SEALed Under the Mistletoe

Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

KNOX

T he sharp crack of pool balls colliding echoed through the lodge's game room. Knox leaned over the table, lining up his shot with laser focus. His brothers, Carson and Campbell, watched with matching grins of anticipation.

“Ten bucks says he scratches,” his cousin Gage whispered loudly.

Knox's eyes narrowed. “You're on.”

With a fluid motion, he struck the cue ball. It rocketed across the felt, bouncing off the cushion before sinking the 8-ball cleanly into the corner pocket. Knox straightened, a smug smile playing on his lips. There’d been a pool table at the Navy Medical Center he’d done his rehabilitation at. He’d played several games against the other wounded SEALs while there.

“Pay up, sucker,” he said, holding out his hand.

Campbell groaned dramatically. “How does he do that every time?”

As Gage took his phone out of his pocket to send Knox the money, the game room door burst open. A blur of red and excited energy swept in, immediately drawing everyone's attention.

“Gage! There you are!”

Knox turned to see a radiant young woman beaming at them. This had to be the bride, Melody.

“Did you text?” Gage looked at his phone. “I don't have one from you.” He wrapped his arms around her, giving her a warm hug.

“No. I figured you were around here somewhere. I've been stopped every two feet by someone or another.” Melody's eyes sparkled as she looked around the room. “I can't believe it's finally happening! The lodge looks amazing, and – oh my gosh, you must be the other groomsmen!”

Knox felt a twinge of nerves as her gaze landed on him. He cleared his throat. “That's us. I'm Knox, and these are my brothers, Campbell and Carson. Congratulations on your big day. Sorry we didn't meet sooner. Work keeps us pretty busy.”

Melody's smile grew impossibly wider. “Thank you! I'm so excited to meet you all. Gage told me so much about his cousins. I hope you'll make yourselves at home. Wait, aren't there supposed to be four of you?”

“Yeah, our brother Lewis is stuck in Hawaii on a mission. He swears he will be here for the big day.”

“Stuck in Hawaii... sounds awful,” Melody said with a small laugh. “I hope he can make it. We have exactly eight on each side. Lewis, you said? Lewis is supposed to walk my sister Vickie down the aisle.”

Vickie.

Knox's stomach clenched. He thought he'd seen her in the lobby, although her back was to them. But, she'd disappeared while he was checking in. Could it be? She said eight... There were eight kids in Vickie's family.

Knox tuned out the conversation going on around him and turned towards the doorway, half-expecting – hoping – to see Vickie appear. He shook his head, trying to focus on the bride's enthusiasm. This week was about celebrating Gage finding a wife, he reminded himself. No use dwelling on missed chances and what-ifs. He turned back to see Carson racking the balls for another round of pool.

Melody continued to chatter excitedly about the rehearsal dinner, last-minute floral changes, and seating arrangements. Knox had no idea what the difference was in the flowers, but nodded as if he did. Suddenly, mid-sentence, Melody stopped talking and looked up at Gage, eyes wide with a thought.

“Oh, Gage, I almost forgot the reason I came to find you in the first place! I need your help with the table numbers. There’s a minor crisis with the setup. Mind giving me a hand?”

Gage looked amused. “Table numbers are a crisis now?”

Melody laughed. “Oh, you have no idea. There's some new family drama to sort out. Come on,” she insisted, tugging him toward the door.

Gage shot his cousins an apologetic grin as he allowed himself to be pulled away. “Don’t win too much money without me, alright?”

“Don’t worry,” Campbell called after him. “We’ll leave a couple of dollars on the table in your honor!”

As the door closed behind Gage and Melody, an expectant silence settled over the room. Carson and Campbell exchanged a loaded look.

Finally, Carson turned to Knox, arms crossed, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “So, Knox. Didn't you tell us Vickie had seven siblings?”

Knox knew that look. He braced himself. “Yeah, so?”

Campbell leaned in, eyebrows raised. “And the sister on Gage’s bride’s side that Lewis is supposed to walk down the aisle… her name wouldn’t happen to be Vickie, would it?”

Knox tried to play it cool, but he could feel his cheeks flush just a bit. He shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “It's a common name.”

“Common name?” Carson scoffed, crossing his arms. “How many women have you met named Vickie? It's her, isn’t it? The Vickie?”

Knox shifted uncomfortably, taking a long breath as he looked down at the pool table. His fingers absently traced the edge of the felt, memories flooding back—Vickie’s laugh, her fiery spirit, and that one perfect night they’d spent on the beach years ago. He knew it'd been her in the lobby, felt it deep inside, but thought it was merely wishful thinking. They'd talked about her on the several hour car ride from the airport. He assumed he was imagining things. Now... Now, he knew he wasn't.

