Things We Never Got Over

Things We Never Got Over Plot Summary

Introduction

# Finding Home in the Heart of a Stranger The wedding dress was pristine white, the flowers fresh in her hair, but Naomi Witt wasn't walking down any aisle. She was fleeing through a church basement window, her fairy-tale gown trailing behind her as she escaped a life that had never truly been hers. The desperate phone call from her twin sister Tina had shattered her perfect wedding day, pulling her toward a small Virginia town called Knockemout and a niece she'd never known existed. What Naomi found there wasn't the temporary refuge she expected, but a collision course with Knox Morgan—a tattooed, silver-eyed bar owner who mistook her for her troublemaker sister and unleashed a fury that left the entire town staring. Knox had built his life on simple rules: keep people at arm's length, trust no one completely, and never let anyone close enough to leave scars. But when this woman in the wedding dress looked at him with those wounded hazel eyes, something shifted in his carefully constructed world. She needed a fake boyfriend to convince social services she was stable enough to care for eleven-year-old Waylay. He needed to prove to himself he could still walk away from anything. Neither expected the pretense to feel so dangerously real, or that the past would come hunting them both with violence and vengeance in its wake.

Chapter 1: The Runaway Bride and the Case of Mistaken Identity

The morning sun blazed mercilessly over Knockemout as Naomi stumbled into Café Rev, wilted daisies still tangled in her hair and exhaustion weighing down her shoulders like a lead blanket. She'd driven through the night in a wedding dress, fleeing from an altar where she'd left Warner Dennison III standing in his perfectly pressed tuxedo. Now she faced a new nightmare: her own face staring back from a mugshot behind the coffee counter with a cheerful "Do Not Serve" sign. But the face wasn't hers. It belonged to Tina, her twin sister, the one who'd vanished from their lives over a decade ago only to resurface with that desperate phone call for help. The same sister who had just stolen Naomi's car and disappeared again, leaving behind an eleven-year-old daughter named Waylay that Naomi never knew existed. Knox Morgan stormed into the café like a man ready for war, his steel-gray eyes blazing with fury as he spotted what he thought was Tina Witt standing at the counter. The tattooed, bearded Viking of a man had dealt with enough of Tina's schemes to last a lifetime, and he wasn't in the mood for games. "Thought I made myself real clear," he growled, stepping into her personal space with the confidence of a man who owned half the town. Justice, the café owner, tried to intervene from behind the espresso machine, waving his hands frantically. "Hold on now, it's not what you think." The woman looked up at Knox with hazel eyes that held none of Tina's calculated hardness, only bone-deep weariness and a spark of defiance that caught him off guard. "I'm Naomi," she said, her voice carrying the refined cadence of someone who'd never spent a night in jail. "Tina's my sister." Knox felt the ground shift beneath his feet as he realized his mistake. This wasn't the bleach-blonde con artist who'd been terrorizing local businesses. This was someone else entirely, someone who looked like she'd been through hell and was still standing. When she finally got her hands on that precious latte and took her first sip, the inappropriate moan that escaped her lips sent an unwelcome jolt of electricity straight through his chest. The revelation that she was Tina's twin should have made things simpler, but Knox found himself more unsettled than before. Especially when they discovered her car had vanished from the parking lot, stolen by the very sister she'd driven hundreds of miles to help.

