Page 9 of Beneath the Flames
“Sim,” he stated, his eyes glowing with pride.
Lea whispered to Brie. “That means ‘yes’ in Portuguese.”
Brie turned to her and asked in surprise, “You’re learning to speak Portuguese?”
Lea laughed. “Let’s just say I’m trying to.”
Brie hadn’t noticed that Hope had climbed down from the chair and toddled her way over to Hunter. There was no mistaking how captivated she was by the young Dom when she held up the snapdragons to him.
“I think someone is smitten with you,” Brie told him.
He chuckled good-naturedly and winked at Hope as he took the flowers from her. Breaking the stalk, he tucked one piece into Hope’s hair and the other into Lea’s.
Brie found it charming that Hunter was so easy around children despite not having any of his own and commented, “You’re a real natural with kids.”
He shrugged. “I was the youngest in my family and my older sisters had children while I was growing up. Having a house full of kids seems normal to me.”
Brie loved getting more insight into Hunter’s childhood and smiled at Lea.
Although her BFF referred to children as “little aliens”, Brie felt certain Lea would make a wonderful mother based on her interactions with Brie’s children.
“When do you expect Master Nosh and his wife to arrive?” Brie asked Lea.
Hunter answered for her. “They are private people and requested a quiet room far from the activities on the ship.”
Sir chuckled. “I’m certain this cruise is a bit out of their comfort zone.”
“It is,” Hunter agreed. “However, both Nenove and Master Nosh are adventurous spirits and said they were looking forward to the experience.”
Brie was excited to finally meet Nosh’s wife in person. Whenever Sir spoke about her it was always with reverence. However, Nenove had never attended a gathering while Brie had been at the Training Center, so she knew very little about the woman.
Leaning over to Lea, she whispered, “Have you mether before?”
She shook her head. “Nope. That’s one reason I was so thrilled that they both agreed to come.”
“This should be interesting…” Brie murmured, imagining a woman as serious and quiet as Master Nosh.
Hunter glanced at his watch. “The ship will be departing soon.”
Lea grinned down at Hope. “Would you like to wave goodbye to people?”
Knowing how much her daughter loved to wave, Brie was not surprised when she nodded enthusiastically.
“It was one of my favorite things to do as a kid,” Lea told Brie.
Hunter let Lea take the lead as she took them on a quick tour of the ship as they made their way to the Lido Deck. Brie was amazed by the size of the posh theater, the opulence of the formal dining room, and the engaging children’s area with its kid-sized furniture, tons of toys, and an extensive craft center.
It was truly a kid’s paradise.
The moment Hope saw it, she immediately tried to wiggle out of Sir’s arms so she could go play.
“Don’t you want to wave bye-bye, little angel?” Sir reminded her. Hope looked up at him and immediately stopped fussing. But, as he led her away, she glanced back and pointed at it longingly.
When they finally arrived at the Lido Deck, Brie was taken aback by the bird’s eye view they had of the port. “I can’t believe how high up we are!”
Sir lifted Hope higher to see and she started waving the second she spotted the people down below makinglast minute preparations for the ship’s departure. One of the workers happened to look up and waved back at her, causing Hope to squeal in delight.
When the ship finally began to move, a horn blasted, announcing in a whimsical tune that the ship was leaving the port. Hope laughed as she waved enthusiastically with both hands at everyone below.
