Page 34 of Enchanted with the Orc
“Hello, little one,” he told her, as solemn as ever. I don’t think I’d ever seen this male smile in the two weeks we’d known him.
“It’s my birthday,” she announced, and I swore I saw the corner of his lips twitch.
“Yes, I heard,” he said, looking over at Enka, amusement brimming in his gaze. “The playroom’s ready for you,” he told us, turning to face double doors that had a giant pink sign in front of them.
Gabbi’s Birthday Party
A grin crossed my face as he opened the door. The loud sound of laughter filled the room and I was startled by the blast of sound.
Children of all ages were inside, all over the room. There was a huge mix of tube mazes, slides, ball pits, video games, as well as tables for eating. There were pink and purple balloons all over, being tossed between children and over heads. I looked around in shock, but my daughter had no such problem.
She squealed with joy as Darak’s voice boomed across the room. “The birthday girl’s here!”
The announcement was met with cheers, and most of the children ran in our direction. Darak lowered Gabbi and she ran straight toward the children, meeting them halfway. Tiny little humans, goblins, orclings and a mix of tiny beings.
“How did you do this?” I breathed, my fingers pressed to my lips and making me wonder if they heard me.
I shouldn’t have worried. Enka was watching my daughter, but his focus encompassed me as well.
“We sent an invitation to the rest of the hotel. For any parents with children who wanted their children to attend a supervised birthday party,” he told me, looking as though he was ready to snatch Gabbi up from the rambunctious group of children.
Especially when she was grabbed into a hug by a little centaur boy who pressed a kiss to her cheek. I grabbed him by his wrist as he lunged toward them, and I shouldn’t have been able to stop him. He was toobig, too immovable, but he stilled right away, looking back at me with incredulous eyes.
“Hekissed her,” he snarled, and I’d never seen him annoyed before. It should have frightened me, but instead, I laughed.
“She’sfine,” I told him, delight clear in my voice. “It was a kiss on the cheek. She’ll survive.”
“He shouldn’t do that,” he told me, as the little centaur led Gabbi off with her hand in his, toward the ball pit.
“He’s being friendly,” I explained, trying to be soothing.
“Toofriendly,” he groused, narrowing his eyes on the tiny male.
“Come on,” I chuckled, tugging him in the direction of the tables, just noticing the adults scattered inside the room. They were all wearing uniforms, and were ensuring that none of the children were hurt as they played.
I looked over at Darak, noticing that he was leaning against the closed doors of the playroom. Gratitude filled my chest as I realized we were protected here as well.
“Thank you for this,” I told Enka in a low voice as he took a seat next to me at the table, covered from end to end with food and snacks. “You don’t know how grateful I am. I’m always worried she isn’t getting enough interaction with other children her age.”
He nodded, his brow furrowed before he said, “We can set up weekly play dates.” He still hadn’t looked away from where Gabbi had climbed onto the little centaur’s back as he cantered around the room. They were both laughing raucously, and I smothered a laugh at Enka’s deep scowl. “With everyone excepthim.”
I smothered my laugh, nodding as if I was taking him seriously—when Idefinitelywasn’t. “I’d really like that,” I murmured, realizing that I still had his wrist in my hand. I looked down at it, sliding my palm until I was touching his hand instead.
Thatdistracted him, and his head turned sharply, looking down at where our hands were joined. He looked up at me, something that was close to hope brimming in his gaze. And I couldn’t do anything but give him a tentative smile.
Chapter Twenty
Tasia
“You’ve been an amazing friend,” I whispered, and that smile that I was becoming obsessed with curled his lips as he wrapped his big fingers around mine.
“I’d love to be your friend,” he murmured, and everything inside of me softenedat that.
Good. He isn’t asking for more. I can deal with friends.
“You can trust me, Tasia,” he told me, and that emotion that I was avoiding swirled in my chest again as I nodded.
I looked away, not sure what to say, but keeping my fingers twined with his.
