“I had to get up way too many times and go to the restroom.” She counted four times. “At least with a movie at home, we can pause it.”
He laughed. “Alright. But after the baby comes, you should be good.”
“Ha. I think I’ll be staying home taking care of said baby for a very long time.”
“I don’t know.” He looked at her sideways. “Aunts and uncles make great built-in babysitters.”
“Ah. But I don’t have any siblings. Yet. And my one half-sibling is going to be my baby’s age, so no babysitters there.”
“I, on the other hand, have three.”
Danielle lifted an eyebrow. “And that helps me how?” She knew it was a leading question, but she couldn’t help herself. Besides, he was the one who brought it up.
“Well, when we want to have a night out, we’ll have a babysitter.”
“Maybe.” Danielle shrugged, but her heart was racing. He was talking many months from now. Was he talking about a long-term commitment?
“Alright.” His voice sounded a bit challenging. “Come with me a week from Sunday to lunch. You’ll get to meet my whole family, and you’ll see that they’re babysitter-worthy.”
“You want me to meet your family?”
“Lunch is at Pappa’s.” He added with a grin.
“Well, why didn’t you say so?” She picked up the teddy bear that she kept on the sofa. She would never, ever tell him that she had been taking it to bed with her.
“Did I pick out the perfect name for him or what?” Samuel asked, tipping her chin up with a finger to kiss her on the lips.
“Of course you did,” she said, handing him her mug to set down. Right now, the only thing sweet she wanted was kissing.
“And speaking of being here.” Samuel set their mugs on the coffee table. “I get my plane tomorrow.”
“Oh wow. Exciting! Do I get to go see it?”
“You want to?”
“Of course I do.”
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him. He kissed her forehead, her eyelids, her cheeks, then finally her lips. By the time his tongue lightly touched the roof of her mouth, she was no longer worried about movies or meeting his family or anything else.
Chapter 38
Samuel should have been over the moon excited about getting his plane. It was used, of course, but it was a sleek little Mooney single-engine airplane. They didn’t make them like this anymore. The previous owner had painted a black stripe along the tail. Samuel didn’t mind. It made it distinctive.
He’d thought about bringing Danielle with him up to see it, but decided he would wait until he came back next week. This was their last evening together, and he wanted it to be special.
He’d made reservations at Masraff’s on Post Oak Boulevard, and he’d sent a text asking if she had a formal dress. He’d laughed at her response.
Of course I do. Unfortunately, they’re all in LA. Are you giving me an excuse to go shopping?
He written back. Absolutely!
How formal?
Black tie.
I’m intrigued.
See you at seven… after lunch.
LOL.
He’d shown her pictures of his plane at their new lunch spot – the Mexican restaurant – and she’d told him about her new client.
He was going to miss their daily lunch date.
As he drove back toward the city, he wondered what Danielle was doing. She’d said she was going to take the afternoon off and go shopping at the Galleria.
His fingers itched to text her. To see if she was safe. He would have gone with her if he hadn’t needed the plane for tomorrow. Noah had taken it in stride that he’d be flying himself up.
Leaving her here, pregnant, was going to be difficult. What if something went wrong, and she needed him? What if he was in the air, and she couldn’t reach him?
For the hundredth time, he wished he hadn’t taken this job. But, damn, it was too good to turn down.
It occurred to him then that Noah didn’t know they were in a serious relationship. Danielle had asked him to wait until he’d been working there a bit to tell him. She’d told her mother she had a new boyfriend, but hadn’t said he was a pilot, much less Noah’s newest employee.
It was going to be difficult. Samuel wanted to tell everyone. Besides, if Noah knew, it might afford him some leeway to visit his daughter. Samuel wasn’t above using whatever avenues presented themselves to see her.
Getting the plane had taken longer than he’d expected. He had lots to do in less than three hours.
Chapter 39
Danielle sprayed some perfume in the air and walked through it. She’d gone with classic black. She already had black pumps to go with the dress she’d gotten. The strapless dress fell straight to the floor in a sleek, modern look. Pressing her hand against her stomach, she could feel just a little baby bump. But looking in the mirror, she couldn’t see it. She shook her head. It was much too soon. It had to be her imagination.
Nonetheless, a little blip of excitement shot through her, and she couldn’t wait to see if Samuel could feel it.
The dress was probably not one of the wisest purchases she’d made. She probably wouldn’t wear it but once, and then all bets were off whether or not she would be able to wear it post-baby.
She’d had her hair styled at the Dry Bar. She blamed Savannah, her stepmother for getting her hooked on that luxury. Her sleek hair cascaded around her shoulders. Tonight was the last night she would see Samuel for a whole week.
He wanted it to be special, and she wanted to look her best. At a quarter to seven, she went into her living room and sorted through her mail, cleared off her coffee table, leaving just the baby name book, and paced back to the bedroom. She decided at the last minute to wear her diamond pendant. A gift from her father on her college graduation, it had five small round diamonds sprinkled along a platinum chain.
