“The first couple times I had to pry the phone from her hands to keep her from calling a priest. She was convinced I needed an exorcism.”
Ransom laughed. So did Rebel.
“So, Dani’s special, huh? Marriage material?”
“I haven’t thought that far, but yeah, I think she could be.”
“Then I’m happy for you. Means I can finally call off the bodyguards.”
“Boy, you’re just a regular comedian today.”
“I’m on a roll,” Rebel conceded.
“Anyway, I was hoping that Josephine would be here, too, but since she isn’t, you can relay everything to her for me. I just want you both to know that I’m over it. Having Dani in my life made me realize that what I felt for Josephine was more infatuation than anything. It’s nothing like what I feel for Dani.”
“You in love with her?”
Ransom beamed, casting his gaze to the floor. “Yeah, I am. She’s everything, man. Everything I’ve ever wanted.”
“Mom is going to shit when she hears this. There will be no stopping her,” Rebel warned.
“Yeah, I know. She’s probably already planning the wedding.”
“Hate to break it to you, but she already has that end covered.” His hands opened and his arms spread out to his sides. “Big wedding. Lots of flowers. You should see the scrapbooks.” He shuddered. “Makes me glad I’ve already crossed that bridge. It’s going to be awesome to watch you go through it. I’ve already bought an extra-large SD card for my camera so I can capture every moment of torture.”
“See, I always told people you were the evil twin. They never believed me.”
“That’s because I’m the hot one.”
“We look exactly the same, bro.”
From down the hall, one of the babies let loose a shrill cry, and Rebel stood. Grabbing his crotch, he said, “Not exactly,” then went to retrieve his daughter.
Checking the time on his watch, Ransom noted that Dani would be off work soon. He couldn’t wait to get home so he could tell her about his day. She would be happy to know that he’d done as promised and was setting things straight with everyone. Most especially his brother. Rebel was the most important part of it. Being able to tell him that he’d moved on with Dani was a milestone he’d never thought to reach. Now that everyone knew where he stood, they could all move on with their lives. It was a tremendous weight off his shoulders.
“You’ve never held your nieces, have you?” Rebel asked as he emerged from the hallway cradling a baby in each arm. “I just realized that.”
Ransom stood as he approached, his gaze locked on the girls who stared up at their daddy worshipfully.
“I’ve been gone.”
“In Florida, right.” Rebel stopped in front of him. “Well, which one do you want first? Rose or Rayna?”
Ransom looked between the two. “Which one is which?” They were identical, down to the chubby rolls on their arms and legs.
“This one,” Rebel said, lifting his left arm, “is Rayna.”
Green eyes met his and Ransom melted on the spot. He reached for her, scooping his niece from her father’s arms and bringing her close to his chest. She lay still in his arms, staring up at him as if she wasn’t sure what to make of him. But Ransom knew exactly what to make of her. She was adorable. The prettiest baby he’d ever laid eyes on.
“Wow,” was all he could manage to say.
“Yeah.”
He and Rebel stood there, each holding a baby in their arms, letting the silence speak for itself. Everything in the world came down to that single moment—two brothers, identical in image and temperament, who didn’t need a bunch of frilly words to understand each other. They just knew. It wasn’t about the past anymore. It was about forgiveness. It was about the future, about family, and about all the memories still waiting to be made.
***
WHILE RANSOM WAS IN the shower, Dani took a moment to herself to unwind. It had been a long day. Not just because she had an overflow of accounts to go over, but because she was still thinking about her lunch with Seraphim.
Ransom’s mom was really nice. Much more than she expected her to be. Frankly, when she’d met her at the party at the Scott house, she’d been a little intimidated. Seraphim had a very powerful personality. But Dani knew from their meeting that anything she had to say, it came from a good place.
It explained why Ransom had turned out to be such a good man.
Dani was so proud of him for confronting his problems with his brother head-on. That he had gone to tell him about his and Dani’s relationship and put the issue of Josephine to bed was a welcome relief.
