Free Girls Can't Be Knights: (Spirit Knights Book 1) by Lee French

his shirt off. “My dad is a pervy old man, not me.”
    She huffed out a half-laugh. “You did something stupid, didn’t you.”
    Glancing back, he caught her smirking at him and scowled. “It was not stupid.” He crossed his arms over his bare chest and glared out the window. With the ratty old brown curtains drawn aside this morning to let the sunshine in, he had a great view of the already lessening storm. “I did what I had to do.”
    Marie came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him. Her head settled on his shoulder, and she brushed her cheek against him. “You did what you thought you had to do. It had an unintended side effect, right?”
    He sighed, always soothed by her touch. “Something like that.”
    “What happened?”
    “An ur-phasm tried to kill her. I killed it and she freaked out.”
    She kissed his shoulder. “I have a feeling you’re leaving some parts out.”
    He frowned, realizing he could have handled that situation better. “I questioned it first. Tariel bit its head off.”
    Squeezing him around the middle, Marie stayed quiet.
    “It had a cat shell. She saw me offer it a chance to live, then my horse killed it, making me the Mighty Kitten Slayer.” Letting his arms relax and fall to his sides, he shook his head. “You’re right, I did something stupid.”
    “I love you, Jay.”
    He lifted a hand to cover his face. “That was the dumbest thing I’ve done in a week.”
    “Give yourself a little credit. It’s been at least a month since you did anything that dumb.”
    “I’m not ever going to live down that mud thing, am I?”
    She stepped around until she stood in front of him and tugged his arm down, then smiled up at him. “Missy is scarred for life, I’m sure.” She brushed imaginary lint off his arm. “I know you always do the best you can with what’s in front of you.” She cupped his face in both hands. “And I don’t regret choosing to marry you over the other options I had. I wouldn’t trade Lisa or Missy for the world, or you. I wish some things could be different, but I don’t have any regrets.”
    “I don’t deserve you.” He settled his hands on her hips and pulled her closer. Her lips mesmerized him and her warmth reminded him what he fought for.
    She grinned. “No, you really don’t.”
    Their kiss had to end when Missy clapped and squealed with joy from the doorway. She ran in and thumped into his leg, then wrapped her pudgy little arms around it and squeezed. “Daddy, I want hugs and kisses too!”
    “Oh, really?” He let go of Marie to grab the girl and swung her up so she could hug his neck. “Maybe we should sit on the couch and read a book together.”
    Marie hooked a finger through one of his belt loops. “What about Claire?”
    He carried Missy and dragged Marie into the family room. “She’ll be fine for a day or two. I’ll let her calm down and think, and go find her this weekend. Speaking of this weekend, maybe we should have a sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa’s.”
    “Yay!” Missy pressed her chubby little face to his and giggled. “I want a Grandpa Jack story!”
    “We’ll get one for you tomorrow.” Justin smiled, grateful for a sweet little girl who could banish his worries with her laughter.

Chapter 11
    Claire
     
    “Claire, you need to go to the office.” Ms. Caper hung up the classroom phone and pointed at the door.
    “What? Why? I didn’t do anything.” Sniggers throughout the room made her scowl.
    “I don’t know. Class is almost over. Take your things and go.”
    Grumbling under her breath about stupid interruptions and being singled out, Claire slung her notebook and English book into her backpack, grabbed it, and stormed out of the room. For one wild moment, she thought about running for it again. The animals attacking her had been a weird anomaly, and the fantasy her mind had constructed of Justin and Marie and the two girls had given her something to retreat to when things got bad.
    She wanted to