When Knight Falls

by Nikki Rose

  “Did my invitation get lost in the mail?” Jess looked terrible. I hadn’t noticed that the other night. Her clothes that used to fit like they were made especially for her now hung loosely over her bony frame.

  “You weren’t invited.” Anthony had gained control of his voice as he crossed his arms and calmed himself.

  “Well, now I’m just hurt that you didn’t invite me. But, since I’m here, I should at least congratulate the little whore who managed to get her claws into you.” I gasped quietly and shrunk back into the crowd to remain hidden. I didn’t want to add more fuel to the fire.

  “Jess,” Anthony barked out louder, grabbing hold of her upper arm as she tried to walk away from him. He pulled himself back and took a breath. “Do not come here and start trouble. You and I were over way before I actually left, and it had nothing to do with Rachel.”

  “Of course it did. We never had a chance because you were infatuated with that skank since she was jailbait.” Jess motioned toward me and I cringed. I’d been spotted but I didn’t know what to say.

  Anthony glanced at me before turning back to Jess. “We never had a chance because you have always been a self-centered bitch.”

  The words had barely gotten out of his mouth before she brought her hand across his face with a loud crack. He clenched his jaw and took a forced breath. How dare this woman who treated him and Belle so badly come casting judgment and trying to ruin this day? Most of the people around had paused to stare at the spectacle. This had to stop before things really got out of hand.

  “How dare you, you asshole,” Jess screamed. It was at that point that Ryan and Dante stepped in. They came from either side of her and took her arms to pull her away. I could tell they were trying to be as gentle as possible. She wasn’t making it easy by kicking and thrashing around. Jess really was an expert at making a scene. “You just wait. I’ll get Belle in court and you will never see her again, you asshole. You hear me? Never,” she screeched.

  I took a deep breath as soon as she was out of sight and ran to Anthony.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. It was just Jess being Jess.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah.” He looked deep into my eyes and brushed a strand of my hair from my face. “Better now?” He grabbed me and pulled me to him, kissing me hard until the rest of the world faded away—just how we both liked it.

  “I think we’re still being watched,” I whispered to him with a giggle.

  “Shit, that was some scene for everyone.” Anthony and I both looked around the room.

  “Where’s Belle?”

  I spotted Liz off to the side and we hurried to her.

  “Mom, where’s Belle? Tell me she didn’t hear that,” Anthony asked.

  She grimaced. “At first she wanted to go see her mom. I told her we should wait until after you talked to her. When things got worse, Belle started to cry.”

  Damn it. Why does Jess insist on making Anthony and Belle’s lives hell?

  “Where is she now?” I asked anxiously.

  “Sarah took her into the kitchen to find a treat. She figured Belle couldn’t hear as much from there.”

  “Thanks, Mom. I’m going to go check on her.”

  “Me too.” I followed Anthony into the kitchen and found Sarah with Belle making an ice cream float.

  “Hey, princess, what are you making there?”

  Belle turned around and smiled at us. “A float. You want one?”

  “No, thanks,” Anthony chuckled.

  “Is Mommy still here?”

  “No, sweetie, she had to leave.”

  “Oh.” Her face fell. “Why was she so angry?”

  “I don’t know, baby girl.”

  “Why doesn’t she like Rachel? She was calling her bad names. Is Rachel really why you and Mommy don’t live together anymore?” I cringed at knowing that innocent little girl had to have heard the horrible things her mom had said.

  “Come here, princess,” Anthony called her over and they sat together at the kitchen table.

  “I’m going to let you two talk.” I excused myself and Sarah joined me, though I stood near the doorway so I could still listen.

  “Mommy and I weren’t working out all on our own. Sometimes two people just aren’t meant to be together. I tried really hard, for you. I didn’t want you to have parents who weren’t together and I’m sorry that you are having to go through all this now.”

  “I like Rachel.”

  “I’m glad you do.”

