Promise Me Always

by Rhonda Shaw

  I squeezed my eyes shut and took a deep breath. I couldn’t believe I was considering it. “I guess it could work—”

  “I’ll text you my address after I hang up. I won’t be back until late tonight, but I’ll send T there to meet you guys. See you.”

  I stared at the phone in my hand after he hung up, wondering what in the hell I agreed to.

  * * *

  I pulled up to a heavy black gate and gaped in disbelief. The address on the gray stone column at the end of the driveway matched the one he’d given me, so I had the right place, but a gate? He lived behind a gate?

  I opened my window and hit the square red button on a silver box that stood next to a column, housing a speaker and a camera. I waited a few seconds before it squawked.

  “Hey, girl! You made it,” Teddy’s voice boomed out of the box. “I’ll open the gate for you. Pull up the front drive by the main door.”

  I waited as the large gate swung around before driving up the long, curvy driveway. When I came over a small crest, the house came into view and I slammed on the brakes as my mouth fell open. I knew he was successful, but for some reason, I never pictured him in a mansion. Standing before me was the most beautiful house I’d ever seen, and I couldn’t believe this is where Danny now lived. He’d come a long way from his trailer home.

  It was a huge colonial, layered in bricks, in all different shades of deep red. The center stood tall, at least three stories, and off each side, wings spread out and wound around. A high arch of curved block glass framed the beveled glass door with long frosted windows lining the sides, emitting a soft glow from the lights within.

  The driveway continued straight and disappeared around the side of one wing, while another leg cut left to create a circle drive. The grounds, landscaped with beautiful, overflowing flowerbeds, lined the front of the house and followed along each wing and out of sight. Acres of grass flowed in all directions as far as the eye could see, making me wonder how much land he owned.

  I tried to take everything in, but found it was almost too much to believe. I glanced at Dani; her eyes were big and round, and her mouth formed a small circle as she stared at everything. The door swung open and Big T walked out, waving us up. I took a deep breath and removed my foot from the brake.

  Stepping out of the car, I shook my head. “Oh my God, Teddy.”

  He chuckled as he reached in to grab our bags out of the trunk. “The boy’s done good. He’s done real good. Come on. Let’s go in.”

  We followed him in and I didn’t know where to look first. The tile floors gleamed under the bright lights; everything neat and clean, with nothing out of place, and all the furniture appeared to be brand new and unused. Canvases of art hung on walls, displaying Danny’s eclectic tastes as everything ranged from conservative to racy. Each room I passed showed a different side of him; the living room sleek and sophisticated in blacks and whites, while the dining room was dark and seductive with its large mahogany table and deep red walls.

  Big T took us into an expansive kitchen, which had shiny, stainless steel appliances between white marble counters under white washed cabinets. “Help yourself to whatever you want. We can go this way up the back stairs,” he said to us as we trailed behind him.

  “The back stairs?” I asked. A large winding staircase had sat by the front door.

  “Yeah, your rooms are closer to this one, but you can use the other one, if you want.”

  “I can’t believe there are two,” I muttered, but he heard me and chuckled.

  We went up the narrow stairwell and emerged on the second floor at the end of a long hallway. Big T nodded toward the opposite end, which turned the corner and held only one door. “That’s D’s room, but both of you are down here.” He stopped outside a closed door and smiled down at Dani. “You ready to see your room, little D?”

  She grinned and giggled, as she always did at the moniker. Dani followed him into the room, and her eyes popped and her jaw dropped. I stepped in and almost did the same.

  A light ballet pink colored the walls, and soft white drapes billowed above the windows. A double bed sat in the corner, dressed in different shades of pink with a sheer white netting hanging down from the canopy. One wall was all mirrors, and a freestanding ballet barre stood nearby.

  I glanced through a door into the huge walk-in closet already housing tutus and dress-up costumes. A private bathroom connected to that. Danny had had his daughter in mind when he decorated this room. “When did he do this?”

  “He started as soon as he found out about her. She was wearing pink ballet stuff the day he met her.”

