When I reach for a slice of pizza, Danny slaps my hand away and picks it up to feed it to me. Oh my God. He’s feeding me, like, hand feeding me. I can’t stop smiling.
“I know you have a lot of questions, and I’m here to answer them.” His brown eyes are radiant from the yellow flames of the flickering candles. “So ask me.”
“Is Piper your wife?”
“No,” he says simply. “She’s my ex-wife.”
“Do you love her?”
His brown eyes flicker over my face, watching me carefully. “Once I love someone, I never stop.”
Yes.
He still loves her.
My entire face frowns.
Danny pinches my nose and feeds me a slice of pizza. I obediently take a bite and then sit back in my chair.
“Do you love me?” I ask blatantly, looking into his eyes.
“I do,” he answers bluntly. “I’ve loved you since I saw you, December.”
“I love you, too.”
“I know.” His grin is smug.
Leaning over the table, I stare at his mouth with an urgent need to kiss those lips. “Why can’t we be together, then? You and I make sense. We’re perfect together.”
Danny leans over the table as well, meeting me half way. We’re nose-to-nose, and our lips are less than a breath away. “You know why. If it wasn’t for the age difference, I would take your virginity right here on this table. But since there is a very big age difference, I need you to sit back and be Danny's good girl.”
I shiver from the rumble of his voice and the intensity in his deep brown eyes.
All I can do is look at him. Danny is the most beautiful man I've ever known. I want to touch his stunning face and kiss his luscious lips. I want to become familiar with his beauty in every way imaginable.
“I’ve got a gift for you, but you have to promise me something first, December.”
“Anything.”
He stares deeply into my eyes, his alluring gaze penetrating the depths of my soul. “I want you to promise yourself to me.”
My breath leaves me, and my heart slams painfully against my ribcage. “You want my virginity?”
He doesn’t smile when he says, “Absolutely.”
I try to mask my excitement and play it cool. “If I give you my virginity, then I want something in return. What do I get?”
“Me.”
“I want all of you.”
Danny’s brown eyes darken into the color of a moonless night. “I vow to give you every part of me, December, even the not-so-great parts. You can have it all, if you keep your promise.”
My fingers involuntarily clench the linen tablecloth as I stare into his hypnotizing gaze. “I vow to give you every part of me, Danny.”
His solemn expression softens. “Good.” He pulls a small black velvet box from his pocket and slides it across the table.
I stare down at the box and then back at him, my stomach filled with butterflies. “What’s this?”
“A gift. Open it.”
With shaky hands, I lift the lid and peek inside. It’s a solid-gold band. I can’t conceal my smile. “You got me a ring?”
“Yes.”
My eyes become huge, my heart beating out of my chest. “Are you going to ask me to marry you?”
Danny smiles at me. “Not today.”
“Oh,” I say, looking down at the ring. I pick it up and slip it on my ring finger and frown. “It’s too big. It doesn’t fit.”
“Don’t worry about the size. I have something that’ll help.” He reaches up to unclasp a thin gold rope chain from his neck. “Here.” He hands me the necklace. “Loop the ring through it and wear it around your neck for now.”
After I thread the rope through the ring, Danny gets up to lift my hair and put the thin chain on me. Something as sure as fate and as inevitable as destiny locks into place once the ring hangs around my neck.
“What is this?” I ask him, squirming in my chair from the weight of the ring and the intense look in his eyes.
He sits back down and grins at me like he knows something I don’t. “What is what?”
“This feeling. I feel like you’ve just branded me for life with this ring.”
His dazzling grin broadens into a striking smile. “I have. As long as you have my ring around your neck, I am yours and you are mine.”
“We belong to each other?”
“Very much so.”
My stomach dips, and I can’t stop smiling. “I like that.”
His eyes twinkle like dark gemstones. “Good.”
He reaches over the table to clasp my hand in his. We talk quietly and watch the zebras graze. Eating dinner with Danny inside the zoo and watching zebras feed is magical. This is the best day of my life. I don’t want this day to end.
An employee dressed like a waiter brings out a stunning, frosted, colorful cake. The cake is lit with many burning candles. I’m immediately giddy with joy. Danny watches me blow out my candles and make a wish. I cut the first slice and scream in happiness. Inside the cake are many tiers. Each tier is a different color. Red. Orange. Yellow. Green. Blue. Purple. I have a rainbow cake.
I glance at him and then back at the incredible cake. “This is the gayest cake I’ve ever seen. I love it.”
“I had a feeling you would.”
“Tell me if it’s as good as it looks.” I fork up some and lift it to his mouth.
He opens his mouth and presses his lips over the fork. I die at least twice watching his sensual mouth work as he eats. His mouth is full. It’s like his lips are sculpted to be kissed and to kiss. I have never been more envious of a fork.
Danny nods. “It’s sweet.” He takes the fork away from my hand and scoops some more cake up. He holds the fork to my lips, grinning. “Try it.”
My heart thuds like thunder in my ears. Danny watches me intently as I eat from the same fork as him. He used this fork. And now I’m using it. It’s like kissing him.
“Thanks for today.”
He gives me a soft smile. “You’re welcome, little lady.”
