by Rhonda Shaw
All I could do now was wait. Wait and see if I’d lost everything, or had all I’d ever wanted. I could do nothing else, wanted to do nothing else. All I could do was sit in the dark, in my large, deserted house, and wait.
The back door opened and closed, but I remained where I was, figuring it was Big T coming to check on me. There was silence before a light flew on in the kitchen, followed by the scamper of feet.
“Daddy?”
Dropping my drink on the table next to me, I shot out of the chair. Dani spotted me, a huge grin breaking out on her face, and my heart almost burst. I knelt, and she threw herself at me, wrapping her arms around my neck. I stood as I hugged her tight, closing my eyes and inhaling her sweet scent.
“Hey, baby,” I said.
“I missed you, Daddy!”
“I missed you too, sweetheart. So much.” I turned at the sound of footsteps behind me and caught Gabrielle’s eye. “Hey.”
She gave me a timid smile. Reaching out, Gabrielle rubbed Dani’s back. “Honey, can you give Daddy and me a moment, please?”
She leaned back in my arms and kissed my cheek. “Come upstairs and play when you’re done?”
I smiled. “There’s nothing else I’d rather do.”
I set her down, and she ran up the back stairway. Turning, I shoved my hands into my pockets. “How are you?”
“I’m okay. You?”
I shrugged. “Okay.”
Uncomfortable silence fell between us, neither one knowing where to start. I wanted to pull her into my arms and tell her how much I missed her, how much I needed her, and how much I loved her, but I couldn’t. She had to make the first move, letting me know where we stood.
So, I remained quiet, waiting for her to begin. She let out a sigh, walked over to a chair in front of the island, and sat down.
“I owe you an apology.”
“You owe me an apology? Why?”
“For running out like I did. I was just so scared, so confused, so…sick and tired of worrying about…everything.”
“You don’t need to apologize. It’s understandable—”
“I blamed you.” She noticed my flinch at the sting of her words and took a deep breath before continuing. “It was your fault we were in the spotlight, and bad things being said about me. It was your fault everyone continued to rip you apart and you wouldn’t do anything about it. It was your fault Terrell just would not go away.”
I nodded as I sat in the seat next to her, hunched over like she’d punched me in the gut, because everything she said was true. It was my fault. “I understand—”
“No, you don’t.” She grabbed my hand with hers. “I blamed you, but in reality, you weren’t the one I should be blaming. None of this was your doing. You didn’t ask for anyone’s opinion about what you do outside of your music. You didn’t ask for anyone’s approval for how you live your life and who you have in it. You didn’t ask Terrell to threaten me or Dani.” Giving my hand a squeeze, she smiled at me. “You’re the last person I should blame, because all this happened because you did the right thing. You got away from Terrell and everything he stood for. You got away from your father and became an outstanding one yourself, despite what you grew up with. You made yourself into someone successful. You became who you wanted to be, and you should be so proud of that. I am. You’re a wonderful person, an even better father, and I lost sight of that. Can you forgive me?”
I took a deep breath, moved by her words. She was the only person in my life who’d ever truly believed in me and really saw me for who I was. I loved her more than I ever thought possible.
“Baby, there’s nothing to forgive you for. You had a lot thrown at you, even in the past, and I don’t blame you for getting overwhelmed with it all. I had years to get used to it, but you only had a few months before everyone was all over you. Then throw the shit in there with Terrell…” I shook my head. “It is my fault. This is my past following me around, not yours. I tried to get away from it, but I guess…” I dropped my hand to my lap, not knowing what more to say. “All I can promise is to try. To always try to make things right. I won’t give up until you’re happy. That’s all that matters, baby.”
“I know, and thank you for doing that.”
“For doing what?”
“For the statement. I saw it tonight.”
I ducked my head, embarrassed. “You liked it?”
She leaned forward and put her arms around my neck. “I loved it. It was perfect.”
“I’m sure some dick out there will have something to say about it.”
“Let them.” She gave me a gentle shake. “You know why?”
“Why?”
“Because someone wise once told me, it doesn’t matter what anyone else says, as long as we know what the real story is.”
I chuckled. “Sounds like a smart person.”
“The smartest.” She leaned in and touched her lips to mine. “I love you, Danny Anderson.”
“I love you too, my GE.”
“Always.”
“Always,” I promised.
Epilogue
~ Danny ~
Sitting in the gazebo at our park, after a night of reliving our first date, including dinner at the same small Italian restaurant, Gabrielle and I sat on the bench bearing our names, gazing out over the water. We had made ourselves come back to this place to create new memories rather than let the recent bad ones take the specialness away from us. To do so would let Terrell win, and we refused to let that happen, even if we averted our eyes from the line of trees where it all had gone down.
Questions still lingered and legal things remained, but they’d filed no charges; the ruling being Gabrielle acted in self-defense. We were slowly putting everything behind us and working on healing emotionally.
