Page 40 of Saint
Again, going with my gut, I gathered her in my arms and lifted her, so she was lying next to me, her back to the couch, her little head propped up in my chest.
“Once upon a time, there lived a Queen and a Princess in a really bad house.” I started.
“And one day, when a Knight came upon the two of them, he was mesmerized. So mesmerized by their beauty that he knewhe needed to do something about it or risk the chance of never having such beauty in his life ever again.”
Her little eyes got even wider.
I nodded, “Oh yeah. Beauty as far as the eye could see. So, in order to make that happen, the Knight set out a plan to ask the Queen out for dinner.”
“Wait! You did that!” she shouted.
I winked, “The Knight did it. See, the Knight had never before seen a Queen and a Princess that had captured his heart like they had. And the Knight knew that the Princess was the Queen’s pride and joy. And when she said yes to dinner, the Knight felt something in his heart crack open.”
Soraya’s eyes were locked with mine.
“So, after their dinner, which had been perfect, he took the Queen home. And then, when the Queen bent down to gather her Princess in her arms, the Knight had stepped in. Because a Knight always does the lifting for his Queen and his Princess.”
“He does?” she asked.
I nodded, “Most Knights are big. They are made that way so they can be there for their fair maiden in every way imaginable, and they will stand strong and fierce.”
She nodded.
“So when the Knight carried the Princess into their home, he saw something on their ceiling that wasn’t right. And the Knight, being the type of Knight he was, gathered both and brought them to his castle. A castle that has never known the kind of warmth and love they would bring to it.” I told her.
Then I lowered my voice and said, “Can you keep a secret?”
Her little head bobbed.
“The Knight had this house built for himself, but it wasn’t until he saw the Queen and the Princess in it, that he understood why he built it.”
Something from the corner of my eye caught my attention, and I looked over, just in time to see Ophelia wipe a tear from her cheek from where she stood against the entrance to the hallway.
Obviously seeing her mother, Soraya jumped down, scaring me to death, and raced to her.
She started telling her about the story as Ophelia listened intently, her eyes coming to me over Soraya’s head a few times.
I was in the kitchen getting breakfast ready when I heard, “Did you mean that?”
I set the spatula down, turned, and looked at her.
Her blonde hair was falling around her shoulders; she had on a pair of black leggings that hugged every single delectable curve and a long-sleeved red shirt.
Her little feet were bare.
“Mean what?” I asked.
She made her way over to me, stopping when she was an inch away from me.
“What you told Soraya about knowing that the Queen and the Princess would bring warmth and love into his home?”
I had to grab the edge of the counter to stop myself from reaching out for her, pulling her close.
Instead, I simply nodded.
She seemed to process my response for a few seconds, and then she whispered, “This might be too soon.”
I lifted a brow, “What might be too soon?”