His phone chirps. Danny pulls it from his pocket and then stares down at it.
“I have to take this,” he says, keeping his distracted gaze on his phone as he rises from the table. “I’ll be back, December.”
The minutes are endless. I sit here alone at the table and watch the yellow flame of the candle burn. Once all the wax is melted from the candle, I get up and search for Danny. He’s nowhere in the zoo. I exit to the parking lot.
His truck is gone.
Confused, I make my way back to the table. After a while, I get bored and smash the half-eaten slice of cake on my plate. Our fake waiters begin to clear the table. They box up my rainbow cake and set it in front of me.
I wait and wait and wait.
Deciding to finally get up to call my mom, I walk to the main lobby area. Gray comes through the doors, his golden eyes aimed at me.
A sickening feeling washes over me.
Is something wrong?
What happened to Danny?
“Let me guess. You’re here to take me home.”
He looks guilty. “Yeah. Let’s get you home.”
***
It’s nine at night. I sit in my room. My eyes dart to the house phone, hoping Danny rings. He doesn’t. Irritation spikes through my veins. Fuck him. It’s my birthday. I will not sit alone in my room, longing for him when he’s the one who left me. Tears burn in my eyes at the thought.
Danny left me.
Why would he do that?
It doesn’t make sense.
He has never left me.
Danny has never abandoned me.
But he did tonight.
After I wash my face, I get dressed and put on my zebra hat. If Danny doesn’t want to be with me on my birthday, I’ll be with someone who does.
My mom is asleep and my sisters are out. No one will miss me right now. Josh lives a few blocks over. He doesn’t live far, so I walk to his
house. It’s a fifteen minute walk. It’s snowing and cold, but the journey is worth it. I bring my boxed-up cake Danny gave me. I want to surprise Josh. We haven’t spent much time together lately. I miss him. We can play video games and eat cake for the rest of the night. Danny has no right to get mad at me whenever he finds out.
I’m smiling when I reach the front steps of his porch. The lights are on in the living room, and the blinds are open. But I stop short. I don’t reach the door before my eyes land on Danny and Piper. They’re naked and sprawled out on the couch, the same couch I was on when I was drugged. He’s on top of her between her legs, which are wrapped firmly around his hips.
Danny moves subtly between her legs, as if he isn’t moving at all. The major sign that he is thrusting gently is Piper’s open mouth and the way she clutches his powerful shoulders with each pump of his hips. She grips his shoulders like she needs him to breathe.
Maybe she does.
Danny is making love to Piper.
He’s making the sweet and slow kind of love to her.
Danny and Piper are making the kind of passionate love where they would be happy to die under each other if the world suddenly ended.
Something deep inside of me cracks and shatters and can never be undone.
It’s my birthday, and he left me to come here to make love to her.
I watch them in an agonizing trance, unable to turn away.
I never understood why people were transfixed from turning away from devastating tragedy. Now I do as I stand here and watch Danny and Piper from outside.
They’re a tangled web of beautiful limbs.
He lifts her up until she’s fully straddling him.
Piper runs her fingers through his thick hair, delirious as their hips slowly grind together.
The boxed cake slips from my hands as my heart cracks.
It’s as powerful as a horse kick to my chest.
I take an unsteady step and bump into someone, but my gaze is fixed on the window and the excruciating sight behind it.
“December.”
“What?” I say to the concerned voice behind me.
“Let’s go ride the horses.”
“I don’t want to.”
A warm hand clasps mine. “Let’s go to the movies. It’s your birthday. Fuck them. Let’s go.”
I shift my gaze up to Josh’s handsome face and stare into serene blue eyes. “Okay.”
He gives me a tender, closed-mouthed smile and then throws his arm around my shoulders and kisses my hair. “We’ll have fun tonight. Forget about them.”
I nod numbly, leaning into him with all my weight.
Josh asks for impossible things.
I can’t forget about them.
The sight of their naked, tangled bodies and their faces slacked with passion is burned into my brain.
The first of my tears shed when Josh and I sit inside his truck.
I hate Danny Oliver.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
THE PRESENT
The past week and a half has been the time of my life. Danny and I have grown closer. My sisters are all together. I get to spend time with Bliss. And Chloe is living it up, chasing squirrels in the snow. This has been good for us. We needed to get away for a while. A group of cabins nestled into a small clearing in the forest is the perfect vacation.
Danny and I are in the bathroom. He holds a pregnancy test box in his hands. I roll my eyes at him. “You want me to take it now?”
“Absolutely.”
“But what if I’m pregnant?”
“We’ll work it out, December.”
Overwhelming fear ripples through me. “I’m scared.”
He moves to me instantly, embracing me tightly. “We will make it through this. I promise. Either way, we’ll be stronger. You can do this.”
I nod against his neck, breathing deeply. “Okay.”
He holds me at arm’s length, staring into my eyes. “Do you want me to stay with you?”
“Please.”
God, I’m terrified.
I feel like a little girl again.
He went all out. Danny got the high-tech pregnancy test that can detect the early stages of pregnancy.
I force myself to swallow. I pray I don’t have a baby inside of me. I’ve been drinking. And I haven’t necessarily stopped. I didn’t think about the possibility of being with child when I was drinking. Now that is my only thought.