  “Oh my…” I clamped my mouth shut, afraid I would break down.

  “I love it!” Dani exclaimed, and she raced around, trying to take in everything. She touched every stuffed animal and ran her fingers over the ballet art hanging on the walls. She even did a couple pliés at the barre in front of the mirror.

  “I’ll never get her to leave.” I followed Big T out to another room a short distance down the hall, but that much closer to Danny’s. I tried to ignore how near it was and reminded myself I could do this for our daughter.

  It was nice, but a standard guest room. It didn’t matter, however, just as long as I was near Dani and had my own space, which I did. We wouldn’t be here long, anyway.

  I stayed in my room after Big T left, unpacking my things into the dresser, and hung others in the closet. I stepped into the bathroom to splash cool water on my face before returning to Dani’s room to help her. Deciding we were hungry, we retraced our steps and went into the kitchen.

  I sat her on one of the bar stools lining the front of the island, and scrounged through the large sub-zero fridge for something to eat. Having expected it to be full of beer and liquor, I was surprised to find the shelves stocked with food, including fruits and vegetables, as well as many options of juices. I was digging through its contents when a door opened from around the corner and a group emerged, all talking and laughing at once as they strolled by the kitchen.

  They stopped when they spotted Dani at the counter and then their eyes met mine where I stood with my hand on the fridge door, watching them. It was a mixed group, all of whom I had never seen before. The men eyed me with interest while the women narrowed their eyes.

  “Who are you?” one of them asked.

  “Uh, I’m Gabrielle and this is Dani.”

  A woman wearing heavy makeup with her blonde hair in a high ponytail and her body squeezed into a tight red spandex dress, stared at Dani and gasped. “Is she…?”

  “Yes, she’s Danny’s…I mean, D’s…I mean, DOA’s daughter.” I had no idea what to call him anymore.

  One of her friends cackled. “Oh my, Cassie! Looks like you’ve got competition now.”

  The rest of the group laughed, but Cassie didn’t join in. Instead, she straightened and glared at me. “Are you her mama?”

  “Uh…” I started to answer, but Danny interrupted me when he rushed in from some other door out of view.

  “Hey, you made it. Good. I was able to get out of there earlier than I thought. Hey, baby, how are you?” He lifted Dani into his arms and gave her a tight squeeze.

  “D, what is going on?” Cassie stood with her hand on her hip and an expectant expression on her caked face.

  “Oh, hey, Cass. How’s it going?” He glanced at her without interest before walking over to the fridge next to me with Dani. “Everything all right? You find everything okay?”

  “Yeah, everything’s fine. Great.” I gave him a weak smile, trying to ignore the glare boring into me from across the room. “I was just looking for something for us to eat.”

  “I told them to stock up. What do you want, baby? I’m sure we’ve got it.”

  “Chicken nuggets,” she said.

  “Nuggets, huh? Yeah, we’ve got that.” He opened the freezer and dug through its contents.

  I reached over to pull Dani out of his arms and lowered her to the floor, but kept her by my side.
“It’s okay, Danny. Maybe we should get out of your way, so you can be with your company.”

  He stopped and frowned. “My company?” I rolled my eyes toward the group still standing there watching us with frank curiosity, and his frowned deepened. “They’re not my company. What are you all doing?” He hitched his head toward the back door. “Go on, get out of here.”

  “Danny!” I said, embarrassed by his rudeness.

  “D!” Cassie exclaimed, shocked he would be so crass to her.

  “What?” He ignored Cassie. “I’m telling you, they’re here all the time. They’re Dollar’s crew, not mine.”

  He moved over to direct them out. “Go home. Get out of here. Go.”

  Cassie pushed herself away from the group and stomped over to him. “Can I talk to you privately, please?”

  Danny sighed and walked out of the kitchen with her rushing behind him. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but didn’t miss when their voices rose. I glanced down at Dani, her eyes wide with alarm, and was about to take us both back upstairs when Cassie stormed through the kitchen and slammed out the door. Danny returned, rubbing his hands together with a big smile on his face.

