Page 12 of Knight's Desire

“Lil Bit, it’s me. You can tell me what’s going on.”

Her face softened, and her bottom lip trembled ever so slightly. He encircled her into his arms. She never shed a tear, but he could feel her shaking with pent-up emotion. He fought back the urge to find out who hurt her feelings and beat the little shit to a pulp.

“Talk to me, Lil Bit. I can’t help if I don’t know.”

“The boy I want to go to the dance with asked somebody else. I thought we were friends, and we could just go and have fun. But he likes another girl in our class. He wants her to be his girlfriend. I guess…I just thought…I mean, I didn’t think he cared about that stuff. Like I don’t.”

“Are all your friends going with a date? Maybe if they’re not, you could all go together and just have fun like you wanted. I could get you a limo and drive all of you there. I’ll even treat you to dinner at Mama Bella’s. Your Aunt Bridget can find you a beautiful outfit to wear, and you can get your hair and nails done or whatever you want. All the other kids will be totally jealous.”

“Won’t Mat be mad? He’s going too. Davi’s going with him. Won’t they want dinner and a limo?”

Brick smiled at how the young girl didn’t want to hurt her brother’s feelings or that of Davi’s. Mathias and Davi were closer in age, so once Davi was adopted by Jay and Payton, she instantly formed a bond with Mat. Though the women speculated the two might have romantic feelings for each other, the teenagers maintained they were just friends. They often included Marlowe and Davi’s sister Stephanie when they hung out, so Brick was inclined to believe the teenagers.

Brick set Marlowe away from him enough to look into her face. “We’ll let Zane worry about that. You need me, and I want to do everything I can to put a smile back on your cute little face.”

He saw the beginning of a smile touch her face, and he hoped that meant he succeeded in cheering her up. But then she turned serious, and he realized the storm had not yet passed.

“What if there’s no one to go with me?”

“Then you and I will go on a date that night. I’ll take you to Mama Bella’s, and I’ll be your date to the dance if that’s what you want. I’m not a very good dancer, but I’m too scary looking for the kids to make fun of me.”

Marlowe giggled. “You’re not scary to me.”

“That’s because you’re my Lil Bit. I want the others to see me as scary because then they’ll know not to mess with you.” He winked at her, and she grinned before throwing her arms around his neck. She squeezed him tightly enough to choke him, but he hugged her back without asking her to loosen her hold.

“Thanks, Brick. I’m gonna text my friends to see who wants to go. You’re the best.”

He stood as she hurried off into the other room. He shook his head at how one minute her world was ending and the next she was happy and excited. As much as he loved that kid, he didn’t envy the handful she could be for Zane and Bridget. She may not have any boys asking her for dates now, but when they got their heads out of their asses and realized what a pretty and sweet girl she was, he would be standing by Zane’s side with a shotgun waiting to warn them off.

For now, he just needed to give Zane a heads up about the big promise he made to Marlowe.

Chapter Six

With a flick of her wrists, Hope draped the train in a dramatic billow of lace and crystals. She studied the fitted wedding dress with a critical eye. Clips bound the material, so it molded to her bride’s curvy body, giving her the definition she was looking for. The silhouette was lovely, though the deep V neckline and wide straps could possibly give the bride a reason to keep looking.

“What do we think?” She listened to the bride discuss the pros and cons with her mother and two bridesmaids, who sat on the settee with their complimentary waters. The group had been fun and sweet, providing opinions that only supported the bride’s decision rather than trying to control the appointment. Though her empty stomach was ready for the appointment to be done, she’d enjoyed working with this bride.

She was right in her assessment, and soon she had the bride back in the dressing room trying on a similar silhouette but without straps and a sweetheart neckline. The effect was stunning, and the tears that welled in the bride’s eyes as she stared in the mirror told Hope that this was the bride’s dream dress. Hope’s chest swelled with pride.

The bride and her group were gushing over the dress when Kayla approached Hope, her smile looking a bit forced.

“Can I see you for just a moment?”

“Can this wait? We’re wrapping up.” Hope studied Kayla curiously since it was unlike her assistant to interrupt her time with a client.

“Just a moment. It’s important.”

Hope nodded and turned to her bride with a smile. “I’m sorry. I need to step away for a few minutes, but would you like for me to bring a veil when I return? So you can get the full effect?”

She left them excited about the idea of seeing the entire outfit with a veil and a few accessories Hope had in mind. She hurried to the front desk where Kayla waited for her.

“Is it Mrs. O’Leary again?”

Kayla shook her head. “No, nothing like that. I wanted to show you this.” She pointed to the computer screen. “I was getting orders ready to place with the designers, and I came across this. Now, unless there’s something you forgot to tell me, I’m thinking we have a problem with the system.”

Hope’s eyes followed Kayla’s finger and blinked, certain her eyes deceived her. “That’s an order for the ball gown I designed…for me? Right? That’s what I’m seeing, isn’t it? This is an order with me as the bride. Why would that…I don’t understand. How did…”

“I don’t know. This is the first time I’ve noticed it. I thought maybe one of us got distracted and inputted the wrong name in the client box on the form, but I don’t have an order form for the ball gown at all. I’m not sure how this got in the system.”

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