Chapter 2: Reluctant Guardian: Taking Responsibility for Family

The motel room looked like a tornado had torn through it, with Naomi's belongings scattered across the stained carpet and "SUCKER" scrawled across the bathroom mirror in her favorite lipstick. But the real shock came in the form of an eleven-year-old girl sitting on the bed, calmly watching a disaster movie while eating from a bag of chips. "Hey, Way," Knox said grimly, and Naomi felt her world tilt again as she realized this child, this stranger with Tina's stubborn chin and her own upturned nose, was her niece. Waylay looked at her new aunt with the kind of assessment that belonged on someone much older, the look of a kid who'd learned to evaluate adults for their potential to disappoint. "Thought you were dead," Waylay said matter-of-factly, and Naomi's heart cracked a little at the casual way the girl delivered the blow. Tina had stolen everything of value from the room, including Naomi's laptop and emergency cash, but she'd left behind the most precious thing of all, though she'd probably never see it that way. When Nash Morgan, the town's chief of police and Knox's brother, arrived to take statements, the full scope of Naomi's situation became clear. Tina wasn't coming back anytime soon, and if Naomi didn't step up as Waylay's guardian, the girl would disappear into the foster care system. The choice should have been impossible for someone who'd just blown up her own life, but looking at Waylay's carefully neutral expression, Naomi knew there was really no choice at all. Knox watched this exchange with growing frustration, not because he cared about Naomi's problems, but because he could see her making the same mistake she'd probably been making her whole life. She was cleaning up someone else's mess, and it was going to cost her everything she had left. But when Waylay slipped her small hand into Naomi's with cautious trust, something shifted in his chest that he didn't want to examine too closely. The cottage Knox led them to looked like something from a fairy tale, nestled among towering pine trees with a cheerful blue porch. Naomi fell in love with it instantly, which only made her more suspicious of his motives. The arrangement with his grandmother Liza J felt too good to be true: rent-free housing in exchange for help cleaning up her cluttered house.

Chapter 3: The Pretense of Love: A Convenient Arrangement

The job at Honky Tonk came courtesy of Sherry Fiasco, a whirlwind of a woman who hired Naomi as a server before Knox could properly object. The bar was his domain, all dark wood and leather with a country-meets-speakeasy vibe, and he took one look at Naomi in her tight Honky Tonk t-shirt and declared war. "What the fuck are you doing here?" he snarled, dragging her into Sherry's office like she'd committed a crime. The man who'd been almost kind to her and Waylay had vanished, replaced by the surly Viking she'd first encountered. When Naomi stood her ground, hitting him with her serving tray and refusing to back down, something shifted in the air between them. But Naomi had bills to pay and a child to feed, so she swallowed her pride and threw herself into the work. The physical demands of being on her feet for hours, the chaos of the busy bar, the challenge of managing difficult customers, it all served as a blessed distraction from the mess her life had become. Knox watched her every move with predatory intensity, waiting for her to fail. The poker game changed everything. What started as serving drinks to dangerous men like Lucian Rollins turned into an impromptu lesson in Texas Hold 'Em. When Naomi won a hand worth twenty thousand dollars, splitting the winnings with the men who'd staked her, she felt something she hadn't experienced in years: the thrill of taking a real risk and winning. Knox's reaction was explosive. He dragged her out of the room like she'd been playing with fire, lecturing her about the dangers of associating with criminals. "You need a goddamn keeper," he snarled, backing her against the supply room door with his body radiating heat and frustration. The moment stretched between them, charged with electricity that had nothing to do with anger. Knox's eyes dropped to her mouth, and Naomi found herself leaning into him despite every rational thought screaming at her to run. But his phone shattered the spell, and the moment passed, leaving them both shaken. That's when Knox made his proposal. She needed stability for the custody hearing. He needed people to stop trying to set him up. A fake relationship would solve both problems. Six months of pretending, then they'd go back to their separate lives. It was a business arrangement, nothing more.

Chapter 4: When Fake Feelings Become Dangerously Real

The guardianship hearing loomed like a storm on the horizon, and Yolanda Suarez, the caseworker, conducted her interviews with professional detachment. She took note of every detail: the cottage's cozy interior, Waylay's obvious comfort in her new environment, the network of support that had formed around them both. But it was Knox's presence that seemed to tip the scales. He played his part with surprising dedication. He showed up for Waylay's soccer games, cheering from the sidelines with genuine enthusiasm. He helped with back-to-school shopping, somehow knowing exactly what an eleven-year-old girl needed to feel confident. When Waylay's teacher took out her anger at Tina on an innocent child, Knox stood behind them like a protective wall while Naomi confronted the bitter woman. "Your mom got a lot of things mixed up, kiddo," Naomi told Waylay afterward. "You can wear dresses and makeup and build rockets. You can be anything you want to be." Knox had ruffled the girl's hair with genuine affection, and watching them together, Naomi realized the lines between pretense and reality were blurring beyond recognition. The breaking point came during a family dinner at Liza J's house. Knox's grandmother had welcomed them all with warmth that made Naomi's chest ache with longing. Waylay was laughing at something Knox said, her guard finally down. It felt like a real family. It felt like home. And that terrified Naomi more than any custody hearing ever could. The night everything changed started like any other. Naomi was working the closing shift when Knox appeared beside her at the bar. He'd been drinking, not drunk, but enough to soften his hard edges. When he looked at her, really looked at her, she saw something in those storm-gray eyes that made her pulse quicken. "You're not her," he said quietly, as if the realization was still surprising him. "No," Naomi agreed. "I'm not." He moved then, backing her against the bar with deliberate slowness, giving her every chance to stop him. But she didn't want to stop him. When his mouth crashed down on hers, it was with weeks of suppressed desire and frustration. They barely made it to his cabin, hands fumbling with buttons as they stumbled through his front door.

