Something Better
Page 39
"Hey, don't I get a hug?"
David spun around to Maggie. "Hell, yeah," he declared and lifted her off her feet with his embrace, swinging her until she chuckled. "We did it, Maggie," he said near her ear as he set her down.
"Let's not do this again, though, okay," she said softly, her strained voice belying the glimmer of tears in her brown eyes. "I don't know if I've got the strength."
"She wouldn't have made it without you." David touched her cheek, knowing he had relied on Maggie's stoic and silent strength as much as Andi.
Maggie brushed his hand away with a derisive chuckle. "Stop it. How am I supposed to come back with witty snark when you stay stuff like that?"
David kissed her forehead and laughed, hooking his elbow behind her neck. "I love you, too, Maggie Connelly." Turning her toward the gathering of family in the living room, he said, "Come on. Meet the rest of the family."
*****
"You should have seen his face when Judge McKay not only threw out his petition, but threw out mine and basically rewrote the whole thing."
"I wish I had."
David's agile and skilled fingers found the sweet spot at the base of her skull, and she groaned when he released the contact and the stress drained from her neck like water from a faucet. The headache was all but gone, but she was far too relaxed and was enjoying herself far too much to tell him to stop the relaxing massage. The light of the silver moon cast his bedroom in shadows, and a cool night breeze slipped through the small opening in the patio door. David shifted enough to reach the edge of blankets and pulled them over their legs to fight off the chill.
He sat against the headboard, the pillows piled around them like a nest, with Andi leaning back into his bare chest. Tonight they weren't alone in the house. The celebration had gone so late into the evening that everyone decided to stay, and thankfully with a little doubling up, David had plenty of room.
"So, explain the new terms. In the chaos earlier--" She chuckled at his choice of words. Chaos didn't even begin to cover it, but it was a wonderful kind of madness. "I missed the fine details."
His hands slid down her arms and he crossed her right arm over her body, going to work on her hand. He slid his palm across hers and caressed her knuckles, the touch being more about contact than headache relief. Andi studied the contrast in their skin and the size of their hands in the pale light, and smiled.
"Judge McKay basically told Lawrence his actions were reprehensible and he should have known better as an officer of the court, whether that be an Illinois court or a California court. He said that based on Lawrence's recent actions, coupled with his lack of interest in the past, it would be best to limit his exposure to his son rather than grant him more access." She chuckled, too relaxed to do much more. "It didn't hurt that a court officer overheard Lawrence's final power play in the hallway."
"Is that when you called me?"
She slid sideways so she could look up at him. "Yes, and David, I'm sorry."
"For what?
"I was trying to make a point with him... if I made you think--"
He tilted her chin and kissed her. "I was worried for about half a second," he said with an honest smile. "I'm glad you called. I wanted to hear your voice."
Andi took in a deep breath, enjoying the smell of chicken soup that had drifted all the way down to his bedroom, and reached up to touch his face. With just the slightest urging, he kissed her again. Then he shifted her back to her original position and resumed the massage.
"Keep going. The terms..."
"From now until Jake is eighteen, the judge put the choice to see his father in Jake's hands. I have full legal and physical custody, which means all decisions regarding his care are mine and mine alone. But Judge McKay said that even though Jake is a minor, he is old enough to make the decision to see his father or not. Apparently, Jake was very adamant and clear in Judge McKay's chambers."
"So, in theory, Jake could choose never to see his father again."
"In theory, yes."
David moved on to her other hand, adding a kiss to her shoulder as she canted her head to her side, giving him more access. The tender contact spread warmth over her skin. As much as the kiss warmed her, the massage pushed her closer to sleep. She was physically and emotionally drained. The outcome was better than she'd dared even imagine, but after the days and months of battling her ex, she was so thankful it was done and she could rest without it hanging over her head.
"Do you think he'll do that?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. Right now, Jake is very angry with Lawrence. He understands far too well what Lawrence tried to do." She shifted to see his face. "He knows it wasn't just about trying to take him away from me, he knows it was about taking you away from us. It might be awhile before he even wants to hear about his father, let alone see him. But, at least now, the control is in his hands." New tears welled in her eyes, but they were no longer tears of frustration, anger or sadness at what Lawrence had done. They were tears of relief.