As she took one last look in the mirror, her doorbell rang. By the time she got to the door on the other end of the apartment, she was a little breathless. She opened the door, and Samuel stood there in a black tux, holding a single red rose.
She stood there a moment, her hand on the doorknob, taking in his handsome smile and letting the warm emotions flow throw her.
“Wow,” he said. “You look absolutely stunning.”
“You clean up pretty nice yourself.” She stepped back, opening the door wide, matching his smile with her own.
He held out the rose, and she took it from him to put in a vase. Before setting it on the counter, she inhaled deeply and ran her fingers along the soft petals. She sighed.
Stay in the moment. He’s still here.
She turned brightly and took his hand. “Ready?”
He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles.
It only took a few minutes to get to Masraff’s. “Have you been here?” He asked.
“No.” She said as they pulled into the parking lot. Samuel gave the keys to the valet, then came around, helped her out of the truck, and took her hand as they crossed the parking lot.
They were a few minutes early, so they went into the bar and sat near the fireplace. Samuel ordered sparkling water and held up his glass. “To us.”
“To us,” she repeated as their glasses met in a toast. Us. She would have to think about that later.
“It’ll be Thanksgiving in a couple of weeks,” Samuel said.
“I know. Then Christmas already. Savannah, Noah’s wife, is graduating with her doctorate in a few weeks, so I’ll be travelling to Auburn.”
“And we have to fly out to see your mother.”
“Are we taking your plane?”
He shook his head. “It’s too small. I’ll probably see if I can use one of your dad’s.”
Danielle studied the flames in the fireplace. Their lives were quickly becoming enmeshed. She’d gone from not dating anyone to having what looked to be a relationship in a flash.
Samuel took he
r hand. “Your dad will be alright with us seeing each other, right? I mean, eventually.”
“Sure.” Her father had always been supportive. He’d always been there for her. Besides, he’d already suggested that she not let her previous relationship disaster prevent her from moving forward with Samuel. Something held her back, though, from telling him that yet.
The hostess appeared at their side and led them to their table.
They ordered crab cakes for an appetizer, and they each ordered the sea bass for their entrée.
Soft music played in the background. Danielle was determined not to let this being their last night together for a week overshadow the moment. Nonetheless, she had to blink back tears before lifting her chin and putting a smile on her face.
“Are you excited?” She tapped a newly-manicured nail against her glass of sparkling water. “About your new job?”
“It’ll be good to fly again, but it’s hard to be excited when I’ll be leaving you.”
She sucked in her breath. “I’m not excited about it either.”
“You know,” he said, lacing his fingers with hers on the table. “We have a good thing here. Do you think?”
She smiled. “I think so, too.”
“Danielle, do you want to be my girlfriend?”
She laughed. “You mean like your steady girlfriend?”
“I don’t know what they call it now. Exclusive maybe?”
“Whatever they call it, yes.”
He leaned over the table and sealed it with a light kiss on her lips. “I’m happy. Are you happy?”
“Yes, but Samuel? Are you sure?” She ran a hand down her stomach. Felt the little baby bump. Later, when he took her home, she would see if he could feel it. “I come as a package.”
“I don’t mind. In fact, I’m kind of excited about the baby.”
She grinned. Life was finally going the right way.
Chapter 40
Samuel wasn’t thinking about anything other than spending some quality time with Danielle on her couch. If he’d been clear-headed, he would have seen Joey sitting on the steps leading up to her apartment.
Hand in hand, they were almost on him before Danielle spotted him. “Joey! How did you find me?”
“You’re not hard to track,” he said.
“What do you want?”
“I just wanted to talk to you.” He wobbled a little when he stood up. He’d been drinking, but Danielle didn’t seem to notice.
“Okay. About what?”
“Can we go inside?”
She glanced at Samuel. He nodded. He’d rather get this over with now while he was here with her. He wasn’t concerned about their safety. One swing and he could take Joey down.
He waited while Danielle unlocked the door, and Joey followed her inside. Samuel hung back behind him, so he could make sure Joey didn’t touch her.
“Come in,” She looked uncomfortably at Samuel. She mouthed “I’m sorry,” behind Joey’s back. He shook his head. “It’s okay.”
“Nice place you have here.” Joey walked into her living room. Looked around.
“What do you want to talk about?” She stood with her hands on her hips, and Samuel moved to stand next to her.
Samuel knew the moment Joey saw the book on the coffee table.
“What’s this?” He reached down and picked up the baby name book. He flipped through it, seeing the highlighted names and handwritten notes they had made.
He took a step toward Danielle. “It hasn’t been that long. Are you?”
“Yes, Joey. I’m pregnant.”
“Whose is it?” He glared at Samuel.
Samuel stood his ground. He had no idea how this would go. Maybe letting him come inside wasn’t the best idea after all.
“Whose do you think it is?” Danielle quipped.
