Fair Play

by Shay, Janna

  “I’ve missed you, too.”

  They embraced, laughing, crying, until the tears were spent.

  “Tell me about what you’re doing,” her mother said, drawing back and wiping her eyes with a tissue. “From what I can see you found a good man, and you’ve grown so beautiful. You look so much like your father.”

  At the mention of her father, Dani stiffened.

  “Dani, I need to tell you about him.”

  Curious, despite the resentment she felt, Dani waited for her mother to continue.

  “You were too young before to understand what I’m about to say, but now that you’re a woman, understanding should be in your heart.”

  Maureen placed her hand over Dani’s. “Your father and I were young when we met, too young. We were so in love, and, well, you were conceived. He had his whole future ahead of him, and I knew that having a family would hold him back. He was a bright star, going all the way to the top, and I didn’t want to stop him.”

  Pausing, she took a breath. “God forgive me for my lies. I never told him I was pregnant. Oh, he’d have quit school, found a job, and been miserable, but would’ve done it without complaint. I broke his heart with my lies, telling him I didn’t love him anymore and had found someone else. Every day since, I’ve never forgotten the hurt I saw in his eyes.”

  She quickly glanced at Dani. “I tried to give you his love as well as mine.”

  For a second, Maureen closed her eyes. “Later, I married Henry, but I didn’t love him. Life was hard. Money was tight. You had to make do without a lot of things. He had a decent job, and I knew the added income would make life easier for you. Little did I realize, he was a monster. I’m so sorry for what you’ve been through.” Her mother’s eyes puddled up again.

  Dani grasped her hand, then spoke. “I never cared about the things we didn’t have. You worked hard to raise me. Working long hours as a laundress, on your feet all day, took its toll on your body. I know you weren’t aware that I noticed, but I did.”

  Eyes red, nose dripping, Dani grabbed a tissue. “I couldn’t have asked for a better mother than you. I do wish, however, I’d known about my father. Maybe I wouldn’t have hated him all these years.”

  “I intended to tell you about him on your eighteenth birthday, but fate stepped in. I don’t know, maybe I was wrong in the way I handled things. I only know, I loved your father too much to stop him from being everything he could be. I hope you understand that.”

  “I’m working on it.”

  Dani’s head turned at the sound of a door opening. A keen disquiet sent chills slithering down her spine. A man of medium build and height, with graying hair and green eyes entered the room. Instinctively, she knew he was her father. Her eyes traced his movements, never losing contact, as he approached her mother. A myriad of emotions swooshed through her body in those few seconds. Anxiety, mistrust, curiosity, yearning, all churned together and settled in the pit of her stomach. Quickly, like a snake striking, she grabbed Jace’s hand.

  Charles grinned at Jace and Dani, went to his wife, gave her a kiss, then gruffly inquired, “What’s going on? Why have you been crying?”

  Maureen reassured him. “I’m fine. I just received good news.”

  In support, Jace stood up behind Dani, then placed his hands on her shoulders.

  Charles looked at Dani, then up at Jace.

  “This is Jace Diamond, from Las Vegas. Jace, this is my husband, Charles Stanley.”

  They shook hands. “Diamond ... are you any relation to the Diamond that owns the casino in Las Vegas?”

  “Yes, sir, I am. I’m the owner. Nice to meet you.”

  “Tell me, Mr. Diamond, why would a casino owner be visiting my wife? And what good news could you possibly have for her?”

  Maureen interrupted, “It’s not what you think.”

  Charles’s face darkened. “Will someone please tell me what’s going on?”

  Maureen cleared her throat. “Charles, this is your daughter.”

  Speechless, Dani’s father stared. His eyes scanned her face, then his brow furrowed.

  He slowly approached Dani. Wary, her eyes regarded him as he moved, doubtful of his intent. Apprehensive, her hand shot up and grabbed Jace’s hand resting on her shoulder, squeezing tightly. Dani’s eyes connected with her father’s, identical in every way.

  “Debra goes by Dani now, Charles,” her mother said.