I squeezed her hand before releasing it and draped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. I couldn’t stop touching her or Dani, especially when I thought about how close I’d come to losing them both.
“So, I’ve got a question for you…” I started.
“What’s that?”
“How do you feel about having another baby?”
She smiled. “You want to have another baby?”
“I want to have another baby with you. I want to be there from the beginning this time.”
She studied me, and I didn’t miss the glow of love in her eyes before lowering her head to my shoulder. “I would like that very much.”
I rested my head on top of hers. We sat, enjoying the peaceful surroundings for a moment, before I stood with a hand out. “Come here.”
She let me pull her up and we walked to the water line. A strong breeze flipped her hair around her face and hugged her strapless red summer dress closer to her body. I tucked my hands into the pockets of my gray slacks, and she hooked her arm through mine as we took in the city skyline in the distance. I cleared my throat.
“The first time I brought you out here, I somehow knew I wanted you in my life forever. No matter what. That what we had was real. Special, even.” I turned and held her hands. “Even to this day, I’m in awe you were willing to see past all the shit in my life and just be with me, the real me, no matter what was going on, no matter what anyone else said. Especially considering all the shit that went down. When I think about how close I came to losing you two; first with Terrell, and then afterward…” I stopped and cleared my throat against the emotions constricting it.
She reached out and touched her finger to my lips. “But you didn’t.”
“I wouldn’t have been able to handle it, G. I can’t lose you and I can’t lose Dani.” She tried to speak again, but I kept talking. “Let me get this out.”
She nodded as I paused and took a deep breath.
“You two are my life. I never believed someone would love me, or that I even deserved to be loved. I certainly never believed I could love anyone more than life itself. I didn’t believe I could ever have a family filled with love and happiness and all that c
heesy shit. That’s not what I knew, but you showed me not only that I can be loved, but I can return that love and have the family I always dreamed about. And I thank you for that.”
I gave her a small smile, which she returned as her eyes flooded with tears. I caught her mouth, briefly tangling my tongue with hers, before pulling back and resting my forehead against hers. Dusk was settling around us, the light of the day making the slow transition to night as the lights of the city burned in the background.
“You are my life, Gabrielle,” I continued in a low voice. “Even when we weren’t together, you were still in my head and my heart every day. You’re the reason I’m a success, the reason I went to rehab, got clean, and the reason I’m still standing here today. I’ve always promised you always, and that’s what I want, what I want to give you.” I straightened so I could gaze into her eyes. “Marry me.”
She gasped and her eyes widened. “Marry…? Danny, are you serious?”
“I’ve never been more serious in my life.”
“Omigod!” She threw her arms around my neck. “Yes!”
I took her mouth with mine. When we separated, we smiled as I took her hand in mine.
“Well, I guess I need to get you a ring.”
“I don’t need one.”
“What the hell do you take me for?” I chuckled and reached into a pocket. “I’m not that white-trash.”
I opened the small box facing her, and her eyes widened as she took in the ring. “It’s probably a little bigger than what you would have picked out, but I designed it, and it will look awesome on you.”
“A little bigger?” she said, short of breath. “Danny, it’s huge. I can’t wear that. It’s too much.”
I pulled out the large emerald-cut diamond surrounded by rubies and aquamarines, reminiscent of the necklace I’d given her for our first Christmas, which hung around her neck. “You can too wear it.” I put the ring on her finger and held it up to catch the light as I grinned. “Like I said, you can wear the hell out of that thing.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“Nothing’s as beautiful as you, but it will do.”
I kissed her again, and this time when I pulled back, we were both breathless. Grabbing her hand, I turned her toward the car. “Let’s go get started on a little brother or sister for Dani.”
* * * * *
About the Author
Rhonda owes her love of reading to her mother who would read to her each night before bed and sometimes give into her pleads for more than one chapter. These days, if Rhonda doesn't have a book in her hands, it feels like something is missing. While romance is her true passion, Rhonda enjoys reading multiple genres.
Born in California, but transplanted to the Midwest, Rhonda is warm weather girl to the bone (even years later, winter and her are not on speaking terms), and loves nothing more than a balmy, summer evening. She and her husband are diehard fans of pretty much all sports. Rhonda was a life-long dancer before her body told her she needed to come down off her toes and wrap it up. She also loves all animals--especially moose. She is a proud member of Romance Writers of America.
Rhonda loves to hear from readers, so please visit her website at http://www.rhondashaw.com. You can also find her on Facebook at Rhonda Shaw, Author and Twitter at @AuthorRShaw. Make sure to sign up for her newsletter to receive updates about upcoming titles and their release dates.
Other Titles by Rhonda Shaw
Men of the Show Series
The Changeup (Book 1)
The Ace (Book 2)
Caught (Book 3)