Chapter 22

~ Danny ~

Six Years Earlier

On Christmas Day, I ate a homemade dinner with Gabrielle’s family. On the small kitchen table sat a tiny spread, only what her mother could afford. Even though they kept insisting the meal wasn’t much—a ham with mashed potatoes and green beans—it was more than I’d ever had, making me wonder what Christmas had been like for them in their previous life. Something I’d never seen before, that’s for sure, but wanted to offer Gabrielle again in the future.

“So how do you go about writing your songs, Danny?” Gabrielle’s mother asked. She went out of her way to make me feel comfortable and included, which I appreciated.

I shrugged and took a sip of water. I hated these questions. I never knew how to explain something that happened naturally for me. “Random words or phrases just come to my head that I try to work into beats later.”

“He has all these papers so he can write everything down. You should see them. I don’t think there’s an empty space on any of the pages,” Gabrielle said.

“I like to jot it down as soon as it comes to me, so I don’t forget.”

“And then how do you put it together?” Monica asked. She was quiet around me for the most part, but she’d been warming up, which I was sure was for her sister’s sake.

“I have an idea of the mix in my head, so I know what I’m looking for.” At her blank expression, I added, “It’s hard to explain.” I shifted in my chair, uncomfortable with the attention.

“It can’t be as easy as you make it sound,” she insisted. “I mean, I wouldn’t know where to start.”

“Of course not,” Gabrielle said. “You have to have talent for it, like Danny does. Not just anyone can do what he does. He’s amazing.”

Eager to get the focus off me, I smiled at her. “Not everyone can dance on their toes and make it look effortless.”

Her mother nodded in agreement. “She is wonderful.”

“Well, let’s hope Juilliard agrees.” Gabrielle sighed and turned her attention back to her plate, moving beans around with her fork.

Mrs. Wells gave her a hopeful grin. “They will, and they’ll give you a big fat scholarship.”

Everyone knew without it, she had no chance of going.

After dinner, I grabbed Gabrielle’s hand and pulled her out of earshot.

“Do you think we can get out of here?”

“Sure. Let me tell my mom.”

She moved over to the small fake, sad-looking tree in the corner, wrapped in one string of white lights and a few ornaments, and gathered two gifts. “Mom, Danny and I are going to head out for a while.”

“Okay, honey. Be safe.”

“Thanks for the awesome dinner, Mrs. W.,” I said.

“Oh, you’re welcome, Danny. Anytime. Merry Christmas.”

* * *

I drove to the apartment over the garage, my temporary home after the fiasco with my father. I shut off the engine and turned to Gabrielle. “Wait here a second, okay?”

She nodded and waited as I raced up the stairs, disappearing inside, getting everything ready and making a few adjustments. I had it all planned and was excited for our first Christmas together. I hoped she liked what I did.

When she stepped over the threshold, she gasped in surprise, and my insides warmed. Strings of multi-colored lights hung around the doorframes, and there was a small tree with a gold star glowing on the top. Multiple tea lights glowed from every corner of the room.

“Danny, this is beautiful.”

I lifted one shoulder, but I loved that she loved it. “It isn’t much, but I wanted to do something for our first Christmas.”

She smiled as she walked over to the bed, dumping her jacket into the chair. She patted the space next to her. “Come here.” I removed the sweatshirt I wore over a plain white T-shirt as I made my way across the room, and once I sat, she handed me a gift. “Here.”

“You didn’t have to get me anything, baby.”

“Of course, I did. Open it.” I studied the silver wrapping and red ribbon, overcome by the gesture, and made no move to open it. “Danny, is this your first Christmas present?”

“From anyone who cares about me,” I murmured.

She paused, but then she smiled. “It won’t be the last. Now open it.”

I ripped off the paper covering a book with a leather cover, stamped with the letter “D” in the bottom corner. I fanned through the pages, all of which were blank.

“It’s a journal. I figured you could write in this instead of carrying around loose papers. When you fill it up, you can replace the inside with new paper.” When I remained silent, staring at the book in my hands, she cleared her throat. “It isn’t much, I know, but—”

I cut her off with my mouth. When I pulled away, my voice was rough. “It’s perfect.” My fingertips trailed over the embossed ‘D’. “Thank you.”

She smiled, relief and happiness filling her face, and reached behind her. “Well, that’s not all.”

I shook my head. “No, this is enough.”

“Let me spoil you.” She took the journal out of my hand and replaced it with the other gift. “Open it.”