  Dani rose slowly, but when Charles reached out to hug her, she flinched and extended one hand instead. He accepted it, giving it a reassuring squeeze before stepping back, eyes gleaming with unshed tears.

  Maureen glanced at Jace. “You don’t have to go back tonight, do you?”

  “Dani, would you like to stay for a couple of days so you can visit with your mother and father?”

  Dani gripped his hand tightly. “I won’t stay if you’re not.”

  “I have a couple of things I need to take care of by phone, but I’m sure we can stay for a day or two, if you’d like.” Dani’s shifted her eyes to his, and she nodded.

  “Do you have any particular place in mind to stay?” her mother inquired.

  “I’m sure we’ll be able to find a place nearby. Perhaps you can suggest one for us.”

  Her mother looked at Charles, who nodded. “We’d love for you to stay with us while you’re in town. It’ll give us a little more time to catch up on the last seven years. But if you’d rather not, we understand.”

  Dani nodded, her eyes still glued to her father. “We’d love to stay with you, if you’re certain it’s no bother.”

  A grin beamed across her mother’s face. “Don’t be silly. Family is never any bother.”

  Charles stared pointedly at Dani’s left hand, then lifted his eyes to Jace. “Tell me, Jace, exactly what is your relationship with my daughter? It’s obvious you’re more than friends.”

  “I’m her roommate.”

  Dani squirmed. Thanks, Jace, for putting me on the spot in front of a man who only recently learned I’m his daughter.

  Charles sat up higher in his chair, then pinned Jace with a steely look. “I see.”

  Jace straightened. “Before you go ballistic, I’d like to state for the record, I love your daughter very much.”

  Charles stood up. “If you love her, why are you just living together and not married?”

  Her mother seized Charles’s arm. “Chuck, relax. Danielle is a full-grown woman and it’s her life. She makes her own decisions.”

  He rounded on his wife. “Like we did? We made our mistakes and paid for it with over twenty-six years of our life. Twenty-five of those years, I lived without being a father to my only daughter. She may be a grown woman, but I’m still her father, and I’m exercising my fatherly rights to make sure she isn’t toyed with.”

  Steamed, Dani sat tight-lipped, listening to the exchange. As her blood pressure rose, so did her temper. She popped up, and blasted her father with the full force of her ire. “How dare you talk to my mother that way? You weren’t around when I was growing up, and know nothing about me. For the past seven years, I have made all my own decisions, and don’t need you dictating what I should and should not do. I chose to make Jace my lover, and by God, he will remain my lover, until I decide differently. If, or when, I want to take it to another level, not you or anyone else will have any say in it.”

  Charles addressed Dani. “I didn’t mean to overstep my bounds. As your father, I was questioning Jace’s intentions. As an adult, you have the right to make your own decisions. I wasn’t trying to censure you. The only thing I was trying to do was protect you, and insure Jace wasn’t using you. I hope you’ll forgive me for causing you distress.”

  “I accept your apology, and please forgive me for my temper.” She smirked, then commented. “I guess I get that from you.”

  “I have a long way to go to learn how to be a father. Don’t give up on me. I missed so much with you and would love a second chance.”

  “I need to learn
how to accept a father in my life. So, I’d like a second chance also.”

  Jace cleared his throat. “Mr. Stanley, Mrs. Stanley, I’d like to apologize. I sprang a situation on you that you may not be comfortable hearing. If I may, I’d like to offer a solution to the problem. Dani can stay here with you, and I’ll stay in a hotel. This way we won’t be cohabitating in your house.” He gazed at Dani’s father.

  Dani flew off the couch. “No way, Jace. I’m going where you’re going. If you’re staying in a hotel, then so am I.”

  Maureen interjected. “No one needs to go to a hotel. We have plenty of room. Jace, don’t worry so much. Chuck and I want our daughter to be happy. If that means she’s living with you, then we trust her judgment.”

  She nudged her husband with her elbow, and he grunted. “Right.”

