Dani

 

 

 

After our talk last night, and the out of this world kitchen sex, I feel much lighter. Greg isn't mad with me, he's already clued everyone in on the truth of what happened.

And even though everyone has treated me like crap these past couple weeks, I'm ready to move on from it all. I'm not the kind of girl to hold a grudge.

I'd be a liar if I said I wanted to come into work today, though. I would have liked to spend the day in bed with Greg, but the chief called and asked me to come in as Jerry called in sick, then his partner did too.

We all know why they did, they've been seeing each other and wanted to be alone together. I can't even be mad at them for it. They're in love and just want to be alone. They've spent long enough denying what they feel for each other.

But that means Enzo has been called in on his day off too. I imagine he'll be as grumpy as ever because of that fact, and it's not like he's exactly been nice to me of late.

I'm doing a stock take in the back of the ambulance when he suddenly appears in front of the open doors, catching my attention. I swallow hard and just stare at him.

Enzo was the best friend I had here in this little town. He befriended me so easily, looked out for me, took me under his wing, into his home, allowed me to be a friend to his wife, an aunt to his daughters.

But when all of this stuff happened, he turned his back on me so easily, him and his wife, like I had never meant anything to them, and that hurt me so much.

From the sad look on his face, I know he's sorry for everything he's said to me and accused me of. He's here to talk, he wants to tell me that he's sorry, and the thought has a tear falling from my eye and down my cheek.

I miss my best friend. If he's sorry, I'll forgive him. Whatever Greg has been through in the past, Enzo and the others know about and just wanted to protect him from more pain. They thought they were being loyal to him because they thought I'd wronged him. I don't blame them for that.

How could they think any differently when I had sex with a man while we were supposed to be having a girls day?

How were they to know it was Greg?

They didn't believe me when I tried to protest, wouldn't listen to me, but I'm guilty of not trying hard enough to make them.

“Can I talk to you for a minute?”

I slowly nod my head and climb down from the ambulance, coming to a stand in front of him. I swallow hard, I'm nervous and I don't know why, this is my best friend. Sure, he hurt me when he doubted me, called me names and distanced himself from me, taking his friendship away from me. He should have been the one person to believe me, but I know the evidence was pretty damning. But he should have listened to me, let me explain. But the fact remains, in my heart, he will always be my best friend.

“I don't even know where to start, Dani.” He rakes his fingers through his hair.

If he's finding this hard them he should have been in my shoes these past couple weeks. He'd know what hard was then.

“I'm so fucking sorry, Dani. You have no idea how sorry I am.”

“It's fine.” I smile slightly while folding my arms around myself. None of what happened really matters, but it's nice to have his apology.

“Don't do that, Dani. Don't pretend the way we've all treated you was okay because it wasn't. Not fucking one of us gave you a second of time to put us straight. We tarnished you with the same brush as lesser people, and that makes us the lesser people.”

I can't even blink while he speaks, I'm frozen to the spot just listening to him.

“I've never been the kind of man to attach himself to people. I lost too many in the past to do that, including my daughter.”

I narrow my eyes. I had no clue he and Paige had lost a child. And he means to death, I heard it in the way he said he'd lost his daughter. My heart breaks for him, and he can see it written all over my face.

“I'm so sorry, Enzo.”

He shakes his head and smiles kindly, the way he used to before he hated me. “It was a long time ago before Paige and I were even together. Charlie wasn't biologically mine, but I wanted her so badly.”

“What happened? You don't have to tell me.” Why the hell am I being so damn nosey?

“That's okay. It doesn't hurt to talk about anymore. Paige showed me how to let go. I wasn't in love with Charlie's mom, she cheated on me all the time with a guy she'd been seeing before we even got together, he lived a couple towns over.”

No wonder he flipped on me the way he did. Jesus.

“The guy was married, didn't want anything to do with the baby or Autumn. She was raised by strict religious parents, she was scared of what they would say and think of her. I agreed to be with her and raise the baby as my own. Trouble is, she knew I was in love with someone else.”

“Paige?”

He nods. “I couldn't lie to Autumn any longer, so I told her the truth. She stormed away from me...” He closes his eyes in pain. He may have said it doesn't hurt anymore, but I can see that it does, and he blames himself for what happened.

“Three days after Charlie was born sleeping, Autumn took her own life.” I suck in a shocked breath. Jesus Christ. “She may have cheated on me, but she didn't deserve to lose her child and her life because of it.

“You didn't deserve for me to turn on you either. Of all the people who should have listened it was me. I questioned it at first, believe me, I didn't believe you'd do something like that. But when Paige told me what happened, what she heard, it was hard not to think it could be true.