I sighed before unwrapping a new digital music player, a newer and better model than the one I had before. “You didn’t.”

“It was my fault your other one broke.”

“Gabrielle, it’s too much. Take it back.”

“Nope. I’m going to do it. Get used to it.”

I captured her mouth with mine again, before resting my forehead against hers. “Thank you. I love you.”

“I love you too, and you’re worth everything. I only wish I could get you more.”

“I have you. That’s all I need.”

She pressed her lips against mine. “You have me.”

I sat back to place the gifts on the nightstand next to the bed. Opening the drawer, I retrieved a small box wrapped in red paper and handed it to her.

“Danny, you shouldn’t have.”

“You can’t tell me you can buy me things, but I can’t.”

“But—”

“No buts, open the damn thing.”

She eyed me with one brow lifted before removing the foil paper from the package. When she spotted the logo of a jewelry store, she shook her head and tried to give the box back. “No, Danny. Whatever it is, it’s too expensive. Take it back.”

“Just open the effing box before I toss you in the snow for being a pain the ass.” She grinned, but hesitated and I smiled at her. “Come on. Open it.”

She lifted the lid and her mouth dropped open on a silent gasp. Nestled in soft padding was a fragile gold chain necklace with a pendant made of gold lines weaving and winding around each other to form a small circle on which sat sporadically placed chips of rubies and aquamarines.

“It’s beautiful.”

“It represents our lives. The intertwined lines are our lifelines. The rubies and the aquamarines represent us. They’re our birthstones.”

“Danny, it’s gorgeous. I can’t believe you did this. It must have cost a fortune.”

I ignored her and pulled the thin gold chain out, fastening it around her neck. “It looks good on you.”

“Thank you. I love it.”

The candles and Christmas lights draped the room in a hazy hue, and she’d never looked so stunning. “You’re so beautiful.”

Her breath stuttered as she cupped my cheek, leaning in to touch her lips to mine. I lingered before tilting my head to deepen the kiss. Her arms circled my neck, and I tugged her closer, pressing her chest against me. I reclined, my hands making slow trails down her sides, and with our mouths never parting, I switched our positions, rising above her.

I propped up on one elbow and brushed her hair away from her face. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

Gabrielle nodded, even though her throat moved as she swallowed hard.

My mouth descended on hers again, but this time with more intensity. She pulled my shirt over my head, her eyes feasting on my bare chest. Her fingers lingered over my other tattoos, before moving to the ridges of my rib cage and over my stomach, causing my skin to tighten and raise in goose bumps, and my dick to twitch. My hand traveled up her sweater and she raised her torso so I could remove it, followed by her bra.

She kept her eyes on mine. “I know I’m not big…”

My gaze flew up to hers, and I cupped her in my hand with reverence. “You’re perfect,” I said before my mouth was on hers.

She let me take her where I wanted to go, willing to follow wherever, and I started slow, but soon we were panting for air, our hands roaming over each other, never hesitating in one spot for long.

I unzipped her jeans and dragged them down her legs. Clothed only in her pink bikini underwear, my eyes skimmed over the length of her, fully laid out instead of crammed into the backseat, and I palmed her strong calves. “I love your legs. They’re a fucking mile long.”

She reached for my belt, unbuckling it, and once undone, along with the button and zipper of my jeans, she pushed down my pants. I pulled them off the rest of the way before throwing them onto the floor, where our clothes lay in a pile. I extended behind her and drew down the blankets so we could get underneath, before tugging off her panties and my boxers. My fingers brushed over her stomach before touching her, testing her readiness, and when I encountered wet, slick heat, I closed my eyes on a moan as everything in me flamed. I yanked open the drawer to the nightstand, desperate to be inside her, and grabbed a condom, rolling it on as she watched, her eyes wide.

“Are you nervous?”

“No,” she said, but her voice was thin.

“Scared?”

“No.”

“It might hurt a little.”

She nodded, but said nothing more, positioning her legs wider in silent invitation. I situated myself between them, and intertwined our fingers before placing our connected hands over where my heart thudded in a quick rhythm. “I love you, Gabrielle.”

“I love you—” She cut off with a gasp when I eased into her, and squeezed her eyes shut. Waiting for her body to adjust around me, she sucked in a breath, and I held still, fighting the urge to move, and trying to ignore how fucking hot and tight she was, sweat breaking out on my skin from the effort.

After what seemed like an eternity, she smiled, pulling me closer for a kiss, and I moved within her.

“It will always be you, no matter what,” she said.

“Always,” I promised before we lost ourselves in each other.