  “Is Mommy upset because Rachel will be my mommy too?”

  “Rachel will never take your mom’s place, but I think you might be right that maybe she doesn’t like that Rachel will be in our lives too.”

  “I think that’s why Mommy is so upset.”

  “How’d you get so smart?”

  “I don’t know.” Belle giggled as Anthony ruffled her hair.

  “You ready to go back to the party?”

  “Uh-huh. Can I take my float?”

  “Just be careful not to spill it.”

  “Okay, Daddy.”

  I heard them making their way toward me and I turned away, trying to not be so obvious.

  “Waiting on us?”

  “Of course.” I smiled at Anthony then at Belle, who was drinking her float. “Everything better now?”

  “I think so.” He wrapped his arm around my waist and softly kissed my lips.

  The rest of the party went off without a hitch. We ate and talked and laughed. It was truly a celebration of mine and Anthony’s love.

  Once all of the guests had left, Tony and Liz walked Anthony, Belle and me to the door.

  “You guys drive safely,” Tony said as he gave us each a hug goodbye.

  “Always do, Dad,” Anthony assured him.

  “Call me later this week. We really should go back out to the range together soon. The guys have been asking where you’ve been.”

  “That would be great. I’ll call you once I figure out my schedule for the week,” Anthony answered.

  “Love you, honey,” Liz said to Anthony as she hugged him then hugged me and whispered into my ear just before pulling back, “Thank you for making my son so happy.”

  We exchanged smiles and headed home again.

  Chapter Ten

  Rachel

  “Oh my god.” Sarah gawked at me.

  “Pretty!” Belle squealed, as I adjusted myself on the small stage-like area that they had insisted I stand on while modeling the wedding gowns.

  It was the seventh dress I had tried on. All the others had been met with mild excitement, but this one felt different. The saleslady adjusted the full-length mirrors so I could see myself better. I gazed emotionally at the soft flow of the white satin and elegant gold detailing. It was perfect. I imagined—not what I’d look like in the dress as I walked down the aisle—but what Anthony would look like as he saw me walking toward him.

  “This is the one,” I stated definitively.

  “I couldn’t agree more.” Liz finally spoke up and I caught her wiping a tear from her cheek. “You look absolutely beautiful.”

  “And it doesn’t look like it even needs alterations,” Katrina, the saleslady, added before she excused herself for a moment.

  “She’s right,” Sarah said from the viewing couch. “It fits like it was made for you.”

  I twisted and turned in front of the mirror for several minutes longer, imagining my wedding day. “You said I’d know when I saw the right one, but I had no idea how true that was.” I stared in awe at myself—in a wedding dress. “Oh my God.”

  “What?” Em jumped from her position near the back of our group.

  “I’m getting married,” I squealed and bounced with excitement.

  Sarah, Em and Liz laughed just as Katrina returned with a pile of gold-and-white satin in her arms. She seemed to be almost as excited as we were about my wedding.

  “Forgive me, but as soon as I saw you in that dress, I got i
nspired. I hope you don’t mind, but I took the liberty of picking out a few veil ideas for you to try.”

  “I’m open to suggestions, especially when we’re on such a time crunch.”

  “Wonderful.” She placed the pile on the arm of a chair and sifted through until she pulled out a sheer white veil, trimmed in gold lace that matched the dress perfectly. “This was actually made by the same designer as the dress. I thought it would be perfect.” She moved to hold the veil up to my hair so I could get the overall look, and she was right. It was perfect.

  “Definitely. Thank you so much.”

  She grinned and almost ran back to the pile. My approval of the veil seemed to fuel her excitement. She had barely laid out the soft gold bridesmaid dress before Sarah grabbed it up and held it against her.

  “Oh yes, I could definitely pick up a guy or two in this,” Sarah said as she checked herself out in the mirror.

  “And there’s this.” Katrina held up the small white dress with gold lace lining the bottom.

  “Oh, Belle. Look at that dress. Isn’t it beautiful?”

