Marry Me, Mr Knight

Chapter2

For two long seconds after she said that, they went completely silent.

“Bryce,” Lara called out softly with a pout.

Instead of a cold response, Bryce suddenly burst out laughing.

He laughed so hard, it was as if he had just heard the biggest joke of the century. He covered his face with his hands, his shoulders shaking from sheer amusement.

Lara grinned, still holding the rose up. “I’m still waiting, Mr. Knight.”

Bryce lowered his hands, shaking his head like she was absolutely crazy, though a genuine smile still tugged at his lips. “Are you serious?”

Lara gave him one of her most dazzling, goofy smiles and winked. “Of course. Marry me, Mr. Knight. Let me rescue you from the evil clutches of Grandma May’s matchmaking. And I promise to always let you keep the biggest fries.”

He burst into another round of laughter, and Lara joined him this time.

The heavy tension that had filled the room completely disappeared.

Lara got back to her feet, dusted off her jeans, and tossed the rose onto his lap before sliding back into her own seat.

She felt a wave of relief knowing she had finally cracked through his dark mood.

She pointed to the rose. “You can keep it. Consider it a priceless family heirloom from Hayes.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Bryce said, still grinning. He twirled the rose between two fingers, looking completely amused. “Now, what am I supposed to do with this? Give it to Grandma May?”

“Sure! If you want to give her a heart attack. At least I was helpful, and that’s what matters.”

Bryce chuckled. “Helpful? Because you proposed to me with a stolen flower?”

Lara rolled her eyes. “Bro, I liberated the flower. Didn’t you see? It looked so bored in that vase. And now look how cute it looks against your expensive suit,” she replied with a bright smile.

She watched Bryce continue to toy with the flower. She loved seeing him like this… back to the familiar Bryce she knew, not the grumpy, untouchable CEO the rest of the world feared.

“You know that if the manager saw you do that, we’re never getting allowed back in here,” Bryce said.

“Why not? Who would ever stop the great Bryce Knight from entering their establishment? Besides, we’ve been coming here since we were sixteen. They’ll forgive me.”

“Who says they’re going to stop me?” He reached across the table and lightly flicked her forehead with his fingers. “They’d ban you, Hayes. Not me.”

She rubbed her forehead dramatically, picking up her fork to dive back into her food. “We’re two of a kind. Wherever you go, I go. If a place accepts you, they accept me. Vice versa.”

She used her fork to shove a large chunk of chicken into her mouth. It barely fit, causing a tiny bit of sauce to spill onto her cheek.

Bryce just shook his head, a fond look passing through his eyes.

He set the rose down on the table between them and checked his watch. “I told Grandma May I won’t be coming into the office today.”

Lara’s eyes bulged. “Really?” she asked around a mouthful of food.

She was genuinely surprised. Bryce had been so buried under corporate work lately that having him all to herself for a whole day felt like a luxury.

A massive burst of happiness flared in her chest, but she quickly suppressed it.

She couldn’t let it show, or his ego would skyrocket.

He scoffed, laughing softly. “Yeah. That means we have all the time in the world. So slow down and don’t choke.”

Lara hissed at him playfully, ignoring his warning and focusing entirely on her plate.

They finally left the restaurant a few minutes past four.

By the time Bryce parked outside her apartment building, Lara was confident he had completely forgotten about his family’s marriage drama. “Want to go for a walk?” Bryce asked, keeping the car’s engine running.

“Bryce, I’m…”

Before Lara could finish her sentence, her phone began to blast its ringtone. She pulled it out and sighed.

“Hey, Mom.”

“Lara, baby, I’m sorry to bother you again. It’s just…” Her mother’s voice possessed that particular, quiet calmness that Lara had learned to dread.

“Mom, what is it this time?”

“Milo’s tuition fee is due this Friday. I completely forgot to tell you about it, and your dad’s hours got cut again this month. I know you just sent us money last night, but…”

“Mom!” Lara called out, squeezing her eyes shut as she fought to control her rising temper. She was so close to losing it.

“I sent you literally everything I had last night. I have absolutely nothing left with me here.”