“Let’s get this over with,” I mumble, on the verge of tears.
Danny nods, releasing me. He opens the box and hands me the stick. I squat on the toilet. Danny moves in front of me and holds my free hand. I lift my gaze up to him, grinning nervously.
“Sorry. This might take a while. I’m not used to peeing in front of others.”
He gives me a gentle smile, and then he lowers his butt on the tile floor and leans his back against the wall. “Take your time.”
His gaze drifts to his leather boots. I think he’s giving me the most privacy he can at the moment. He seems lost in deep thought. Danny doesn’t look angry or upset. He looks attentive. If I am pregnant, I know Danny will love this child. I know we will be the best parents we can be. I know he won’t abandon me or our baby, but the fear and pressure of it all is like a massive boulder on my chest.
It’s crushing me.
He’s right.
We aren’t ready for a child.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t learn how to become great parents.
I stare at Danny and feel guilty. This beautiful man is sitting on the bathroom floor, holding my hand, going through every step with me.
Tears hit my cheeks without permission.
He reaches up and begins to wipe tears from my face. “Why are you crying?”
Instead of answering, a steady stream splashes against water. I’m beyond embarrassment at this point. There is no room for shyness. I don’t care that he can hear me pee. He doesn’t seem concerned about me relieving myself, either. But he is concerned about me. He dries my face and wipes my nose as I pee on this fucking stick.
I pass it to him as I wipe myself and flush the toilet. He glances down at the time on his phone and then back at the stick as I pump floral-smelling liquid soap in my palms and wash my hands.
Danny sits on the countertop of the tub. “Come here.”
I move to his side, leaning my head on his shoulder.
He holds me as we wait together.
“I’ll love you no matter what,” he whispers. “I’m not angry with you. I need you to know that. This isn’t your fault, December. I have a big part to play as well.”
“You’ll stay with me?”
His jaw suddenly ticks. “Yes. But I understand why you would ask that. I’m not going anywhere, December.” He touches the gold band around my neck. “I’m yours for life.”
“I’m keeping you to that.”
“I hope you do.” He checks the time on his phone again. “You ready to know our future?”
“No.” I frown, looking at him.
He presses his mouth to mine and kisses me deeply. I lose every thought except his lips on mine. His tongue slides between my lips and strokes, tangling with mine. His fingers sink into my hair as he licks and bites at my trembling mouth. “I’m not going to leave you again. You have me, December. What I did before was fucked, and it hurt you. I thought I could justify it in my mind. It made sense at the time. My intention wasn’t to hurt you, little lady. I will never abandon you again. I plan to love you for the rest of my life.”
His brutal honesty shines in his deep brown eyes. “I believe you, Danny.”
He kisses the corner of my mouth, and we both glance down at the stick in his hands. After a single glance, my gaze wanders, my mind spinning.
Danny cups my jaw, guiding my gaze to his. “It’s negative.”
He doesn’t seem too thrilled like I thought he would be, but I am flooded with relief.
“We get to build a life together first,” I say, thr
owing my arms around him and burying my face in his chest.
***
We have Bliss today. Danny and I volunteered to babysit while May and Miles go on a skiing date. After watching Frozen for the third time, we decide to go outside and build Olaf. Bliss helps Danny and I pack snow together. She is adorable in her gray and pink mittens, ear warmers, pink bubble coat, and little boots. We all sort of match thanks to Bliss. I have my dreaded Pepto-colored bubble coat on, and Danny is wearing Bliss’s hot pink Hello Kitty hat and scarf. She offered it to him since he had nothing pink or bright.
“This is so cool,” she says as Danny hands her the carrot. “We’re giving him a nose, and Olaf is super tall.”
I glance at Danny and laugh.
He shrugs, grinning.
Olaf is Danny’s height, which means he’s over six foot. Danny wasn’t going for regular-sized Olaf. He went for super-sized Olaf and managed to blow the mind of a six-year-old girl.
“Do you like it, Bliss?” Danny asks. He looks at her like she makes his world spin.
My heart thuds heavily, and I sigh inwardly.
She nods vigorously, her doll-like hazel eyes glittering. “I love our Olaf. He’s so tall. Can we add his nose now?”
“Let’s do it,” he says, picking Bliss up and placing her around his neck.
She adds Olaf’s nose, clapping in joy.
I pass her two black buttons for his eyes and then two thin branches for his arms. “He’s looking good.”
“I know,” Bliss murmurs in a daze, staring at our creation. “Now if only he would talk and sing.”
“I don’t think that’ll happen, Bliss,” Danny replies, laughing.
“I know.” She pouts. “Can we knock him down?”
“But we just built him.” I snort, amused. It’s definite that she has Oliver blood running through her veins. She likes to tear things apart as well as build things. She reminds me of her Uncle Danny.
“Yeah, but I want to smash Olaf now.”
“I thought you loved Olaf.” I smile hard.
Bliss tilts her head as she stares at the snowman. “I do, but since he can’t talk or sing, I think we should put him to rest.”
December (The Oliver Brothers Book 1) Page 20