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.”
“It’s okay.” She tried to move my hand, but I held it firmly in place. “She won’t mind, I promise.”
“But… I mind. Come on. I want to make a good first impression. Please.”
“You’re nervous,” Dani teased. She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me hard on the lips. “You’re totally nervous about meeting my mom.”
“Of course, I am,” I said. “Wouldn’t you be?”
“Nah.” She shrugged. “I wasn’t nervous at all when I met your mother.”
“What about my father?” I shot back.
She gave an exaggerated shiver. “That wasn’t nerves either. That was downright terror.”
I laughed, and she kissed me again. This time, she lingered longer, and I held her against me. I didn’t want to let her go. We’d only been freely together for a week. Everything about our fake marriage had been tense and confusing, but this was different. We were finally together, a real couple, and I loved every single second of it.
I gave her another lingering kiss before pulling away. “Let’s go. We’re late.”
“Fine,” she said, rolling her eyes and following me out the door. “But I want to see the painting when we get back.”
“You will,” I promised, dragging her along behind me.
I knew she was just as eager to see her mother as I was. She hadn’t seen her in a couple days, and it was obvious how much she loved and missed her. When we weren’t making love, we talked about our childhoods, our hopes and dreams and even our fears. When I wasn’t trying to figure out what to do with my life now that I’d left Gaston Pharmaceuticals, Dani and I were holed up in my apartment. We made love and cooked together. We snuggled on the couch and spent evenings out on my terrace. I felt like I was living in a romantic comedy montage, but I didn’t care. Every moment with Dani was beyond perfect.
She finally admitted that her mom was the reason she needed the money. She said she only agreed to stay married to me to help her mom. I had no idea that was her motivation, and I felt like even more of an ass. Now that I’d fallen for her, I would have helped her with her mom’s care without a second thought.
When we finally arrived at the assisted living home, I hopped out of the car and ran around to Dani’s side. Before she could move, I opened her door and helped her out. She smiled gratefully and tangled her fingers in mine. We walked hand in hand toward the front door, and I tried to calm my nerves. I took deep breaths and told myself everything would be fine. Dani’s mom would love me, I was sure of it. She would see how happy Dani and I were together and that would be enough for her. That would be enough for any mom. Or so I hoped.
“Relax,” Dani whispered as I walked down the hall toward her mom’s suite. “It’s going to be great. My mom is easy. She loves everyone.”
“Everyone?” I asked doubtfully.
“She even liked Perry,” Dani said with raised eyebrows.
“You’re kidding.” I laughed.
“Nope,” Dani said. “She’ll love you, I promise.”
I tried to believe her as we stepped into her mom’s room. The apartment was small but cozy. I could see why Dani chose this home out of all the others. It was nice without being overly fancy, and it looked like someone could really make a home here. I smiled and looked around, my eyes falling on an older woman sitting in an armchair by the window. She was looking outside, her eyes fixated on the world around her. I glanced at Dani, waiting for her to take the lead. She was smiling as she led me forward and cleared her throat loudly.
“Mom.”
The woman turned toward us, a blank look on her face. Beside me, Dani slumped, like all the air had been let out of her. Then, the woman blinked and her eyes cleared. “Oh, honey. It’s you.”
Dani smiled, relief flooding her features as she hugged her mother. “I’ve missed you so much.”
She kissed her daughter’s cheek. “I’ve missed you too.”
“Mom,” Dani began brightly. “This is Talen, the man I’ve been telling you about. Talen, this is my mother.”
“Mrs. Brooks,” I said, smiling and stepping forward. I extended my hand to her. “It’s so nice to finally meet you.”
“Oh, put that away,” she said, waving my hand away and getting out of the chair. “I’m a hugger.”
She wrapped her arms around me and held me close. I was immediately taken aback by the warmth of her welcome, but I loved it. She reminded me of my own mother, full of love and grace. I smiled and hugged her back tightly. When she let me go, she held onto my shoulders and held me at arm’s length. Looking me up and down, she smiled and nodded. I wasn’t sure what she was thinking, but I could tell she was happy.
“You’re exactly how I pictured you,” she said. “Dani, he’s handsome.”
“He is.” Dani laughed. I smiled, and the three of us sat down to talk.
We spent the entire afternoon visiting and getting to know each other. Mrs. Brooks told me stories about Dani when she was young. I couldn’t believe that she’d always been an artist. Even as a toddler, she loved to draw and paint. Her mother said that she was never without her sketchbook.
“It’s definitely her calling,” I agreed. “I went to her last show and was just blown away.”
“She’s amazing,” Mrs. Brooks gushed.
“Enough,” Dani said, embarrassed.
“I’m serious,” her mother said. “I’ve never been prouder of you, honey. Your life seems to be moving in the perfect direction.”
“I hope so,” Dani said, glancing at me.
“It is,” Mrs. Brooks nodded. “I can see it. You’re happy. Happier than ever.”
“I hope that’s true,” I said, taking Dani’s hand in mine.
“It is.” She smiled and leaned her head against my shoulder.
We spent a couple more hours with her mom before it was time to leave. It was almost dinnertime, and we didn’t want to interrupt her mother’s schedule. We all hugged goodbye and promised that we would visit again soon. This promise was one I felt certain I could keep because I was desperate to get to know her mom even more. I knew how sick she was and that time was limited. I didn’t want to miss out on anything. And I especially didn’t want Dani to, either.
On the way home, I felt my stomach tighten with nerves. Dani was going to find out which painting I bought, and that would open up a door to our future. There were so many things up in the air between Dani and me, so many things we hadn’t yet discussed. I wasn’t sure we were ready, but I knew I was. I loved her, and I never wanted to lose her.
“Show me,” Dani said the second we walked through the door. I laughed and grabbed the package.
Moving toward the middle of the living room, I set the package down and slowly unwrapped it. I made sure it was facing me and not Dani when it was finally revealed. Dani was vibrating with anticipation. I laughed at her eagerness.
“Stop torturing me and just show me!” she insisted. “I can’t take the suspense any longer.”
“Okay.”
In one motion, I spun the painting around so Dani could see. Her mouth fell open, and her eyes immediately began to fill with tears, one slipping down her cheek. I didn’t know what she was thinking, but I felt like I’d done the right thing. This was the one painting that called out to me the most at her show. I knew I couldn’t leave without buying it. I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if someone else snatched it up. It was mine, and it always would be.
“I can’t believe you bought this,” she breathed. “I wasn’t even sure I was going to show this one.”
“Why not?” I asked. “It’s amazing, if I do say so myself.”
Another tear fell. “It’s humiliating.”
“I think it’s perfect,” I said. “I love it, and I love you.”
My words echoed through the apartment. Dani’s eyes snapped to my face, and she stared at me in shock. We hadn’t yet said these words to each other, and I knew she was completely surprised. Still, I had to tell her. It was the truth. I loved her.
“Dani,” I said, taking a step forward and setting the painting against the wall. “Listen, I know we started this relationship in a really odd way, but I’m so glad we did. You’re amazing, and I love you. I’ve loved you for a long time now, but I was afraid to tell you. I didn’t know if you felt the same, and I was scared. I’m not scared anymore. I love you, and you need to know that.”
Tears slid down Dani’s face as I spoke. She moved closer to me and grabbed my hands. Still crying, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed me deeply. I kissed her back, letting all my emotions pour out into that one kiss.
“I love you,” I said again as we pulled apart. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too,” Dani whispered before she kissed me again.
We quickly lost ourselves in the feel of each other. We kissed so deeply that I never thought we would come up for air. When I led her to my bed, she came along eagerly, and as we made love, we whispered our love for each other with each breath, over and over again.