Dani could finally relax and feel secure in what they were building rather than worry that his past would come back to haunt them later.
“I like the dress,” Ransom called from the bedroom.
Dani smiled to herself, thinking of the knee-length, black and white, sleeveless chiffon dress with pleated two-tone skirt that had fit her so perfectly, she’d had to force herself not to wear it home. As soon as he’d stepped into the shower, she’d laid it out on the bed for him to find, crossing her fingers he found it as amazing as she did.
“It looks even better on,” she returned.
Coming into the living room, Ransom rubbed a towel over his hair, his freshly showered torso naked from the waist up.
“I can’t wait to see you in it,” he said with a devilish smirk, “right before I tear it off you.”
“You harm that dress in any way, and you’ll have hell to pay, mister,” she promised him. “You have no idea how hard it is to find a dress that perfect.”
“You’re right, I don’t.” Flopping down on the couch beside her, he practically melted into the fabric. Slapping his hand down on her knee, he asked, “So how was your day, sweetheart?”
She grinned at his playful delivery. “Surprisingly nice. It’s too bad you were too chicken to join your mother and me for lunch though. She is a wonderful storyteller.”
His eyes narrowed in suspicion. “What did she say about me?”
“My, my, someone has a guilty conscience. Worried she might have told me some deep, dark secrets?” Her smile grew, turning into a full-on grin. Feeling mischievous, she decided to share a bit more. “Like the time you begged your parents to grant you permission to marry your first grade teacher?”
He groaned, dropping his head back against the sofa. “God, does she have to tell everyone that story?”
“I knew you were a closet romantic,” Dani said, sidling closer and walking her fingertips up his chest. “Oh, and do you know what my favorite story was?”
“No,” he grumbled, closing his eyes and refusing to look at her.
She couldn’t help herself. She pressed on, dying on the inside from the need to laugh. “The time when your mom and dad took you and Rebel to the park for the afternoon, and when it was time to leave, you threw a huge fit. Do you remember?” She poked him in the side and continued, ignoring his long, drawn-out growl. “And by the time you reached the parking lot, your dad was practically dragging you, kicking and screaming like a little monster. But then, before he could get you in the car”—she choked on a bout of laughter—“you…you pulled down his pants…b-but it was laundry day an-and he wasn’t wearing any underwear!”
Consumed by a rolling fit of giggles, Dani collapsed against his chest, squeezing Ransom’s stiff body. He was pretending to be irritated, but she knew by the way his stomach muscles contracted and how hard he worked to control his breathing that he was holding on by a thread.
“Everyone on the playground was watching,” she added through her fit. “Can you just imagine?”
“All too well. I was there, remember? The worst was when this little girl started pointing and shouted ‘Mommy, what’s wrong with his tu-tu?”
That’s when they both lost it. Clutching each other, Ransom and Dani rode out the waves of laughter together until their stomachs hurt too much to keep going.
&nb
sp; Performing deep breathing exercises finally helped to sober them up, and by the time they had a hold of themselves again, both were wiping tears from their eyes.
“God, I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard.” Hooking her by the neck, Ransom hauled her into a tight embrace. “Where have you been all my life?”
Sighing contentedly, Dani snuggled in, pressing her ear to the spot over his heart and listening to its strong, steady beat. “Waiting for you to find me.”
“You’re a regular poet, Miss Deviche.”
“And I didn’t even know it.”
“Now you’re just being silly.” Reaching for the remote, Ransom repositioned them on the couch so she was lying on top of him, then turned on the nightly news. As the reporter covered a traffic accident, Ransom idly traced his fingers down her spine, giving Dani a delightful case of goosebumps.
“Did you get a suit for the party?”
“No need. I already have one in the closet.”
“I hope I don’t embarrass you there. I’ve never been to anything fancy before.”