Chapter 5: Breaking Point: Fear Conquers Love

Warner's arrival in Knockemout shattered the illusion of safety like glass against stone. Naomi's ex-fiancé appeared at Honky Tonk on a busy Friday night, all polished charm and wounded entitlement. He'd tracked her down through persistence and privilege, unable to accept that the woman who'd managed every aspect of his life had simply walked away. "You made your point," Warner said, gripping her arms as he backed her against the hallway wall. "This little tantrum of yours is over. You're coming home with me." The smell of alcohol on his breath, the familiar tightness of his fingers on her skin, brought back memories Naomi had tried to bury. The night before their wedding when he'd slapped her in a restaurant parking lot. The months of subtle cruelty, of being made to feel like she should be grateful for his attention. Knox's intervention was swift and brutal. He appeared like a force of nature, his face carved from stone, his eyes promising violence. The first punch broke Warner's nose with a satisfying crunch. The second and third left him crumpled on the floor while Lucian Rollins calmly escorted him out, explaining in precise detail what would happen if he ever came near Naomi again. Later, in the safety of Knox's office, Naomi finally told him the whole truth. About Warner's drinking, his controlling behavior, the escalating violence. Knox listened with the stillness of a predator, his jaw clenched so tight she worried he might crack a tooth. "A man doesn't put hands on a woman like that. Ever," he said, his voice rough with suppressed rage. But the encounter had awakened something in Knox, a fear he'd been fighting since the moment Naomi walked into his life. The cottage break-in two days later, when Tina ransacked Naomi's sanctuary looking for something, only confirmed his worst suspicions. Everyone he cared about eventually got hurt. Everyone he loved eventually left. Knox found Naomi standing in the wreckage of her living room, trying to hold herself together through sheer force of will. Without a word, he wrapped her in his arms and held her while she finally let herself fall apart. But even as he comforted her, he was already pulling away, retreating behind familiar walls of self-protection.

Chapter 6: Crisis and Courage: Fighting for What Matters Most

The custody hearing arrived with the weight of finality. Naomi sat in the courthouse wearing her best dress, Knox beside her in a suit that made him look like a dangerous angel. Waylay fidgeted between them, her small hand gripping Naomi's with surprising strength. Yolanda Suarez presented her report with professional detachment, outlining challenges and strengths. The break-ins were mentioned, as was Warner's appearance. But she also spoke about the stability Naomi had provided, the support system she'd built, the clear bond between aunt and niece. "In my professional opinion," Yolanda concluded, "Waylay Witt is thriving in her current placement. Ms. Naomi Witt has demonstrated the commitment and capability necessary to provide permanent guardianship." The judge's gavel came down with finality. Waylay was hers. Legally, officially, permanently hers. But Knox's reaction wasn't celebration. He was quiet, almost withdrawn, and Naomi felt a chill that had nothing to do with the autumn air. That night, after the congratulations and relief, Knox found her in the kitchen washing dishes. "We did it," she said without turning around. "Waylay's safe. The custody thing is settled. We don't have to pretend anymore." "No," he agreed quietly. "We don't." The words hung between them like a blade. She turned to face him, seeing the decision already made in his eyes. "This was always temporary," he said, his voice carefully neutral. "We both knew that." "Did we?" she asked, her heart breaking with each word. "Because it stopped feeling temporary to me a long time ago." He looked at her for a long moment, and she saw the war playing out behind his eyes, love battling fear. For a heartbeat, she thought love might win. Then his expression shuttered, and she knew she'd lost. The call came at midnight three weeks later, shattering Knox's carefully constructed solitude. Someone had taken Waylay. His dog was missing too. And now Naomi herself had vanished from the bar's parking lot, leaving behind only her purse and coat.

