The Surprise

by Alice Ward

  Brandon just opened the door. “Come on. I have a surprise for you.” When I didn’t budge, he gave me a serious look. “Please.”

  He seemed different too. We’d both been drinking, but neither of us was drunk, which was unusual for us both. He also seemed more focused, intent even.

  “Five minutes,” I finally said, and Brandon gave me a solemn nod of agreement.

  When we stepped inside the strip club, it felt like a punch in the gut. My eyes moved immediately to the bar where Dani and I talked that night. I could almost see her, sitting there waiting for me.

  But it was all just in my head. Dani wasn’t there, and she never would be again. I’d seen the last of her at the hospital. The thought brought tears to my eyes, but I shoved them away. I ordered myself a drink and downed it fast.

  “I’m ready to go,” I said, still standing, but Brandon just shook his head.

  “What you’re ready for is…” he looked around then smiled when a gorgeous stripper came up and stood beside him, “this.”

  Why did she look familiar?

  “Come with me,” she said, her face serious, not the normally flirty stripper expression I was used to.

  The only place I was going was home. “There’s been some mistake,” I began, then her hand came done on my arm.

  “Please… I need to talk to you.”

  Something in her eyes told me I wanted to listen to what she had to say. “Five minutes.” It was becoming a mantra of sorts.

  She nodded and led me through the strip club toward a back hallway. Inside the dark hall, she pushed me into an abandoned room. There was a lone couch, but I stayed on my feet, my arms crossed over my chest.

  “Dani is my best friend.”

  I was immediately alert, totally focused on the barely clad woman in front of me. “Seriously?”

  “Yes, seriously. My name is Madison. Dani Brooks is my best friend. I’m the reason she was at this club on the night you two met. We’ve been best friends since we were kids.”

  “Then you know how badly I’ve screwed this up.” It wasn’t a question.

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  It was like a punch to the gut. “And you know how much she hates me.”

  She stopped nodding. “No. That isn’t true. She doesn’t hate you,” Madison said softly. “I promise, she does not hate you.”

  I remembered the cold look in Dani’s eyes. “She said as much.”

  “But she didn’t mean it,” Madison insisted. “Listen, she was terrified that her mom was going to die, okay? I’ve talked to her. She told me everything. Trust me, she doesn’t hate you. She was just scared, and she lashed out.”

  I looked into Madison’s compassion-filled eyes. “So…?”

  “Talk to her,” she said. “She’s miserable and thinks you hate her too.”

  My heart squeezed. “I don’t.”

  She smiled. “I know. Brandon told me everything.”

  My eyes narrowed. “Yeah, about that. How did you and Brandon get to know each other?”

  She lifted a shoulder and a soft grin appeared on her face. “He looked me up, trying to figure out a way to make things right for you two.”

  I was stunned. “Seriously?”

  “Yep. Seriously. So we’ve been talking and…” She lifted her shoulder again, the smile still playing on her lips.

  Madison really was beautiful, and it seemed like Brandon and I had some additional talking to do. But not right now. Right now, I needed to know more about my wife.

  “What should I do?” I asked her and sank down onto the couch, then popped right back up, remembering where I was.

  Madison sighed. “Talk to her. Talen, I don’t know you, but I do know Dani. She really, really cares about you. And she misses you. She was just scared that you didn’t feel the same way about her. She thought that you were only using her for your company. She had no idea that you had truly grown to care for her too.”

  “But I do. I really, really do.”

  “I know,” Madison said. She put her hand on my shoulder and patted it comfortingly. It was then that I realized just how strange this all was. I was in a back room with a barely dressed stripper who was my fake wife’s best friend.

  “I need to get her back.”

  Madison nodded and a grin appeared. “I have a plan.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT

  Dani

  Friday finally arrived, and with it, came my art show. I’d dropped all my pieces off at the gallery the night before. The owner agreed to let me set everything up. She knew it was important to me and that I was nervous. When I arrived two hours early, I immediately began to place my paintings strategically around the room. There wasn’t a real rhythm to them. I simply laid them out in the order that I’d painted them. It was like my own personal, emotional timeline. It started with my breakup with Perry and ended with my mother being admitted to the hospital. The paintings told a story that only I could understand.

  I was scared no one else would see the emotions in them. My biggest fear was that everyone would simply look at them and turn away. After all, at my last show, I’d only sold the one painting. My work hadn’t been enough to draw people in. They weren’t captivated or inspired. They weren’t intrigued or riveted. In fact, most of them were barely interested at all. They simply looked at the art, drank the wine, and left without a word. No matter how encouraging the gallery owner had been, I was scared that this would be a repeat of that night. I wasn’t sure I would be able to handle another failure.

  After everything that happened with my mom and with Talen, my emotions were already on edge. I felt like I was one second away from a total breakdown. My mind was constantly racing between thoughts of them both. I thought about Talen every day, every hour. He crossed my mind at the most inopportune times, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. His face floated across my brain. He was already latched so tightly around my heart that I couldn’t shake him. Despite my desperation to do just that, he clung to me tightly.