“How would I know?”
“You’re the one who slept around.”
“So, it’s mine?” He was glaring at Danielle now.
“You’re the father,” she said.
“When were you planning on telling me?”
“I’m not sure I was.”
“I have a right to know.”
“You relinquished your rights the next day.”
“I told you that didn’t mean anything.”
She scoffed. “Funny how you guys always say that.”
He dropped the book on the coffee table. “Are you gonna keep it?”
She glared back at him.
He glanced down at the book. “Guess so since you’re naming it.”
“I thought you were a decent guy, Joey. We were together for a long time. I followed you here, to be with you. But that isn’t what happened, so I don’t want to see you again.”
“So you’re gonna have this baby by yourself?”
Samuel stepped up to stand one step in front of her. “Not by herself.”
Joey smiled sarcastically. “Nice going, Danielle.”
She took Samuel’s arm. “It’s not your business. Why did you even come here?”
He shrugged. “Good question. Like you said, we were together a long time. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
She scoffed.
“She’s great,” Samuel said. “As you can see. Why don’t I walk you to the door?”
Joey shook his head. “Sure. Why not?”
Samuel followed Joey to the door. It was time to settle this thing once and for all.
Chapter 41
Danielle sat on the sofa and realized she was trembling. It had been a mistake letting Joey come inside. Never again. Besides, he had ruined a perfectly good evening.
She heard them talking at the door, but couldn’t make out their words. Maybe it was wrong to let them talk. But she was suddenly exhausted, too drained to care. After the rush of shopping and getting ready for her date with Samuel, then the adrenalin of the date itself, followed by the confrontation with Joey, she couldn’t take any more.
She kicked off her shoes and curled up on the sofa. She wrapped her arms around the teddy bear and laid her head on one of the throw pillows.
When she woke, she opened her eyes to darkness. It took a second for her figure out that she was in her bed, under the covers. She was wearing nothing but her underwear and a t-shirt.
Alarmed, she sat up.
“Hi,” Samuel said. He sat next to her on the bed, still wearing his tux. “How do you feel?”
“I don’t know. What happened?”
He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You fell asleep.”
“My clothes?”
“The dress was too pretty to sleep in. I hope you don’t mind terribly. I promise I was good.”
She didn’t mind. Though she couldn’t fathom how he’d managed to undress her while she slept. “What time is it?”
“About midnight.”
“So much for our last night together.”
“Danielle,” he said, pulling her to him. “It’s not our last night together. We’re going to have lots of nights together. Just not for a while, until we get things figured out.”
She nestled her head beneath his chin and put her fingers in his hair. Maybe he really would come back and spend time with her. Joey had taught her a lesson. Never follow the guy. That wasn’t something she was likely to forget. “What happened with Joey?”
“He won’t be coming back.”
“How do you know?”
“We had a man-to-man talk.” Samuel rubbed his knuckles.
Danielle gasped. “You hit him?”
“Maybe just a little. Mostly, I just told him how it was gonna go, man-to-man.”
She chuckled. “And what exactly does a man-to-man talk entail?”
“Sometimes fighting.” She shifted, but it was too dark to see if he had bruises.
“Fortunately, this time fighting wasn’t required.”
“But you hit him.”
“We just punched each other on the arm for good measure.”
“Oh. My.” Sh
e sighed.
He laughed. “Are you worried about me or him?”
“You,” she murmured against his chest. “Only you.”
“Good. Because all I want is for you to be happy.”
“I am happy. Samuel?”
He rubbed her back. “What is it, love?”
“Will you really be back?”
“Danielle. I don’t think you understand.” He shifted to gently take her chin in his hands. “I’m so in love with you, I can’t see straight. This baby you’re carrying… I feel like it’s my baby, too.”
Danielle’s lips curved into a smile, and her heart swelled. She put her arms around him and held him close. “I love you, too, Samuel Johnson.”
“So, will you wait for me? Will you be my girl and put up with me being gone until we figure out how to be together?”
“Yes,” she whispered. How was it possible that she’d fallen so deeply in love so quickly? Her grandmother had told her once that love was like that. Sometimes people grew to love each other over time, but other times, it was a sudden, unexpected meeting of the hearts.
If you ever have that happen, don’t let it go. And don’t let anyone stand in your way. Not even your family.
Danielle wasn’t sure what her grandmother had meant about family. Her family was supportive, but she supposed she was one of the lucky ones.
Chapter 42
The following Wednesday morning, Danielle sat working at her desk. She hated to do it, but she sat looking through stock photo images. After the experience of working with Avery and Jacob, she didn’t feel like dealing with exclusive models at the moment.
When her phone rang with Samuel’s ringtone, all thoughts went out of her head.
“Hi love,” he said when she answered.
“Hi.” She melted when he called her that – every time. This was the first time he’d called her in the morning since he’d left. Since he was flying during the day, they spent hours talking in the evenings.
“Do you want to have lunch?”
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