AFTER MY SHIFT AT GRINDERS, I hurry over to the apartment, hoping I catch Dani before she goes to sleep. I hate when she’s upset with me and I especially hate it when we can’t resolve our issues before they turn into big fights.
The first few weeks of our relationship, after Dani moved down here permanently, were smooth sailing for us . . . or so I thought. Turns out, I was doing all kinds of shit that irritated her, she just didn’t know how to tell me. She kept everything bottled up until one night when Deacon and Tucker were over, I left the toilet seat up for the millionth time and she blew up. I mean, that woman chewed my ass out so bad, I thought those boys would never let me live it down. Later, once she’d calmed down, she apologized for overreacting and said she understood this was my first real relationship and that she’d be more patient with me. I assured her she could always tell me when I was being a jackass and I vowed right then and there to clear up any misunderstandings before things got blown out of proportion.
As quietly as I can, I step into the bedroom and undress before slipping into bed behind Dani. I wrap my arm around her waist, anchoring myself to her, and kiss the back of her head.
“Hey,” she says, softly.
“I didn’t mean to wake you, but I can’t go to sleep without you in my arms.” I tighten my grip around her and whisper into her hair, “I’m sorry about earlier. I promise I was trying to get away from her the entire time she was talking to me.”
She pats my arm so that I know to give her room to move and, once she’s facing me, I can see that she’s been crying. Her eyes are pink and puffy and I hate that I’m the asshole who made her cry.
I move her hair away from her face as her eyes well up again. “Baby, no. Please, don’t cry.”
“It’s harder than I thought it would be,” she admits.
“What do you mean?”
Please don’t say it’s too hard . . .
That I’m too hard to be with.
I won’t be able to take that.
“I knew going into this relationship that you had a past and that, sometimes, I’d have to see the girls you’ve been with. I just didn’t expect it to be thrown in my face so much.”
I was never ashamed or apologetic about my reputation until I met Dani. Oddly enough, she wasn’t the one who made me feel bad about it. I was. Seeing how upset she still gets over it, even though we’ve been together for months now, makes me feel like shit.
“I don’t know what else to say, other than I’m sorry, Dani. Tell me what I can do to make it better. I hate making you so upset.”
“I know you do, Micah.” She places her palm on my cheek and gives me a small smile. “It’s not you I’m upset with. I trust you, I swear. I just can’t stop myself from being reminded about Graham and what he did to me.”
Graham, her jackass ex-boyfriend. I still see red every time I think about him cheating on Dani, and it makes me sick to my stomach that my actions, or the actions of the women I know, make her feel like Graham did.
“I have never cheated on you, Dani. I’ll never do that to you. Please tell me you believe me.”
“I do believe you. But it hasn’t been that long since Graham and I broke up; I’m still healing.”
I’m relieved she believes me, but I can’t deny the sting I feel when she says she’s still healing. I thought she was healed when she and I finally got together but maybe not. I refuse to believe we started seeing each other too soon, though. There was no way I could stay away from her any longer. I had to make her mine and, now that she is, I’m not letting go.
“Go with me to New Orleans,” I blurt out.
“What? When?”
“This Friday. I’m supposed to meet Alex and Mr. Wells to look at the building and sign the contracts. Come with me; it’ll be great. We’ll spend the whole weekend in the city, just the two of us. Please.”
Yeah, it sounds like I’m begging but I don’t care. The two most important things in my life right now are Dani and this restaurant and to be able to focus on both in the same weekend sounds amazing. I don’t know why I didn’t think of asking Dani as soon as I agreed to go. A weekend away with my girl is just what we need and, if I can get her completely on board and excited about the new business, I’ll know I’m doing the right thing. Dani says she supports my decision and I believe her, but I want her to want it as much as I do. I need her to see how important this is to me.
I watch Dani chew on her lip as she thinks and I feel like I’m going to explode if she doesn’t answer soon. She better not put me through this when I ask her to marry me. I don’t think my heart could take the wait.
“Will Alex be upset if I’m there?” she asks.
“Dani, I don’t give a rat’s ass what Alex thinks. You and I are a package deal, got it?”
“Okay,” she answers and I’m filled with relief.
“You’ll go? Really?”
“Yes, really,” she says with a laugh. “This is important to you and I want to be there for you. Plus, spending a weekend in New Orleans with you sounds amazing.”
I grab her face and kiss her, sliding my tongue between her lips. Dani responds with a moan, opening her mouth wider for me and running her fingers through my hair. When we break apart, breathless, I whisper against the skin below her ear. “I love you so much, Dani. Let me show you.”
She rolls onto her back, pulling me on top of her, and I show her. I show her until the sun starts coming up.
New Orleans is the best city in the world. I know I’m biased and, technically, I haven’t travelled enough to back up that bold statement, but, for me, I know I never want to be far away from The Crescent City. There’s just nowhere else like it. The food, the sounds, and the smells, which range from fucking nasty to hot damn delicious many times throughout the day, only make up part of what I love about the city. The people here are amazing and there’s a constant hum in the air, a feeling that you know something exciting is about to happen and when it does—whatever it is—you’ll never forget it.
It’s also fun and naughty and you can drink out in the open all day long, so what’s not to love?
After taking a stroll through the French Market and grabbing some coffee and beignets from Cafe Du Monde, Dani and I start walking toward Jackson Square. Hearing her content sighs and knowing how much she’s enjoying herself, it makes me fall even more in love with her and this place.