  All my paintings were in place except for one — the painting I did of Talen. I wasn’t sure where to put it in the timeline or if I should even put it out at all. When I placed it in chronological order, it didn’t feel right. He felt misplaced, like it was too early in the lineup. The only place it made sense was at the very end, right by the front door. The thought of placing it there made my nerves spark violently. In that position, it would be the first and last painting everybody saw. I wasn’t sure I was ready for that, to let every guest know how I felt about this man they didn’t know.

  In the end, I decided to put it out. My life had spun so far out of control over the last month that I felt like I was floundering. There was only one thing I could control, one thing that was still within my power. My work. My art. My paintings. So, I placed the painting proudly and told myself it would be okay. This wasn’t the time to play it safe or hide from my emotions. If I was going to be successful, I had to throw everything into this show. I couldn’t hold anything back. And I didn’t.

  The doors opened, and the place immediately flooded with guests. I began to relax as the compliments flowed in. I mingled as best as I could and was kept so busy that I didn’t have a chance to check on the sell sheet. Two hours into the show, I didn’t know if a single painting had sold, but I didn’t care. For the first time in my life, I didn’t have to worry about every dollar and I could focus on enjoying my guests. They were pleasant and positive. Just hearing their compliments was enough to fill me with a sense of pride and accomplishment that I hadn’t felt in years.

  “Hey, there.” I spun around to see Madison behind me, a wide smile on her face.

  “You made it,” I gushed, throwing my arms around her. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  She hugged me tight. “Have I ever missed one of your shows?”

  I kissed her cheek. “No, and that’s why I love you.”

  “Dani, this is amazing,” Madison said, looking around in awe. “I know I say that e
very time, but I actually mean it now. These paintings are so real. I’ve never seen you do something like this before.”

  “I just decided to go for it,” I admitted. “Jump in with both feet and see what happens, you know? I’m scared to death, but everyone seems to love them.”

  “Because they’re great,” Madison said. “I mean, this is your best work yet. Seriously.”

  Tears burned the backs of my eyes. “Thank you.”

  “I especially like the painting by the front door,” Madison said with a sly grin.

  “Don’t…” I warned. “I don’t want to talk about him right now.”

  “Dani,” she began, but I cut her off with a raised hand.

  “Not tonight, okay?” I begged. “I just want this show to go well. Thinking about Talen will only upset me.”

  She lifted a brow. “Why?”

  “Because I blew it with him,” I said, my heart aching. “Remember? The way I treated him at the hospital was so horrible. He’ll never forgive me for that. No one would.”

  Madison smiled sympathetically and glanced behind me. I watched as her face lit up. When she looked back at me, her eyes were wide, her grin growing even wider.

  “I don’t think you blew it, Dani,” she said and looked pointedly over my shoulder.

  When I turned around, Talen was standing by the front door, staring at the painting of himself. My stomach felt heavy as I watched him. He hadn’t seen me yet, and I wasn’t sure I wanted him to. I didn’t know if I could face him or what I would say. Worse still, I had no idea how to explain that painting. There was so much emotion in it, so many feelings that I couldn’t even begin to put them into words. I was scared it would frighten him away, that he would turn around and run.

  He didn’t. Instead, he looked around the room until his eyes fell on me. When he saw me, he smiled nervously and walked my way. Madison quickly made herself scarce, squeezing my arm encouragingly as she passed. Part of me wanted her to stay, but I knew Talen and I needed to talk alone. We’d been through so much lately, and it wasn’t fair to just leave things unfinished. We both deserved some sort of closure.

  When he stopped in front of me, I could barely breathe. It hadn’t even been a week since I last saw him, but I felt like it had been a year. I’d gotten so used to spending time with him that when our time together abruptly ended, I didn’t know how to cope. Luckily, I had some distractions. Between my mother’s care and my art show, my mind was otherwise occupied, but I never forgot about Talen. I never once stopped thinking about him. I never once stopped missing him and wanting to be near him. If anything, my feelings for him grew during our time apart. I knew now, more than ever, that I loved him.

  “Hi,” he said. He sounded nervous. “This is incredible.”

  I tried to swallow, and my dry throat clicked with the effort. “Thank you for coming. It means a lot to me that you’re here.”

  “I wouldn’t have missed it,” he said, and I believed him. His eyes were locked on mine. There was so much hidden behind them, so much that he hadn’t said.

  “Talen,” I said, stepping toward him. “About the hospital, I shouldn’t have said those things to you. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean them, I was just—”

  “Scared,” Talen finished for me. “I understand. Your mother was hurt, and you didn’t know what was going to happen. You don’t have to apologize.”

  “I do,” I insisted. “Because I didn’t mean anything I said. Of course, I care about you. How could I not? After everything we’ve been through together, I…”

  I didn’t know how to finish the sentence. The truth was that I loved him. I loved him more than I was ready to admit. He had become a vital part of my existence, one that I couldn’t stand to lose, but I wasn’t ready for him to know that. I couldn’t admit how I really felt. Not there. Not then. Not yet.

  “It was my fault anyway,” he said, saving me from myself.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I should have defended you.” His eyes were dark with pain as he spoke. “When my father said those things to you, I just stood there. I froze, and it was wrong. It wasn’t until after you left that I finally woke up and told him exactly what I thought.”