  “That’s for me?”

  “Do you like it?”

  “I love it even more than my Belle dress! Can I wear it now?”

  “We can let you try it on to make sure it fits, but then you can’t wear it dresses until the wedding so it doesn’t get messed up, okay?” Liz said as she led Belle to the changing room.

  “Do you have these dresses in more sizes?” Sarah asked. “I have to pick up mine and the other bridesmaid’s, who couldn’t make it today.”

  “Oh yes, please, come with me and we’ll get you all sorted out. Do you know your sizes?” Katrina led Sarah off to get their dresses.

  I couldn’t believe how easily everything was coming together. Anthony and I deserved easy for once. I thought about Anthony and that look he’d given me right before he’d told me he loved me. It was the same look he used to give me back when we were in school. I just hadn’t known what it meant back then. He’d loved me all along. The idea of all those lost years we could have been together made me sad. But I couldn’t truly regret them. They’d made us who we were. They’d also given us Belle, and I loved that little girl like she was my own.

  Once I’d changed, Katrina wrapped up all the dresses for us and checked us out. I’d heard horror stories about planning weddings, but it was all so easy. Maybe it’s different when the focus isn’t on the wedding itself but on the person you’re marrying? That was the ultimate goal, after all.

  * * * *

  Anthony

  I stood out by my truck in the store parking lot. The sign out front advertised Men’s Formalwear. I was the first to arrive. I guess maybe I was a little excited—not so much about the tux fitting—clothes were clothes, after all—but about marrying Rachel. She was finally going to be mine—officially.

  “You ready for this?” Dante said with a slap on my shoulder.

  “The tux fitting? Yeah, once everyone gets here.”

  “Nah, man. I mean marriage. It’s a big step.”

  “I’m more than ready.”

  “You’ve got it bad.”

  “I’ve had it bad for years.”

  “You used to say she was just a kid.”

  “That’s because you used to tease me like hell about her.”

  “Only because you couldn’t stop gawking at her every time you saw her. You were an easy target.”

  “Thanks.” I chuckled and slapped his shoulder.

  I remembered the first time I’d ever seen Rach. I had been just about to start high school when my dad told me the bad news that we were moving. He’d gotten a better job offer he couldn’t pass up, and so my whole life had been turned upside down. Not only was I nervous about starting high school, but I was also going to have to start with a bunch of strangers in a place I knew nothing about.

  I’d tried to be a good soldier and had kept a positive attitude as best I could, but I’d sulked as I helped him carry boxes from the moving truck into the new house. That had been when I’d seen her. There had been this beautiful girl with soft blonde curls and gorgeous blue eyes staring at me from her upstairs window.

  I’d pretended not to notice her but had watched her out of the corner of my eye. She was young—too young, I’d reminded myself. She had to be at least a couple years behind me. I’d known I had to stay away, but those bright doe eyes had been burned into my brain from then on.

  Every time I’d seen her, it had been like a magnet pulling me toward her. It had only gotten worse when our parents had become good friends and insisted we hang out all the time. I’d been nice to her. That part had been easy. It was keeping her at a distance that had been hard. I’d been constantly drawn to her, but eventually, I’d convinced myself that she was just a kid and nothing more than that.

  I’d done a good job of keeping things friendly between us when we’d hung out, because I was constantly on guard. It had been the moments at night, lying in my bed, when her eyes would pop into my mind, which were dangerous.

  When I had been a senior in high school and she was a freshman, our ages hadn’t seemed as far apart. But, by that point, it had been too late. We were securely in the friend zone. Rach had become my best friend and it was something I wasn’t willing to risk. I would have rather had her as a friend than not have her at all.

  “Dude… Hey man, where’d you go?” Dante elbowed my arm.

  “Sorry. A lot on my mind.”

  “Not getting cold feet, are you?”

  “Nah, I’m good.”

