Free Courted by Trouble: A Courting Romance (In Hyacinth Book 3) by Bree Cariad Page B

smiled. Dora looked from one to the other and her hands slammed over her mouth with a squeak as Alex Covington pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and began to speak. “Miss Stephanie Anne Knight, we the undersigned have given our permission for you to be courted by Mr. Christopher Bryant Triton for the process of one year, starting on this date and ending no later than one year from today. As a courted female, you are never to be in the presence of another male without Mr. Triton present or a female trusted by him. Your rights from Mr. Triton are as follows...”
    As he spoke, Stephanie walked slowly forward until she and Christopher stood staring at one another. The information continued to flow, letting them know what each stage of their courting would entail and what was expected from each one of them as time went on. “If this agreement is entered into willingly, then we the undersigned give our seal of approval.” Mr. Covington read off all the names of the town council and placed the paper next to her on the coffee table. “If you agree to the courting, you need to sign by the X.”
    Nodding, Stephanie turned and signed her name, instantly standing up afterward. Christopher looked over at the other man in their midst as though asking an unspoken question. Alex grunted. “Yep. You now have the right.”
    Grinning, Chris turned back to her and after taking her hands in his, he kissed her. Except for a couple stolen kisses in elementary school, Stephanie had always dreamed of but never experienced another’s lips on hers. His lips were soft and firm at the same time as they moved against her own. When Alex cleared his throat, Christopher pulled back. “I’ve been wanting to do that for months,” he said with a chuckle making her laugh.
    As soon as he released Stephanie’s hands, Dora gave a scream and launched herself forward, jumping up and down. “Congratulations!” she squeaked. “Stephie, I’m so happy for you! After everything you’ve been through.” She paused to grab a tissue. “Oh! You’ll be related to Cami now!”
    After the excitement had somewhat abated, Mr. Covington described some of the differences their courtship would go through. “For your first stage, all dates must be in the presence of either Miss Lexington or myself. To protect Miss Knight’s reputation, of course. Everything else goes along with the contract. Stephanie, there is only one stipulation that is yours alone to make,” he said kindly. Turning to him, she waited. “Normally, Mr. Triton would need to ask permission of a girl’s father to propose. In this case, that is not relevant. As such, it is up to you if he needs to ask anyone for permission or if you would just prefer he ask you.”
    The answer came without needing to think about it. “You. You’ve always had my best interests at heart, Mr. Covington. So, if you wouldn’t mind…”
    “It would be my pleasure,” he replied warmly. “Now, I must be off. My grandson is due at any moment. We got the call an hour ago that they were about to wheel Kathy into the delivery room. I could be a grandpa and I don’t even know it.” As they turned toward the door, his phone buzzed and he pulled it out of his pocket. His eyes misted a little and then he turned the screen of his phone in their direction. “Alexander Brandon Covington, III, was born a few minutes ago weighing in at eight pounds, two ounces.”
    Both Dora and Stephanie oo’d and ah’d over the squished little face on the screen and after a few congratulations, he left to go celebrate with his family.
    “Wow,” Dora said, shaking her head. “Kathy’s a mommy.” As if realizing there was a third person in the room, she turned and smiled at him. “Would you like some hot cocoa?”
    “I’d love some.”
    If someone would have asked Stephanie what she expected to talk about the official night of her courting, she would have said it would be about her and her intended. Instead, she and Dora told