“You’ll be perfect. In case it makes you feel better, I’ve always hated these things. Typically, I avoid them at all costs, but this one is a smaller venue and now that I have you to latch onto, I figured it was a prime chance to go without feeling like a social leper.”
“You?” Dani lifted her head, surprised he would feel that way. “I thought you liked people. You teach roomfuls every day.”
“That’s different. I can’t explain it, but I don’t get nervous in front of a class. It’s everyone else I’d like to avoid.”
“So what is this thing for anyway?”
“Just a social thing the dean invited us to. Something about his fiancée throwing a dinner party. He was pretty scarce on the details, but it’s a dinner party. How bad could it be?”
SEVENTEEN
“HE’S A GREAT GUY, Dad. I can’t wait for you to meet him.”
“From what you’ve told me, he sounds great. I’m looking forward to it.”
Dani was sitting in her minute office, staring at a wall filled with framed degrees and awards she’d earned over the years. She’d been on her way out for the day when her father called, so she’d paused to chat.
When he’d left her mother, she’d been devastated. Despite his drinking, they’d been close, just as a father and daughter should be. So his leaving had come as a bit of a shock. Initially, she’d blamed herself, thinking she had done something wrong to cause him to leave. She’d spent years wondering what she could have done or said to ruin their family, but after running into him while attending her first year in college, she’d set aside her hurt and the feeling of betrayal and given him a chance.
He’d been working ever since to close the divide between them. He’d explained why he’d left—him and her mother had grown apart, fighting having taken place of love and affection—and set her young mind at ease. Although the pain of it still lingered in the recesses of her mind, Dani no longer blamed herself. She recognized that the fault rested at his feet and thought it sad that, while he was a successful therapist, he was unable to solve his own problems in his personal life.
Thankfully, she was adult enough now to set the past aside in order to forge ahead. She loved her father, wanted a relationship with him again, and that’s precisely what they were working toward.
Even though they didn’t talk regularly or often, whenever they did, it was like old friends coming together. They chatted easily, shared everything that had happened since the last call, and even laughed sometimes.
“I’m just glad to hear that you’re not still hung up on that Mark character. Vikki deserved him.”
Yes, she did. Having met as teens when her mother remarried a man who owned a landscaping business, Dani had never held much of a soft spot her for her stepsister, who seemed to view herself as a southern belle. So there was no love lost between them when she betrayed her like she had. “I bet you’re glad she’s not yours.”
Her father snorted. “Every day. Let her father deal with her.”
She agreed.
“I have an hour if you’d like to meet for an early dinner,” he offered, redirecting the conversation, and Dani frowned.
“Um, I can’t today. I’m meeting Mom. She’s helping me get ready for a thing I’m going to with Ransom tonight.”
His silence was telling. He didn’t like talking about her mother, preferring to leave the past in the past. So Dani did her best never to bring her up. So far, she’d done it twice.
“Well, next time then.”
She smiled faintly, wishing she hadn’t said anything at all. At the very least, she could have offered a different excuse, maybe said she was going out with Ransom. But, no, she had to tell the truth, and now he’d clammed up.
“Sure, that would be great.”
“Alright, sweetie. I’m going to take off. I have a meeting to get to, and I’m going to need to fill up on caffeine so I don’t fall asleep in front of the bosses.”
“Okay, Dad. Have a good day.”
“You, too, sweetie. Catch up with you later.” As was typical, he hung up without saying good-bye.
With a heavy heart, Dani pulled herself to her feet and slung her purse over her shoulder on her way out.
***
“DANIELLA MAY, IF YOU don’t stop squirming around, I’m going to bop you on the head with this brush. Now hold still!”
Dani promptly froze. When her mother used her middle name, she meant business. Through gritted teeth she said, “If you don’t stop ripping my hair out, I’m going to be bald.”
“Such a drama queen, just like your father.”