Chapter 7: Hearts Reclaimed: Choosing Love Over Fear

Knox's world narrowed to a single, driving need: find them, save them, destroy anyone who had dared to touch what was his. Because they were his, had always been his, even when he'd been too much of a coward to claim them. The pretense had never been pretense at all, just the lie he'd told himself to make loving them feel safe. The warehouse squatted in an industrial wasteland outside D.C., all broken windows and rusted metal. Inside, Knox found his worst nightmare made real: Waylay tied to a chair, defiant even with duct tape over her mouth; Naomi facing down a gun-wielding psychopath with nothing but courage and desperate love for her niece. Duncan Hugo, son of a crime lord and twice as stupid, had gotten himself tangled up with Tina and her schemes. Now he held Knox's family hostage over a flash drive full of police informants' names, information that could get good cops killed and bad ones rich. Knox moved through Hugo's men like a force of nature, Lucian at his side, Nash coordinating with backup. But it was Naomi who saved herself and Waylay, driving her knee into Hugo's crotch and then his face with precision that would have made Knox proud if he hadn't been terrified out of his mind. When the dust settled and the sirens faded, Knox found himself on his knees in that dirty warehouse, holding the two people who meant everything to him, finally understanding that the fear of losing them was nothing compared to the fear of living without them. The proposal happened at Waylay's twelfth birthday party, in front of half of Knockemout and with chocolate cake smeared on the birthday girl's face. Knox had planned something private, but looking at Naomi surrounded by the family they'd built together, he realized this was exactly right. "I don't deserve you," he said, dropping to one knee on Liza's deck while their community cheered. "But I'm going to spend the rest of my life trying to be the kind of man who does." The ring was ridiculous, a massive diamond that caught the afternoon light and threw rainbows across her face. But it was the words that mattered, the promise behind them. Knox Morgan, who'd spent fifteen years running from love, was finally ready to stand still and fight for it.

Summary

In the end, Knox Morgan learned what his father never could: that love isn't a weakness to be feared but a strength to be claimed. The man who'd built walls to keep the world out discovered that the right people don't try to tear those walls down; they simply make you want to open the gates. Naomi found her courage not in perfection but in the messy, complicated business of building a life with people who see your flaws and choose you anyway. She learned that sometimes the best families are the ones you create, not the ones you're born into. And Waylay, the girl who'd been abandoned and forgotten, discovered that home isn't a place but the people who refuse to let you go, who fight for you even when you can't fight for yourself. In the small town of Knockemout, three broken hearts found their way to wholeness, proving that sometimes the most beautiful love stories are the ones that almost never happened at all. Sometimes the greatest act of courage isn't running toward something, but finally standing still long enough to let it catch you.

About Author

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Lucy Score

Score delves into the transformative power of love and community through her contemporary romance novels. Growing up in a family where reading was as essential as a meal, she naturally gravitated toward storytelling. This passion drove her to pursue a degree in journalism, a foundation that later informed her engaging narrative style. Score's writing is recognized for its humorous and emotionally resonant storytelling, often set against the backdrop of small towns. By combining laugh-out-loud humor with steamy romance and crafting heartbreaker heroes alongside kick-ass heroines, she offers her readers a delightful escape from reality.\n\nHer career took a significant turn when she was laid off from her job at a local newspaper in 2012, prompting her to pursue writing full-time. This decision proved fruitful as she transitioned from a self-published author to a New York Times bestseller. Notable works include "By a Thread" and the widely celebrated "Knockemout Series," starting with "Things We Never Got Over." These books not only entertained readers but also positioned her as a #1 Amazon Kindle Store Bestseller. Lucy Score's impact is further amplified through her accessible prose, which resonates with readers worldwide, as her books have been translated into over 30 languages.\n\nReaders benefit from Score's novels through their exploration of second chances and the deep bonds of family and friendship. Her stories offer not only entertainment but also insight into the human experience, often leaving readers with a sense of hope and fulfillment. Whether readers are drawn to her works for the romance or the humor, Score's ability to craft compelling narratives ensures that her audience remains engaged and eager for more.

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