  “Good. Dani and I will be sleeping in the master bedroom. Chuck, you and Jace can each take a spare room.” She glanced at Charles, then Jace, whose mouth had dropped open. “Then it’s settled.” She clasped Dani’s arm. “If you men need anything, we’ll be in the kitchen.”

  Charles peered at Jace. “Want a beer? Since we’re going to be at war with the female inhabitants of this house, we might as well bond.”

  “Thank you. I’d love a beer. I still can’t figure out what happened. She’s very good at that, isn’t she?”

  “Unfortunately, yes, she is.”

  Chapter 19

  The smell of her mother’s cooking tantalized Dani’s taste buds. “It reminds me of when I was young.”

  While stirring the pot, her mother opened her free arm wide, and Dani sidled into her embrace. “I’m so happy you’re okay. My heart was empty all these years without you. And here you are, all grown up, and with such a handsome man. What exactly is going on between you two? Do you love him?”

  Content, Dani sighed. “I’m not really sure. I know I care a great deal for him, and I know I want to spend the rest of my life with him.”

  “How do you know you want to spend the rest of your life with him?”

  “We had a misunderstanding and we weren’t together for a little while. During that time I felt like half of me was missing. I was sad, lost my appetite, couldn’t sleep, and knew I’d never be happy without him. When we settled our differences, it felt like the sun came back into my world.”

  “Sweetheart you just described what being in love is.”

  Dani’s eyes widened. “Oh my God. You’re right. I love him.”

  “I know he loves you, too. So why is he just your lover? Why haven’t you made a commitment to each other?”

  “I wasn’t able to make any commitments before now, because I thought there was a warrant out for my arrest, and I didn’t want to bring Jace down with me. Now that I’m free of that weight, I don’t know. He’s never mentioned marriage. The closest we’ve come to a commitment is living together.”

  “Right now, he’s secure with your relationship, just the way it is. He knows he loves you, and that you’re happy with him. I assume you have a great sex life?”

  Maureen glanced at her for confirmation, and Dani nodded. “Feeling secure, he knows you’re not going anywhere, so he doesn’t need to marry you to make you his, you’re already his. A piece of paper, to his way of thinking, won’t make a difference.”

  Confused, Dani tilted her head. “So what are you saying? If a piece of paper doesn’t make a difference, then why get married? Things are the same either way.”

  “For some reason, probably testosterone poisoning, a man’s afraid of marriage. It’s so final to them. What they don’t realize until after they’re married, is that marriage doesn’t hurt a relationship, it makes it grow stronger. When two people pledge themselves to each other, they’re telling the world, I love this person, they’re mine, and no one will ever take their place in my heart. With that kind of vow, your love has room to grow and blossom, because you’re secure in each other’s love.”

  “So what am I suppose to do? How do I help him realize he wants marriage?”

  She chuckled. “You don’t have to do anything. Your father already started that ball rolling by asking what type of relationship you have. Separation makes the heart grow fonder, so that’s why for the next couple of days, you’re bunking with me.”

  Dani’s eyebrows arched, then she laughed. “Oh, Mom, you didn’t? You’re so devious. I love you.”

  “I love you, too, my darling. Stick with me, and things will change.”

  After dinner, Dani enjoyed visiting with her parents. It wasn’t long, though, before she was yawning. When her parents went upstairs to change, she cuddled up to Jace. “I’m sorry we’re not rooming together.”

  “So am I.” He drew her body to his and gave her a kiss.

  “We’ll live, but it won’t be easy,” she said, kissing him lightly on the mouth.

  The next day, Dani suggested they stop by her father’s business before sightseeing. They pulled up to a sprawling building that rose several stories high. Relieved to see it was thriving with a large number of employees, she knew her mother would be well taken care of. They took the elevator to the fifth floor, where Charles introduced her and Jace to a few of his brokers.

  During the introductions, Dani noticed her father introduced her as his beautiful, single daughter, emphasizing her availability to his equally unattached broker, Dave.

  “Where have you been hiding this beautiful creature?” Dave replied. “If I knew you had a daughter, I’d have been camped on your doorstep.” Then turning and speaking directly to Dani, he said, “Where have you been all my life?”

