Chapter 35

~ Danny ~

I sat in the dark living room, nursing two fingers of whiskey. My house was empty, silent; the way I wanted it, but I’d never been so alone. My heart ached, and a constant dull pain throbbed behind my eyes.

I missed my girls.

I’d promised to give Gabrielle time, even though it was a struggle not to pick up the phone and call her, or drive over to the hotel that had showed up on my credit card. I wanted to give her the time she needed, but the wait was killing me. She had to come back because she wanted to, not because I begged her.

I swirled the glass and contemplated a sip. I shouldn’t be drinking, I didn’t want to give in to the addiction I fought against daily, but I was finding it hard to care anymore. I had nothing, so what did it matter.

Two weeks had passed and still no word from her. I’d tried to do what I could, worked on a statement with my publicist, saying all the things she’d wanted me to say. I had no idea when it would air, or if she would see it, and I was unconvinced it would work. If it had, she’d be here by now, right?

I’d even tried to find Dollar, but so far, I’d come up empty-handed. It still hurt, knowing someone I’d trusted with my life had done those things out of sheer greed. I felt sick any time I thought about it and had moved quickly to remove Dollar’s name from everything, refusing to be associated with him anymore, and cut off his earnings from my music. I hoped never to cross paths with him again, and if we did…well, he should be ready for paybacks. Gabrielle was right. We weren’t safe if Dollar was walking around feeling jilted. If he’d stooped to the level of working with Terrell, then who knew what else he would do.

All I could do now was wait. Wait and see if I’d lost everything, or had all I’d ever wanted. I could do nothing else, wanted to do nothing else. All I could do was sit in the dark, in my large, deserted house, and wait.

The back door opened and closed, but I remained where I was, figuring it was Big T coming to check on me. There was silence before a light flew on in the kitchen, followed by the scamper of feet.

“Daddy?”

Dropping my drink on the table next to me, I shot out of the chair. Dani spotted me, a huge grin breaking out on her face, and my heart almost burst. I knelt, and she threw herself at me, wrapping her arms around my neck. I stood as I hugged her tight, closing my eyes and inhaling her sweet scent.

“Hey, baby,” I said.

“I missed you, Daddy!”

“I missed you too, sweetheart. So much.” I turned at the sound of footsteps behind me and caught Gabrielle’s eye. “Hey.”

She gave me a timid smile. Reaching out, Gabrielle rubbed Dani’s back. “Honey, can you give Daddy and me a moment, please?”

She leaned back in my arms and kissed my cheek. “Come upstairs and play when you’re done?”

I smiled. “There’s nothing else I’d rather do.”

I set her down, and she ran up the back stairway. Turning, I shoved my hands into my pockets. “How are you?”

“I’m okay. You?”

I shrugged. “Okay.”

Uncomfortable silence fell between us, neither one knowing where to start. I wanted to pull her into my arms and tell her how much I missed her, how much I needed her, and how much I loved her, but I couldn’t. She had to make the first move, letting me know where we stood.

So, I remained quiet, waiting for her to begin. She let out a sigh, walked over to a chair in front of the island, and sat down.

“I owe you an apology.”

“You owe me an apology? Why?”

“For running out like I did. I was just so scared, so confused, so…sick and tired of worrying about…everything.”

“You don’t need to apologize. It’s understandable—”

“I blamed you.” She noticed my flinch at the sting of her words and took a deep breath before continuing. “It was your fault we were in the spotlight, and bad things being said about me. It was your fault everyone continued to rip you apart and you wouldn’t do anything about it. It was your fault Terrell just would not go away.”

I nodded as I sat in the seat next to her, hunched over like she’d punched me in the gut, because everything she said was true. It was my fault. “I understand—”

“No, you don’t.” She grabbed my hand with hers. “I blamed you, but in reality, you weren’t the one I should be blaming. None of this was your doing. You didn’t ask for anyone’s opinion about what you do outside of your music. You didn’t ask for anyone’s approval for how you live your life and who you have in it. You didn’t ask Terrell to threaten me or Dani.” Giving my hand a squeeze, she smiled at me. “You’re the last person I should blame, because all this happened because you did the right thing. You got away from Terrell and everything he stood for. You got away from your father and became an outstanding one yourself, despite what you grew up with. You made yourself into someone successful. You became who you wanted to be, and you should be so proud of that. I am. You’re a wonderful person, an even better father, and I lost sight of that. Can you forgive me?”

I took a deep breath, moved by her words. She was the only person in my life who’d ever truly believed in me and really saw me for who I was. I loved her more than I ever thought possible.

“Baby, there’s nothing to forgive you for. You had a lot thrown at you, even in the past, and I don’t blame you for getting overwhelmed with it all. I had years to get used to it, but you only had a few months before everyone was all over you. Then throw the shit in there with Terrell…” I shook my head. “It is my fault. This is my past following me around, not yours. I tried to get away from it, but I guess…” I dropped my hand to my lap, not knowing what more to say. “All I can promise is to try. To always try to make things right. I won’t give up until you’re happy. That’s all that matters, baby.”

“I know, and thank you for doing that.”

“For doing what?”

“For the statement. I saw it tonight.”

I ducked my head, embarrassed. “You liked it?”

She leaned forward and put her arms around my neck. “I loved it. It was perfect.”

“I’m sure some dick out there will have something to say about it.”

“Let them.” She gave me a gentle shake. “You know why?”

“Why?”

“Because someone wise once told me, it doesn’t matter what anyone else says, as long as we know what the real story is.”

I chuckled. “Sounds like a smart person.”

“The smartest.” She leaned in and touched her lips to mine. “I love you, Danny Anderson.”

“I love you too, my GE.”

“Always.”

“Always,” I promised.