“I know, sweetheart. I know, and I hate asking, but it’s just four hundred dollars…”

“I’ll call you later, Mom. I’m busy right now.” Lara cut the call before her mother could say another word.

She hung up and sat in the passenger seat, staring blankly out the window.

When she finally turned around, she caught Bryce watching her intensely.

“Are you good?” Bryce asked softly.

“Yeah.” Lara forced a smile and looked up at the sky. “It’s getting late. I think it’s high time I just go upstairs. I’m too tired for a walk right now. Let’s reschedule so I can actually digest all this free food.”

She rubbed her stomach and pouted.

“Okay. Fine,” he said with a smile, though his eyes remained fixed on her.

Lara stepped out of the car, waving goodbye before heading up to her apartment.

The moment she got to her bedroom, she collapsed face-first onto her bed. The emotional exhaustion from her mother’s phone call was draining the life out of her.

As she lay there drifting off, her mind automatically wandered back to Alex.

“Hope he’s fine,” she muttered, forcing herself to sit up and grab her phone. She opened his contact.

The last text she had sent him the previous night sat there completely ignored. A single, lonely checkmark stared back at her.

Still too busy?

A cold, heavy reality settled in her chest.

Alex was always busy. He was always working. But lately, the distance between them felt more and more like a physical ocean.

She felt like she was drowning, and he was too far away to notice. She was tempted to type out another text, but she stopped herself, deleting the words.

“f**k,” she cursed, tossing the phone aside and falling back onto the mattress. Clutching a pillow tightly against her chest, she closed her eyes and prayed for sleep to take over.

BZZZZ.

The sudden vibration against her ribs made her gasp. Her heart leaped with a sudden spike of joy.

Finally. It has to be him.

She scrambled up, straining her eyes in the dark to flip the phone over. But the name lighting up the screen wasn’t Alex.

Bryce: Check your front door.

Lara blinked, processing the text.

She looked toward the hallway, then typed back rapidly.

Lara: What? Why? It’s almost midnight, Bryce.

Bryce: Just open it, Hayes. It’s safe.

Frowning, Lara swung her legs out of bed. “This better be worth it,” she muttered.

The hardwood floor was ice-cold against her bare feet as she padded down the short hallway.

She unlocked the deadbolt and pulled the heavy door open.

The hallway was completely empty now, but sitting right on top of her welcome mat were three massive grocery delivery bags, packed to the absolute brim.

“Oh my God. Bryce,” she gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth to keep from waking her neighbors.

She quickly hauled the heavy bags inside and bolted the door.

When she emptied the items onto her living room floor, her breath caught.

“Oh. No way…” she stammered.

There were fresh produce, meat, snacks, and luxury items. These groceries could easily last her a month… maybe even longer if she managed to curb her emotional eating.

She immediately dialed his number to scream her thanks, but the line went straight to a busy signal.

He had blocked incoming calls for the night. With a sigh, she began sorting the food.

That was when she spotted a small, handwritten note tucked into the side of the first bag. The handwriting was unmistakably Bryce’s elegant, clean script.

“Hayes Hayes!” it started.

Lara paused and laughed.

“Silly Bryce.”

He only used her last name twice when he was trying to be dead serious.

She cleared her throat and kept reading:

“A little gift for your foodie self. Hopefully, this will stop you from making crazy jokes next time. Or wait… since you proposed, maybe it’s just time I start acting like a proper fiancé. What do you think? Lol.

And one more thing. Milo’s tuition will be completely sorted out tomorrow morning, so don’t blow a fuse, okay? Have a good night.

—B”

“Aww,” she gushed, clutching the note tightly against her chest.Her eyes stung with a sudden rush of tears.

He had listened to every single word of her phone call. She grabbed her phone again, opening their chat to send a text.

Lara: Thank you so much, Bryce. You are literally a lifesaver. And don’t worry, Grandma May won’t bother you so much again. My magic.

She sent the text.

His response came in almost immediately.

Bryce: You’re always welcome. And good thing, Grandma May will be off my neck for a while. Told her I already got myself a fiancée.

Lara stared at the glowing message in the dark room, her breath hitching slightly.

“Wow,” she muttered to herself, her fingers flying across the keyboard to text back.

Lara: Really? Who? You’re crazy.