Dani rolled her eyes. She was always being compared to him. Anything that wasn’t ladylike or proper in her mother’s eyes was attributed to him. Clearly, she hadn’t gotten past his betrayal of leaving, but Dani wished she would. It was hard being stuck in the middle all the time. Was it too much to ask to just have two loving parents who could set aside their differences and focus on her?
“So when will your boyfriend be here again?”
Dani glanced up at the clock hanging on the wall. “Fifteen minutes.” Her head jerked back, wrenching her neck as her mother renewed her efforts.
“Honestly, you could have given me more time. Beauty doesn’t just happen, it has to be created.”
“Ransom likes me just fine the way I am.”
“Of course he does. You’re gorgeous. But there comes a time when natural beauty isn’t enough. You’re going to a party where you will be surrounded by the upper crust. Money and power comes with certain expectations, and at the top of that list is beauty. Tonight, you’re going to blow every one of those uptight prisses out of the water when you walk through the door on the arm of this city’s most eligible bachelor.”
“He’s not a bachelor anymore,” Dani reminded her.
“That’s right, and don’t you forget it. That man belongs to you and only you. There,” she sighed with satisfaction, “done.”
With a healthy amount of fear and skepticism circulating in her veins, Dani rose from the toilet lid and approached the vanity with caution. Her mother had a tendency to overdo things. Her own hair and makeup—reminiscent of Dolly Parton—was a testament to that. But when Dani took her first look in the mirror, she gasped.
“Mom!” Lightly, she touched her fingertips to her rosy cheeks, then skimmed the air around her smoky eyes, and finally, she touched her organza-colored lips in awe. “You made me so…pretty.”
Appearing in the mirror behind her, her mother set her hands on Dani’s shoulders and gave her a gentle squeeze. “I had a good base to start with.” She grinned widely, then squeaked. “Ah, you remind me of when I was young. Hell, we could have been twins!”
She seriously doubted that, since she took after her father in all ways, but whatever made her mother happy was just fine by her.
Turning around, she embraced her mother in a firm hug. “Thanks, Mom. You outdid y
ourself.”
Patting her on the back, she sniffled. “Anytime, sweetheart. Anytime.” With one last squeeze, she set her away and patted her flushed cheeks. “Now go, get ready before that man of yours gets here.”
The doorbell buzzed. Dani’s eyes widened and so did her mother’s. She made a shooing motion, ushering her out of the bathroom.
“That’s him! Go, get dressed. I’ll get the door.”
They scurried off in opposite directions, her mother toward the door and Dani toward her bedroom. Just before she closed herself inside the room, she heard her mother call out, “And be careful with your hair!”
A moment later, Ransom’s deep baritone filled the front room, making Dani’s stomach pitch and roll wildly with nerves. With a swarm of butterflies wreaking havoc on her, Dani slipped the dress she’d bought for this moment off the hanger and stepped into it.
It slid over her body like warm butter, the fabric soft and slinking, conforming to her curves in all the right places. It was luxurious without being over the top. More than anything, it was comfortable while still possessing the ability to make her feel beautiful. Not only would it stand out in a crowd and help her to fit in, but it was her. It represented everything she was and wanted to be—sophisticated and elegant without being pretentious.
Standing in front of her full-length mirror, Dani had to work hard not to cry. As it was, she was misty-eyed. Her hair, pulled up on one side and secured by a pearled comb, hung in gentle waves down to her shoulders, framing her face, which was so flawless as to be porcelain. She’d never seen herself look that way, like a nineteen-twenties movie star. It was such a surreal moment, she wished she had a camera handy to remember the moment.
A soft tap on the door broke her from her ruminations, and Dani moved to open it. On the other side, Ransom stood looking like a wedding cake topper. Dressed in a slim-fitting black and white three-pieced suit sans tie and the first two buttons on his white collared shirt undone, he was simply mouthwatering.
Dani took a moment to just stand there and soak him in, wishing they didn’t have to leave so she could pull him inside and tear his clothes from his body and have her wicked way with him. He seemed to be thinking the same thing about her.
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