?
Worse. I took a shower before him, and I also sang. Which I do all the time. But not when people other than Sloan can hear me.
Knox is apparently now also on that super elite list of people I will serenade while suds-ing up.
Seems a poor choice in hindsight. Singing in front of the rock star with out-of-this-world vocals.
I check in on Sloan one more time before he finishes up. The last two days are definitely catching up with me and my bed is calling. The fact Knox will be in it soon is all the more reason to answer.
“You brush your teeth yet?” I ask when I find her still sitting upright, leaning against the headboard and finger moving across the screen of her iPad. Apparently, this is the new fingerpaint.
“Yep. Got in there before you guys.” She looks up. “You going to bed already?”
“Sloan, it’s nearly eleven,” I point out, fully aware she’s lost track of time. She always does when she gets sucked into a project.
“It is?” She turns her head to find the clock on her nightstand. “Oh, crap.”
“Just do me a favor and turn out the lights before tomorrow, k?” I tease, moving in to kiss her cheek. “If we all wake up at asemi-decent hour in the morning, we should take Knox to The Maple Tree for waffles.”
Her face lights up. “I’m setting an alarm.”
“Don’t.” I threaten her with my finger. “You’ll just sleep through it, and I’ll have to drag my ass in here to turn it off just to keep from going crazy first thing in the morning.”
“I’ll wake up,” she assures me.
We have a moment. A stare down ensues. Silent arguments are exchanged.
Then she grins. “Yeah, you’re right.” She sets down her tablet. “Can I have your phone and set an alarm for you?”
“No!” I’m starting to regret having shared my waffle idea with her. “Just go to sleep and stop messing with me so I can go to sleep too. And then we’ll naturally wake up at a decent time, well-rested and hungry for waffles. K?”
“I hope so.” She picks her tablet up again and starts back on her art. “But we don’t have a good track record with that.”
“Maybe things will be different with Knox here. For all we know, he’s a total morning person.”
We both make a face.
“Are you going to keep him if he is?”
“If he’s what?” Knox shows up in the doorway out of nowhere. He’s dressed in olive green sweats and a white tee, his hair is still wet and slicked back, and he looks oddly natural standing there in the doorframe of my daughter’s room, here to join us for our late bedtime chat. Of all the stunning visuals I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying of him over the years between candid social media shots, photo shoots and music videos, not to mention, live on stage, he’s never looked more attractive to me than he does right now, like this. Everything from my brain to my heart, to my freakin’ vagina, just blissfully sighed while looking at him.
“A morning person,” Sloan answers when my brain is still too busy internally gushing to form words out loud. “Are you?”
“I am.” He looks worried. “Am I getting kicked out now?” But he starts to grin again before we can answer. So, I’m thinking he’s not really that concerned.
“I don’t think you realize that’s a potential deal breaker,” Sloan goes on, cocking a brow and pulling her mouth into a lopsided scowl. “How early are we talking?”
“Really early.” Knox wanders a few steps into the room, closing in the distance between us all. “Like, rise with the sun, early.”
Sloan looks like she might be in pain just thinking about it. “We don’t do that here. We let the sun rise on her own. She likes it. Big into alone time, the sun. Gives her time to think. Meditate. Get that whole self-care ritual going before we join her and get all needy about light and warmth and Vitamin D and stuff.”
Knox laughs.
I’m cracking up too. “I think you’re getting the sun confused with your mother,” I tell her dryly. “But I can see why you might get us mixed up on account of how we both get up way before you do.” I turn to Knox. “Though, I do let the sun have some time to herself before I join her, and I would like to continue to keep it that way.”
“That’s perfect because much like the sun in your imagination, I also enjoy some me-time to start my day.” He looks back at Sloan. “You won’t even know I’m awake before you. Swear.”