David stroked his thumb across her cheek and kissed her hair. "I don't ever want to be that afraid again."
Andi slid sideways so she could look at him over her shoulder. "You were afraid?"
"Terrified."
She almost asked why, but she knew. It was the same terror that had gripped her for three long days, and probably before that. From the first day Lawrence walked into her kitchen on Jake's birthday and set the ball into motion that led them here.
Whatever the path, she was so thankful for the final destination.
David wrapped his arms all the way around her and scooted them deeper into the bed. His hands stroked her arms and he skimmed his lips over her cheek and neck, humming appreciatively.
"I like your mom," she said before sleep wrapped around her as firmly as David's arms. "I love your whole family."
"Even Scary Sarah?"
She giggled. "Even Scary Sarah. Does your step father ever actually speak?"
David laughed. "Yes, but it doesn't happen very often. So, if he does you'd better be listening."
Her cheeks hurt from smiling and her eyes stung from crying, but Andi welcomed it all. "Do you remember what you told me at the aquarium? About never looking back with regret, because everything has brought you to where you are?"
He nodded against her shoulder, his gentle kiss sending warmth through her.
"I want to hate Lawrence for everything he did, but I can't."
"I'm not sure I'm quite there yet," he admitted. "I'd still break his face again if given the chance."
She turned her head to look at him and met his lips instead. He moved his hand from her arm to cup her cheek, holding her still to kiss her slowly, deliberately and thoroughly until she hummed against his lips.
"But, I won't regret any of it, either," he said when he pulled back enough to look at her in the moonlight. "I wish the last few months had been easy, but..." He laughed, his smile spreading. "Yet another example of your influence on me. I'm running at the mouth."
"It's okay." Andi touched his chin, stroking the bristle with her thumb as she watched his lips. "I like what you have to say."
"Marry me."
Her attention darted to his eyes, and the dark look in them took her breath away. Before she could form an answer, he took a deep breath and huffed it out with a smile. "I had this big plan to ask you the night of the premiere, but I don't want to wait that long. Hell, if at all possible, I want us married by then. I've got the ring already." He pointed toward the drawers along the far wall. Andi spared them only a brief glance before looking at him again. "It's over there, and I swear I'll give it to you tomorrow, but I just don't want to give you up quite yet."
She smiled, slowly, letting it spread through her.
"That is, of course, if you say yes."
Holding his gaze, Andi rolled until she knelt in front of him. With deliberate slowness, she leaned over him and took his cheeks in her hands. When she kissed him, she didn't rush, didn't h
urry until she felt the subtle shift from contact to seduction. With a smile against his lips, she sat back on her heels.
"This would make a great book," she said, purposefully keeping her voice low. "No one would believe it otherwise."
"Yeah?" He stroked her cheek, his fingertips teasing the edge of her hair. "How does it end?"
"Corniest line ever. And they lived happily ever after."
David groaned and rolled his eyes, ending with a chuckle. "You did not just say that."
She laughed out loud and kissed him again. Smiling so wide it was almost hard to maintain the kiss, he eased her down onto the bed, moving over her. "So, is that a yes?" he asked.
Andi touched his face and ran her fingertips over his lips, loving the curve of his smile. "Why do you think I'm kissing you?"
The End
About Gail R. Delaney
Gail R. Delaney is a multi-published, award-winning author of romance in multiple sub-genres, including contemporary romance, romantic suspense and epic science fiction romance. She always wrote stories as a kid through her teens, but didn't decide to write 'for publication' until her early twenties after the death of her mother. While helping her father go through her mother's papers, she found a box her mother kept with everything Gail had ever written -- from book reports to short stories. It was then she realized her mother saw her as a writer, and it was time to live up to her mother's vision.
Something Better is the book Gail swore she'd never write, for many reasons. Not the least of which being her proclamation that she'd never write a 'Hollywood' romance or a romance with a heroine who was an author. Both can be found in Something Better. But, as her Mama (and interestingly enough, Doctor Who) always said, "Never say never ever..."
You can find out more about Gail R. Delaney's body of work at:
http://www.GailDelaney.com
Table of Contents
Title page
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
About Gail R. Delaney