  That surprised me. “You did?”

  “Yeah.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “I told him to shut up and not talk about you that way. I even told him that my mom deserved better than him.”

  “Wow.”

  I couldn’t believe Talen actually stood up to his father. In all the time I’d known him, I’d never even seen him come close. Jacob Gaston was a force to be reckoned with, and no one stood a chance against him. I always knew that Talen was just as strong. If he wanted to, he could walk right over his father without even blinking, but I never thought he would. I never imagined Talen would speak up.

  “I can’t believe I did it,” he admitted. “It felt like someone else, you know? But I knew it was time. He said such horrible things to you and about you. I couldn’t just let him get away with it. Plus, after the way he’s always treated my mom, I was just done. It might have been a mistake. I don’t know, but it felt right at the time.”

  “I think it was right,” I said. “I think you should have stood up to him a long time ago. He doesn’t have the right to treat you the way he does. You aren’t an idiot, Talen. You’re brilliant and amazing, and he needs to realize that.”

  Talen’s eyes lit up at my words. He stepped closer to me and reached down to take my hand. As our fingers locked together, I felt a jolt of electricity shoot through my body. I couldn’t breathe as I looked into his eyes. He was staring at me with so much emotion that it almost made me cry.

  “I really love that painting,” he said softly.

  “Which one?” I asked but already knew.

  “The one by the door,” he said, glancing back at it. “The one of me.”

  My heart stopped at his words. “I was afraid to put it out,” I admitted, feeling a rush of emotions hit me in the chest and tears pricked my eyes at the thought of someone buying it and never seeing it again. A huge part of me wanted to grab it and hold it close, never let it go.

  “Why?”

  “Because…” I licked my dry lips and blinked away the sadness. “It’s the most personal piece I’ve ever painted.”

  Talen inhaled sharply at my words. I looked at him, and all I wanted to do was kiss him. The middle of my art show wasn’t the time or the place, but I wanted to. My lips longed to press against his.

  “It’s surreal,” he said and one side of his mouth tipped up. “You captured something inside me I’d never seen before. Not until I met you.”

  Our eyes never left each other’s faces. The guests continued to swirl around us, but I didn’t care anymore. I hardly noticed that anyone else was in the room. I only had eyes for Talen. I could only focus on him and my feelings for him.

  Talen took a step closer to me and took my hand in his, bringing it to his lips. He kissed the place where my wedding rings were missing and a flash of pain crossed his features. “Something’s missing,” he murmured and kissed the bare spot again. “We’ll need to take care of that real soon.”

  I smiled, my heart expanding in my chest, making it hard to breathe. I thought about our time together and how much he meant to me. I remembered every detail of the last month, and I smiled to myself, silently thinking that we hadn’t yet signed the annulment papers.

  “Yeah. Real soon.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY NINE

  Talen

  The night was a success in every way possible.

  Dani was shocked with how well her show went — every single one of her paintings were sold. I wasn’t at all surprised. The second I walked into that gallery, I knew her work was something special. She had a way of invoking emotions in her paintings that I’d never seen before. To say I was impressed with her would be an understatement. I was more than impressed. I was in awe.

  I was also in awe that we left the gallery holding hands. Then we
’d gone home to my — our — apartment and made love until the sun streaked the morning sky with its welcoming light.

  Until I met Dani, I hadn’t known how much of my life I lived in fear. Not from the monster under the bed, but from the fear of failing my father. In his eyes, I’d never been good enough, done good enough. I’d known that since I was young. He always had found the flaw in everything I’d done. When I was old enough, I’d drank and partied, buried my pain between women’s thighs. After all, if I was already a fuck up, I might as well act like one.

  I didn’t want to act like one anymore.

  For Dani, I wanted to be the man she deserved.

  Which was one of the reasons I bought the painting she did of me. I wanted the reminder of how she saw me. The way I wanted to see myself.

  I’d kept my purchase a secret until the painting arrived at our door two days later. We were both up early that day, getting ready to visit her mother at her new assisted living home, when the doorbell rang. Dani opened it and frowned when she saw the package from the gallery. She immediately assumed that someone had sent one of their purchases back, that they weren’t happy with it after all. I watched as her face fell and her eyes grew sad, but I knew my own face was lit up with an excited smile.

  She narrowed her eyes at me. “Why do you look like the cat who ate the canary?”

  I lifted a shoulder, the smile about splitting my face. “Because maybe I bought something from your show.”

  Her eyes softened. “You didn’t have to buy anything. I would have given it to you.”

  I stuffed my hands in my pockets so I wouldn’t reach for her. “That wouldn’t have been right. You’re a professional artist. I can’t just accept free paintings from you. I wanted it, so I bought it.”

  “Which one is it?” Dani asked with a smile. She moved toward the package and began to unwrap it, but I had other plans. Besides, we were already late to meet her mother, and I didn’t want to be even later.

  “Let’s unwrap it when we get back,” I said, putting my hand on hers. “Please. Your mom is waiting for us.”