Page 40 of Margo

She saw him, or rather his tools, stacked outside an open door at the end of the hallway. Running toward them, she stopped when she was about two doors down and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Her heart was pounding. It had already been bad enough that she’d said the one phrase one time, but then she’d said suck twice and finished it off with another crap. Even if she hadn’t finished the entire phrase, it was the first word that counted as a naughtie. It had all been a complete snowball of an accident, but would Knox ever believe that? And even if he did, would he even still want her when he realized how unladylike she was?

Turning to lean against the wall, she slid down the surface until her butt was on the floor and her knees were bent. Then she laid her head in her hands and cried. She’d known she’d mess up everything. She’d tried to tell him, but he’d kept pushing and now look; she was going to get her heart broken for sure.

Chapter Fourteen

Margo

Margo wasn’t sure how long she sat there crying. She kept telling herself to save herself the pain and just leave. There was no need to tell Knox. She’d run away before he had a chance to tell her to go.

But she never got up, and before she knew it, Knox was kneeling in front of her, touching her knee to get her attention. “Margo? Baby? What’s wrong? What is it? Are you okay?” He sat next to her on the wall and pulled her into his lap cradling her in his arms, pressing soft kisses against her cheeks, nose and forehead.

Margo breathed in his sweet scent and tried to commit it to memory in case she never got that close again.

“Margo, baby,” he repeated when she clung to him and sobbed. “What’s wrong? Are you okay? Is everyone okay? Tell Daddy what’s happened.”

She covered her face with her hands, and he gently pried them away. “Margo, talk to Daddy. Now please. I’m starting to get really worried.”

She drew a shuddering breath and looked deeply in his eyes, trying to find the courage to say the words out loud. “I messed up,” she finally managed to choke out. “It was an accident, I swear!”

“Messed up? Like broke a rule? All this fuss for a broken rule? That doesn’t sound like the Margo I know. What’s going on?”

His confusion was tangible in his concerned frown and furled brows. His lips pursed as he stared at her, waiting for an explanation.

She drew a deep breath. She could explain. She owed him that much at least. She resolved to do that. The resolve lasted until she opened her mouth.

“I’m a bad girl!” she cried. “I wasn’t trying to be. Please don’t get rid of me! I’ll do better! Just give me another chance.”

“Margo!” His voice was hard as he grabbed her face between his hands and held it. “First of all, you were naughty, not bad. We don’t use that word, except in the bedroom. Second of all, I’m not going to get rid of you over a broken rule. No matter which one it is. That’s not how this works.”

“I broke it four times!” Margo cried. “It really was an accident.”

“Margo,” Knox sighed. “Did you say something unladylike?”

Still crying, Margo bobbed her head.

“Well, that was bound to happen, sweetie. I already told you that. And you’ll be punished to help you remember the rule in the future. We went over that. I really don’t understand what all the fuss is about. Tell me what you said, and we’ll deal with it.”

Clinging to him and his promises, Margo wiped her eyes. “We lost a puzzle piece and I said the c-word. Then I said that telling you was gonna suck and being punished was gonna suck and then I realized what I’d said, and I got flustered and said the c-word again!”

“The c-word being crap?” Knox questioned.

“Yeah. I’m really sorry. Please don’t give up on me.”

“I promise you that’s not gonna happen.” Knox managed to pull himself to his feet with her still in his arms and started down the hallway to the elevator.

“Where are we going?” Margo cried. “You still have to work. I still have to clean. I just came up here to tell you because I thought if I had to wait I might lose my nerve.”

Knox didn’t answer her until the elevator doors closed behind them.

“We are going back to our room where we are going to have a talk and deal with your naughties. Normally I’d make you wait, just like I would the others, but you’re practically having a panic attack over it. I can’t send you back to clean like this and leave you all by yourself.”

“But… I don’t want special treatment,” Margo sniffled. “It’s not fair to my friends that they always have to wait and I don’t.”

The elevator stopped and they stepped out, back into Baze and Luna’s room where they were currently staying.

“It’s not special treatment,” Baze countered, setting her on her feet. “I promise you, if any of your friends ever had a massive freak-out over an impending punishment, I’d stop whatever I was doing to talk them through it and deal with it as soon as possible, just like I’m gonna do for you. And if anyone has a problem with it, or thinks it’s unfair, they can take it up with me and I’ll set them straight. Understand?”

Margo nodded. She was already feeling a little bit better. The fits of tears weren’t as violent, and the panicked thoughts weren’t pounding through her brain at a mile a minute. Her chest ached and her heart was still pounding, but the immediate threat of him deciding to ditch her had vanished.