  “I was trying to tell you that it looks like your dad and soon-to-be father-in-law carpooled. They just pulled in.”

  “Great, now we just need Ryan.”

  “Someone mention me?” Ryan came from behind us and wrapped his arms around both our shoulders.

  “Speak of the devil. How you doing, man?”

  “Good…and you?” Ryan shook Dante’s hand.

  “Better than this guy. About to walk to the gallows in a couple weeks, huh?”

  “You do know I’m standing right here?” I rolled my eyes at them both.

  “Hey, boys, we ready?” My dad interrupted and I gave him a grateful smile.

  “Let’s get this done.”

  * * * *

  “I’m home,” I called out to Rachel the minute I stepped inside the apartment.

  Rachel hurried down the hall and into the living room, wrapping her arms around my neck and giving me a quick kiss.

  “How’d the fitting go?”

  “We’re all set.”

  “Oh, good.”

  “Did you find a dress?”

  Rachel nodded and smiled.

  “It’s not here, is it? I don’t want to accidentally see it before the ceremony.”

  “No. Sarah was dropping it off at my dad’s.”

  “Good.” I pulled Rachel to the couch and into my lap.

  “Not to spoil the moment, but have you heard anything about Ian yet?”

  “Nothing solid.”

  “Doesn’t that appear odd to you? It seems like someone would be talking about something.”

  “After losing the surveillance on you, he may be trying to figure out his next move.”

  “Well, that doesn’t make me feel any better.” I scowled.

  “That’s why we have Dante and Em to help out.”

  “Are you sure we should be getting married right now? I mean, what if he tries something at the wedding?”

  “We can’t stop living our lives because Ian may or may not do something. We can’t give him that kind of power. Besides, our wedding is going to be one of the safest places we could be, with all the guys from the agency there.”

  “That’s true. And you're sure Belle will be safe with your parents while we’re on our honeymoon?”

  “Dante and Em will be there with them. Rach, relax. Let me worry about all that stuff. If Ian does show his face, we'll take him down and it will be a wedding present to both of us.”


  “Okay.”

  A to-do list on the coffee table caught my eye and I leaned up to get it. “Wow.” I looked down, gaping at the almost-finished list. “You’ve been busy.”

  “Sarah’s been a lot of help. I couldn’t have done it without her.”

  Rachel and Sarah were a wedding-planning machine. The wedding would be on the fourteenth—just a little over a week before Christmas. It was cutting things close with the holidays, but it worked for us. We would be gone for five nights on our honeymoon and be back in plenty of time for all the Christmas festivities.

  I was in charge of planning the honeymoon and refused to tell Rachel where we were going. Other than clearing a few details with me, Rachel and Sarah had most of the major wedding components taken care of. I swore that when those two got together, there was no stopping them.

  “I’m sorry I pushed for the wedding to be so soon. I didn’t realize how much went into all the planning for it.”

  “Anthony, it’s okay, really. It’s been fun and Sarah has been a huge help.”

  “You’re amazing.” I kissed her soft, plump lips and pulled her closer to me on the couch.

  She giggled as she nuzzled against my chest. “So you keep telling me.”

  “And I’ll keep on telling you for the rest of our lives.” I kissed the top of her head and held her close.

  Chapter Eleven

  Rachel

  “Rachel, Rachel, guess what?” Belle’s excited little voice woke me from a dead sleep.

  “What is it, rugrat?” I mumbled into my pillow and pulled the blanket over my shoulders.

  “I’m spending the night at Aunt Sarah’s tonight and she said we are going to do makeovers.” She squealed.

  “You are?” That caught my attention and forced me from my sleep. Belle didn’t usually stay at Sarah’s apartment and Anthony hadn’t mentioned it to me.

  I rolled over and squinted in the bright room lit by the large window. I was just in time to see Anthony come to the doorway. He leaned on the doorjamb, displaying his bare muscular chest and low-rise jeans. He looked like a dream and I was sure I looked like a mess.