  “Okay, where were we? Chicken nuggets, right?” He opened the freezer again.

  I frowned. “Danny?”

  He continued to rummage through the shelves. “What?”

  “I hope we didn’t cause any problems by being here.”

  “No. No problems. Everything’s cool.”

  “Are you sure? Because we can go back to Kat’s if we’re—”

  He shot upright and grabbed my arms. “No!” He took a deep breath. “No,” he repeated. “I don’t want you guys to go. Everything’s fine. Trust me.”

  I studied his face before nodding. “Okay, if you’re sure.”

  He smiled and pulled Dani over to him. “Now, we’ve got to find nuggets for my girl…”

  I watched them laughing with each other as he played “find the chicken nugget” until they located some. I didn’t know what was going on or what the story was with Cassie, but I hoped his house wasn’t a constant party like the ones we’d gone to in the past. Those had been nothing but trouble, and filled with danger, and I wouldn’t subject Dani to that.

  Watching the two of them together, father and daughter, however, I forgot all the ugly memories and my heart broke a bit realizing this family scene wasn’t reality, and how much I wanted it. Too bad it wasn’t meant to be.

  Chapter 18

  ~ Gabrielle ~

  Six Years Earlier

  I stepped inside the studio after Danny drove away, and sat next to Kat, who was tying up her toe shoes.

  “Boys night out tonight?” she asked. At my confused expression, she nodded toward the now empty spot where Danny’s car had been. “I overheard you and D talking outside.”

  “Oh, yeah. He said he needed to record with them since he hasn’t been spending as much time with them because of me. No girls allowed,” I added with a small laugh.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Me?” I shook my head. “Nothing.”

  “Come out with me and my girls. Girls’ night out.”

  Even though Kat and I had become friendly through dance, I didn’t believe her friends would want me hanging around. “Oh, I don’t want to intrude.”

  “You’re not intruding, silly. Come on, it will be fun.”

  I mulled over the invitation, admitting it sounded like a good time, never having a girls’ night out before, and spending my nights alone when I wasn’t with Danny was getting old. “Okay.”

  After practice, I rushed home to get ready as fast as I could. Monica let me borrow her clothes again, elated I was getting out of the house without Danny, and I took the time to do my hair and makeup.

  When the doorbell rang later, I opened the door to Kat and her two friends.

  “Hey, Gabby. This is Lisa and DeAnna.” Kat waved to the girls standing behind her. “You ready?”

  I smiled at their blatant shock, and tried to forget about their snide comments since people were more accepting of me now because of Danny and Kat. “Yep.”

  I followed them out into the hallway and down the stairs. When they came to DeAnna’s car, I piled into the back with Kat. “You look amazing, girl,” Kat said. “No wonder D can never take his eyes off you.”

  My cheeks heated at the compliment. “Thank you.”

  Lisa turned around from the front seat. “No shit, girl. It’s like night and day from what you look like at school.”

  “Lisa!” DeAnna scolded.

  “What? You’ve seen her.”

  “It’s okay,” I said. “That’s what I’m comfortable in, not this.”

  Kat shook her head. “Well, you should be. You gorgeous.”

  “So, what’s the scoop with you and D?” DeAnna asked, as she eyed me through the rearview mirror.

  “We’re dating, I guess you could say.”

  “Girl, you more than dating,” Kat said. “I see how you are. You two are in loooovvvve.”

  The girls giggled around me, and I smiled, but said nothing.

  “Has he?” Lisa asked.

  “Has he what?”

  “Has he told you he loved you?”

  “Yes.” I was unsure if I should share our intimate details, but it felt good to have girlfriends to gossip with and share in my excitement.

  The two girls shot a peek at Kat, and I remembered what Danny had told me about them casually dating in the past. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to diminish what you and—”

  She flicked her wrist with a dismissive wave. “Girl, don’t worry. What you two have is different from what we had. It’s like the real thing, and I’m happy for you guys. Really, I am.”