  Dani laughed nervously, keeping Jace in her peripheral vision to make sure he didn’t do anything brash. But he seemed deep in conversation with a few brokers standing several yards away.

  Not daunted by Dani’s lack of answer, Dave continued. “Where do you work?”

  “The Diamond Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. I’m a casino host there.”

  “What does a casino host do exactly?”

  “I take care of the high roller gamblers, who come to visit our casino. It’s my job to make sure they’re comfortable, and have everything they need during their stay with us.”

  “So if I went to your casino, and I played in the high roller area, you’d be my personal host the whole time I was there?”

  “Yes. That’s how it works. Are you intending to visit Vegas soon?”

  “I will now, if you can guarantee that you’ll be my host.”

  Several minutes later, Jace strode over, his expression dark and brooding. He bent and whispered one word in her ear. “Mine.” Deliberately and intimately, he put his arm around her waist, then pulled her close to assert possession. Dave peered at Jace’s arm, then raised his eyes to his face. Jace fixed his gaze on him and lifted his eyebrow pointedly. When Dave walked away, Jace growled at her, “Damn it, Dani, he was standing too close to you.”

  “Jealous much?” Dani lifted her head and planted a soft kiss on his lips. “You have nothing to worry about, Jace.”

  After a brief hesitation, Jace returned her kiss, delving his tongue into her dark recesses, proving claim to the word he’d spoken so possessively in her ear.

  Although tired after sightseeing for three hours, Dani didn’t have the heart to refuse her mother when she suggested they go shopping. She figured to do some window-shopping, until she caught her first glimpse of the Magnificent Mile, a tree-lined boulevard with hundreds of shops and restaurants. The spectacular gardens decorating the grounds took her breath away, but when she saw the stores housing some of the world’s fashion giants, she squealed in delight.

  “Oh my God, Mom, this place is fantastic. Do you come here often?”

  “I do now, sweetheart. Your father spoils me rotten.”

  Dani smiled when she observed her father placing his arm around her mother with affection. “I love spoiling her.”

  Jace glanced at Dani. “I wish your daughter agreed with you.”

  Charles remarked in a coo
l manner. “Only a husband should spoil a woman with expensive gifts, not her lover. He cheapens her by doing so.”

  Maureen put her hand out to her husband. “That’s enough, Chuck. Now fork over the card. The one with no limit. I want to spoil Dani and buy her some clothes.”

  “No,” Dani protested. “I don’t need anything. I have plenty of clothes.”

  Maureen put her arm around Dani’s shoulder. “You’re not going to deny me the joy of spoiling you, are you? I couldn’t do it when you were a child. At least indulge me a little now that I can. Besides, I have seven years of presents to make up.”

  Dani relented. “Okay, but only one or two things, that’s all.”

  Her mother clasped her hand, then faced the men. “There’s a nice little coffee place across the street that has outside tables. Why don’t you grab some coffee while we shop?”

  Before they had a chance to respond, her mother giggled and pulled Dani toward the stores. “Come on, I can’t wait to buy you some new clothes.”

  Dani spotted a boutique that carried cute dresses perfect for work and headed her mother in that direction. A colorful dress with a handkerchief hem caught her eye. Holding it up against her body, she faced her mother. “What do you think? Does the color look good on me?”

  “Perfect. It brings the out green in your eyes.”

  She was debating whether she wanted to try it on when she got the eerie feeling someone was watching her. She scanned the store, but she and her mother were the only two patrons. Strange, she’d swear someone had been staring at her. Maybe Jace? But no, he wouldn’t leave her father. Shrugging, she took the dress to the fitting room to try it on, but still couldn’t shake the uncomfortable feeling.

  Outside the store, he watched her. It was sheer luck that he’d caught a glimpse of them walking down the street. He’d have never recognized Debra, but he’d have known his cheating wife anywhere. Because of her, he had lived seven years in hell and had vowed to make her pay for what he’d endured at her hands.