“She didn't mean for all of this to happen, nor did Callie, but they thought you'd hurt Greg. They – we – were all wrong for treating you the way we did, and nothing we do now will ever make up for it. But I am asking you as your friend,”

“Best friend.” I correct.

“Best friend.” He parrots back with a smile. “As your best friend, I'm asking – no, begging you to forgive me, Dani. I know I don't deserve it after everything I said, but...”

I don't let him finish. I walk up to him and wrap my arms around his waist tightly, cutting off his words. He wraps his arms around me and kisses my head. “I've missed you,” I tell him honestly.

“I'm so sorry, Dani.”

“I know.” I look up at him. “Don't you ever doubt me again, Lorenzo Ryker.” He laughs at my use of his full name. “I'm not that girl, Enzo. I would never cheat on Greg. He means so much to me.”

He cups my cheek, stroking his thumb under my eye. “I know that now, sweetheart.” And just like that, it's behind us, Enzo means enough to me that I've forgiven him. I'll even forget in time. I just hope I'm around long enough to have a real life here. A life with Greg and Alejandro.

That's my biggest wish.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“You're crazy!” I'm laughing hysterically at Greg as he dances with little Echo.

I'm laughing because she wanted him to be a ballerina with her. So what did Greg do? He pulled on a tutu he found in my closet – a hot pink one I wore to an 80s party Callie threw at the pub a month or so after I arrived here. And here Greg is showing Echo and me what a wonderful dancer he is.

Thank God he didn't go the whole hog and wear tights like he joked he would, he kept his jeans on, even if he did strip away his shirt, leaving him in just his wife beater.

Little Echo climbs onto my lap so she can watch her uncle make a fool of himself just to make her smile, and I love him so much for not caring what he looks like to anyone else, just so long as he makes his little niece happy, that's all he cares about.

Most men would be too embarrassed to do anything like this. They'd think it would make them less of a man if they even picked up a child's doll and played with her.

But not my Greg. He's amazing and he cares so much about the people in his life. He'd do anything for his family, for his niece's and nephews. Especially the little girl on my knee, laughing and cheering her uncle on as he pirouettes around the living room.

“I knew he was crazy, but I think he'd finally lost the plot.” Kory mocks from the doorway of his living room, Aimee beside him.

Things are good between us since they also apologized to me for what happened and the way they treated me. Everyone at some point apologized, but not Callie. I truthfully haven't set eyes on her all week. I've been busy with work, I assume she has too.

To be honest, I think she's avoiding me. I mean, the day Enzo apologized, I got home from work, showered and changed, but I didn't even have time for dinner before my door knocked. I knew it wasn't Greg because I gave him a key. I'm ready for that step.

Plus, it's easier if he has his own key, he can let himself in when I'm in the shower, or cooking, or lounging on the couch because I'm being lazy. Or even when I'm in bed and dreaming about him, he can slide in beside me when he gets home late from a trip to Seattle.

Moving in together would be nice, but there's no point when he'll be located in Seattle most the time. I hate thinking about it, but there's nothing I can do when he doesn't live here permanently. It hurts that he's away as much as he is right now, thinking about him leaving and not coming back here as often kills me. So I try not to.

“Uncle Greg loves me, Daddy. He makes me happy when he plays with me.” Her little feelings have been hurt by her father's words. Sweet baby girl.

Greg smiles and lifts Echo from my lap and into his arms, her little tutu lifting up at the back. “Daddy's just joking, Princess.”

“He is?” Greg nods with a wink, making Echo laugh.

“Uncle Greg...”

“Is making Echo happy.” I cut Kory off with a raised eyebrow in his direction as if to say, right?

Aimee laughs behind her hand, Kory rolls his eyes with a smile on his face. He finds this whole thing as sweet as Aimee and I do, but he's a big strong man who doesn't like to show it. Weirdo.

“Uncle Greg loves you very, very much, sweet baby girl.”

Greg makes my heart widen with love for him. He's so gentle with Echo, I can only imagine what he'd be like with his own child.

I get out of my seat and walk over to Greg. I wrap my arm around his waist. I rub little Echo's back and she giggles at me. She's so cute.

One day, this will be me. My baby boy will be home with me. I can see him in Greg's arms the way Echo is right now. My arms wrapped around both of them, Greg holding us both close to him while telling us that he loves us.

It might just be a dream right now, but one day, it will come true. It has to. I'm going to stay in this town, get my son back, and fall deeper in love with Greg Harper, man of my dreams.

Keep dreaming, Dani.

I will.