“I can’t believe this is the first time we’ve been here together since you moved to Baton Rouge,” I tell her. I give her hand a little squeeze and then point toward a street performer. She grabs the camera that’s been hanging around her neck all day and starts taking pictures.
“I know, but I’m so glad we’re here now. This city is incredible. I visited once when I was a little girl and I still remember it. It’s crazy how it’s remained the same, for the most part, all these years, even after the hurricane.”
Hurricane Katrina changed, not just New Orleans, but this entire part of the state, as well as, Alabama. I was afraid it would change my beloved city permanently but the locals here are tough, resilient, and were not about to be defeated. Though it’s taken some time, New Orleans has bounced back and is stronger than ever.
I take my phone out of my pocket and check the text Alex sent me this morning with the address of the building. “Look, Chuck, it’s right up here. Let’s go.” I start jogging, pulling her with me, and making her laugh. I can’t help the excitement that’s coursing through me and once we’re standing in front of the building, my stomach is full of butterflies. The feeling is reminiscent of the first time I stepped onto a football field or the first time I met Dani. All of the big moments in my life usually start with this feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“Look at you,” Dani says, still laughing at me. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen you like this. It’s pretty adorable.”
“I can’t help it. I’ve wanted this for so long. It’s my future, you know?”
She smiles at me but I realize my mistake. I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her body against mine, and kiss her neck. I trail kisses up to her ear and then tell her, “I get like this every time I’m with you, too. You, Sheridan Reed, are my everything.”
Her eyes are glazed over a bit but she catches herself. “Such a fucking charmer, you are, Micah Paul Landry,” she sighs, squeezing my cheeks and pulling my face closer to hers. “Your mama warned me about you. I shoulda listened.”
I’m about to show her exactly how charming I can be when another woman’s voice interrupts.
“Oh! I thought I heard voices out here. Micah, are you attacking the locals already? I’m going to have to keep you on a tight leash once the restaurant opens.” Alex laughs at her own joke while I remind myself that my mama raised me not to hit a girl.
I turn to face Alex, while holding Dani’s hand, and introduce them . . . again. “Alex, you remember Dani, my girlfriend. I believe y’all met at my parents’ anniversary party.”
“Yes, I remember now,” she says, as her smile gets tighter. “Please forgive me. I just assumed Micah’s first try at a relationship had ended by now. My mistake.”
Dani tightens her grip on my hand while placing her other hand on my arm. Her back straightens as she stakes her claim, and I admit, I kinda like it when she pisses on my leg.
“Can we go inside?” I ask. Alex is making this way too awkward. All I want is to inspect the property and sign the contracts, so Dani and I can get back to our weekend.
“Yes, of course! Follow me.” Alex turns her back to us and opens the front door. Once we’re inside and all the lights are on, I slowly turn in a circle in the middle of the room and try to take it all in. This building has never been a restaurant before so the renovations will be extensive, but worth it. The concrete flooring and brick walls give the place a rustic look which will be a perfect contrast to the high-end decor I want to use. I can see it all so clearly and it’s absolutely perfect.
Alex leads us around the building and points out different areas, some that need repairs and some that don’t. She’s on board with my concept for the restaurant and seems genuinely enthusiastic to start working together. I notice her watching Dani a lot but I assume she’s either jealous or simply curious. Alex knew the old me and she must be struggling to reconcile her memories with who I am today, but honestly, that’s her problem, not mine. We don’t have to be friends just because we’re going into business together, and I don’t have a problem telling her that if she gets out of line again.
“We should get going,” Alex says after we’re finished making our final notes. “Mr. Wells isn’t a fan of tardiness.”
We’re meeting him across the street at a pub to sign the contracts.
The three of us leave the building, locking it behind us and make our way to the sidewalk.
“I’m sure this will be a total bore to you, Sheridan,” Alex says, using her full name and making my hackles stand on end.
I give her a glare, ready to defend Dani, but I don’t have to.
“Actually, I find this all very exciting.” Dani smiles at her and then takes my hand possessively. “Besides, if it interests Micah, it interests me.”
Kissing the top of Dani’s head, I chuckle. “I love you.”
Alex takes in the scene with a less than satisfied glare, but I don’t give two shits. She better get used to it, because as long as I’m around, so will Dani. We’re a package deal.
When we get in the pub, Mr. Wells is already seated at a table for three, but I find our waitress and ask for another chair, squeezing it between me and Alex. If she needs a visual, I’ll be happy to give her as many as she needs.
Without any further ado, we get down to business. That’s how it always is when we meet with him and I have to say I appreciate it, but it makes me wonder how he got involved with Alex. If I had to guess, I’d say he’s a friend of her father’s and he’s doing Mr. Collins a favor, keeping an eye on Alex.
“Sign here, here, and here,” he says, passing the papers over to me.
Even though I’m excited as hell to get this project started, my hand hovers over the paper a bit before I eventually sign my name. Dani places a reassuring hand on my back when she senses my hesitancy and I appreciate it more than she’ll ever know. Her being here, supporting me, is more than I can ask for. The only thing that could make this moment more perfect is if my brother was here with me. I’ve never done anything like this without him and I already feel the loss of his presence. But I’m still hoping once he sees how serious I am and how great this property is, he’ll want to be more involved. I’ll always make room for Deacon in my restaurant.