“Alright, yeah,” he admitted finally. “I thought I saw her in the lobby. I'm pretty sure it’s her. It’s my Vickie.”

Campbell let out a low whistle, shaking his head with a grin. “Man, of all the random weddings in all the world… here she is, practically dropped into your lap. You gonna do anything about it?”

Knox gave a noncommittal shrug, trying to play it off, but he knew his brothers weren’t about to let him off that easy. “I'd planned on looking her up when I got back, shooting her an email. I wasn't expecting to see her face to face. This is different.” He suddenly felt overwhelmed. What would he say to her? He had so many questions. Why had she run off and not left her number? Why hadn't she called? Why didn't she return his voicemail? He knew he hadn't imagined their connection.

“Doesn’t matter,” Carson cut in. “Just a couple of hours ago you told us how you wanted to track her down. You told us how she was the one that got away, and didn't you say you've compared every girl since to Vickie? And now, bam—here she is, in the same lodge as you. Sounds like fate to me, brother.”

Knox rolled his eyes. “You sound like a fortune cookie.”

Carson just shrugged, unfazed. “Fortune cookie or not, I’m serious. You have to at least talk to her.”

Campbell nodded in agreement. “He’s right, Knox. You’ve got a golden opportunity here. Can you imagine the awkward family dinner tonight if you don’t say anything to her? We’re all just sitting around, Melody chatting about wedding plans, and Vickie… what, just sitting across from you like you’re total strangers? You think no one is going to notice the tension between you? Dad for sure will figure it out. You know how he is.”

Knox swallowed, the thought making his stomach twist. He hadn’t even considered how strange it would be to spend the evening pretending they didn’t have history. “Yeah… I guess that would be pretty uncomfortable.”

“Pretty uncomfortable?” Carson laughed. “Understatement of the year. She’s probably thinking the same thing, man. You owe it to both of you to at least clear the air.”

Knox sighed, leaning heavily against the pool table. “You’re both acting like this is some fairytale reunion. We shared a night together—one night. Who knows if she even remembers?”

“Oh, she remembers.” Carson grinned, his eyes gleaming with amusement. “Trust me, women don’t forget nights like that.”

Campbell smirked. “And, Knox, you’re not exactly the forgettable type, alright? I’m betting she remembers every detail just as clearly as you do.”

Knox looked between his brothers, trying to gauge if they were just messing with him or actually serious. But they’d dropped their usual teasing tones, looking at him with a rare kind of sincerity.

“What if she doesn't want to talk to me? She ghosted me, remember?” He ran a hand through his hair, feeling a mixture of dread and hope he hadn’t felt in a long time.

“You won't know unless you try. If nothing else, you will have some closure. Get the answer you've been desperate for,” Carson said.

“Fine,” he muttered, more to himself than to them. “I’ll talk to her. But don’t expect any fairytale ending. I don’t even know what I’d say.”

Carson clapped him on the shoulder, grinning. “That’s the spirit! Just be honest, man. Tell her you’ve thought about her, that she’s haunted you since that night. Lay it all out there.”

Knox shook his head, chuckling despite himself. “I’m not exactly laying my heart on the table at her sister’s wedding, Carson. It’s not that simple.”

“It doesn’t have to be complicated,” Campbell replied. “Just… go in there and see if there’s still something there. Get her talking, see where she’s been, if there’s still a spark. Worst-case scenario, you walk out with some closure. Best case… who knows?”

Knox thought about it. He could almost picture it—the two of them stealing away to some quiet corner of the lodge, talking for hours, maybe even picking up where they’d left off all those years ago. Taking her back to his room...

But he couldn’t ignore the fear, the voice that reminded him of the time he'd reached out, only to come up empty. Would it be different this time? Could he really just walk up to her and expect her to be the same person he remembered?

Carson gave him a gentle nudge. “You’re overthinking it, man. Go find her. Just start with hello and see where it takes you.”

Knox nodded slowly. His brothers were right—it’d be awkward as hell if he didn’t talk to her before the family dinner, and the thought of sitting across from Vickie all night, trying to pretend she was just another guest, was unbearable.

“Alright,” he said at last, standing up a little straighter. “I’ll do it.”

Carson and Campbell grinned, practically glowing with pride. Carson gave him a playful punch to the arm. “That’s what I’m talking about. Now, go get your girl, Knox.”

Knox rolled his shoulders, letting out a long breath. “She’s not my girl… not yet, anyway.”

Campbell chuckled, grabbing a cue stick and lining up a shot, as if the matter was already settled. “We’ll save you a spot at the table. Don’t keep us waiting too long.”

Knox turned toward the door, heart pounding. The truth was, he had no idea what he was going to say to Vickie. But whatever happened, at least he wouldn’t spend another night wondering about what might have been. He took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and headed out, his brothers’ laughter fading behind him as he stepped into the hallway.