Page 19 of Mine to Keep

He could tell she was embarrassed, but she still nodded.

“Let me get some work done, and then we’ll have dinner and maybe watch a movie before bed.”

“I’d like that,” she said.

Roland gathered up the basket and blanket before takingher hand and leading her back to the house.

After dropping off the things, they both thanked Betsy and walked down the hall to his office.

“Pick whatever you want.”

She nodded and checked out one of the shelves. She’d take one down, read the back of the cover, and then put it back.

He looked up a few minutes later when she called out his name.

“If it’s all right, I’ll take this up to the bedroom.”

“That’s fine, Pet. I’ll come and get you when dinner is ready.”

Roland watched her walk out and almost called her back. He didn’t like her to be out of his sight. His protective instincts were intense, considering his involvement in the Good Knight Society, but with her, they ran deeper.

He went over several coded emails from the Society. The group made sure they did everything they could to keep them from being discovered with encrypted emails, rooms where they couldn’t be heard, and they never talked about anything out in the open, no matter what or where it was.

When Roland looked up, he noticed the clock and realized how much time had passed. He closed his computer, turned off the lights, and made his way to the stairs. He was on the second step when he heard Laila’s voice in the kitchen.

He stopped right outside the room so he could see and listen but stayed out of sight. He grinned when the women started laughing. He could tell they’d already become friends, and he was pleased. He’d do anything he could do to make Laila’s life better.

He stepped into the kitchen. “Are you two messing around, because I’m hungry?”

The women looked at each other and burst into laughter again.

“It’s ready,” Betsy said. “Go on into the dining room, and I’ll bring the plates in. Your father said he’d eat with you.”

Roland almost rolled his eyes. The intimate dinner he’d been looking for was out of the question now. He reached for Laila’s hand and tugged her into the other room. He sat at one end of the table and placed her on his right. When his father walked in, he took the other end. Although the table was long, they could still talk easily without yelling to be heard.

“There’s my beautiful daughter-in-law,” his father said.

She smiled. “Thank you.”

Roland could tell she was nervous being around his father, so she barely talked. Roland kept the conversation going to prevent his father from asking her a lot of questions.

“So, how are the newlyweds?”

“We’re fine, Father. Just getting to know each other,” Roland said.

“It takes time,” Walter said.

“We know,” Roland said.

When the dinner was finished, he stood and helped her to her feet. “We’re going to watch a movie in our room before we go to bed, so we’ll see you in the morning.”

Walter nodded. “Very good. Sleep well.”

Roland wrapped an arm around Laila’s waist and led her up the stairs and into their room.

“Why don’t you take a shower and get into your nightgown? That way, you can go right to sleep after the movie.”

“All right.”

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