  When we pulled up to the curb in front of a house, I peeked out the window. “Where are we going?”

  “To a party. Come on.” Kat opened the door and stepped out.

  My anxiety skyrocketed, but I refused to give into my nervousness. I’d always wanted to attend the parties Monica told me about, and I would not chicken out now. I wished Danny was here so I’d feel safe and at ease, but I needed to be independent. He couldn’t be by my side day and night to make things more comfortable for me. I needed to build my confidence.

  As we neared the non-descript small bungalow, which resembled every other house on the block, loud music boomed out the open windows. Groups huddled outside, smoking what I guessed were cigarettes, even though the scent wasn’t familiar, and eyed us as we approached.

  One of them broke away and leered at me, his eyes red and bloodshot. “Hey, baby. I haven’t seen a fine thing like you around here…”

  “Back off, Lenny.” Kat shoved his shoulder and kept on walking.

  I ducked my head, starting to second-guess my decision not to stay home. But once inside, where the music pulsed and people gathered, drinking and talking, while others ground against each other to the heavy beat, curiosity and fascination surpassed my skittishness, and I steeled myself, determined to see the night through. There was no backing out now.

  Trailing behind Kat, my eyes were wide as I tried to take in everything and not become overwhelmed by the commotion and noise. I glanced over my shoulder, expecting to find Lisa and DeAnna trailing, but they remained by the front door, laughing and flirting with two guys. Kat stopped when we reached the kitchen and turned back.

  “What are you drinking?” she yelled.

  I shrugged.

  She shook her head before handing me a bottle of pink liquid. “Here’s a wine cooler. We’ll start you slow.”

  A fizzy strawberry scent filled my nose when I took a quick sniff. With Kat watching, an amused look on her face, I raised the bottle for a hesitant sip and then grimaced at the sweet and sour flavor.

  Kat let out one of her loud, bawdy laughs. “Girl, you a virgin in so many ways, aren’t you?” She laughed harder when I blushed. “Hang with me, and I’ll take care of you.”

  She selected a g
lass of light brown liquid for herself, and took my hand, guiding me toward a group of people dancing near a table, on which sat speakers, a CD player, and a mixer. A guy moved around behind the set, wearing big block earphones as he kept the music spinning.

  Kat pulled me into the middle of the crowd and lifted her glass as she whooped and moved to the beat. I stood frozen, unsure of what to do. I danced, but not to music like this. I didn’t know how and would look like an idiot if I tried. My body refused to move that way.

  She noticed my hesitation and nudged my hip with hers. “Come on, Gabby. Move. You can move.”

  “Not like this.”

  “Sure, you can. You just need to loosen up.” She danced around, her hips circling and her shoulders swaying to the music. “Do what I do.”

  I watched in awe, wishing I could dance the same way, unguarded and carefree. But I’d be stiff and awkward, and I didn’t want to embarrass myself. I laughed and shook my head. “I’ll leave the dancing to you, and that way I won’t scare anyone away.”

  Kat gave another laugh of hers, and the next thing I knew, Danny was standing in front of me. Pleasant surprise lit within me and I beamed, but then I noticed his deep scowl and the bottle of liquor he held, and my smile fell.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked.

  “I came with Kat and her friends. What are you doing here? I thought you were recording.”

  “Baby, this isn’t a place for you,” he said, ignoring my question.

  I frowned. “If you can be here, why can’t I?”

  “It isn’t safe. Come on, baby, I’ll take you home.”

  I planted my feet and resisted his tug. “Danny, I don’t understand why I can’t be here. If it isn’t safe for me, then it isn’t for you either.”

  “Yeah, D. Leave her alone.” Kat clamped her mouth shut when he shot her a menacing glare.

  “Don’t be mean to Kat. She’s done nothing wrong.”

  He took hold of my arm and pulled me away from our audience, taking me outside. When we were out of earshot, he spun back. “You shouldn’t be here.”